How important are age ranges on cat food?

[BlackCatsAreBrilliant]

We've always taken on cats as young adults. However, we recently took on a pair of kittens (now 5 months). I have dutifully been buying kitten food for them (2-12 months). But after watching them devour the adult cats' food, and the adult cats tucking into the kittens' food I am wondering why I bother.

Searching online suggests that there is a calorie difference for the different age ranges (with kitten food having the highest calories). But is there any other significant difference? Any reason not to give them all the same stuff?

I had to give my kitten adult food from around 6 months old as the kitten food was too rich and gave him diarrhoea. The vet didn’t see an issue with him having adult food but I don’t know what the actual difference is.

Cats eat rotting things in the garden. Every time I’ve attempted to give mine any sort of specialised food I am brought back to this fact!

I have considered that, without me, they'd be eating dismembered mice. Which, obviously, is not age specific.

I had a wonderful cat who was adored by us all that we sadly lost quite young to kidney disease. I spent an absolute fortune on low-protein renal food (and I do not include any medically driven specialist food in my general shrugging about the issue), and had complicated feeding arrangements to stop the other cat getting to it, and then he would daily appear with his own locally-sourced protein item…

Forgot the cat tax.

Local CPL feeds kittens adult cat food becuz that's what they get donated & the kittens seem fine on it.

I have a 1yr old and a 12 yr old... I buy a mix of 1+ and 7+ food and they both eat both types.
Does it matter which type they have? Should I just get one type from now on?

Depends on the cat. Our current kitten is six months and gets the runs if he has adult wet food, but is fine on adult dry.

Previous kittens have always had adult food.

My very wise vet advised, years ago, when I mentioned a kitten was eating the adult cat's food rather than it's own:

"They don't have high-protein mice in the wild."

I stopped fretting after that.

I have 2 older cats and a kitten. The kitten eats the adult food and the eldest cat eats the kitten food. Going to stop buying kitten food when run out as not much point. I think kitten food is smaller bits

Thanks. It seems like I wouldn't be unreasonable to stop with the kitten food when the current batch runs out and see how it goes with just adult food.

I understand that kitten food is higher protein and calories so helps them with growing, it's also often advised for pregnant queens and those still feeding their kittens for the same reason.

On the same principle, "old" cat's food (over 7!) is high protein but lower calorie.

Mine won't touch the 7+ stuff, even though 2 out of 3 are 7+. But as someone has already said they're designed to eat mouse offal so I'm not overly concerned.

I accidentally bought 7+ once. The older cat (who is over 7) acted as if i was trying to poison her. And went out and murdered a mouse instead.

Mine leaves the offal on the kitchen floor for me… eats every other part!

Ha. If you’d ever have told me I’d know what a mouse’s gallbladder looks like.

My new three tear old was on Royal Canin Mother and babycat. It had done her no good whatsoever. She's so much better on proper adult food!

Ronnie cat likes a beef curry from the Chinese. He's a man of high standards.

Luna cat likes anything that was once alive, and steamed broccoli. She used to live in a JCB bucket until I rescued her so she's fairly flexible.

Have you considered “all life stages” food? That way you just need one food, for all cats in the household.
I used it for my kittens before I switched to raw.
(With raw feeding, the only difference seems to be how finely they mince commercially made raw food.)