I’m brand new here, so I’ll introduce myself: my name is Mélody and I’m a cat mum to three cats! :D
I’m absolutely mad about cats, like many of you here, I imagine!
I have:
- Olaf, a two-year-old male.
- Severus, a one-year-old male.
- Athéa, a two-month-old female, my latest addition and the reason for this post.
If you're curious, you can find photos of them on my profile ;)
So, here’s the situation: I feed my cats a mix of dry food and wet food throughout the day. I have dry food for neutered cats, since both my boys have been done, and kitten dry food for the little one. However, she refuses to eat her kitten food; I’ve already tried two brands, Purina and Pro Plan, and I made sure to do a proper transition from the food she was on before.
I should also mention that each of my cats has their own bowl (a double one for wet and dry food).
My question is this: do you know of any solution, and more importantly, is it dangerous for her to be eating dry food meant for neutered cats?
Thanks in advance! :)
Translated from French
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For us, the biggest change was the improvement in digestion. We used to have constant issues with bloating and so on, but everything finally normalised once we switched to a food with a higher meat content. I mostly order from a specialist online pet store now and I’ve no plans to change, as my dog is finally back to normal.
Hi everyone, basically I have a 2-year-old cat who usually eats dry food for neutered cats since he’s been neutered. I’ve just adopted a 3-month-old kitten who was eating kitten dry food, and I bought the exact same brand his previous owners were using. The problem is, my 2-year-old has started eating the kitten food – will he be alright? Is there any risk to him?
Good evening, my 17-year-old cat loves kitten dry food. Is it bad for his health? What should I do? Please put my mind at ease. Mrs Billard, my email is lyz.billard@orange.fr. Thank you.
Hi there,
It's really important to feed kittens dry food specifically designed for them. They need plenty of energy for growing and for all their activity, and since they have small stomachs, they need food that's high in protein. It also needs to contain other essential nutrients for growth, such as certain vitamins and calcium. Kitten dry food is normally formulated to meet all these requirements. On the other hand, food for neutered cats isn't intended for growth and is quite low in energy to prevent weight gain. So, it’s vital to make sure their diet is appropriate for their age (the same goes for wet food). You can keep trying different brands and flavours to find what she likes. You could also try feeding her in a separate area from the other cats so she isn't so tempted by their food.
Hope this helps,
Léna
Flyever, I definitely think that all the breed-specific stuff is purely marketing... well, that’s just my opinion anyway, I’m not really sure about the rest...
I’ve often seen it mentioned on here that the sterilised, kitten, Persian, and Siamese ranges are just marketing gimmicks, so it shouldn't really be a big deal, aside from whether they contain grain or not.
Nutrivet often gets good reviews on here. I haven't tried it myself though, as they don't list the mineral levels.
Regarding adult cats and kitten dry food, besides a slight risk of weight gain, they might also find it hard to digest because they’re used to dry food with lower protein levels. Even so, it’s not as much of a problem as a kitten eating dry food meant for neutered cats.
I’d like to place an order, but there’s so much choice that I think I’ll need some advice on the various products you can find on there, especially when it comes to grain-free dry food.
Thanks for your reply.
Others here will be able to advise you better than me on grain-free dry food, as I’m still a bit torn due to the rather high phosphorus and calcium levels found in those types of kibble. You can also read this fairly comprehensive article to get a better idea: http://sensibilisationdeschats.blogspot.fr/p/croquettes-pour-chat-lesquelles-choisir.html
Personally, I’m thinking of switching my cats over to Carnilove for neutered cats (they don't sell it on Zooplus, but you can find it elsewhere). The carb content is higher than the average for grain-free, but the calcium and phosphorus levels are also much lower. Even though the link I provided above says higher mineral levels are acceptable, I’m still quite cautious about it. Between two evils (high minerals or high carbs), I’ve tried to find the best compromise. We’ll just have to see if our little ones get on with it and like the taste.
Currently, I’m using Concept for Life, and before that, I was on Hill’s for neutered cats; I’m gradually bringing the carb levels down to give the transition to Carnilove the best possible chance of going well.
