Cat Nutrition | AZ Cat

Welcoming a new kitten into your home can be one of your happiest days as a pet lover. That little ball of fluffy fur can be playful, gentle, wild, crazy, and delight you with her antics. Over the years she will grow to be your close friend and companion. Your first days with your kitten are important. Much depends on choosing the best kitten food so your little friend can grow and be healthy. There are a wide range of kitten foods available today. With so many choices, choosing the right food can be confusing. Should you feed your kitten dry food? Wet food? Which ingredients are best? We can help you decide. Below you will find our reviews of the best kitten foods available today. They are divided into the best dry kitten foods and the best wet kitten foods (wet refers to canned or tinned foods). Reviews of the best dry kitten foods BLUE Wilderness High Protein Grain Free Kitten Dry Cat Food View on Amazon Always popular, BLUE Wilderness High Protein Grain Free Kitten Dry Cat Food is a delicious, protein-rich food that kittens love. It features deboned chicken – a good named meat protein for your kitten. The food has no chicken or poultry by-product meals. It also has no corn, wheat, or soy and no artificial ingredients. This is a grain free cat food so sweet potatoes are used as a source of complex carbohydrates. Taurine, an essential amino acid that is so important for cats, is added to help with your kitten's heart and eye development. BLUE Wilderness High Protein Grain Free includes Lifesource Bits which are made up of a precise blend of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants for your kitten's health. This is a high protein food with 40 percent minimum crude protein so it provides plenty of protein for your growing kitten. IAMS Proactive Health Kitten Dry Cat Food View on Amazon Recommended by veterinarians, this food is formulated with nutrients like those found in a mother cat's milk. It provides 100 percent complete and balanced nutrition for your kitten with zero fillers. The food is specially designed to support the health of growing kittens (1 year and younger) while it helps build a strong immune system. Essential minerals help develop strong bones in your kitten and taurine gives your kitten good eyesight. Omega-3 DHA promotes healthy brain development. Antioxidants help build a strong immune defense. Chicken is the first ingredient, helping to meet your kitten's need for meat. IAMS Proactive Health Kitten Dry Cat Food has 33 percent protein. Hill's Science Diet Dry Kitten Food View on Amazon Hill's Science Diet Dry Kitten Food has a new and improved taste with the same great nutrition that pet lovers have liked for decades. This formula is recommended for kittens from weaning until 1 year. It can also be fed to pregnant and nursing adult cats. It provides natural DHA for ideal brain and eye development in your kitten. It also has a clinically-proven combination of antioxidants so your kitten will have a strong immune system – so important for good health throughout her life. The ingredients are easy-to-digest and include natural ingredients plus vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. There are no artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives. According to Hill's, they work with more than 220 veterinarians, food scientists, technicians and Ph.D. nutritionists to develop their formulas. The first ingredient in this food is chicken. Hill's Science Diet Dry Kitten Food has 38.1 percent protein (dry matter basis). Taste of the Wild Grain Free High Protein Natural Dry Cat Food View on Amazon Taste of the Wild is another high protein, grain free food that has become very popular with cat lovers. This is an all life stage food so it can be fed to both kittens and adult cats, as well as to pregnant and nursing cats. Meat proteins in this food include roasted venison and smoked salmon so it has an optimal amino acid profile to help your kitten develop good muscles. It includes added vitamins and minerals, fruits and vegetables as a source of antioxidants for immune system health; and a blend of fatty acids for healthy skin and coat. This food has no grain such as corn or wheat; no filler ingredients, and no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. It is easy to digest and Taste of the Wild uses propretary probiotics that last through the manufacturing and shipping process and thrive in your kitten's gastrointestinal tract. Contains added taurine. The first ingredient in Taste of the Wild Grain Free Dry Cat Food is chicken meal. The food has 42 percent protein from chicken meal, roasted venison, smoked salmon, ocean fish sources, and vegetable sources of protein. Nature’s Variety Instinct Original View on Amazon This food is a good choice for the needs of a growing kitten. It offers plenty of good protein. So, your cat can get enough energy to play and grow. Moreover, this formula is added with the natural DHA that can help to assist with the brain as well as eye development. It has a lack of grain. That's why it's perfect for your kitten. It's made of 81% high-quality animal products and 19% vegetables, fruits, and other ingredients. This food is very natural. It's an ideal choice for kittens under 12 months old. BLUE Wilderness High Protein View on Amazon This product is a high-quality cat food. The food offers your cat de-boned chicken and sweet potatoes. They are a great source of complex carbohydrates. It contains Taurine that is an essential amino acid. That's why it's good for your cat's heart and eye development. The food has plenty of vitamins, antioxidants, and minerals. They build up a happy and healthy kitten. Plus, it has a chicken flavor most kittens love. However, this product is expensive a bit. IAMS Proactive Health Kitten View on Amazon If you are looking for a cat food for your budget, this product is great for you. It's rich in protein. It has Omega-3 DHA. So, it's ideal for your cat's brain maturation. Chicken is the first ingredient of this food. It has no fillers. It provides your cat vitamin E for boosting his immune system. Feeding your cat with this food means you are building him strong muscles. It promises to provide your cat full of the essential amino acids he needs. Plus, it contains a mixture of protein and carbs. Furthermore, you will get a 100% money-back guarantee. Hill’s Science Diet Dry Kitten View on Amazon The Hill's Science Diet Dry Kitten is a great kitten food for you if your concern is the price. It's one of the best choices recommended by veterinarians. The food has a natural DHA that is essential for your cat's brain and eye development. Also, it is able to keep his immune system healthy thanks to the antioxidants and vitamins. It's a high-quality protein cat food. When it comes to the Hill's Science Diet Dry Kitten, you will get plenty of minerals, vitamins, as well as amino acids. The food ensures to provide your pet with a high level of nutrition. This choice is also perfect for a pregnant and nursing cat. Reviews of the best wet and canned kitten foods These foods have become a popular choice these days. They are more expensive than dry foods. So, it's important to choose ones that work well for both your cat and your wallet. Wellness Complete Health Natural Grain Free Wet Canned Cat Food Pate Recipe View on Amazon This is a grain free food that completes complete and balanced nutrition. It comes in a number of different formulas including one for kittens. The kitten formula contains 97 kcal per 3 ounce can. This formula does not contain any carrageenan which is often found in wet or canned foods as a gel thickener. Some studies have suggested that carrageenan is harmful to the gastrointestinal system. The formula includes added taurine for good eye and heart development. It's made from premium, all natural ingredients. There are no meat by-products, artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. Higher protein and fat levels support the development of strong bones, muscles, and healthy organs. A lower magnesium level is good for urinary tract function. Wellness Complete Health Natural Grain Free Wet Caned Cat Food is a pâté. The first ingredient is chicken. It has 11 percent crude protein. Purina Fancy Feast Classic Pate Feast Wet Kitten Food View on Amazon Purina Fancy Feast has been around for years and it remains popular. This food has 85 kcal per 3 ounce can. Most cats and kittens love fish so this food is often a favorite. Contains added taurine. Formulated especially for kittens. This kitten food is also a pate. This is a complete and balanced food. The first ingredient is ocean whitefish. It has 12 percent minimum crude protein. Whole Earth Farms Grain Free Real Healthy Kitten Recipe View on Amazon Whole Earth Farms is an all life stage food. Made with holistic, natural ingredients, it provides kittens with complete and balanced nutrition. Cooked in America with multiple protein sources, vitamins, and minerals. This formula is easier to digest and provides your kitten with a shiny coat, healthy skin, and more energy. Includes added taurine for your cat’s health. It has no corn, wheat, soy, by-products, and no artificial colors or artificial preservatives. The first ingredient in this food is deboned chicken. It comes in 5 ounce cans and has 133 kcal per can. Whole Earth Farms Grain Free Real Healthy Kitten Recipe has 9 percent minimum crude protein. This is a pâté. NUTRO Wet Cat Food View on Amazon NUTRO Wet Cat Food comes in various formulas. NUTRO Kitten Soft Loaf Chicken Recipe Canned Kitten Food is made specially for kittens. This is a soft loaf-style food which gives is a smooth texture. It has 94 kcal per 3 ounce can. This is a grain free formula. It has no corn, wheat, soy, or artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. Includes added taurine. The first ingredient in NUTRO Kitten Soft Loaf Chicken Recipe Canned Kitten Food is chicken. It has 13 percent minimum crude protein. Royal Canin Nutrition Babycat View on Amazon It's great to help your very young kitten to forget his mother's milk with the Royal Canin Nutrition Babycat. This choice is perfect for cats under 4 months old. It helps to support your kitten's immune system. This food offers your cat an antioxidant complex. It's also a balanced choice between fats, carbohydrates, and protein. Especially, your cat surely will love the flavor this food offers. It's made from real chicken and chicken liver for a perfect flavor. But, the food is more expensive than others. Wellness Chicken Pate Kitten View on Amazon The cat food has grain free. That's the reason many cat owners choose this product. It has plenty of proteins. Also, it includes Taurine that's great for your cat's heart and eye development. Plus, the food includes Carrageenan. This kitten food is considered to be a very natural product. It has no meat by-products as well as artificial. Instead, it's rich in fat and protein for developing your cat's bones, organs, and muscles. The food is well known for the ability to promote 5 signs of wellness, including immunity, energy, skin and coat, digestive health, and teeth and gums. Royal Canin Nutrition Kitten View on Amazon This option is great for cats that are older than 4 months. It offers many benefits like other Royal Canin food on the list. It ensures to give your kitten full of fat, proteins, and carbohydrates. They can help to grow your kitten. Also, it includes the antioxidant complex for keeping the immune system healthy. This food is expensive because of its worth. Nature’s Variety Instinct Original Canned View on Amazon This product is available with lots of high-quality protein. So, it can be able to get your pet started off right in life. This is a great mixture of salmon, chicken, beef, and liver. They can prevent your kitten from the chance of food sensitivities in the future. We won't see some ingredients in the list as soy, potato, corn, wheat, grain, artificial colors, animal by-product, and preservatives. At the same time, this food contains plenty of natural DHA that's great for eye and brain development. You can feed it with the dry kitten food in order to give the variety many cats crave. Types of foods for kittens There are two basic kinds of foods for cats and kittens: dry foods (kibble) and wet foods (canned or tinned foods). Dry foods are made into a dough, sent through an extruder, cut into small pieces, and cooked. Dry foods are popular with owners because they are so easy to feed and store. They are usually a little less expensive than wet or canned foods. Wet foods contain more moisture than dry foods. The moisture may be water, broth, or a gravy. Cats and kittens usually love wet foods. Some of them can be higher in fat, sodium, or some minerals so if your cat or kitten has any health issues, it’s important to read the label carefully. Wet vs. Dry Cat Food Many experts today recommend wet food for cats and kittens over dry food to help avoid urinary tract problems. Many owners also like to feed their cats and kittens a mix of dry and wet food or keep some dry food down for their cat and feed wet food at meal times. If you feed your kitten dry food or a mix of dry and wet food, make sure you are providing plenty of fresh water at all times to help avoid urinary tract problems. Generally, the wet cat food is more expensive than dry cat foods. But, there are a lot of prices when it comes to shopping for a dry cat food. Sometimes, you have to cost quite a bit for getting the best brand. The product you will choose depends on your budget. If nothing else, choose a food made especially for kittens or all stages. Buying Guide for the best kitten food To buy the best wet or dry food for your kitten, we recommend reading the food label. The label will provide you with a great deal of information. Along with manufacturing information, it will also tell you the ingredients in the food, for example. Some ingredients are better than others for your kitten. Some ingredients are of higher quality than others. Things to look for in a good food for kittens include: Plenty of named meats for protein Avoid artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives Foods that are low in carbohydrates Ingredients to avoid in your kitten’s foods include too many carbohydrates and filler ingredients. The label will also provide information about the guaranteed analysis for the food. The guaranteed analysis tells you the percentages of crude protein, crude fat, fiber, and moisture. These things, along with carbohydrates, make up most of what’s in your kitten’s food. It’s important to know how much of these nutrients you are feeding your kitten. In order to make wise buying decisions, you can compare these percentages to other foods. It’s usually easy to compare one dry kitten food to another. It can be a little more difficult to compare a dry food to a wet food because of the moisture content. Dry foods usually appear to have more protein but that’s only because most of the moisture has been removed from these foods. For example, a can of wet cat food may have 12 percent crude protein and 78 percent moisture. This may seem low in protein compared to a dry food that has 40 percent crude protein and 10 percent moisture. If you remove the moisture, the wet food would have about 54 percent protein; the dry food would have about 44 percent protein by comparison. This is a dry matter basis comparison. Both foods have lots of protein but doing the dry matter basis (DMB) comparison allows you to have a truer look at the foods. As with many things, the cheapest food is often not the best food for your kitten. Good quality food, whether it’s wet or dry, is often a better choice since it will provide better nutrition for your kitten. Tips for Choosing Kitten Food We may be traditional, but we like some of the companies that have veterinary nutritionists formulating their foods and good quality control. These companies usually do their own feeding trials instead of relying on nutrient profiles. It costs more to do feeding trials so this is something that is usually only done by larger companies such as Purina, Royal Canin, Hill’s, and Iams/Eukanuba. (Some of these companies do make other cat foods so if you like a food, see who owns the company.) We think that feeding trials and these other criteria ensure better nutrition for your kitten and cat. If you look for the AAFCO nutritional statement on the pet food label, it should say something like: Animal feeding tests using Association of American Feed Control Officials [AAFCO] procedures substantiate that X Product provides complete and balanced nutrition for all life stages of cats.” The statement could also say “growth” or “gestation and lactation” instead of “all life stages". All of these terms would be suitable for growing kittens. The balance of your cat’s diet plays an important role when he’s growing. There are some nutrients you need to give your kitten. Your responsibility is to find the best choices. There are some useful tips for you. Kitten Food vs. Cat Food Kittens generally require more of the key nutrients than a full one. Indeed, they require twice as much vitamin A as adults. Also, you need to give them more Tryptophan, amino acids, as well as more protein. AAFCO These officials offer the most respected pet food rating system. So, you should visit the AAFCO before choosing a dry or wet cat food for your kitten. They will show you their nutrient profiles as well as their feeding trials. High-Quality Ingredients It’s necessary for cat owners to feed their cats high-quality foods during their first year. You need to provide your kitten protein from meat, not by-products. The food you feed your kitten has to include taurine, vitamin A, E, and C. Besides, DHA is also important for your kitten’s diet. Kitten Feeding Guidelines Your kitten needs to get enough energy to grow and play. Therefore, you should give kittens a lot of food. In fact, your kitten can’t eat very much in one. It’s best to give him several small meals during a day. If you don’t have time, you can use an automatic cat feeder. Note that it’s a mistake if you feed your kitten free. It can cause obesity with your cat. If you just give your kitten wet food, it’s necessary to feed him 4 times a day. Your kitten only can develop when getting enough calories. Don’t forget to also give him plenty of fresh water. Wet and Canned Food Wet foods and canned foods are known as similarly. In general, these foods offer more moisture than nutrients. There are some important things to consider when purchasing canned pet food for your kitten. Moisture Content This is the biggest problem. It's essential to feed your kitten at least some wet food a day for the extra water. If you are providing your pet with dry foods, you need to invest in a cat water fountain. It can help to make a difference in hydration levels. Food Texture There are a few texture types of kitten cat foods. We recommend you to look for pate that's easy to chew because of your kitten's small mouths and teeth. When your kitten becomes bigger a bit, it's time to add more variety to the texture of his wet food. It's also a great idea to find flakes, cubed, and shredded. Taste Many cat foods will come with the combination of several proteins as lamb, pork, and fish. You should avoid choosing products with artificial flavoring. You even see some companies add a bit of salt to their food for the extra flavor. Dry Kitten Food Actually, dry foods have made up an essential part of a pet's diet. For a kitten, you need to feed a high-quality food. The food you choose should promote a healthy growth. There are some characteristics to know so as to make some choices better than wet foods. Kibble Texture It’s great to feed your kitten with a food that has a crunchy kibble. This can reduce tartar. If your pet has no problem in dental, don’t feed him soft dry foods. It’s important to keep your cat’s pearly whites clean. Calorie Count/ Density In general, kittens are more energetic than others order. Thus, you should feed them a high-calorie food. These foods can be able to give kittens the needed fuel. If you feed older cat dry food free, it can lead to getting overweight. Ingredients and Nutrients Remember to check the ingredient list before purchasing any food for your kitten. There are some important factors you need to consider for your cat's growth. Choose one with Taurine. It's important for keeping your cat's brain and eye development healthy. In addition, vitamin C and E have also shown to be essential to maintain a healthy immune system. They are also great for your cat's mental development. Keep in mind you shouldn't choose products with any artificial coloring, preservatives, or flavoring. The food you choose should come with real meat listed as the first ingredient. Taste Any owners want a cat food with great taste. It can encourage your cat eating effectively. Once again, remember to avoid purchasing a food with artificial flavoring. Conclusion Your kitten will grow to become an important part of your life and member of your family. Feeding her the best kitten food from the start will help her live a long and healthy life. Whether you choose dry or wet food, look for good ingredients, plenty of meat, and try to avoid artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives. Keep carbohydrates low. And, of course, provide your kitten with plenty of fresh, clean water at all times. If you do these things, you and your kitten should spend many happy years together.