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Kittens are ready to dive into kitten food even while they are still nursing. This is a great opportunity to get them started on a lifetime of healthy eating. Even if momma cat is enjoying kibble, make sure your kitten is trying out wet food. Once they’re weaned, wet food is a good way to make sure they are getting enough moisture. As you get ready for a busy and wonderful time with your adorable new kitten, we want to point you to some valuable tips on nutrition, including a list of some of the best wet food for kittens.
Purina Pro Plan Classic Salmon and Tuna Kitten Entree Wet Cat Food
Nutritious and yummy, this easy-to-eat pâté gets applause from cat parents whose kittens just pick at chunkier recipes.
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 absolutely 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. 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 Wet Food for Kittens
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 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.
Purina Pro Plan Classic Salmon and Tuna Wet Food for Kittens
Salmon is the first ingredient in this high-protein wet food for kittens. The easy-to-eat pâté also includes liver, chicken, tuna, and an array of vitamins and minerals.
Purina Pro Plan Classic Salmon and Tuna Kitten Entree Wet Cat Food
Nutritious and yummy, this easy-to-eat pâté gets applause from cat parents whose kittens just pick at chunkier recipes.
Nulo 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.
Nulo Freestyle Grain-Free Duck and Tuna Recipe
A tempting combination of duck, chicken, and tuna is designed to ecourage young cats to enjoy adventurous and healthy eating.
Royal Canin Feline Health 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.
Royal Canin Feline Health Thin Slices in Gravy
Tiny slices of chicken in gravy give your growing kitten something highly nutritious to sink their teeth into.
Fancy Feast Classic Pâté 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 wet food recipes is a great choice, offering chicken, turkey, and seafood.
Fancy Feast Classic Pâté Collection Kitten Food
Let your new kitten try out chicken, turkey, whitefish, and salmon in an easy-to-eat pâté texture.
Purina One Healthy Kitten Chicken and Salmon Wet Food
This affordable wet food leads with chicken and salmon and includes vitamins, minerals, and taurine for healthy growth. This appealing pâté comes in 3-ounce cans, in cases of 24 cans.
Purina One Healthy Kitten Chicken and Salmon Recipe Canned Food
An affordable choice packed with chicken, salmon and vitamins and minerals.
Wellness Complete Health Kitten Formula Canned Food
This grain-free formula is packed with protein from fresh chicken and chicken liver, and it comes in a smooth, easy-to-chew pâté texture. It’s supplemented with antioxidant-rich cranberries, essential vitamins and minerals, and omega-3 fatty acids.
Wellness Complete Health Kitten Formula Canned Food
Full of protein, this wet food option combines chicken and cranberries in a grain-free pâté perfect for growing kittens.
Wellness Core Natural Grain-Free Turkey and Chicken Liver Pâté
This protein-focused wet kitten food leads off with turkey, chicken liver, turkey broth, and chicken, in a soft pâté 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.
Wellness Core Natural Grain-Free Turkey and Chicken Liver Pâté
This easy-to-eat pâté will tempt your kitten with turkey and chicken and ensure they get needed vitamins and minerals.
Merrick Backcountry Kitten Chicken Pâté Wet Cat Food
Here’s some tasty pâté for your kitty, featuring chicken and chicken broth. This kitten-specific recipe is available in 3-ounce or 5.5-ounce cans, by the case.
Merrick Backcountry Kitten Chicken Pâté Wet Cat Food
Healthy and delicious, this recipe offers chicken in an appealing chicken broth. The protein-rich recipe is ideal for growing kittens.
Iams Perfect Portions Healthy Kitten Chicken Recipe
These convenient food trays provide 1.3-ounce portions for your little kitten while putting an end to messy leftovers. This tasty chicken pâté recipe (veterinarian-approved) is formulated to support your growing kitten with DHA and other nutrients found in mother’s milk.
Iams Perfect Portions Healthy Kitten Chicken Recipe
Spend more time with your cute kitten and less time wrapping leftovers—perfect portions of this chicken wet food are easy to serve.
American Journey Minced Chicken Recipe in Gravy
This kitten-specific food will tempt your little furball with bite-sized minced chicken in a savory gravy. The protein-rich recipe includes vitamins, minerals, and DHA and ARA to support brain and eye development.
American Journey Minced Chicken Recipe in Gravy
Bite-sized minced chicken in savory gravy is a treat for growing kittens.
Smalls Wet Foods
Smalls is a home delivery subscription brand (and a hit with Rover’s feline foodies). Its wet foods come in a wide variety of flavors, including minced fresh chicken with main ingredients including chicken thigh, breast, and liver, plus green beans and peas. Smalls boxes are delivered monthly and custom-built for your cats’ needs so prices vary, but for just one cat of average size and age, the costs range from $1.10–$1.69 per day.