The 9 Best Kitten Foods for Your New Cat

Best Overall, Dry

Orijen Kitten Formula Dry Cat Food

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Orijen’s Kitten Formula is a high-protein and high-fat dry food with an impressive list of ingredients, including a variety of quality animal proteins. Kittens are obligate carnivores that thrive and survive best on protein-forward foods. This food has six different types of fresh or raw animal and fish proteins, including free-run poultry, wild-caught fish, and whole prey ingredients. Whole prey ingredients include bone, organ, and muscle from protein sources and are most similar to what predatory felines eat in the wild. Whole prey proteins provide a wide range of vitamins, minerals, and micronutrients that might be added supplementally in non-whole prey food products.

This kitten kibble is also specially sized to be smaller for smaller kitten mouths and features a freeze-dried raw chicken liver coating to entice even the pickiest of eaters. It can also be served with a little bit of water to soften it and add moisture if desired.

Orijen has an in-house nutrition and vet team who help make sure their foods meet the dietary needs of your kitten. It also meets standards for nutritional adequacy set by the American Association of Animal Feed Control Officials (AAFCO)—an organization that sets minimum nutritional requirements you should expect of dog or cat food.

Orijen Kitten Formula is recommended for kittens at least five weeks and older and can be stored outside of the refrigerator. It’s worth noting that although there are no grains in this kitten food, it does contain legumes such as chickpeas and whole peas which are high in protein but also high in carbs, pushing this food into a higher carb content (around 18%) than we’d ideally want to see.

Price at time of publish:$29 for four pounds

_{Primary Ingredients:Chicken, turkey, salmon, whole herring, chicken liver |Volume:4 pounds |Portion Size:¼ cup to 1 cup daily|Flavors:Kitten}

Best Overall, Wet

Stella & Chewy's Purrfect Paté Carnivore Cravings Kitten

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Dr. Cuevas recommends Stella & Chewy Purrfect Paté Carnivore Cravings as a good kitten wet food. Available in chicken and salmon flavor, this soft paté is easy for kittens to eat and gentle on young mouths. Plus, as soon as you open the can, the quality is apparent, and the (dare we say appetizing) appearance sets this canned kitten food apart from the rest.

We love the high-quality ingredients and that the first ingredients are responsibly- and sustainably sourced proteins like chicken and salmon. The second ingredient is chicken broth which helps add to the food’s high moisture content and keeps kitty hydrated. We also like that this kitten food is free from grains, legumes, and artificial preservatives, colors, and flavors.

This can be used as a complete meal or as a food topper—just be aware that since kittens require a high caloric intake daily, this premium, pricey food can get expensive if it’s the only thing you’re feeding your new growing baby. However, if you can afford to be spendy with your kitten, this food is worth the extra investment.

Price at time of publish:$48 for 24 cans

_{Primary Ingredients:Chicken, chicken broth, salmon |Volume:2.8 or 5.2 ounces|Portion Size:1 ¾ -2 can per 1-2 pounds (2.8-ounce cans) |Flavors:Chicken and salmon}

Best Freeze-Dried

Instinct Raw Freeze-Dried Cage-Free Chicken Recipe for Kittens

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Instinct Raw Freeze-Dried Cage-Free Chicken Recipe is a low carb, protein-forward food that contains over 90% protein from responsibly-sourced ingredients like chicken, beef organs, chicken bones, and fish. This kibble-like freeze-dried food is packed with nutrient-dense, minimally-processed animal protein, and is easy to serve and store—just scoop it straight from the bag and store it in the cabinet. Chicken bones provide a good source of calcium, magnesium, and other minerals, and beef organs supply natural sources of necessary vitamins and minerals. Added fruits and vegetables like carrots, apples, and squash work as healthier fillers instead of using grains or soy.

Don’t forget to read the instructions and add some warm water to this freeze-dried food. This will soften up the nibs, create a better texture, and add much-needed moisture to their diet. Kittens under six weeks old shouldn’t eat raw foods since their immune systems and digestive systems aren’t yet strong enough, and it may cause them to become sick.

Price at time of publish:$24

_{Primary Ingredient:Chicken, ground chicken bone, beef organs, cod |Volume:9.5 ounces |Portion Size:½ to 2 ¾ cups |Flavors:Chicken}

Best for Texture Transitions

Tiki Pets Cat Baby Mousse & Shreds with Chicken, Salmon, and Chicken Liver

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Cats can be finicky when it comes to routine, and vets recommend changing-out things like their food (or even their litter) with a slow transition period. Tiki Cats Baby Mousse and Shreds puts smooth paté side-by-side in the same can with meatier shredded food to help ease your kitten's transition from smooth to solid food. Both sides are soft and easy to chew for small jaws, tiny teeth, and delicate digestive systems.

Each meets AAFCO standards and provides your kitten with specific nutrients and supplements such as taurine, DHA, and prebiotics needed for this life stage, including high protein, fat, and moisture content. This 2-in-1 food product is designed for kittens ages four weeks and up, though the hefty feeding guidelines require 1 3/4 cans per pound of body weight, meaning it may be more economical to switch to a different food (or the Tiki Baby Whole Foods line) after a few months.

Price at time of publish:$6 (pack of 3)

_{Primary Ingredients:Chicken, chicken broth, salmon, chicken liver |Volume:1.9 ounces |Portion Size:1 ¾ cans per 1 pound|Flavors:Chicken, salmon, and chicken liver; chicken, duck, and duck liver}

Best Prescription

Hill's Science Diet Kitten Liver & Chicken Entree Canned Cat Food

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Hill’s Science Diet is a popular vet-recommended prescription brand that comes in a kitten formula made from pork and chicken. It sources its DHA from fish oil, contains prebiotics for digestion, and has a soft minced texture that works as a good starter solid food for growing kittens. You can start feeding this to your kitten as soon as they are weaned and continue until they are a year old.

This is available in two sizes, but we recommend the smaller cans for younger (read: lighter) cats because it’s easier to portion correctly. However, buying the larger size is more economical, no matter how you slice it. Our biggest fault with this food is that it’s made with meat by-products and contains corn glutens, which aren’t ideal at any life stage. Truthfully, with so many high-quality commercial kitten foods on the market, there’s no huge need to get your kitten on prescription food. Still, since this food is also suitable for pregnant and nursing cats, it’s a good option for families with new cat moms who want to use any leftover food for kittens.

Price at time of publish:$39

_{Primary Ingredient:Water, pork |Volume:2.9 ounces |Portion Size:2 cans per 3 pounds|Flavors:Liver and chicken}

Best Chicken-free

Weruva Cats in The Kitchen Kitten Lambur-Kitty

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Weruva新的小猫在厨房里Lambur-Kitty我s our favorite option for a chicken-less kitten food. Chicken dominates the flavors and ingredients of most kitten foods, but it’s also the top protein source behind cat and kitten allergies and sensitivities. Although Weruva Kittens in the Kitchen Lambur-Kitty has tuna in its ingredients (another possible allergy source), the main ingredients are lamb broth and grass-fed lamb. Lamb is a go-to alternative protein source for cats with chicken allergies, and this kitten food is a huge find for anyone whose kitten is a fussy eater, doesn’t like chicken, or can’t have chicken.

We also love the high moisture content and that this kitten food is free of preservatives and artificial flavors. This kitten food line also has a Kitten Gone Wild flavor made from wild-caught salmon and fish broth (again, contains tuna), giving owners an extra chicken-free option. It’s also possible to alternate the Lambur-Kitty flavor with theKitten Gone Wildto give your cat some variety.

Price at time of publish:$21 (pack of 12)

_{Primary Ingredient:Lamb, lamb lung |Volume:3 ounces |Portion Size:1-2 cans per pound |Flavors:Lamb, salmon}

Best Subscription

Cat Person Starter Box

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猫粮订阅时可能会非常棘手to kittens as it may take some time to identify your kitten’s flavor preferences or any allergies. If you’re looking for a subscription service, Cat Person is a highly customizable option that makes it easy to mix and match until you find your kitty’s favorites. Flavors come in an excellent variety of protein sources, including flavors like duck, mackerel and bream, and beef, which are free from the common allergens of chicken and tuna. Wet food comes as a 3-pack of individually-packaged serving cups in two textures (shreds and paté), and dry food comes in two-pound bags of kibble.

Subscriptions can include a combination of any of their wet and dry cat food products, all of which meet or exceed AAFCO standards for all life stages. This means you have the flexibility to find what your kitten likes—and you don’t have to worry about transitioning to a different adult food once they are older. The biggest downside is that their dry foods contain protein meal and their wet foods contain a small percentage of carb-heavy tapioca.

Price at time of publish:$34

_{Primary Ingredient:Chicken, duck, tuna, sea bream, beef, turkey (depending on flavor) |Volume:2.75-ounce cups (wet), 2-pound bag (dry) |Portion Size:2-8 packaged cups per 4-8 pounds, depending on flavor;⅓-⅔ cup per day, depending on age and flavor (dry)| Flavors:Chicken, duck, tuna and sea bream, tuna, beef, chicken and turkey, tuna and salmon, duck and turkey}

Best Formula

PetAg KMR Kitten Milk Replacer

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Kitten formula is most often used as a milk replacement for newborn and pre-weaned kittens, though Dr. Cuevas notes it’s not necessary unless your kitten’s mother is not lactating or a still-nursing kitten has been separated from their mother. PetAg KMR Kitten Milk Replacer is certified by theNASC(National Animal Supplement Council). It’s also a top choice among animal rescuers for kittens and other baby mammals. Use it as a mother’s milk replacement for cats up to six weeks old, and as a supplement or mix-in for older cats, pregnant and nursing cats, or weaning kittens.

Both the powder and liquid forms are ready-to-use, but we recommend the powder since it lasts longer once opened and travels well. (Opened liquid formula needs to be refrigerated and any unused portion should be tossed after 72 hours.) Kitties with sensitive stomachs may do better with the goat’s milk version.

PetAg KMR Kitten Milk is formulated to closely match the makeup of carbs, fat, and protein in mother’s milk, and includes additional prebiotics and probiotics as well as the fortification of essential vitamins and minerals. Unfortunately, it also contains carrageenan: a seaweed derivative, used as an emulsifier, which may cause stomach upset and may be a potential carcinogen.

Price at time of publish:$10

_{Primary Ingredients:Water, condensed skimmed milk |Volume:11 ounces |Portion Size:2 tablespoons per 4 ounces|Flavors:Regular,goat’s milkpowder}