Feeding a kitten adult food

[chickflit]

I have an 8 week old kitten and currently feed him a mix of biscuits and wet food and milk. I also have an older cat who eats biscuits.

The kitten loves my older cat's biscuits and really doesn't seem that keen on his own although he loves the meat.

My older cat is 14 and if I remember when she was a kitten there was no such thing as kitten specific food and I expect there are no things as kitten specific mice in the wild.

So do you think it would be OK if I changed the kitten's biscuit meals with normal biscuits and just kept his wet food to the kitten specific food and his milk? Would he be getting all his required nutrients?

On another note, he's a biter, I know he's teething but we can't touch him without him biting us. We have a water spray but he just boxes it with his paws or tries to drink the water. Anything I can do to stop him before it becomes habit and his teeth get bigger. As a bit of background his mother died when he was a day old and he has been hand reared by a friend of mine so is used to people but has had no socialisation by another cat. My old cat can't be arsed with him so she just gives him a smack then goes back outside away from him.

Thanks for any help.

[blacktreaclecat]

We have a one year old and a four month old. I was tearing my hair out as they eat each others food all the time.
The lady in the pet shop suggested we mix kitten and indoor dry food together and feed it to them both. That way the little one gets some kitten food and the older one doesn't get too fat. Not ideal but seems to be working quite well.

[Fluffycloudland77]

I can only tell you what I did with my cat when he was a kitten;

He bit me all the time, got him neutered at 5.5 months and it stopped a couple of weeks later when all the testosterone left his body.

He wouldnt eat his biscuits unless mixed with meat then I found out your meant to wet the biscuits with water as their too hard to be eaten otherwise (didnt read the pack .

We didnt give him any milk just tap water. Tried him on mineral water but he didnt like it, again .

Male kittens are supposedly more fiesty than females and get chased out the litter by the females hence a matriachal society in feral cats.

[rocketleaf]

Sorry I know this isn't what you asked but is it cows milk or cat milk? I only found out the other day that you are not supposed to give cats dairy as they can't digest it properly and can get upset stomachs. We only use it to give our cat medecine and have now had to buy expensive cat milk to do so!

Why don't you check the contents and calories etc of the two biscuits? I bet the aren't that much different (i suspect marketing comes into this!). Can you feed them at different times and places?

[chickflit]

Thanks for the info.

No it's not cow's milk it's special cat milk he drinks.

Yes I will check the contents of both packets and see it says.

It's hard to feed them at different times because of work commitments etc and after 14 years of putting cat food down for the older cat it's hard to start remembering to pick it up now after she's finished. I'm pretty sure the kitten won't suffer any harm from eating her food.

With regard to the biting I have a feeling it's going to come down to him being neutered.

[QuietTiger]

That's absolutely fine. The only difference in kitten food, is that is higher in protien than adult food. If kitten is getting kitten wet food, it certainly won't hurt him to eat the adult dried. He will be absolutely fine. :)

[twolittlekittens]

Hello, we've just got two kittens. Both boys, both brother's, both 16 weeks old.
The rescuer we got ours from recommended dry food for kittens. They loathe it so we give them about an eighth of a tin of ordinary wet food mashed into it.
Another tip she gave us was to not bother with cat milk, but buy goats. We have't bothered, the boys like water.
They'll be going to get their nuts off next week and have their ID thing put in.