There are likely hundreds of different brands of kitten food available, but unfortunately not all of these manufacturers actually care about the health of your cat. Some of them even try to mislead pet parents by advertising their cat food as a healthy choice when it isn’t.
So today we’re going to explore the ones that are looking out for your kitty’s safety! These are the best kitten food brands. They are the cream of the crop, and if you’ve been searching for a high quality food for your new kitten, then this article will likely supply your answers.
What are we looking for in a kitten food?
When searching for a healthy kitten food we’re honestly looking for a lot of the same things as when we’re looking for healthy people food. In fact, your kitten food should be using human grade ingredients, and not any of the leftover junk that cheaper manufacturers try to use. Ideally, this is what you want to see in your kitten food.
- No grains
Grains are commonly filler items that are no good for your kitty. Cats don’t need grains, they need meat, and you should avoid any food that lists these on the ingredient label, especially if it’s within the first five ingredients. These includes flours and wheat. (Veggies flours like pea flour are often acceptable as they offer better nutritional value.)
- Whole meat ingredients
Many cheaper foods use meat meals or other items. While these ingredients are not horrible, they are still heavily processed, and whole meats will always be better.
- Limited ingredient profile
Feeding your cat a food that contains too many differing ingredients can sometimes cause problems. While this will not be an issue for all cats, if your cat has food sensitivities they could experience diarrhea, vomiting or skin irritations. Feeding a recipe that sticks to a small flavor profile is typically better.
- Made in the USA
Many cheap foods are made in other countries. While not every made in the USA food is high quality, it’s certainly a good box to tick off as some foods from China have come to the United States tainted and are responsible for killing many beloved pets. Other countries with high food standards such as Canada or Australia are of course also acceptable.
Should you feed wet or dry food?
Wet food is overwhelmingly better, especially for cats. The reason being that cats often have issues with dehydration, because they do not drink enough water. It’s much easier to keep your cat healthy if they can get the majority of their water from their food, and that means feeding them wet food diets is a much better option. Dry kibbles were popularized through marketing gimmicks for the convenience of consumers and the profit of the companies, but with no thought to the health of the animal. By giving your kitten a wet food diet, your are ensuring that they get the best nutrition.
Cats suffering from dehydration can actually suffer from life threatening illnesses. This includes the on set of urine crystals which can prevent them from urinating. If not treated, this condition quickly becomes fatal, but feeding your cat a wet food diet can help prevent it.
So who makes the best kitten food?
Without further ado, here’s our list of the best kitten food brands out there. The prices for these products differs greatly, but there should be something here for every budget. They are listed in order of our rating, but that doesn’t make any of these bad choices.
NomNomNow
NomNomNow is a pet food delivery service. They cook fresh meals for pets that are specifically tailored to their dietary needs. The recipes are formulated by a vet, and they only use human grade ingredients for their dishes. Every recipe uses a limited ingredient profile that’s excellent for cats that have allergies or just for pet parents looking to give their kitties the very best.
NomNomNow is the cream of the crop for pet parents who are looking to feed their cats the very best. This method is certainly more expensive than feeding food from the pet store, but you have to pay for quality. You can learn more about treating your pet like a kitty king at the website.
Halo Kitten Food
If NomNomNow is a little bit out of your budget that’s okay. There’s some more affordable canned varieties that still offer your cat excellent nutrition. Halo is an excellent kitten food brand that uses only human grade, whole food ingredients. There are no meat meals, artificial anything, by products, fillers or otherwise undesirable bits in here. Their healthy, limited ingredient chicken pate is great for any kitties, and it’s especially good if your little furball has a sensitive tummy. They currently have two flavors available specifically for kittens which include Whitefish and Chicken. They offer excellent dry and wet food varieties, allowing you multiple options to find something that fits your budget.
Blue Wilderness Kitten Food
Blue Wilderness makes an excellent kitten food that is grain free and contains no by products. Pet parents who buy this food will be feeding their new kitten whole meat ingredients including chicken and salmon. The diets are limited in their ingredients, making them a nice choice for kitties who could be sensitive to certain foods. They have a few flavors available including salmon, chicken and trout. The smaller cans are great to make sure nothing goes to waste since kittens obviously will be eating less than a full grown cat.
There are of course other brands that could also be suitable. If these brands are not your cup of tea, then just use the guidelines we talked about earlier to find a brand that best fits your kitten’s needs. If they are sensitive to a certain ingredient, it should be easy to find a solution that is right for them.
