Starting your kitten off with a healthy diet is the best thing you can do to support his long-term health and wellness. Your kitten's diet should be built around premium animal proteins like poultry, meat, and fish with essential fatty acids for energy and coat support. Our top pick for the best kitten food overall is Nature's Variety Instinct Original Kitten Grain-Free Recipe because it is made with wholesome, natural ingredients in a recipe formulated to meet your growing kitten's nutritional needs.
This food is loaded with more than 43% protein to help your kitten develop strong, healthy muscles. Most of that protein comes from four premium sources, including fresh chicken, turkey meal, salmon meal, and menhaden fish meal. This recipe also contains digestible grain-free carbohydrates and antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables to ensure balanced nutrition. It also contains supplemental fiber and probiotics to support healthy and regular digestion as well as optimal nutrient absorption.
The Idle Cat recommends this kitten food and highlights the fact that 81% of the ingredients come from animal products and comment that it is "tailor-made for the needs of a growing kitten." Feline Living also gives this food a favorable review, commenting on the lack of artificial additives and the inclusion of antioxidant-rich fruits and veggies.
Nature's Variety Instinct Original Kitten Grain-Free Recipe carries a solid 4.3-star rating on Amazon. While this product has a relatively low number of reviews on both Amazon and Chewy, they are overwhelmingly positive. We love the fact that this recipe contains nothing other than high-quality ingredients that contribute toward your kitten's healthy growth and development.
Pros: Premium all-natural ingredients, several sources of animal protein, 81% animal ingredients, fresh fruits and vegetables, over 40% protein and 20% fat
Cons: Fairly expensive compared to other brands, contains more than one source of protein (some kittens develop allergies to common proteins)
Buy Nature's Variety Instinct Original Kitten Grain-Free Recipe on Amazon for $19.99
Top-of-the-line kitten food can be expensive, but it is well worth the cost when it comes to the benefits for your kitten's health. If premium kitten food is out of your price range, choose the highest quality product you can consistently afford. Though the quality of your kitten's diet is important, it is also important to avoid frequent changes to his diet.
If you're looking for an affordable kitten food that offers quality nutrition, we recommend Whole Earth Farms Grain-Free Healthy Kitten Recipe.
Available in both dry food and wet food form, this food is uniquely formulated for both indoor and outdoor kittens. It features both chicken meal and turkey meal as concentrated sources of protein with grain-free carbohydrates like potatoes and peas. Chicken fat provides a nutrient-rich source of energy while dried fermentation products offer probiotic support. Plus, the brand is created by Merrick Pet Care, one of the most trusted pet food brands in the industry.
Breedsy features the wet food version of this food in its top 11 picks for the best kitten food, noting its high protein content and low carbohydrate content. Kitty Catter reviews the Whole Earth Farms brand as a whole, giving it a 4.5-star rating for its high-quality and the fact that it is made in the US and has a very short list of product recalls (specific to Merrick Pet Care, not Whole Earth Farms products).
This Whole Earth Farms Grain-Free Healthy Kitten Recipe is surprisingly affordable for a grain-free recipe and carries a 4.5-star rating on Amazon with more than 100 reviews. Cat owners love the price and quality, though there are comments about some kittens refusing the food.
Pros: Affordable price (especially for grain-free), concentrated source of animal protein as first ingredient, nutrient-rich chicken fat, plenty of omega-3 fatty acids, probiotics
Cons: Contains some plant protein (peas and pea protein), some kittens don't like it
Buy Whole Earth Farms Grain-Free Healthy Kitten Recipe on Amazon for $24.99A kitten's baby teeth start to grow in around three-weeks-old and their permanent teeth grow in around three to four months. As your kitten transitions from his mother's milk to solid food, he may find wet food more palatable and easier to chew.
Many cat owners choose to continue feeding their kittens wet food because it tends to be higher in both moisture and protein content than commercial dry food. Our top pick for the best wet food for kittens is Wellness Complete Health Kitten Formula Grain-Free Canned Food.
This food comes in a smooth, palatable loaf loaded with fresh chicken and chicken liver. As a grain-free recipe, it features fresh carrots, cranberries, and flaxseed as the only carbohydrate ingredients, all of which supply essential nutrients. This formula is rich in omega fatty acids for healthy skin and coat with chelated minerals nutritional balance. These are mineral supplements that have been chemically bound to protein molecules to increase absorption.
The Idle Cat says this food is easy for kittens to eat and highly appealing flavor-wise. The reviewer also notes that it contains taurine, a nutrient essential for heart and eye development. The Spruce recommends this food because of its high-quality, natural ingredients.
With more than 300 reviews on Amazon, this Wellness Complete Health Kitten Formula Grain-Free Canned Food has a 4.1-star rating and carries an Amazon's Choice award.
Pros: Real chicken as first ingredient, grain-free for digestibility, rich in moisture and natural flavor, plenty of omega fatty acids, chelated minerals for increased absorption
Cons: Contains some thickeners (some kittens may be sensitive), some kittens don't seem to like it
Buy Wellness Complete Health Kitten Formula Grain-Free Food on Amazon for $29.52Dry cat food is typically the most convenient and cost-effective option. Not only can you save money by buying in bulk, but dry food has a longer shelf-life than wet food and it provides some dental benefits as well.
When shopping for dry kitten food, you need to check for high protein content, moderate fat content, and low carb content. Our top pick for the best dry food for kittens is Blue Buffalo Healthy Growth Kitten Recipe Dry Food.
It features real chicken as the first ingredient with chicken meal and menhaden fish meal as concentrated sources of supplemental protein. It provides the ideal balance of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids for skin and coat support, with supplemental fiber and probiotics to ensure healthy digestion.
This recipe contains fresh fruits and vegetables as natural sources for key nutrients with vitamins and chelated minerals to ensure nutritional balance. Overall, it provides 36% protein and 20% fat with 3.5% fiber.
The Blue Buffalo Healthy Growth Kitten Recipe Dry Food has been given an Amazon's Choice award and carries a 4.5-star rating on Amazon with more than 450 reviews. It is also included in Best Reviews Guide's list of top 10 picks for the best kitten food.
Cat owners love the quality ingredients and high digestibility, though there are some comments about the inclusion of grains including brewer's rice, which some kittens are sensitive to.
Pros: Real meat as first three ingredients, rich in omega fatty acids, fresh fruits and vegetables, nutritionally complete and balanced, supplemental fiber and probiotics
Cons: Not a grain-free recipe (some kittens may be sensitive), contains some plant protein (pea protein), contains brewer's rice (some kittens may be allergic)
Buy Blue Buffalo Healthy Growth Kitten Recipe Dry Food on Amazon for $19.98There is a great deal of controversy surrounding grain-free diets for pets, but the fact remains that cats are obligate carnivores and have a limited ability to digest plant products. Choosing a grain-free cat food doesn't necessarily guarantee that it will also be low in carbohydrates, but many kittens have an easier time digesting grain-free food. If you're considering a grain-free diet for your kitten, we recommend Blue Buffalo Freedom Grain-Free Kitten Indoor Recipe.
This food has it all. Not only does it feature protein-rich chicken as the first ingredient, but it contains digestible grain-free carbohydrates, plenty of omega fatty acids for healthy skin and coat. Uniquely formulated for indoor kittens, this recipe contains cranberries for urinary tract health and supplemental fiber to reduce litter box odor. Nutritionally complete and balanced with 10% crude protein and 7% fat (45% and 32% dry matter), this recipe is just what your kitten needs to grow up healthy.
The Spruce recommends this food and notes the additional benefit that it is free from by-products, artificial additives, and low-quality fillers. Catalogical reviews this product favorably as well, commenting that it is loaded with protein and very low in carbohydrates compared to many similar products.
This Blue Buffalo Freedom Grain-Free Kitten Indoor Recipe carries a four-star rating on Amazon with more than 120 reviews. Cat owners love the quality of the ingredients and high protein content, though there are comments about some kittens disliking the food.
Pros: Real meat as the first ingredient, digestible grain-free carbohydrates, rich in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, fresh fruits and vegetables
Cons: Contains several thickening agents including carrageenan, contains an unnamed source of fat (fish oil vs. salmon oil), may be too high in fat for some kittens
Buy Blue Buffalo Freedom Grain-Free Kitten Indoor Kitten Recipe on Amazon for $28.99
I spent $2,000 for 7 nights in a 179-square-foot room on one of the world's largest cruise ships. Take a look inside my cabin.
Saudi Arabia wants China to help fund its struggling $500 billion Neom megaproject. Investors may not be too excited.
One of the world's only 5-star airlines seems to be considering asking business-class passengers to bring their own cutlery
From terrace to table: 8 Edible plants you can grow in your home
India fourth largest military spender globally in 2023: SIPRI report
New study forecasts high chance of record-breaking heat and humidity in India in the coming months
Next Story