7 Best Kitten Foods – 2019 Guide & Reviews For Dry & Wet
You walked past the kitty cages set up by your local animal shelter at the mall. A tiny fluff ball tumbled over and looked up, your eyes met, and you were hooked.
Now you’re home having visions of a beautiful relationship. Kitty cuddling on your lap, rubbing against your leg as you prepare her food…
Food! You forgot to ask the shelter staff about what to feed her!
There’s wet food for kittens, grain free kitten foods, regular cat chow…
How are you supposed to know what’s best?
Fortunately, we’ve been there, done that. Now, we want to share our findings with you!
We’ll give you the appetizer up front. While we encourage you to research and find what you are most comfortable with for your little sweetie, here’s our little secret:
Our favorite brand for kitten food is Nulo.
It has none of the nasty ingredients you should avoid (keep reading to find out more about these), and has all of the great nutrients and options we will be discussing below.
Now that we’ve shared that tip, keep reading to learn about what qualifies as quality kitten food and empower yourself with the knowledge to find the best kitten food brands.
Does Quality Really Matter for a Cat?
Okay, so now you know our personal preference, let’s talk about why quality kitten food is so important.
While yes, she is “just a cat,” quality does matter. Especially in cats, there is often a significant link between health and behavior.
For instance, certain types of food may be higher in magnesium and other ingredients that encourage crystals to develop in a cat’s urinary system. These crystals could lead to urinary tract infections, urinating outside of the box, or even in a life-threatening situation if the bladder becomes blocked.
Nutritional Needs for Kittens vs. Adult Cats
Okay, so good kitten food is important. But what qualifies as good? And does it really need to be different than what the older felines eat?
First, to understand what is best for your little kitten, let’s talk about how she is different from her elders.
Kitten Energy Needs
Kittens are growing at an incredible rate. They are born weighing only a few ounces, but in a matter of just two months grow up to two pounds, doubling or even tripling their birth weight! So, little kitties are expending a great deal of energy just to grow. But they are also expending energy for play, which is the most important factor in their cognitive development. Together, this means that simply for growing and cognitive development, your little fluff muffin is expending about triple the amount of energy as her window-sill-loving elder counterpart. Naturally, then, kittens’ needs are a bit different than cats. They need food that will provide for the enormous energy levels they need to grow.
Kitten Developmental Needs
So, young kitties need a special diet containing more of certain nutrients due to all that energy they are using to grow and fly around your place. But tiny ones also need special diets due to their physical development and fragile immune system. When they are still very small, during the first couple months of life, remember that they have tiny, new teeth. Thoroughly chewing dry food may be very difficult, even painful for them. For this reason, wet foods are important to at least include as a part of your kitten’s regular menu. But more on this in a bit.
Pro-Tip: to avoid a super finicky / picky adult eater, offer your kitten a variety of kitten food types and flavors while she’s young. This doesn’t mean you should change her diet every day – keep it mostly the same. Just offer some different wet and dry food in addition to her staple diet. The more she is exposed to variety now, the less picky she will likely be later!
So, when looking for the best kitten crunchies for your new fuzz ball, first remember that what your kitten needs will be different than what she needs as an adult. As such, it is important to choose a diet that is specifically formulated for kittens and their needs.
As a note of caution, you may see regular cat foods out there that state they are sufficient for both kittens and all life stages. However, these are not good choices unless they have actually done the necessary scientific testing to support that claim.
How to Choose High Quality Kitten Food for Your Fluffball
Okay – so now you know why it is so important to get a best food option specifically formulated for kittens.
Right! But that still leaves a TON of choices. How do you know what type of kitten food really is best?
Well, some of those points about how kittens are different than adults are good clues to start with.
First, let’s talk about nutrition and good ingredients!
Now you’re home having visions of a beautiful relationship. Kitty cuddling on your lap, rubbing against your leg as you prepare her food…
Food! You forgot to ask the shelter staff about what to feed her!
There’s wet food for kittens, grain free kitten foods, regular cat chow…
How are you supposed to know what’s best?
Fortunately, we’ve been there, done that. Now, we want to share our findings with you!
We’ll give you the appetizer up front. While we encourage you to research and find what you are most comfortable with for your little sweetie, here’s our little secret:
Our favorite brand for kitten food is Nulo.
It has none of the nasty ingredients you should avoid (keep reading to find out more about these), and has all of the great nutrients and options we will be discussing below.
Now that we’ve shared that tip, keep reading to learn about what qualifies as quality kitten food and empower yourself with the knowledge to find the best kitten food brands.
Does Quality Really Matter for a Cat?
Okay, so now you know our personal preference, let’s talk about why quality kitten food is so important.
While yes, she is “just a cat,” quality does matter. Especially in cats, there is often a significant link between health and behavior.
For instance, certain types of food may be higher in magnesium and other ingredients that encourage crystals to develop in a cat’s urinary system. These crystals could lead to urinary tract infections, urinating outside of the box, or even in a life-threatening situation if the bladder becomes blocked.
Nutritional Needs for Kittens vs. Adult Cats
Okay, so good kitten food is important. But what qualifies as good? And does it really need to be different than what the older felines eat?
First, to understand what is best for your little kitten, let’s talk about how she is different from her elders.
Kitten Energy Needs
Kittens are growing at an incredible rate. They are born weighing only a few ounces, but in a matter of just two months grow up to two pounds, doubling or even tripling their birth weight! So, little kitties are expending a great deal of energy just to grow. But they are also expending energy for play, which is the most important factor in their cognitive development. Together, this means that simply for growing and cognitive development, your little fluff muffin is expending about triple the amount of energy as her window-sill-loving elder counterpart. Naturally, then, kittens’ needs are a bit different than cats. They need food that will provide for the enormous energy levels they need to grow.
Kitten Developmental Needs
So, young kitties need a special diet containing more of certain nutrients due to all that energy they are using to grow and fly around your place. But tiny ones also need special diets due to their physical development and fragile immune system. When they are still very small, during the first couple months of life, remember that they have tiny, new teeth. Thoroughly chewing dry food may be very difficult, even painful for them. For this reason, wet foods are important to at least include as a part of your kitten’s regular menu. But more on this in a bit.
Pro-Tip: to avoid a super finicky / picky adult eater, offer your kitten a variety of kitten food types and flavors while she’s young. This doesn’t mean you should change her diet every day – keep it mostly the same. Just offer some different wet and dry food in addition to her staple diet. The more she is exposed to variety now, the less picky she will likely be later!
So, when looking for the best kitten crunchies for your new fuzz ball, first remember that what your kitten needs will be different than what she needs as an adult. As such, it is important to choose a diet that is specifically formulated for kittens and their needs.
As a note of caution, you may see regular cat foods out there that state they are sufficient for both kittens and all life stages. However, these are not good choices unless they have actually done the necessary scientific testing to support that claim.
How to Choose High Quality Kitten Food for Your Fluffball
Okay – so now you know why it is so important to get a best food option specifically formulated for kittens.
Right! But that still leaves a TON of choices. How do you know what type of kitten food really is best?
Well, some of those points about how kittens are different than adults are good clues to start with.
First, let’s talk about nutrition and good ingredients!
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