On Apr 19, 8:59*am, mike wrote:
My cat is 8 months old. Should I feed her kitten food until she's a
year old, or is it ok to switch to adult cat food if she'll eat it?
What are the potential consequences if I switch to adult food?

Feeding cats is dependent on three thing:

Age
Weight (related to breed, of course)
Exercise

Some breeds grow for their first three years even slightly beyond -
Maine Coons come to mind.

Some breeds are done between 6 and 8 months.

An active, growing cat needs the additional protein that kitten-foods
provide - as they need lots of calories in short periods. A less
active adult cat needs fewer (relative to body weight) calories - the
delivery system is largely up to you.

None of this changes their nutritional needs and how those calories
are presented.

Our cats have always been demand-eaters - there is food out for them
all the time with 'wet' fed to them twice a day. They are also very,
very active. Even though they are typically neutered, we have never
had a fat cat or a cat that has suffered from diet-related
complications. Between the two cats, we go through two 6-ounce cans
and about 1 full cup of dry food (kitten food) each day, the older 16-
pound Maine Coon eating about as much as the younger cat - whom we
expect will remain kittenish for about the next year and be fed
accordingly. But there isn't a lick of excess fat between them.

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA