AIBU to insist he's a kitten?

[Ivebeeninlockdowntoolong]

No, I don't think this thread is in the wrong place!

Our "kitten" is now nearly 11 months old (birthday 1st June). However I am going to be sad when he officially has to become a "cat".

I adore buying him anything that clearly states "kitten" on it, eg food, toys etc. I'm quite adamant that our household always refers to our kitten as opposed to our cat!

Is this unreasonable of me?

Under TICA showing rules, "kitten" ends at 8 months. Sorry! Crack on with the toys but don't give him kitten food any more, it's like giving a teenager baby food.

Dkitten food is 2 - 12 months..

@VodkaSlimline

Under TICA showing rules, "kitten" ends at 8 months. Sorry! Crack on with the toys but don't give him kitten food any more, it's like giving a teenager baby food.

This

I have an 8 month old kitten and she is on adult cat food now

Not unreasonable at all.

We have two cats and two 'kittens.'
The cats are 10 the kittens are 3.
The kittens will remain kittens until (hopefully many many years hence) our older cats reach the end of their lives and we get more some real kittens.

They don't get kitten food though

(Slinks off in shame). Ok I think we need to buy adult cat food from now on, though on the packet it does say for cats kittens up to 12 months.

So he's still really a kitten, right?

While he'll always be your best, most beautiful, little kitten, you need to feed him appropriately.

@Gingernaut

While he'll always be your best, most beautiful, little kitten, you need to feed him appropriately.

I've been told! After we use up the current lot of food we will move him onto the adult ranges of our prefurred brands.

He's currently recovering from two operations at the moment but seems to be doing really well

Agree re food but my two turn 8 this year and they're still very much kittens 😁

What is completely unacceptable and unreasonable, is that you have posted a number of times on this thread now, and NOT included any photos 🤔😕😡

How can we be expected to judge without visual proof?

Have you not read the Litter Tray rules?

In name only (ie feed appropriately)

You can get around it by saying the following as an alternative to full blow “cat”

Kitty
Kitty-Cat
Catty-Kins
MyWickleKittyCat
My miaow-miaow (not around police though lest they think you are in possession of an illicit substance)

Or so “a friend” tells me.

The cat kitty WILL give you the side eye though.

Or so “my friend” tells me.

Mine is on kitten food and he's about 11
Needs the extra calories

SnoreCat is 3 and still my kitten. He has adult food, but he’s still a baby to me.

@IsolaPribby

What is completely unacceptable and unreasonable, is that you have posted a number of times on this thread now, and NOT included any photos 🤔😕😡

How can we be expected to judge without visual proof?

Have you not read the Litter Tray rules?

Quite right!

One picture taken of him relaxing nicely. The other picture is very recent, after his two operations. Note after being shaved, he is now sporting a very fetching crop top!

Cheddar and Magic are 8 and 10 and still my little kittens.

Kitten food is more calorific, our vet advised to switch them to adult food by a year or if they started to gain too much weight, whichever happened first.

That being said, ours are 2.5 years now and Girlcat is still referred to as "Baby Cat". I think she always will!

We have a 10 year old cat and a pair of 3 year old 'kittens'. They are always referred to as 'the kittens' when being talked about as a pair, I think they always will be now...

He's gorgeous and the absolute spitting image of my Dkitten. Who sadly passed away at the grand old age of 20.

He and his brothers were collectively known as "the kittens" their whole lives. TBF, we only used it to refer to them as a group and we had hand reared them so they were "different" from our other cats.

Mine is 13 and was 3 when I got her so I never knew her as a kitten, I still call her "Baby Cassie" or "Baby Cass Cass" when I'm talking to her.

I have a 7 yo cat I still refer to as 'the kitten'

"My baby cat". That's what I call my 8 year old lad

The other is "my little mouse".

Collectively they are "my babies".

I'm loving this! Love to hear all the special names everyone has for their cats and kittens, and seeing pictures too. Thanks for such a lift to Monday morning.

It doesn't matter they are always our babies!

Actually one of my SILs refers to her 3 adult children as her babies. I think that's rather nice though her babies may not agree.

When switching food, do it gradually to give the digestive system time to adjust, e.g. introduce 25% new food with 75% of the old at each meal, then 50/50, then 75% new food and 100% new food.

@Ivebeeninlockdowntoolong

Actually one of my SILs refers to her 3 adult children as her babies. I think that's rather nice though her babies may not agree.

It’s annoying as hell for us

I’m STILL the baby of the family. Right into my mid/late 30s my much older cousins were trying to seat me at the kids table with their under 12s and saying “I can’t believe you are driving already! Do you not get scared on the motorways at night?” I’d been driving for nearly half my life . Every time I tried to join in conversation with the “adults”, they’d look at me like this or switch the conversation to something adorable I’d done when I was getting christened or something.

Mum still goes “ahhhhhh, here she is!!! Come and meet my baby girl!” when I pick her up from the dentists or whatever.

Doesn’t apply to kittens though I’m sure! There’s the language barrier for a start.