Special Care: sterilised cats or overweight cats require different nutrition, so Purina Pro Plan special care nutrition has been designed to specifically support these needs, as well as offering an anti-hairball dry food option that have all been developed with your cat in mind, in a range of flavours. Indoor kittens should eat a well-rounded, complete and balanced diet full of different textures and tastes, says Zoran. Dry kibble, canned pâté, shreds, chunks in gravy, and flaked kitten foods are all appropriate to rotate in your kitten's diet, as long as their label states that the food meets the nutritional requirements set by the AAFCO for growth or all life stages. Is it okay to give kittens regular cat food? Again, this isn’t the cheapest option, as your kitten will need between two and five pots of paté a day, depending on their age. And it’s also likely to be quite messy for tiny kittens, so be prepared to do a bit of a clean-up job afterwards! But the Lily’s Kitchen paté is highly palatable and contains all the vitamins and minerals your kitten will need for a complete diet. Dry food is a popular choice for its affordability, feeding convenience, and ease of storage. It's made via a process called extrusion, which consists of pushing ground-up food materials through a small opening and cooking the extruded kibbles under high pressure. Wet kitten food is the most natural way to keep your little one hydrated while meeting their nutritional needs. These foods contain 75% to 78% moisture whereas dry foods contain 10% to 12% moisture. "Cats prefer to get their water from their food," says Zoran. Like all of the best cat food, canned options must meet nutrition requirements set by the AAFCO for the growth (kitten) stage or all life stages, including a minimum of 30% protein and 9% fat on a "dry matter" or moisture-free basis.

Live Clear: this delicious dry cat food range has been specially formulated to reduce allergies by a staggering amount, the very first of its kind! It binds allergens in fur and skin using a special protein and is ideal for more sensitive cats. These Purina Pro Plan Live Clear dishes also support every other aspect of your cat’s health, for overall wellbeing! According to Zoran, the best food you can feed your kitten is one that is nutritionally complete, agrees with their skin and digestive tract, and is liked by your kitten. Quality kitten foods come from reputable brands with a dedicated nutrition expert on staff who follows strict quality control measures. What is the best cat food for indoor kittens? Food allergies are more common in cats and kittens than you might think, and some kittens may start with delicate tummies when transitioning from milk to solids. James Wellbeloved started life 30 years ago producing food for dogs, but now also has a successful range of meals for cats. Our main reviewer volunteers for a cat rescue charity, meaning that at certain times of year there are litters of kittens available to test kitten food. We gave each brand of food to a selection of kittens who had been weaned from their mother and were ready to try solid food. Senior: once your cat reaches 7 years it is going to have different nutritional needs, so Purina Pro Plan senior cat food is ideal for supporting ageing cats in their day-to-day life, with wholesome, tailored nutrition, as well as specific options for older cats that have other health needs.

The best kitten food you can buy in 2023

As you’ll no doubt imagine, this food is expensive but can be priceless if your kitten is struggling with digestive issues or finding themselves unable to transition from milk to solids. Dr. Deb Zoranis a board-certified small animal internist and professor of small animal clinical sciences at the School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University. Zoran helped us understand kitten nutrition and the attributes of a quality food. She also shared her personal feeding preferences, which may not represent specific endorsements shared by Texas A&M University.

There isn’t as much real meat in this food as in some other products on this list, and it isn’t grain free, which can be a problem for some kittens. But it is excellent value for money and will last a decent amount of time.

Is kitten food high in protein?

We use the term ‘budget’ advisably here, as good quality kitten food isn’t cheap. But it is vitally important to give your bundle of fluff the best start in life and not skimp on quality food. Hill’s Science Plan is slightly cheaper than other wet foods, particularly as the brand recommends that you only feed a pouch a day and supplement with their dry food to make up a kitten’s daily recommended amount. As kittens need plenty of protein, amino acids, minerals and vitamins for healthy development, we also consider the nutritional content of each food we test. Every recommendation on this list will provide your kitten with what it needs for healthy development whether it’s dry kibble or wet pouches. The food is thinly sliced to help with the transition from milk to solid foods and is available in three textures to suit fussy felines. We’ve chosen the jelly variety, but it’s also available in gravy and loaf varieties. Royal Canin seems to be very popular with kittens and cats, so we’re confident your kitten will enjoy one of the textures. Yes, kitten food contains more calories, protein, and fat compared to cat food. Kittens need three times more calories than cats to aid their growth and development. Therefore kitten-specific formulas might not work well for your older cat's nutritional needs. Is kitten food high in protein? Good quality kitten food isn’t cheap but ensuring your kitten has the best start in life is important, which includes giving them food that will provide them with the vital nutrition they need to grow up healthy. Jollyes dry food is more reasonably priced than some alternatives but is still approved by veterinarians and carefully balanced for your kitten’s nutritional needs.

Cats and kittens can be born with sensitivities and allergies to certain ingredients too. So always talk to your veterinarian when digestive issues arise. They may recommend a limited ingredient diet (LID) or a prescription hypoallergenic or gastrointestinal recipe. Keep food bowls clean, and don’t leave dried-up food in the bowls, as this could put a kitten off eating. Put bowls on a tray or some disposable paper towels. There will be a lot of mess, so you want to make it as easy as possible to contain said mess! Kitten food won’t do much harm to your older cat, however, it is worth noting that it is much higher in calories than that of adult cat food. Kitten food also contains much more nutrients and proteins which are all added to the food for optimal growth and development. Is kitten food different from cat food?Nourish your Pet’s life-long health with PRO PLAN products precisely formulated to make the most of high quality ingredients, deliver efficient nutrient absorption and proven targeted benefits at every stage of their lives – from helping support immunity in puppies and kittens to helping lifelong wellbeing in adult cat and dogs. As food is also the key to your cat’s heart, all our products also offer great taste your pet will love. Don’t overload the bowl with too much food at once, as it may overwhelm a kitten and put them off eating. Take byproducts and byproduct meals as an example. They're secondary ingredients from the human food industry that meet the nutritional requirements set by the AAFCO. Byproducts and artificial preservatives are paired with negative marketing buzz, but they're not inherently unhealthy for your cat or kitten, Kornreich says. Kittens are born without teeth but grow a full set of baby (deciduous) teeth between 3 to 6 weeks of age. By 3 to 6 months, those baby teeth fall out and are replaced with adult teeth. Kittens have all the same types of teeth as humans do, just sharper for their carnivorous diet. Discover PRO PLAN LIVECLEAR - the 1st cat-allergen reducing food offering cat owners a safe, effective and feline-friendly approach to reducing their explosure to allergens - whilst keeping cats in their homes and on their laps.

Kitten food must have an AAFCO statement for growth or all life stages on its label to guarantee that it is complete and balanced for kittens. A complete and balanced dry or wet food for kittens should have a minimum of 30% protein, 9% fat, and the presence of essential nutrients, including amino acids like taurine, fatty acids, minerals, and vitamins. What is the best dry food for kittens? The only downside is the price – if you are only feeding wet food, you’ll get through around three and a half pouches a day, and this can mount up. Although we feel the quality of the food is worth it, you could consider supplementing some of the wet food with the corresponding biscuits to keep the price down. There will be a difference in what your kitten wants to eat and what they don't want to eat," says Zoran. While a steady rotation of tastes, textures, and brands will keep your kitten food-flexible, they might prefer one texture of food over another. "It's a trial-and-error process," she adds.

Kittens are full of energy and play, accompanied by epic snoozing sessions! The best kitten food will contain the correct nutrients, minerals and vitamins, ensuring that your pets grow up healthy and strong. At this critical stage, you should give your kittens food made from quality ingredients to aid their development and growth. Choosing one the best kitten foods is individualistic, from a cat's preferred tastes to unique nutritional needs. For this reason, it's helpful to approach feline nutrition with guidance from your vet. We at Purina PRO PLAN believe nutrition is the foundation for long-term health, well-being and the starting point for an amazing life for your pet. PRO PLAN is a confident choice for those looking for products based on cutting edge proven science, rooted in over 90 years of passion and expertise. Unless your cat has accidentally had kittens (Blue Cross recommends that cats are neutered at around four months old to prevent unwanted kittens), your kitten should have already been weaned when it arrives at your house. It is advised that a kitten shouldn’t be rehomed until they are at least nine weeks old. But, for information, a kitten should be nursing from mum or bottle-fed until they are around five weeks old. At this age, a kitten’s premolars have started to appear, and they’re ready to try them out. Kittens often struggle to eat solids at first, so start by offering small bites of wet food on a finger or spoon if you have a kitten to wean. Kittens also need to be transitioned onto solids – they must nurse from their mother or have formula until they’re confident eating on their own, gaining weight and eating high-quality food.