Kitten and Cat Food

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rangitotogirl - 15 Feb 2004 21:07 GMT

We've got our Bengal kitten on Friday and he is very cute and very cuddly.
He loves people and as soon as we are out of his sight we know about it.

I do have a question about his food though.

We have purchased Proplan kitten formula for him (it was used by the
Breeders so he is used to this also). We feed our 5 year old cat the
Proplan Salmon and Rice formula. Our kitten is 12 weeks old.

The first day and a half we had kitten he only had access to his own food
and I had a real battle convincing him to eat anything. He basically
ignored anything I put in front of him. He was quite happy to play and
cuddle but not happy to eat. He is a bundle of energy as you would expect
of a kitten. I tried giving it to him as biscuits and I also softened them
in hot water. He had both options available to him previously and he
enjoyed this but he just ignored them at our house.

Yesterday morning he discovered Caspa's Proplan for the first time and
decided he would rather have that food. He had a nibble (nowhere near the
recommended amount they say to feed a 12 week old kitten) and that was all I
saw him eat all day. He has had another little nibble this morning.

In the meantime Caspa thinks that Tigga's food looks pretty good and tries
to sneak that at every opportunity.

My question is this. How critical is it that I insist that Tigga eats
kitten food and Caspa eats cat food? Given that Tigga completely ignores
his kitten food would I do well to mix the two together so he doesn't starve
but still gets the benefit of getting at least some kitten food?

At nighttime and when we are out we shut him into the lounge where he has
access only to his own food but it doesn't get touched.

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philo - 15 Feb 2004 22:10 GMT

<snip>

> My question is this. How critical is it that I insist that Tigga eats
> kitten food and Caspa eats cat food? Given that Tigga completely ignores
> his kitten food would I do well to mix the two together so he doesn't starve
> but still gets the benefit of getting at least some kitten food?

I'd try mixing it a bit

even if kitten food is better for your kitty...
if he doesn't eat it...it's of course better to give him something he dies
eat.

you may also want to try a different flavor or brand or kitten food

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---MIKE--- - 16 Feb 2004 00:34 GMT

When I got Tiger (at 16 weeks) I fed only regular cat food. He seemed
to grow just fine - he is now at 23 pounds (Maine Coon).

-MIKE

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rangitotogirl - 16 Feb 2004 05:29 GMT

> When I got Tiger (at 16 weeks) I fed only regular cat food. He seemed
> to grow just fine - he is now at 23 pounds (Maine Coon).

That is one big pussy cat

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~*Connie*~ - 16 Feb 2004 00:39 GMT

Wow.. a breeder let the kitten go at 12 weeks? that's odd.. Most breeders
Ive heard of don't want to let go of their kittens till 16 or more. but
total congrats on the new addition!

obviously at this point, any food is better than no food at all. If a cat
goes more than 3 days with out eating, you can run into some serious
problems. He sounds like he's still acting like he's in good health which
is good. I wouldn't go around offering him anything and everything while
he's seems to be in good health, as that is what tends to make kitties
finky.

Did you isolate the kitten when you brought it home? has it been to a vet
to double check that it is in good health? Cats are very good at masking
illnesses.

As to your question.. I foster kittens for the local shelter. Idealy we
feed kitten food to kittens, but when supplies run low, we will feed them
regular cat food. The generic no name stuff tends to be the worst for
nutriants for kittens, and I totally recommend against that, but your
feeding your resident cat a quality food, so you should be ok. The longer
you can use kitten food, the better your chances of warding off some issues,
but many a kitten has eaten cat food and been perfectly fine.

so long post short. take the kitten to a vet to make sure there isn't an
underlying issue, and while kitten food is best, cat food is fine.
(although an abrupt change in food can cause diarrhea, so you'll want to
watch for that too)

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Denise Heelan - 16 Feb 2004 03:16 GMT

Hi
I agree with most of the info everyone has given you but I would try one
more little thing before I give in and mix it.

I use to foster care kittens for a local animal clinic. We used Chicken baby
food stage 1. All the doctors would use it too. They (the kittens :o) )
really loved it. I have only seen real sick animals refuse it.

See if your kitten likes it first. Then try mixing it with just a little of
the kittens dry food. See if this helps.

I have 3 cats all on different diets so I know what a hassel it can be but
if you can it would be better to feed them seperate. Your Vet can better
explain the difference between the two foods.

> Wow.. a breeder let the kitten go at 12 weeks? that's odd.. Most breeders
> Ive heard of don't want to let go of their kittens till 16 or more. but
[quoted text clipped - 23 lines]
> (although an abrupt change in food can cause diarrhea, so you'll want to
> watch for that too)

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rangitotogirl - 16 Feb 2004 05:35 GMT

> Wow.. a breeder let the kitten go at 12 weeks? that's odd.. Most breeders
> Ive heard of don't want to let go of their kittens till 16 or more. but
> total congrats on the new addition!

And I thought 12 weeks was old!! All the domestic moggies we've had in the
past have been about 8 weeks old. 12 weeks was when they neuter them.

> obviously at this point, any food is better than no food at all. If a cat
> goes more than 3 days with out eating, you can run into some serious
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
> to double check that it is in good health? Cats are very good at masking
> illnesses.

Tigga was at the vet just 3 days before he came home. He has had all his
shots and was given a clean bill of health at that stage. Now that I think
about it he could be a little bit off after his shots. I've seen that
happen in the past but the breeder indicated there other kitties have been
eating a bit less than normal. I haven't personally taken him to the vet
yet.

> so long post short. take the kitten to a vet to make sure there isn't an
> underlying issue, and while kitten food is best, cat food is fine.
> (although an abrupt change in food can cause diarrhea, so you'll want to
> watch for that too)

His stools seem pretty normal so far but I'll be keeping an eye on them.

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Victor Martinez - 16 Feb 2004 13:52 GMT

> And I thought 12 weeks was old!! All the domestic moggies we've had in the
> past have been about 8 weeks old. 12 weeks was when they neuter them.

Yeah, that's a common misconception that probably comes from the fact
that 8 week old puppies are ready to be separated from their moms.
Kittens that young haven't been properly socialized yet and really
benefit from the extra time with mom and littermates. 12 weeks is the
youngest, 16 weeks is better.

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Victor Martinez - 16 Feb 2004 04:01 GMT

May I suggest canned food? If you like Purina brand, they have a new
canned food out that's not that bad. Our cats love the flavors,
particularly the chicken and rice formula. Remember, canned food is
always better than dry food.

Signature

Victor Martinez
Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM)
Send your spam here: uce@ftc.gov
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rangitotogirl - 16 Feb 2004 20:29 GMT

Tigga's appetite seems to be back to what I would expect of a kitten his
age. He had a great feed last night and been bouncing around the house ever
since.

Thanks for your feedback everyone.

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