Your little furball is depending on you for stimulating toys, clean litter, plenty of fresh water, and the right nutrition. This is your opportunity to get your new kitten off to a healthy start and minimize vet visits later on. With hundreds of choices out there, where’s a person to start? We can help with certain tips about the best dry food for kittens.
A Couple of Notes on Kitten Nutrition
Cats have special nutritional needs that can’t be met by human food or food intended for other pets. For a certain something, cats are obligate carnivores, meaning they should have the amino acids found in meat to survive. A cat’s diet should be high in proteins from meat, and a kitten’s diet (from birth to one year) should be significantly higher in protein to support their rapid growth.
Kittens can be introduced to specially formulated kitten food when they are as young as three weeks old. When your kitten is weaned (at about eight to ten weeks), you can begin feeding them kitten food exclusively. Many veterinarians recommend offering new kittens a mix of foods with different surfaces, including different recipes of dry and canned food, with the end goal to broaden their palates and keep them from getting picky.
Dry food is convenient for everybody because you don’t have to stress over food going bad in the bowl when you’re out for the afternoon.
Be that as it may, Dr. Gary Richter, author of “The Ultimate Pet Health Guide,” strongly recommends making wet food a significant part of your kitten’s diet to make sure they are getting plenty of water. “Canned diets or fresh, whole food diets have a much higher moisture content than dry kibble,” he says.
So feel free to put some canned kitten food on top of the kibble to stimulate appetite and provide variety.
The Best Dry Food for Kittens
When you’re choosing kibble for your kitten, check the label to make sure it’s formulated for kittens. Look for wording that indicates the food meets the nutritional levels established by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) Profiles “for growth” or “for all life stages.” AAFCO individuals regulate pet food at the federal and state level.
Keep in mind that while giant bags of food may be a bargain, dry kitten food should be consumed within two months of opening the package. Store your kitten’s dry food in a cool, dry location away from sunlight to prevent spoiling. Keep the original bag (which is designed to keep food fresh) or container tightly closed.
Our list below includes popular, high-quality dry foods from basic and premium brands, so there’s something to fit each kitten parent’s budget. And all of these kitten foods have received rave reviews from purchasers.
Hill’s Science Diet Indoor Kitten Dry Food
Hill’s Science Diet foods are developed with a science-based approach to feline nutrition. The company employs veterinarians, nutritionists, and food scientists to formulate foods that are both healthy and delicious. This kitten-specific recipe leads with chicken and includes earthy-colored rice and fish oil. It’s designed for kittens up to one year of age, as well as for cats who are pregnant or nursing.
Wellness Center Kitten Formula Dry Food
Wellness takes a holistic approach to feed time, crafting its foods with centered natural ingredients and no fillers. Turkey and chicken are the first ingredients in this tasty kibble for kittens. The recipe includes DHA omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil to promote brain development.
Blue Buffalo Wilderness Kitten Dry Food
Named after a beloved family dog, Blue, this company aims to feed pets as well as we feed ourselves. Its foods contain only real meats as their first ingredients and utilize no poultry result meals, fillers like corn/wheat/soy, or artificial flavors or preservatives.
Halo Holistic Wild Salmon and Whitefish Recipe Kitten Dry Food
What separates Halo from many other pet food makers is the fact that it takes care to search out ingredients from sustainable sources. All meats are sourced from Canada, the U.S., and New Zealand and come only from animals raised without hormones or genetically modified feed diets. In addition, Halo chooses only non-GMO fruits and vegetables.
Purina One Healthy Kitten Formula Dry Food
This affordable dry food leads with Purina’s promise that there is a nutritional purpose behind each ingredient in its formula. These include vitamins, minerals, and DHA, a nutrient found in kitten mothers’ milk that assists with brain and vision development.