Can my 1.5-year-old cat eat kitten food if the bag says up to 1 year?

Hello and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Although it won't cause any major health concerns right away it is best to avoid letting Sparkles eat kitten food. Kitten food tends to be higher in fats and calories so it can cause an adult cat to gain weight quickly. In general canned cat food is considered much healthier for cats so perhaps you can entice Sparkles away from the kitten food by offering him canned food instead. Good luck with Sparkles and your new kitten!

Thanks for visiting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. You may absolutely feed them Royal Canin kitten food as long as they are under 1 year of age. If they are not kittens then it’s not a good idea to feed them kitten food because this has more calories than they need and will cause them to become overweight and at high risk of developing diabetes and arthritis issues. You can try feeding them a similar adult food with the same protein in it as the kitten food. Check your local store and online store for more protein (beef, chicken, turkey, salmon, etc) options. I hope this helps! Best wishes and take care.

It all depends on what the AAFCO statement says. You will have to check if the food has met AAFCO standards for feeding kittens, adult cats, or all life stages. The crude protein, fiber, etc. is not very helpful in determining if the food meets the nutritional demand of the life stage. Below is a link to an article that explains this a bit further and will tell you where to find the AAFCO statement. https://www.petcoach.co/article/what-to-look-for-when-choosing-your-pet-s-food/ If the food is deemed nutritionally adequate, then it's OK to feed them each other's food, but keep in mind the recommended amount to feed (should also be somewhere on the bag). The biggest concern with feeding an "all life stage" food is that it gives them too much calories, which can lead to obesity. If you notice that your cats starting to get chunky, then it's important to start reducing the amount of food they get. I hope that helps and all is well with the kitties.

How lovely of you to take on these kittens! Yes, you are correct they should be on kitten food and should stay on kitten food until they are one year of age. Purina kibble is a great food, just get the kitten version. To switch them to it, mix 75% old food and 25% new food, and feed them that for 3-4 days. After that time period, give them 50% old food and 50% new food mixed together. Again, feed that for 3-4 days. Then mix together 25% old food and 75% new food, and feed for 3-4 days. Finally, then give them 100% new food. This will help slowly transition them to the kitten food. If you see diarrhea at any point, add a little less new food and a little more old food to settle their stomach. Once the diarrhea is gone, continue the transition. I hope this helps!

Yes, I would stop using this dry food. Because it's for older cats, it's has fewer calories to meet the reduced caloric needs of older cats. That would be why Tim is so hungry all the time. I would donate the remaining food to your local animal shelter, I know they would very much appreciate it. Then you can put him on another Royal Canis diet more suited for his age. It can be wet, dry, or both. I only feed my cats dry without issue. I hope this helps!

I recommend switching to adult right at 1 year of age, but if you wanted to make the transition now I think that would be fine. If she seems to be doing well on her current food it's a good idea to stick with the same brand.

Hello, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. At 9 months old, if spayed/neutered, they should be eating adult food. Kitten food has A LOT of calories and they will get overweight very quickly eating that. It has nothing to do with cost. Hope this helps. Best wishes.