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Getting your new kitten off to a good start will make a big difference throughout their nine lives. A structured environment with safe toys, clean litter, plenty of fresh water, and the right nutrition will give them a head start and minimize vet visits later on. As you get ready for a busy and wonderful time with your adorable new kitten, we can help with some practical tips about what makes the best kitten food—and a list of some of the best foods on the market.
The Basics of Kitten Nutrition
Cats have special nutritional needs that can’t be met by human food or food intended for other pets. For one thing, cats are obligate carnivores, meaning they must have the amino acids found in meat to survive. According to this article from Catnip, the Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine newsletter, a cat’s diet must be high in proteins from meat and a kitten’s diet (from birth to 1 year) must be even higher in protein to support their rapid growth.
Kittens can be introduced to a specially formulated kitten food when they are as young as 3 weeks old. Once your kitten is weaned (at about 8 to 10 weeks) you can begin feeding them kitten food exclusively.
Dr. Cailin Heinze recommends letting your kitten enjoy a variety of kitten-specific foods.
“To help prevent finicky behavior down the line, you may want to feed your kitten a variety of textures of food — different shapes of dry, different textures of canned in the first few months, provided this doesn’t cause GI upset,” Heinze says in the Catnip article. “After kittens are about four months or so, it can be harder to get them to eat new foods.”
Dr. Gary Richter, author of “The Ultimate Pet Health Guide,” strongly recommends making wet food a significant part of your kitten’s diet to make sure they are getting plenty of water. “Canned diets or fresh, whole food diets have a much higher moisture content than dry kibble,” he says.
The Best Kitten Food
When you’re choosing food for your kitten, check the label to make sure it’s formulated for kittens. Look for wording that indicates the food meets the nutritional levels established by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) Profiles “for growth” or “for all life stages.” AAFCO members regulate pet food at the federal and state level.
Our list below includes popular, high-quality wet foods and dry foods from basic and premium brands, so there’s something to fit every kitten parent’s budget. And all of these kitten foods have received rave reviews from buyers.
Royal Canin Feline Health Nutrition Thin Slices in Gravy
Royal Canin is known for designing recipes for specific cat ages, health issues, and breeds. This is one of their top-rated kitten recipes, with thin slices in gravy that engage kittens in chewing but are easy for them to manage.
Shop on ChewyFancy Feast Classic Paté Collection Kitten Food
Fancy Feast is an extremely popular and affordable cat food brand, reputed to appeal to even the most finicky feline diner. If you want to get your kitten started on it, this variety pack of kitten-specific recipes, leading with poultry and fish, is a great choice.
Shop on ChewyPurina One Healthy Kitten Dry Cat Food Formula
This affordable dry food leads with chicken and includes vitamins, minerals, and DHA, a nutrient found in kitten mothers’ milk that assists with brain and vision development. This one is a great choice if you are feeding several kittens—it’s available in 3.5-pound, 7-pound, and 16-pound bags.
Shop on ChewyInstinct Kitten Grain-Free Pate Real Chicken Recipe Canned Food
Packed with plenty of protein from a mix of chicken, salmon, and beef liver for healthy growth, this formula is also supplemented with DHA for brain and eye development. It contains plenty of the energy your growing kitten needs.
Shop on ChewyNulo Freestyle Grain-Free Duck and Tuna Recipe
This popular premium kitten food includes duck, chicken, turkey liver, and tuna. Nulo likes to combine poultry and fish to maximize animal-based proteins that kittens require, along with vitamins and minerals.
Shop on ChewyNulo Freestyle Grain-Free Chicken and Cod Dry Food Recipe
The first four ingredients in this kitten-friendly recipe are deboned chicken, chicken meal, turkey meal, and deboned cod. This combination of poultry and fish provides plenty of the animal-based protein cats and kittens need to grow and maintain lean muscle mass.
Shop on ChewyWellness Core Natural Grain-Free Turkey and Chicken Liver Paté
This protein-focused kitten food leads off with turkey, chicken liver, turkey broth, and chicken, in a soft paté your kitten will find appealing and easy to consume. It’s packed with the vitamins and minerals young kittens require. You can also treat your little ones to Core’s kitten formula dry cat food.
Shop on ChewyMerrick Backcountry Raw Infused Kitten Recipe
Want to try some food with freeze-dried raw bites for your kitten? The folks at Merrick have some grain-free, kitten-sized kibble that makes it possible. The bites contain 42% protein, with chicken as the first ingredient, to support muscle growth and development. It’s designed for kittens ages 1 to 12 months.
Shop on ChewyIams Proactive Health Kitten Food
This blend is designed for kittens up to age 1 and includes the rich protein diet they need, along with vitamins and minerals, fish oil for brain and vision development, and taurine to help promote good vision and a healthy heart. It’s available in 3.5-, 7- and 16-pound bags.
Shop on ChewyKitten Chow Nurture Dry Cat Food
Healthy and affordable, this dry food is a kitten-specific recipe high in protein and fortified with minerals and vitamins. It’s designed for kittens from three weeks to 1 year of age.
Shop on ChewyFurther Reading
- How to Survive the First 24 Hours with Your New Kitten
- Healthy Kitten Treats Your Little Furball Will Pounce On
- How Much Wet Food Should You Feed Your New Kitten?
Featured image via Manuel Rheinschmidt/Unsplash
