My 6 month old cat is eating Purina Kitten Chow...Is that bad for her?

You will hear everyone say that every brand is bad. There is SO much disinformation out there it is ridiculous.

Most commercially available cat foods are properly balanced for their intended "clientelle." There is no need to worry about that. As for eating kitten food, it is okay. Most cats are considered kittens until they are 1 year old. But you can have her eating adult food if she likes that, too. I have had many kittens eating adult food without ever having kitten food and they have all turned out just fine.

Me… kittyslave23… I know my place.

If she has always been on the kitten chow and has had NO problems then it won't hurt her.

BUT I would find a food that has chicken as it's first ingredient and switch her slowly to that food. She can be on kitten food until she is a year old.

Foods with corn as the first ingredient isn't that good for any cat, and Purina kitten chow as well as Purina cat chow has corn as the first ingredient.

If you want you can mix kitten and adult food now. But change her slowly over a two week period with small amounts of the new to the old;

I would switch her to one of the extra premium brands of cat food. At 6 months she is ready. The label always says 1 year, but that's not necessary.

I recommend Natural Balance canned cat food (Petco) as it has NO ash and NO phosphorous in it. Canned food is better than dry, but if you want to ADD some dry food, I highly recommend Blue Buffalo Basic. It comes in a variety of flavors, too. Again, it doesn't have any ash or phosphorous in it and is very, very nutritious for you kitty.

I feed my 5 cats the canned food in the morning and then I give them small amounts of Blue Buffalo dry during the day, and then another bit of canned food at night.

Cats are funny animals. They don't have a thirst mechanism, so they NEED canned food more than they need the dry food. They also need plenty of fresh water.

There are other cat foods out there...just do your research and remember, no ash or phosphorous and you'll be safe. These foods are a little more expensive, but wouldn't you rather pay a little more now and avoid vet bills later?

Good luck!

Kitty Chow

Most commercial pet foods are very bad. Ingredients such as "by products" (meat, chicken...however it is labeled) are actually various parts of animals. Some of which you would not want in your pet's food and sometimes euthanized animals from shelters. Some of which were sick/diseased. They are thrown into grinders whole with tags and all still attached. Carbs are useless in their diet as well. High protein with a decent amount of fat and grain free is usually the better way to go if you are going to feed a commercial pet food. I recently been looking into raw as I have heard many good things about it from pet owners, people that run rescues/shelters, etc. Even some vets have come out on this issue. I have heard of this diet curing pets of things like diabetes and other health problems. Have also heard of blood tests run before and after the pet being put on raw that had amazing results. Many vets (not all...it's hard to find a good vet anymore) have been in bed so to speak with pet food companies for several years now. Below are a couple good sites to start with. Do some research, gather info from others that are in the know on the issue and weigh it all out.

http://www.ehow.com/facts_5219083_much-cat-need-pe...

http://feline-nutrition.org/index.php

Usually about 1 year old is when you switch them from kitten food to cat food. Wet food is very important as they get a lot of their fluids this way. Matticat is right about how to switch. If you switch them too much too fast it makes their tummy hurt. I would also recommend a water fountain. The sound of running water makes them want to drink more water. Many cats don't get enough fluids in them on a daily basis and this often leads to diabetes, kidney issues, etc. later in life. I bought our first water fountain 3-4 years ago and our cats love it. When they took their first drink they didn't bother to come up for air for a long time. They acted like it was the best thing they ever tasted and they do drink more water with it. Also remember stay with stainless steel or ceramic for dishes as plastic absorbs bacteria. Always make sure to keep kitties nails trimmed so that they don't get too long and they don't hurt themselves. A weekly basis is usually good for grooming and don't forget their teeth. Some say it's best to brush their teeth once a day. Get started early with these things while she is still young and she won't fight you as much when a beauty shop day is needed. Check out the site below about OTC flea & tick products and their harmful effects. The site also offers a great non toxic flea & tick product along with other stuff. Best of luck.

http://tinytimmy.org/

***********Edit...Look at the ingredients people. Just because it's a big name brand doesn't make it a good brand. No misinformation here. I have talked to vets, shelter directors, rescue owners, pet owners, etc. So many are so quick to trust just because a company is a well known brand or claims to be good. You wouldn't feed your human kids crap and you would want to know the details of what they are being fed instead of just trying what various companies tell you. Why wouldn't you do the same when it comes to your fur kids? Paying top dollar doesn't always mean highest quality either. It just means you are a fool for trusting too easy. Many will lie to you to no end and not think twice about it just because their only concern is making money. You can't believe everything you read/hear hence why I encourage any and all to do the research themselves. Check these links out for yourself for starters. One of them even has a video with certified specialist on the subject.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Do_cats_need_more_protei...

http://askville.amazon.com/cats-eat-dog-food/Answe...

http://idealweightacadiana.com/protein-diet/why-do...

If she is healthy, and doing well, there is nothing wrong with what she is eating. In addition, she is the decider, and if she disagrees with a change in the food, she will not eat it.

She can be on kitten chow for the first year of her life, then transition to adult chow.

I spoke with my vet when I got my kitten. He did not recommend any of the mainstream cat foods. He recommended the higher quality foods (i.e. Science Diet). i will also give my kitten wet food that is all protein that has no fillers in it. she eats that a lot better than her high quality dry.

just remember when you switch the types of food do it gradually as it will upset their stomachs.

Purina is a good food. A good brand. So I don't think its bad for her.

Try her on cat food now. If she can eat it, if her teeth are strong enough, she can go on cat food permanently.