Raising your precious feline companions to be the healthiest, happiest, and strongest that they can be should be the primary goal of any pet owner (cat or no cats). Starting young is often the stepping stone to creating a solid foundation for a properly functioning, healthy body system for your feline.
Some kittens and cats can be notoriously picky with what they eat, whilst others have no qualms with devouring whatever food they can get their paws on. We’ve put together a list of the best kitten food for your cat–the flavors unrivaled and the nutritional benefits of each ingredient outstanding.
What To Avoid In Kitten Food
Artificial Ingredients
Preservatives and artificial flavors have been proven to cause issues over the long-term of consumption in humans and pets alike. This is no different for cats. Ethoxyquin is one of them, a pesticide that can cause negative harm to your cat over the long term, along with BHA and BHT which are chemical additives that have been proven to be harmful to felines.
Yucca Schidigera Extract
Yucca is one of many ingredients that are toxic to cats and dogs alike.
Rosemary Extract
Rosemary extract is known to cause seizures in cats and dogs. Be extra cautious!
Avocados
If you’ve ever had dogs, you know not to feed them avocados. This is also true for any other animal on this planet, as avocados are notably toxic to animals, including cats.
Cranberries
Cranberries have been proven to be toxic for cats due to the benzoic acid.
Vitamin K3
Also referred to as Menadione Sodium Bisulfite, Vitamin K3 is banned in the United States and Europe for human usage. That is because Vitamin K3 is a cheaper, artificial form of Vitamin K with notable damaging side effects.
Guar Gum
Guar gum combined with locust bean gum, fructooligosaccharides (FOS), and citrus pectin is not compatible with cats. These ingredients are notably high in fermentability which can be an issue for the digestive tract in felines, causing loss of nutrients due to diarrhea and gas.
Meat By-Products
By-products are residual animal matter that can come from any part of an animal, skin, fur, organs, etc. These by-products do not promote a healthy feline for the long term.
Safflower Oil And Flax Oil
Neither of these oils is appropriate for cats. Other oils can be used to accommodate cats, like coconut oil, as cats can’t convert safflower or flax oil into fatty acid.
Wheat And Soy
Both of these ingredients are known allergens for felines, with wheat fiber being a common irritant for cats.
Corn
Corn is proven to be a better bioavailable protein source compared to other grains, however, there are more appropriate choices for cats like chicken and fish.
IAMS Proactive Health, Kitten Dry Cat Food
IAMS Proactive Health Kitten Dry Cat Food uses only the finest ingredients available in the world, sourcing from the USA.
Nutritional Benefits
The First Ingredient
When a company boasts that the “first” ingredient is “blank”, this means they’re saying that there’s more of this ingredient than any other. On an ingredients list, the order is placed from first to last based on the amount of that ingredient used. The first ingredient will be the majority of what that product is made of, while the last ingredient will be the least.
IAMS boasts that their first ingredient in this IAMS Proactive Health Kitten Dry Cat Food is a common nutrient-rich food for predators, like felines–chicken! This ingredient, chicken, is a common ingredient in cat foods because it helps promote a kitten to develop into a healthy and strong adult cat by providing necessary nutrients.
Omega-3 DHA
Omega-3 DHA is a secondary nutrient found in this IAMS Proactive Health Kitten Dry Cat Food. The omega 3 fatty acid is a powerful nutrient that boosts the important brain development necessary for a healthy and happy adult cat.
Vitamin A
Added to this kitten dry cat food are ingredients found in a mother cat’s milk. These nutrients are essential in promoting strength and growth for a healthy adult cat. Nutrients like vitamin A, which is provided to a young kitten in their mother’s milk, empower a kitten’s immune system to defend against sickness.
Fiber and Prebiotics
The fiber and prebiotics combined into this premium kitten dry cat food encourage a functioning digestive system.
Taurine
Taurine promotes exemplary vision development necessary for these nocturnal hunters. This nutrient also aids in developing a healthy heart needed for all required functions for a strong and healthy feline.
Quality
Dedicated to using premium ingredients for their feline consumers, IAMS products don’t contain any artificial preservatives. There are no synthetic dyes and there’s no wheat in this dry kitten food, showing their dedication to promoting a healthy and happy feline.
Reviews
IAMS Proactive Health Kitten Dry Cat Food is rated 4.8 out of 5 stars. Out of 12,277 global ratings, 86% of them are 5 stars.
Pros
5 stars out of 5, one cat owner raved how her kitten loved this dry kitten cat food! The food is small and easy for a kitten to crunch down on and swallow without choking, and is apparently appetizing enough to have kittens and adult cats alike crying for more.
One customer raved how this cat food was the most “palatable” of all the cat foods available in the market, rating IAMS Kitten Dry Cat Food 5 stars. Her friendly felines can boast healthy coats, bursting energy, and firm stool (as too much fiber in some cat foods can cause loose stool).
Another cat owner wrote how this dry kitten cat food saved her senior cat’s life! Her senior cat refused to eat anything else. After trying out many different cat foods in an attempt to get her old feline to eat something, she finally tried IAMS Proactive Health Kitten Dry Cat Food…and it worked! Her senior cat loves this cat food and has gained all of his weight back, his energy levels combating that of energetic kittens!
Cons
Upset by the effect this cat food has on his cat companion, this cat owner gave IAMS Proactive Health Kitten Dry Cat Food 1 star. He stated that their cat began having “runny” stool that didn’t stop until he switched his cat to another cat food.
Two stars out of 5–this cat food caused diarrhea for one customer’s cat.
Purina Kitten Chow, Dry Kitten Food
Purina Kitten Chow Dry Kitten Food is specially formatted for kittens in mind, to encourage healthy development for a strong, lean feline.
Nutritional Benefits
Formulated specifically for kittens, Purina Kitten Chow Dry Kitten Food is 100% balanced for complete nutrition. The kitten formula is unrivaled in the kitten dry food market for feline nutrition.
Real Chicken
Chicken is a magnificent nutritional source for our predatorial felines. This ingredient improves the development and maintenance of functioning organs, a healthy coat, and muscle mass that’s lean and powerful. A high-protein source, chicken also provides amino acids, minerals, and omega-6 fatty acids, which aid in the support of proper body and organ development and health for young kittens.
Vitamin A
Added to this favorite best dry kitten food are ingredients found in a mother cat’s milk. These nutrients are essential in promoting strength and growth for a healthy adult cat. Nutrients like vitamin A, which is provided to kittens in their mother’s milk, empower a kitten’s immune system to defend against sickness.
Omega-3 DHA
Omega-3 DHA is a secondary nutrient found in Purina Kitten Chow’s Dry Kitten Food. This powerful nutrient boosts the needed brain development necessary for a healthy and happy adult cat.
Quality
A serving of this nutritionally balanced Purina Kitten Chow Dry Kitten Food provides all of the 25 essential minerals and vitamins needed for a kitten to grow into a prime-developed feline. The high-quality ingredients designed for a premium formula are soaked in by the kitten’s body to boast a lean, active adult cat with a shiny coat.
Reviews
Purina Kitten Chow Dry Kitten Food is rated 4.8 out of 5 stars. Out of 7,433 global ratings, 88% of them are 5 stars.
Pros
One cat owner personally contacted Purina to verify information on this wholesome dry kitten food. They confirmed that this cat food can be fed to any feline of any age, kitten or older. The cat owner rated this Purina Kitten Chow Dry Kitten Food 5 stars, their experience being fantastic, as their cat selects this dry kitten food over tuna and tuna water! The taste has his hungry feline coming back for more, with the kitten food providing more vitamins, flavor, and nutrients than most adult cat foods he’s tried before.
Another customer rated Purina Kitten Chow Dry Kitten Food 5 stars out of 5! Having freshly adopted a new kitten, this new cat owner started their precious feline on Purina as they’ve had great experiences with the brand in the past. Purina didn’t disappoint. The kitten absolutely demolished the food which bursts with flavor that has them coming back for more, and the veterinarian approved with the healthy weight gain!
Having issues with her long-haired cats that tended to hack up hairballs, one cat owner turned to this Purina Kitten Chow Dry Kitten Food. Even though the kitten food is for, well, kittens, this food can be given to cats of any age, as the kitten food is so nutritiously boisterous and beneficial. This troubled cat owner recommends this dry kitten food to any other cat owners that have cats prone to hairballs, as the high oil content and premium ingredients aided in boosting a healthy and shiny coat. Her cats, after a time of feeding them this product, no longer have issues with hairballs!
Cons
Rating this kitten food 1 star out of 5, one customer didn’t have the best experience with this cat food. They said that although their kittens absolutely adored the dry kitten food, some of the food was moldy…make sure to always inspect food before feeding to your feline companions as this can happen to the best brands.
Hill’s Science Diet, Dry Cat Food
Hill’s Science Diet Dry Cat Food boasts statistics. With properly researched and formulated studies, they’ve designed this Dry Cat Food to be successful in weight management for cats–which it is! Within 10 weeks, 70% of cats that ate this Dry Cat Food lost weight (which was desired).
Nutritional Benefits
With over a decade of science-backed research, Hills Science Diet has created an impactful dry cat food meant for weight management for your hungry feline while still providing essential nutrients for a happy, healthy kitty.
Fiber
Contrary to what you’d think, fiber is not digested in a cat’s gastrointestinal tract (just like it isn’t for humans). So, why’s fiber so important for cats? Fiber is necessary for the process of moving food throughout the gastrointestinal tract. Without fiber in a cat’s diet, food wouldn’t move as steadily and would end up causing constipation- just like too much fiber can cause excessive “poop” time.
L-Carnitine
This vitamin-like molecule is necessary to regulate skeletal muscles and muscles of the heart. L-carnitine releases energy, breaking down fats in the body. Studies have shown that L-carnitine plays a huge role in weight loss in felines, showing that the increase of L-carnitine in a cat and kittens diet will improve weight loss greater than a feline that doesn’t consume any.
Coconut Oil
A benefit to the immune system of a cat, coconut oil has been shown to aid in the prevention of hairballs and more! Coconut oil improves bad breath, reduces inflammation caused by arthritis, and can encourage a healthy digestive tract.
Quality
Hill’s Science has done their research to formulate a successful cat food that aids in weight loss for obese felines. Over a decade of studying and researching has resulted in this Hill’s Science Diet Dry Cat Food. It’s been proven to support a cat’s metabolism to encourage a healthy body weight with the cat foods’ formula of high-protein, high-fiber, L-carnitine, and coconut oil.
Reviews
Hill’s Science Diet Dry Cat Food is rated 4.8 out of 5 stars. Out of 7,753 global ratings, 86% of them are 5 stars.
Pros
One reviewer commented, with a 5-star review, what a change buying this dry cat food had for one of her boyfriend’s cats. Accustomed to buying cheaper cat food for his cats, the girlfriend stepped in when she noticed that one of the cats was overweight and lethargic. Once they started providing this Hill’s Science Diet Dry Cat Food for this overweight feline, the reviewer (the girlfriend) stated it was like “night and day.” The difference in the cat’s energy was astounding, it went from lethargic to energetic and lost 13 pounds (having been 30 pounds at the start)! No wonder they think this is the best cat food out there!
Another cat owner boasted a 5-star review as her favorite feline lost 2 lbs after 2 months of being on Hill’s Science Diet Dry Cat Food. After switching to the new food, she noted an obvious, and healthy, change in energy, weight, and attitude.
Rating Hill’s Science Diet Dry Cat Food 4 stars out of 5, one customer was extremely pleased that her lazy cat that was “2x her ideal weight” had finally improved after eating this dry cat food. Although it took longer than desired, as initially there weren’t significant results, the overweight feline made a turn for the better and has finally begun to climb the cat tree and play with her “sister.”
Cons
With an unfortunate rating of 1 star out of 5, one cat owner was truly upset about her purchase of Hill’s Science Diet Dry Cat Food. For some reason, her cats refused to go near the bags, let alone the food.
Adult Food Vs. Kitten Food
Compared to adult cat food, kitten food is notoriously more nutrient-dense with significantly more calories, fat, protein, minerals, and vitamins to provide for the growth of kittens. An adult cat that eats kitten food is more likely to gain weight due to the calorie and fat density of kitten food. Many cat owners with older cats purposely buy kitten food to encourage weight gain for older cats that tend to have a loss of appetite and, therefore, consume fewer calories and nutrients.
Conclusion
Providing your kitten with nutritional powerful cat food with premium quality ingredients is essential for a healthy, energetic cat. These reviewed brands are some of the top cat food brands out there with ratings that shoot through the roof! Make sure your kitten is getting the nutrients they need to provide for a shiny coat, lean and muscled body, and strong immune system with the Best Kitten Food For Your Cat.
We hope this article was informative in its content on “Best Kitten Food For Your Cat”. Share this article with friends and family that want to take their feline’s nutrition a step further!
