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How to feed a new kitten and adult cat separately with a dog around?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Cockapoo | Female | unspayed | 3 months and 13 days old | 5 lbs

I got just a kitten. Any tips on navigating feeding both pearl and The kitten separately? Do I leave the kittens food out? Should it be elevated someplace so the dogs can’t get to it? Also, how would feeding 2 cats work?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Lauren Jones VMD

Veterinarian

Published on May 31st, 2020

Congratulations on your new addition! In general, I prefer feeding cats separately for their entire lives so that you can be sure that every cat is eating an appropriate amount and type of food. I find that the best way to feed all animals (both cats and dogs) separately is to feed them in different rooms with a door as a barrier between them. Simply close them in their feeding area for 10 minutes twice a day, then pick up all of the bowls when they are let out. When every pet is fed in a separate area, there is no need to elevate the cats' bowls to keep the dogs out. Your new kitten should be fed more frequently than your adult cat. I typically feed kittens 4 times per day until they are 4 months old, then 3 times per day from 4-8 months, then twice a day. There's definitely a bit of training involved to get all pets accustomed to their new routine, so it might take a few days to get all pets adjusted to their new normal. Good luck!

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    Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Ginger. I would feed them separately. Feed Ginger in a room with her food, and don't let her out until she is done eating. You can feed the cats three times a days in separate rooms to Pearl doesn't eat Ginger's food. Once Ginger is a year old, she can be on an adult food like Pearl and you won't have to feed them separately. I hope this helps!

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