Best Kitten Food Brands

Adding a new kitten to your home can be a wonderful and uplifting experience. You get to see a kitten discover their new world, play like crazy, cuddle with you, and grow up into a charming cat.

While it is important to keep up with their vaccinations and other medical needs, they also need a careful diet. They need the right foods with enough vitamins, probiotics, and nutrients to help them grow and develop a strong, healthy body.

With the best kitten food brands, you are providing all those essentials with each meal. Not every food brand supplies what they promise, though, as the essential nutrients could be outweighed by grains and other filler foods that provide more weight than a healthy meal to a growing kitten.

With careful research and using the provided list below to your advantage, you will be sure to find the right food for your kitten.

Best Kitten Food Brands

1. Blue Buffalo Healthy Growth Natural Kitten Food

One of the more popular and well-known pet food brands, Blue Buffalo lives up to its reputation.

Key Features

• Protein is the first ingredient
• No by-product meals
• Good source of nutrients, vitamins, and antioxidants

Growing kittens need high protein diets filled with the essential vitamins that they need to grow strong and healthy.

Blue Buffalo understands that and makes sure that all of their kitten formulas use high protein meats, not by-product meats, and only used whole grains and vegetables as a nutrient source.

Their kitten food formula is focused solely on the kitten life stage to provide the correct level of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals kittens need without overwhelming their bodies.

Blue Buffalo prides in the way they create their kibble bites as they are cold-formed to best retain the potency of the ingredients and not lose any nutrients to high heats.

By using Blue Buffalo your kitten will have a healthy immune system, better muscle growth, healthy skin, a shiny coat, better brain growth, plenty of energy to play, and so much more. Give only the best quality food such as Blue Buffalo to your kittens to ensure a healthy, long life.

2. Nulo Grain Free Canned Wet Cat Food

Your kittens need a high-quality food like Nulo to give them a great start in life.

Key Features

• Grain-Free
• High source of protein
• Fewer carbohydrates
• Good for all life stages

Nulo goes further to make sure all of their recipes are grain-free by not including potatoes, tapiocas or similar products.

Instead, they use peas and lentils to promote an active kitten. Kittens need a high protein source to grow, and Nulo provides 83% of protein from all-natural, high-quality animal sources.

The first four ingredients are all animal products, so you can be sure your carnivorous kittens are getting the meat source their bodies naturally need.

Nulo is also low in carbs to avoid obesity in less active kittens. Nulo is also packed with high sources of vitamins to improve the overall health of your kitten.

Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids help your kitten’s skin stay healthy and their fur smooth and shiny.

Their patented BC30 Probiotic supports gastrointestinal health so there are fewer stomach issues for your kitten. You will not have to worry about switching food brands either as Nulo is made for all life stages.

Your kitten will enjoy mealtimes more when you use a nutrient-packed yet delicious kitten food such as Nulo.

3. Best Feline Friend (B.F.F.) Grain-Free Cat Food

Best known for their wet foods, Weruva peaks your kitten’s natural carnivorous needs.

Key Features

• All-natural ingredients
• High protein source
• Good for all life stages

When you think Weruva, if you know the product, then you think of their wet food line, and for good reasons. Weruva started off as a wet food-centered company before expanding to dry food and even cat litter.

Their wet food has animal protein as the first ingredients so that the majority of calories and nutrients come from the protein. For kittens, who need the protein, this is beneficial to them. Some kittens do not drink water as often as they should sometimes, which can develop into serious health concerns.

Weruva helps with that thanks to their hydration focused foods that provide a liquid source for kittens who need the extra liquid in their diet.

From pates to shredded meats in a natural gravy and a variety of vegetables, you will be sure to find the right texture and flavor combination for even the pickiest of kittens.

Weruva does not have a specific line of wet foods solely for kittens as all of their wet foods are balanced for all of your kitten’s life stages. Satisfy your kitten’s carnivore needs with Weruva a nutrient-packed wet food brand.

4. Hill’s Science Diet Kitten Food

Provide the best for your kitten so they can grow into happy, active, and healthy cats with Hill’s Science Diet brand kitten foods.

Key Features

• No artificial ingredients
• Supports healthy growth
• Kitten centered formula available

Hill’s Science Diet uses only the highest quality animal ingredients and vegetables to ensure that your kitten grows healthy and active, not at risk of weight-related health issues.

Their kitten formula is ideal for kittens who are weaning up till they reach their first year of age. The bite-sized kibbles are easy to digest for kittens with sensitive stomachs and are packed full of vitamins, minerals, and amino acids to ensure a healthy body.

There are no artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, or additives that can potentially harm your kitten and develop future health issues. Hill’s Science Diet also has a clinically proven combination of antioxidants to help build a strong immune system.

From dry food to wet food, you can provide a natural and beneficial food source your growing kitten deserves with Hill’s Science Diet. Do not settle for low quality food brands when you want to be sure your kitten gets all of the essential nutrients that they need.

5. Instinct Original Kitten Grain Free Recipe

Instinct taps into your kitten’s natural carnivorous instinct by providing a raw meat option.

Key Features

• Grain-Free
• High protein source
• Packed with essential nutrients
• Raw option brand

No grains, potatoes, corn, soy, wheat, by-product meals, artificial flavors, or preservatives are used in this brand’s kitten food.

They only use real ingredients resourced from the USA. 81% of the food is made from animal ingredients and nutritious oils while the remaining 19% is made of vegetables, fruits, and other nutrient-packed ingredients.

Probiotics and omegas aid in digestive health, immune health, skin health, and soft fur. What makes this brand stand apart from other kitten food brands is that it is a raw diet kitten food.

The bite-sized kibbles are freeze-dried raw in order to capture the highest quality proteins and nutrients growing kittens need.

Since it is minimally processed your kitten will taste delicious flavors even picky kittens will not be able to resist. Their wet and dry foods are made in the same way for better quality control.

Raw food such as Instinct may be scary for some owners to consider, but it is ideal in order to give your kitten the nutrients they need straight from the source.

6. Taste of the Wild Rocky Mountain Grain-Free Dry Cat Food

Your kitten has ancestral genes connected to the big wild cats of the world, so Taste of the Wild makes sure your kitten eats what they were meant to eat.

Key Features

• Grain-free
• Species-specific probiotics
• A prime source for natural nutrients
• Good for all life stages

Taste of the Wild uses no grains in their kitten foods, instead, they use vegetables, legumes, and fruits as the vital vitamin, mineral, fiber, and antioxidant source to help support your kitten’s overall health.

Real meat, fish or fowl is the first ingredient in their foods to provide the best protein sources for muscle growth, organ health, immune system growth, healthy skin, and a shiny coat.

In order to provide your kitten with the same probiotics that their wild relatives eat, Taste of the Wild uses species-specific probiotics that provide active, live cultures that help your kitten have a healthy digestive system.

Once your kitten reaches their adult stage of life you will not have to worry about switching brands. Taste of the Wild is good for all life stages.

Tap into your kitten’s wild side and make sure they are getting the nutrients and protein that they need to grow strong and healthy with Taste of the Wild.

7. Natural Balance Kitten Formula Dry Cat Food

Natural Balance is a popular brand of pet foods known for their limited ingredient pet foods.

Key Features

• Grain-Free
• Limited ingredients
• Kitten life stage formula available

Natural Balance strives to provide high-quality foods by using limited ingredients. In using limited ingredients this limits the chance of your pets having an allergic reaction to their food.

For kittens, who are still growing and can develop allergies, this is extremely beneficial. Their kitten food brand uses meat as their first ingredient in order to provide your kitten with the high protein meal that they need.

Their grain-free formulas have no fillers that can cause obesity in growing cats. Since they create life stage centered brands you can be sure you are providing the right balance of nutrients and vitamins for your growing kitten.

Natural Balance is a top-quality kitten food that is centered on them and their health.

8. Wellness Complete Health Natural Grain Free Kitten Food

Provide the essential nutrients that your growing kitten needs with the Wellness Natural Pet food brand.

Key Features

• Grain-Free
• Nutrients to help a growing kitten
• Made in the USA

Wellness only uses ingredients sourced from the USA, no filler foods, wheat, corn, or soy that could trigger allergies in kittens or cause kitten obesity.

They only use high-quality meat and meals as the first ingredient for optimal protein intake, no meat by-products, artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives.

Their kitten formula line is packed with nutrients and vitamins to ensure a strong immune system, brain development, eye development, muscle development, and increased bone strength.

Once your kitten is old enough to switch from the delicious kitten food line, you can move on to any of the adult cat formulas in order to stay in the Wellness family. Watch your kitten grow strong and healthy by using Wellness Natural Pet food.

9. Chicken and Rice Cat/Kitten Food

Give your kittens all of the nutrients they need to grow into a healthy adult cat by giving them Nutri Source.

Key Features

• Grain-Free
• Aids in all aspects of your cat’s health
• Made for all life stages

Nuri Source is a family-owned brand that uses only the highest quality proteins, vegetables, fruits, and other ingredients as if they were making the food for themselves.

They use a grain-free formula that does not add fillers and is known to be eaten easily by even the pickiest of cats. The minerals packed into each kibble bite aids not only in better nutrient absorption but also a healthier skin and coat.

A special prebiotic, Bi-Mos, helps cats with various stomach sensitivity issues like gas, loose stool, vomiting and even helps in hairball control.

All of the nutrients, supplements, and vitamins packed into each bite gives your kitten everything that they need to grow without having to give them an excessive amount.

The best part is that this food is good for all life stages so you will never have to worry about switching your kitten to an adult cat food with the risk of them not eating the new food.

Provide the best quality food for your kitten when they are young and when they grow into adult cats with Nutri Source.

10. Purina ONE Natural Dry Kitten Food

Your little kitten needs a balanced diet to ensure it grows properly while keeping up with an active routine. The food comes in a dry formula that your kitten can pick up easily, bite, and chew.

Key Features

• Chicken recipe
• High-protein diet 
• 0% fillers 
• High-quality ingredients
• Crunchy kibble
• Contains DHA 

The best food for your kitten should ensure balanced and complete nutrition to ensure your cat gets the best. The food has chicken as the first ingredient, which is a major source of protein. Protein is essential for the growth and maintenance of healthy and lean muscles. With the high protein, your kitten leads an active lifestyle and maintains a healthy weight.

This food does not contain any filler to ensure your little cat gets wholesome nutrients. The ingredients used are of high quality and carefully selected for optimal health. It comes as crunchy kibble that your kitten can easily bite and chew. 

One of the essential nutrients that this kitten food has is DHA. This nutrient is usually found in mother’s milk and is vital for vision and brain development. It enriches the diet to ensure your kitten develops properly and gains the most benefits for optimal health.

11. Iams Proactive Health Healthy Kitten Dry Cat Food

This dry cat food is specially made for your kitten to provide the best nutrition for proper growth and development. 

Key Features

• Chicken recipe
• Vitamin E
• Omega 3 DHA
• Small crunchy kibble

It has chicken as the first ingredient to ensure your little cat gets adequate proteins. These come in handy to support muscle health. The food has the right portion of protein to maintain a healthy weight for your cat while ensuring it gets enough for optimal health. 

This unique formula features nutrients that are usually found in mother’s milk. These include vitamin E, which is essential for building strong immune systems to keep your kitten away from common infections.

The diet also has omega 3 DHA, which helps to promote brain development. Additionally, the omega fatty acids help to improve the appearance of the fur for a shiny, lustrous coat. With the Taurine that is added, this food helps to promote strong vision for healthy eyes. 

It is the best food for over-whole nutrition to ensure your kitten develops as needed. The best thing is that the food comes in a small kibble that is ideal for small mouths. Your kitten can bite and chew easily for comfortable mealtimes.

12. Royal Canin Feline Health Nutrition Kitten Canned Cat Food

If your kitten loves wet food, this is one of the best. It is a wholesome diet to ensure your kitten gets the best nutrients for proper growth. 

Key Features

• Thin slices in gravy
• An optimal ratio of protein, fats, and carbohydrates
• An innovative blend of antioxidants
• Prebiotics 

The food is a great alternative to dry food if your cat enjoys wet food better. It is made with carefully measured fats, proteins, and carbohydrates to ensure a complete and balanced diet. The simple carbs in this cat food meet the energy requirements to keep up with the active lifestyle.

The proteins are of high quality and feature a high amino acid profile. This ensures proper growth and maintenance of lean muscle mass. The fats are essential in maintaining healthy digestion while promoting skin and coat health. 

This kitten food has an innovative blend of antioxidants that come in handy to support the kitten’s developing immune system. These help to improve the defense system as they continue to grow. 

The food comes in the form of small, thin slices in gravy. These are easy for your kitten to bite and chew. The food is tasty, ensuring your kitten eats well for proper feeding patterns.

13. Wellness Natural Grain Free Wet Canned Cat Food

If you are looking for kitten food alternatives, you can try this canned food from Wellness Complete. It comes as a balanced formula to provide essential nutrients. 

Key Features

• Grain-free formula
• Complete and balanced 
• Added Taurine
• All-Natural ingredients
• Chicken recipe

The cat food is formulated to work as part of the regular feeding routine. It features chicken, which is the primary source of essential protein for muscle growth and maintenance. It is free from grains that would cause allergies and stomach upset hence suitable as a regular diet. 

The kitten food provides a delicious plate packed with all the essential nutrients for growth. It includes an essential nutrient; Taurine which is responsible for proper heart development and healthy vision. With all the nutritious additives, this food is the best for your kitten from an early age.  

The food contains only natural ingredients to ensure a wholesome formula. All are carefully selected to provide your cat with the best nutrition. With this food, you do not have to worry about artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives.

14. Nutri Source Cat & Kitten – Chicken

This cat food provides everything your kitten needs for growth. It promotes health by supporting the immune system and fighting common kitten infections. 

Key Features

• Salmon, chicken, and liver
• All-natural ingredients
• Dry formula 
• Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids 
• Added zinc

The best cat food should cater to the energy and general nutritional requirements. This diet is formulated to ensure your little cat leads a healthy lifestyle by providing the right measure of all the nutrients. The ingredients used in this diet are all-natural and wholesome to ensure the best formulation.

This food has a high-protein profile that comes from rich protein sources such as salmon, chicken, and liver. The protein from these foods ensures your kitten’s muscles develop correctly. They feature a high amino acid profile, which is essential for your kitten’s developing body.

The diet is enriched with other essential nutrients to provide more benefits. It has omega 3 and 6 fatty acids which help to promote healthy coat and skin. These fatty acids ensure the skin is moisturized at all times, which translates into a shiny coat. With the mineral acids added, the food enhances the immune system for overall health.

15. WholeHearted Grain Free Chicken Formula Dry Kitten Food

This kitten food is formulated especially for cats with food sensitivities and tummy issues. It has high-quality ingredients to ensure your cats the most benefit out of it. 

Key Features

• Grain-free recipe
• Real chicken
• Feline Probiotics
• Omen-3 fatty acids 
• Vegetables and fruits 

The cat food has chicken as the first ingredient. It is an essential protein source that is essential for the proper growth and development of the muscles. It also has a variety of simple carbohydrates that are easy on your cat’s tummy. These provide adequate energy to fuel your kitten’s active lifestyle. 

This diet has a rich blend of vegetables and fruits which provide essential minerals and vitamins. These help to promote a healthy immune system. They also come in handy to improve digestion and improve bowel movements. More to this, the food has feline probiotics, which are essential for proper digestion.

It is, therefore, a suitable diet for a cat that has a sensitive stomach. With the omega 3 fatty acids, this food helps to improve the appearance of the coat. After a while, on this diet, your cat’s skin becomes more supple, moisturized, and lustrous. The kibble is small and crunchy for easy biting and chewing. Your cat will enjoy this; thanks to the rich meaty flavor.

Key Information About Kitten Food Brands

When you have picked out which brand of food you want to give to your kitten you still have one more step to take before giving your kitten their new food. What you need to learn now is how to properly give your kitten their food and the difference between wet and dry food.

What’s the Best Diet for Kittens?

For kittens, since they are growing, they are going to need to eat more than an adult cat since they are burning calories faster. Ideally, kittens should get around a ½ cup of dry food a day and a small can of wet food. You can separate the meals into two portions so your kitten is not overloaded with food in one sitting and so they are able to regain the calories they had lost while playing.

Try not to leave the food out all day so the kitten can graze or refill their bowl if you see it empty as this can cause over-eating and obesity in kittens. The food brand you pick also has a reference guide on how much to feed your kitten depending on their age, weight, and activity level to further help you make sure you are giving the right amount of food to your kitten.

Wet vs Dry Kitten Food

Both wet and dry kitten food is essential for a healthy kitten. Dry food provides kittens with extra nutrients, vitamins, probiotics, and many other health benefits necessary for a growing body. But kittens who only eat dry food are not getting enough of the meat protein or water that they need.

Wet kitten food gives them that direct source of animal protein and water that they need dry food cannot give on its own. But you have to be careful not to give your kitten too much wet food as this can discourage them from drinking water normally and can potentially add excess water weight. When you provide both types of food to your kitten they are getting a balanced and healthy meal that will support them greatly as they grow and develop.

Bottom Line

Picking the best kitten food brand for your kitten can be potentially difficult, especially with all of the different brands available for you to pick from. Not all brands are made the same, so it is important for you to make sure that you are picking the brand that will give your growing kitten the vitamins and nutrients they need, not just filler products to fill their stomachs with no nutritional intake.

When you are choosing a brand for your kitten you can always pick one of the listed products above or use them as a guide when picking from the brands you have available to you. Always read the ingredient list on the back and make sure that meat is the first ingredient, not some form of corn, wheat, or grain. Also look into seeing if there are any extra probiotics or antioxidants included in the food for an extra boost in helping your kitten’s body develop into a strong, lean, active and healthy adult cat.