New kittens have to have specific pet food with the right vitamins and nutrients — food that’s formulated for adult cats won’t help them grow healthy and strong! But it can be tough to know what you should look for in great kitten food if you are a new pet parent.
As you search for different kitten foods, look for things like:
- Appropriate portion sizes. Kittens are small, so the type of food you buy for them should also be relatively small.
- Natural ingredients. The first ingredient should be rich, high-quality protein from real chicken or turkey, as cats are obligate carnivores.
- Approval from the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). This will ensure the food has been tested and has vital nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids, amino acids, and taurine.
- A label saying the food is specifically for kittens. Adult cat food has different vitamin mixes. But a kitten’s diet should have extra minerals and vitamins like calcium and phosphorus. Only kitten food will meet your little kitty’s nutritional needs.
- Good flavor. Chicken recipes are most common, but others may have flavors with turkey, fish oil, or salmon. Besides the protein content, pay attention to flavors added by ingredients such as cranberries and brown rice.
- A lack of artificial flavors, preservatives, fillers, or other ingredients that your cat doesn’t need in dry or wet canned food. Check the ingredient list to be sure.
Let’s break down the 12 best kitten foods in detail.
Best for Pate preferring cats: Purina Fancy Feast Grain Free Pate Wet Kitten Food
Key specs: Three-ounce cans, 24 cans total, four flavors
This kitten wet food comes in pate format, so it’s great for little cats who want to feel like they are eating real meat straight from prey. Even better, this wet cat food is available in a handful of flavors, so you can keep things varied and interesting for your little kitty throughout its development. Crucially, each recipe has real poultry or seafood as its primary ingredient, so there’s no risk of harming your kitten by accident.
Pros
This wet kitten food is delicious, nutritional, and ideal for pet parents who want to make sure their kittens are properly hydrated:
- Excellent value for money
- Good portion sizes for growing kitties
- No artificial preservatives or other harmful ingredients
- Contains plenty of hydration, helping your kitten get enough water each day
Cons
Though this kitten food is a great choice overall, there is one thing you should consider before buying it — pate kitten wet food can crumble or dry out quickly, so it needs to be eaten fast.
Best for Easy transitioning to adult foods: Royal Canin Feline Health Nutrition Kitten Thin Slices
Key specs: Three-ounce cans, 24 cans total, varied flavor
The Royal Canin Feline Health Nutrition Kitten Thin Slices is the ideal choice if you want to make sure your young kitten transitions from milk to solid food and then to adult food options quickly and easily. You can stick with the same brand after they reach 12 months, so they still get the same great flavors and nutrition throughout all of their life stages.
In addition, this kitten food pack is highly affordable with 24 cans, so it’s easy to feed your kitten right without breaking the bank.
Pros
This kitten food is highly affordable and comes packed with lots of tasty ingredients and nutrients for your little kitty:
- Great value for money
- Excellent ingredients and nutrients for healthy growth
- Perfect for combining with wet and dry food for maximum nutrition
- Formulas for kittens, adults, and seniors all from the same brand
Cons
Keep in mind, however, that it’s not a perfect kitten food if you want wet food that does it all. This food is not nutritionally complete without dry food, so you’ll need to purchase something else for your feline friend.
Best for Affordable dry feeding: IAMS PROACTIVE HEALTH Healthy Kitten Dry Cat Food with Chicken Cat Kibble
Key specs: 16-pound bag, chicken flavor
This is a good choice if you want affordable dry food for your kitten. You get 16 pounds of dry food for a single purchase, and this kitten formula offers complete nutrition. You don’t need to get wet food if you don’t want to. Plus, it offers various nutrients that mimic those in a cat’s mother’s milk, ensuring excellent developmental progress and long-term health for your kitty.
Pros
This kitten food provides plenty of health benefits to little kitties and is made with top ingredients:
- Nutritional content for building muscle and boosting digestion
- Value for money
- Smaller purchases are available, as well
- Made in the United States with quality ingredients from around the world
Cons
You’ll have to keep in mind that there are a few downsides with this kitten food, however:
- Does contain a high list of ingredients, which can make some pet parents a little uncomfortable
- Easy to overfeed, given how tasty the food is
Best for Digestive health dry feeding: Purina Pro Plan With Probiotics, High Protein Dry Kitten Food, Chicken & Rice Formula
Key specs: Seven-pound bag, chicken and rice flavor
This is one of the best kitten foods if you want to make sure your kitty has no digestive problems or if they have an upset stomach. That’s because it’s formulated with no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives, and has a calming chicken and rice formula for sensitive stomachs. Vitamin A and omega-6 fatty acids contribute to muscle and brain growth — perfect for rapidly growing kittens that get bigger by the day!
Pros
This kitten food offers fantastic value for your money and is one of the best choices for pet parents who want a nutritionally complete option:
- Excellent nutritional content overall
- Complete and balanced nutrition, so no wet food is necessary
- Has good minerals to build strong bones and teeth
Cons
This kitten food might not be worthwhile for every kitty, however, as the flavor can be a bit bland compared to other brands.
Best for Muscle growth dry feeding: Blue Buffalo Wilderness High Protein, Natural Kitten Dry Cat Food
Key specs: Two-pound bag, chicken flavor
Blue Buffalo’s kitten food is popular thanks to its chicken and grain-free ingredient formula. This is an extremely healthy dry food, featuring complex carbohydrates and antioxidants to maximize your kitten’s immune system and muscle growth rate. However, it’s not the most affordable dry food for kittens on the market, and you’ll need to supplement it with wet food in most cases.
Pros
Try this kitten food if you want something affordable, effective, and highly nutritious:
- Excellent nutritional content overall
- Great for building muscles and boosting the immune system
- Ingredients include deboned chicken, fish meal, egg, and chicken meal with no artificial preservatives
- Gluten-free formula with cranberries, carrots, and blueberries
- Fast to transition to this brand takes two weeks
Cons
Still, this kitten food won’t be ideal for everyone, depending on what you want your kitten’s feeding schedule to be. If you choose this food, it will require wet food supplementation for complete nutrition.
Best for Weight control: Hill’s Science Diet Kitten Liver & Chicken Entrée Wet Cat Food
Key specs: 2.9-ounce cans, 24 cans total, liver and chicken flavor
This diet kitten food is perfect for kitties that are a little on the heavy side. Rest assured, however, that it also contains plenty of calories and nutrients, in part thanks to chicken liver. Choose this if your vet requests that you help your cat control their weight a bit better, but also want to make sure that your kitty doesn’t feel hungry.
Pros
If you have a chunky kitty, this canned cat food could be a good food option due to its many benefits:
- Great for helping get your kitten to a healthy weight
- Made with real, healthy ingredients
- Science-backed diet is recommended by veterinarians
- Premium cat food offers good value for money, given the purchase cost
Cons
However, this food option is not the best for fast-growing kittens or those that do not need to control their weight.
Best for Grain-free feeding: Wellness CORE Grain-Free Wet Kitten Food
Key specs: Three-ounce cans, 12 cans total, chicken and turkey flavor
If you want to make sure to feed your kitty only good food, consider this wet food brand. It’s totally grain-free, and it doesn’t come with any preservatives or artificial chemicals. Instead, it’s made with real meat, like turkey and chicken liver. And it comes packed with vital nutrients to help your kitty grow up strong every day. It’s a particularly good choice for ensuring your cat’s coat and skin stay healthy while simultaneously boosting the immune system, bones, and teeth.
Pros
Few kitten foods come with as many vitamins as this option, making it a great choice thanks to its several benefits:
- Total nutrition and lots of extra vitamins
- Lack of potentially harmful chemicals and ingredients
- Great price, given the fact that you get 12 cans for your purchase
- An ideal choice for picky cats because of the popular flavor
Cons
There are some downsides to keep in mind before you buy this cat food in bulk, however:
- Smooth pate texture might not be a favorite for some kitties
- Should be combined with dry food for total nutrition
Best for Organic feeding: Open Farm Grain Free Kitten Recipe, Chicken & Turkey
Key specs: Four-pound bag, varied flavor
Here’s another grain-free kitten food you can purchase, and it’s a particularly good choice for fans of organic ingredients. It’s high in protein and natural DHA, which supports both eye development and brain development. Other essential vitamins and minerals will support your kitten’s development. Even better, all the ingredients can be traced to their sources, providing you with peace of mind.
Pros
Consider this kitty food if you want to maximize the flavor variety available to your kitten:
- Lots of excellent flavors are available
- Good value for money
- Lacks grains or potentially harmful chemicals for your cat
- Non-GMO fruits and veggies for extra vitamins and minerals
Cons
Don’t forget that there are a few potential negatives associated with this cat food, as well:
- Needs to be combined with wet food for hydration and total nutrition
- Sometimes isn’t as available as other kitten food brands
Best for Complete nutrition dry feeding: Meow Mix Kitten Li’L Nibbles Dry Cat Food
Key specs: 3.15-pound bag, four bags total, varied flavor
If you want to feed your kitty everything they need to grow healthy without wet food, this is just the ticket. It offers complete nutrition in a dry feeding bag, and it’s packed with nutrients and real turkey, salmon, ocean fish, and chicken. It also has all the essential nutrients needed to support your cat’s brain development and other vital systems.
Pros
You might like this kitten food for a variety of important reasons:
- Good value for bulk purchasers or budget-minded shoppers
- Kibble size perfect for small kitten mouths
- Can also be used with wet food and treats if you like
- Has high-quality animal protein and essential fatty acids
Cons
But you’ll also want to consider the disadvantages or cons of this particular kitten food:
- Flavor can be a bit odd for your cat if they aren’t used to it
- May contain some unnecessary byproducts or preservatives
Best for Free-run food sources: ORIJEN Dry Kitten Food
Key specs: Four-pound bag, various flavors
This is one of the best kitten foods in part because the ingredients all come from free-range animals and organic sources. In other words, if you want to make sure that your cat’s food sources live good lives before being harvested, this is right for you. On top of that, you can easily transition to other flavors within the same brand once your cat reaches 12 months or older.
Pros
There are several big benefits to choosing this kitten food:
- The brand is great for lifelong feeding
- Provides you with peace of mind as to the origin of your cat food’s ingredients
- Uses 90% premium animal ingredients
- Whole prey diet is excellent for ensuring complete nutrition, as cats are obligate carnivores
Cons
All in all, however, there is one con to this kitten food compared to others on the market. The price isn’t quite as affordable as other bags of dry kitten food.
Best for Easy proportions: SHEBA PERFECT PORTIONS Kitten Paté Wet Cat Food Trays
Key specs: 1.32-ounce servings, 48 servings, chicken flavor
If you want to make feeding your kitten quick and simple, try these pre-made wet food portions. With a soft pate texture, they feature natural juices for flavor and nutrients, making them ideal choices for picky eaters or kittens who might be used to foods of this type.
Pros
This canned food comes with water for hydration and offers a few other benefits:
- Plenty of nutrients included
- Plenty of water for hydration
- Easy to snap, peel, and serve
- You don’t need to worry about marking out proportions or overfeeding your kitten
Cons
Even with those advantages, there’s a big downside to keep in mind. The plastic containers have to be disposed of, so they are a bit wasteful.
Best for Total development: ACANA Dry Cat Food for Kittens, First Feast
Key specs: Four-pound bag, chicken and herring flavor
This is one of the best kitten foods for parents who want to make sure their kitties experience total nutritional development. It’s a little pricey, but it offers tons of vitamins and minerals for bone, muscle, skin, coat, and brain development across the board. Plus, it comes in a variety of flavors, so your kitten won’t get bored.
Pros
There’s a lot to like about this kitten food, ranging from excellent vitamins to clear directions on the back of the package:
- Fantastic vitamin content
- Supports kitten growth throughout their life
- Clear directions on the back to ensure healthy serving sizes
- Helps coat grow back if it is a little patchy.
Cons
Even so, this kitten food is a bit more expensive compared to other dry food types.
The Bottom Line
If you have a kitten, odds are one of these cat foods will be just what they need. The ACANA Dry Cat Food for Kittens, First Feast is great for fans of dry food, while the Wellness CORE Grain-Free Wet Kitten Food is perfect if you want to make sure your kitty is constantly hydrated. Choose one of these kitten foods to ensure your cat gets all their daily necessary nutrients!
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