How do I transition my kitten from kitten food to adult food?

Your kitten should be fed a specially formulated, high-quality kitten food until she’s ten to twelve months old. At that point, it’s time for her to change over to adult food. But you’ll want to make that transition slowly, as her tummy can easily get upset.

Buy a bag of adult cat food with your last bag of kitten food. At mealtime, replace a small amount of kitten food with an equal amount of adult food, mixing them well. Slowly adjust the ratio over a period of several weeks, adding more adult food and less kitten food until the kitten food is gone.

Once she’s feasting only on adult food, feed your young cat the same kind all the time. If you do decide to switch brands or flavors, take several days to do so, using the same transition technique.

– Dr. Larry McDaniel, DVM for the “Purina® Animal Instincts” Podcast Series

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