Can an adult cat be given kitten food?

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High nutritional content, easy digestibility and rich vitamin and mineral composition of food for small pets gives food for thought to owners of adult animals, is not such food better? Why do grown-up cats need to change the diet, while the children’s diet is full of useful substances? Why shouldn’t an adult cat be given kitten food?

Distinguishing features of diets for kittens and adult cats

Manufacturers of ready-made food separate diets into different age categories for a reason. This is one of the most important criteria for a healthy diet. There are foods for kittens of a certain age: from 1 to 4 months, from 6-12, from 3-15, from 1-12, for adults over 1 year old and aging cats.

Age separation is characteristic of any cat food, both dry and wet. It is used in the production of diets of different classes: holistic, superpremium, premium and economy.

Veterinarians and nutritionists take part in the creation of ready-to-eat food lines, as they believe that animals require different amounts of useful and nutritious substances at different life stages.

Differences in feeds by age

Calories

Kittens are restless and active, unlike adult cats who spend most of the day asleep. During playtime, they spend even more calories than they consume. To replenish lost energy, they need a sufficiently caloric diet.

The difference in calorie intake between adult and toddler diets is up to 10%.

Proteins

For full growth and muscle mass building, kittens need “building material” in the form of protein. The higher the protein content, the better the quality of the food.

If the protein content in the food for adult cats is 30-34%, for kittens it is 36-40%.

Fats

Amino acids play an important role in a cat’s body, most of them coming from fats. In old age, fat processing becomes extremely difficult and puts a great strain on the gastrointestinal tract.

In feeds for old animals the fat content does not exceed 15%, for adults – 16-18% and for kittens – 18-20%.

Minerals

Minerals contribute to the formation of the backbone in the body of kittens, while in adulthood their strength and health is maintained. Accordingly, the rate of micronutrients in the diet for small pets will be slightly higher, especially in relation to the size of the animal:

trace elements	in food for adult cats, %	in kitten food, %
calcium	1,2-1,5	1,4-1,7
magnesium	0,1	0,1-0,12
phosphorus	1,0-1,2	0,9-1,1

Vitamins

Like minerals, kittens have a great need for vitamins as their bodies grow and develop:

vitamins	in food for adult cats	in kitten food
А	15000-20000 IU/kg	18000-23000 IU/kg
D3	750-850 IU/kg	750-1000 IU/kg
Е	600 mg/kg	720-800 mg/kg

Pellets

Kittens’ jaws are forming as long as they are growing. They are also undergoing a change from milk teeth to permanent teeth. These factors play an important role when creating cat foods. Foods for small pets are small and soft pellets. Adult pets, on the other hand, need larger pellets to encourage them to chew the food rather than swallow it and firmer pellets to help clean plaque from their teeth.

Wet food for kittens has one important distinguishing feature – it contains more moisture. The fact is that small animals drink less often, and this helps to avoid dehydration.

Can an adult cat be fed kitten food?

An overabundance of useful and nutritious substances in the diet is no better than their lack. Overweight, poor health, various health problems – this is what awaits an adult cat that is given kitten food. However, not everything is so unambiguous. In some cases, such a variant of nutrition is not excluded. Diet for small pets is fed:

Pregnant and lactating cats

The development of kittens in the womb and the provision of nutrition for the born babies require a lot of calories, vitamins, minerals and other substances from cats. The usual diet in this case will not be enough, but the one designed for babies will be enough.

Emaciated cats

In this condition, it is not uncommon for owners to find their future pets on the street. After consulting with a veterinarian, the animal can be prescribed a therapeutic diet for rapid recovery or kitten food. With its help, the cat will gain the necessary mass faster.

Animals with GI problems

With some pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract, the diet of small animals will be the best solution to the problem, since it has a less traumatic consistency for the digestive organs. By consuming it, the cat feels better. In what cases such a dietary option is suitable – the veterinarian will tell you.

Cats with avitaminosis

Vitamin deficiency can be restored in several quick ways: introduce a vitamin and mineral complex into the diet or feed the animal kitten food for a while. In the future, the diet is revised, select a better quality, superpremium or holistic class.

Dehydrated pets

Getting a cat to drink water is not easy. To restore fluid to the body, you will need a wet diet. In adult diets there is enough liquid, but in children’s diets there is even more. That’s why canned food for kittens is the best option in this case.

What does feeding kitten food to cats lead to?

A short time of feeding adult cats with kitten food will not affect the health of the animal in any way, especially if there were indications from the veterinarian for this. As for the independent decision to transfer it to this type of food, will eventually lead to a number of undesirable consequences, namely:

Dental problems will occur as the softer consistency of the food will not be able to handle plaque, which will harden and lead to tartar formation with associated disease and tooth loss.
High caloric content of food and sedentary behavior of the animal will provoke excessive weight gain and development of obesity. Consequently, there will be associated health problems: joint diseases, cardiovascular diseases.
High fat content in baby food will provoke eating disorders, inflammatory processes in the digestive organs, metabolic disorders and problems with the pancreas and liver.
Excess mineral salts and protein in the composition of food for small pets will cause the development of urolithiasis.

Unless specifically recommended by a veterinarian, an adult cat should not be fed kitten food. This is a fact. Choose the correct and high-quality food for your cat, which corresponds to its age and health condition!