Proper nutrition is essential to the health of all cats, but it is especially critical during the lactating phase for new mother cats. The right diet will help your kitty meet the high demands of nursing and ensure her kittens receive adequate nutrition during the crucial few weeks of life.
Nursing moms have very particular nutritional requirements that they need to meet to care for their kittens properly. Read on to find our reviews of the ten best cat foods for nursing mothers and learn more about lactating cats’ nutritional needs.
A Quick Comparison of Our Favorites in 2024
| Image | Product | Details | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Best Overall
|
|
Royal Canin Feline Health Nutrition Mother & Babycat |
|
Check Price |
Best Value
|
|
Blue Buffalo Wilderness Pate Kitten Variety Pack |
|
Check Price |
Premium Choice
|
|
Wellness CORE Natural Grain-Free Turkey & Chicken Liver Pate Canned |
|
Check Price |
|
Fancy Feast Tender Feast Variety Pack Canned Kitten Food |
|
Check Price | |
|
Purina ONE +Plus Healthy Kitten Formula Natural Dry Cat Food |
|
Check Price |
The 10 Best Cat Foods for Nursing Mother Cats
1. Royal Canin Mother & Babycat Canned Cat Food – Best Overall
| Main ingredients: | Water Sufficient for Processing, Chicken, Chicken Liver, Pork By-Products, Wheat Gluten |
| Protein content: | 0% min |
| Fat content: | 0% min |
| Calories: | 135 kcal/can |
The best overall nursing mother cat food is the Royal Canin Feline Health Nutrition Mother & Babycat Ultra Soft Mousse in Sauce Canned Cat Food. This wet food has an ultra-soft mousse texture, perfect for a kitten’s teeth but ideal for a nursing cat’s high hydration needs. The recipe is chock full of antioxidants and vitamins mother cats need to support their immune systems and a unique combination of prebiotics to support her digestive health. The formula’s highly digestible proteins are included to meet her high-energy needs as she nurses her babies.
Depending on where you buy from, this food can be very expensive.
2. Blue Buffalo Wilderness Pate Kitten Variety Pack Cat Food Trays – Best Value
| Main ingredients: | Chicken, Chicken Broth, Chicken Liver, Dried Egg Product, Salmon Oil |
| Protein content: | 5% min |
| Fat content: | 0% min |
| Calories: | 118 kcal/can |
You don’t need to spend a fortune on food to provide your mama kitty with the best nutrition. The Blue Buffalo Wilderness Pate Kitten Variety Pack with Chicken & Salmon Grain-Free Cat Food Trays is a highly affordable option, providing owners with the best cat food for nursing mother cats for the money.
This variety pack includes six three-ounce cats of kitten food in flavors most cats love: three chicken and three salmon recipes. The food’s smooth texture is irresistible, and because it is a wet food, it will promote hydration in your mama cat. It doesn’t contain any preservatives or artificial flavors, so you can feel good feeding your kittens and mother cat.
There does appear to be some consistency issues between cans. Some cats contain more liquid than others, which may be an issue for extremely picky kitties.
3. Wellness CORE Grain-Free Turkey & Chicken Liver Canned Kitten Food – Premium Choice
| Main ingredients: | Turkey, Chicken Liver, Turkey Broth, Chicken, Chicken Meal |
| Protein content: | 0% min |
| Fat content: | 5% min |
| Calories: | 198 kcal/can |
Sometimes, we want the best for our cats, regardless of price. If money is no object, then our Premium Pick, the Wellness CORE Natural Grain-Free Turkey & Chicken Liver Pate Canned Kitten Food, is just what you’re looking for. This pricey food is made with handpicked ingredients to ensure optimal health benefits for your kittens and mama cat. This protein-focused food features turkey and chicken to give your kitty the energy she needs to feed her growing kittens. It’s made without controversial ingredients or additives like carrageenan, artificial coloring, and by-products. The formula contains health-boosting ingredients like ground flaxseed for omega-3s to boost coat shininess and cranberries for vitamin C and urinary health.
4. Fancy Feast Tender Feast Variety Pack Canned Kitten Food
| Main ingredients: | Ocean Whitefish, Liver, Meat By-Products, Chicken, Fish Broth |
| Protein content: | 0% min |
| Fat content: | 0% min |
| Calories: | 90 kcal/can |
Fancy Feast may have a bad reputation in the cat food world as it’s easy to find at your local department store and is always available at an affordable price. Still, there’s no denying how healthy this kitten and mother cat formula is. The Fancy Feast Tender Feast Variety Pack Canned Kitten Food features real poultry or fish as the first ingredient (depending on the recipe) to provide your kittens as well as the mama cat with the protein necessary to support their energy needs. The recipes come in convenient and easy-to-serve pull-tab cans and feature a smooth pate texture to promote proper hydration levels.
The ingredient list is sometimes a little vague, which may be off-putting to some cat owners. For example, “liver” is listed in the top five ingredients in all recipes included in this variety pack, but it doesn’t state what animal the liver is coming from.
5. Purina ONE +Plus Healthy Kitten Formula Natural Dry Cat Food
| Main ingredients: | Chicken, Chicken By-Product Meal, Corn Gluten Meal, Rice Flour, Soybean Meal |
| Protein content: | 40% min |
| Fat content: | 0% min |
| Calories: | 514 kcal/cup |
The Purina ONE +Plus Healthy Kitten Formula Natural Dry Cat Food is great if your cat prefers kibble over wet food. The first ingredient is real chicken, making this recipe high in protein to support your mama cat’s increased energy demands. It’s made without artificial flavors or preservatives and features purposeful ingredients like fish oil to promote healthy joints and skin and coat health. Additionally, it contains easily digestible ingredients to support digestive health.
The bag is not resealable, which can present a problem with freshness if you’re not careful with storing your cat food.
6. Iams ProActive Health Kitten Dry Cat Food
| Main ingredients: | Chicken, Chicken By-Product Meal, Ground Whole Grain Corn, Ground Sorghum, Chicken Fat |
| Protein content: | 0% min |
| Fat content: | 0% min |
| Calories: | 484 kcal/cup |
The Iams ProActive Health Kitten Dry Cat Food features real chicken as its first ingredient, providing a great source of protein that mother cats need for appropriate energy levels. It’s made with omega-3s to promote kittens’ brain development and joint, skin, and coat health for mama. This food supports healthy digestion thanks to the inclusion of natural fiber and prebiotics in the ingredient list. There are no artificial preservatives in this formula, nor are there dyes or wheat products.
The kibble is designed with kittens in mind, so the pieces may be small for some older mama cats.
7. Nutro Wholesome Essentials Chicken & Brown Rice Kitten Dry Cat Food
| Main ingredients: | Chicken, Chicken Meal, Pea Protein, Chicken Fat, Brewers Rice |
| Protein content: | 0% min |
| Fat content: | 0% min |
| Calories: | 460 kcal/cup |
The Nutro Wholesome Essentials Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe Kitten Dry Cat Food is a healthy formula featuring vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients your kittens and mama cat need to thrive. With chicken as its main ingredient, it provides a hefty dose of high-quality protein to help meet mama’s energy needs and provide the flavor all cats love. The formula is rich in omega-3 fatty acids to support growth and development for the kittens, as well as joint health in your older kitty. This formula doesn’t contain artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives and features calcium to promote vital functions like blood clotting and nerve impulses.
This dry food is priced higher than other similar recipes on our list.
8. Hill’s Science Diet Kitten Healthy Development Chicken Recipe Dry Cat Food
| Main ingredients: | Chicken, Brown Rice, Wheat Gluten, Chicken Fat, Cracked Pearled Barley |
| Protein content: | 0% min |
| Fat content: | 0% min |
| Calories: | 4,076 kcal/kg |
The Hill’s Science Diet Kitten Healthy Development Chicken Recipe Dry Cat Food is another viable option for mother cats that prefer kibble over wet food. This recipe features real chicken as the first ingredient and contains a vitamin and antioxidant blend to support your mama cat’s immune system. It features natural DHA from fish oil to support brain and eye development and is made in American facilities with ingredients from North America, Europe, and New Zealand. It has a blend of antioxidants like vitamins C and E to promote immune system health.
This kibble is expensive and has a strong smell that may be too obnoxious for some cats and their owners.
9. Wellness Complete Health Kitten Variety Pack Grain-Free Canned Cat Food
| Main ingredients: | Whitefish, Chicken, Fish Broth, Tuna, Chicken Meal |
| Protein content: | 0% min |
| Fat content: | 5% min |
| Calories: | 89 kcal/can |
The Wellness Complete Health Kitten Variety Pack Grain-Free Canned Cat Food is a healthy and delicious wet food for nursing moms and their kittens. It features whitefish and chicken as the first two ingredients, so it is high in the protein mamas require to support their energy needs. The formula contains antioxidant-rich ingredients like cranberries to support urinary tract health and natural whole grains like rice for a dose of B vitamins. The variety pack is affordable, considering it comes in a case of 12.
The edge of the can is very sharp, presenting a safety hazard for both humans and cats. Additionally, each can’s contents appear inconsistent from the next, which may be an issue for particularly picky kitties.
10. Weruva Kitten Can Jam! Chicken, Tuna & Salmon Canned Cat Food Variety Pack
| Main ingredients: | Chicken, Chicken Broth, Natural Flavor, Dried Egg, Tricalcium Phosphate |
| Protein content: | 0% min |
| Fat content: | 0% min |
| Calories: | 100 kcal/unit |
The Weruva Kitten Can Jam! Chicken, Tuna & Salmon Flavored Pate Canned Cat Food Variety Pack is a nutritious option, providing three healthy formulas for your kittens and mother cat. Each of the three recipes featured in this variety pack has a different texture, so it’s a great way to spice up your mama cat’s diet. There are no artificial flavors or preservatives in any of the three recipes, and they’ve all been crafted in facilities for human foods to ensure the highest standards. These formulas contain high-quality protein from real meat and are high in moisture to provide optimal hydration.
The food smells awful, which can be off-putting to both the human serving it and the mama cat eating it. Not all cats enjoy all the flavors or textures, which can lead to selective eating and them not wanting to eat certain recipes.
Buyer’s Guide: How to Choose the Best Cat Food for Nursing Mother Cats
The Nutritional Requirements of a Nursing Mother Cat
A cat’s usual maintenance diet is unsuitable during pregnancy and lactation as it will not provide her with the energy her body requires during this high-demand life stage. Nursing requires more energy than any other life stage a cat will go through, requiring two to six times the energy they typically do.
It’s essential to provide the optimal nutrition for your nursing kitty, as much of the weight she’s gained during her pregnancy will be lost during lactation due to the workload lactation places on her body. Mother cats (also known as queens) need to eat more after birthing their kittens, otherwise, she will be unable to sustain milk production, her body condition, or her weight.
Lactating cats need a highly digestible and energy-rich diet to meet the demands of milk production. Digestibility refers to how much of the eaten food can be absorbed by the body. High digestibility is essential in nursing cats as their energy needs are sky-high.
Mother cats reach peak milk production at three or four weeks of lactation but will maintain higher food requirements until closer to seven weeks postpartum.
Nursing queens also need an adequate water intake to support milk production, so it is more important than ever that your kitty has access to fresh, clean water at all times. Feeding wet food is another great way to promote adequate hydration levels during this stage.
How to Feed a Nursing Mother Cat
You must begin properly feeding your soon-to-be mama cat before her kittens are even born. She will typically feed her kittens anywhere between seven to nine weeks and will lose weight regardless of what you feed her. This is why her nutrition during pregnancy must be dialed in to allow her to increase her body weight by anywhere between 40% and 50% during her pregnancy. Your cat’s energy needs will increase with the size of her litter.
As a general rule, lactating moms with more than two kittens in their litter need between two and a half times the calories they need during the mating period.
Most cat owners choose to free-feed their lactating queens, especially if their litter contains more than two kittens. This will allow mama to eat on her own schedule and consume smaller portions at each feeding. Mothers generally only eat as much as they need to support themselves during this life stage. Free feeding also provides a good opportunity to allow kittens to begin sampling solids when they’re ready at about three weeks after birth.
How to Feed Queens During Weaning
Mother cats will begin weaning her kittens when they are five to eight weeks old. Slightly restricting her food intake before and during the weaning process can help her naturally taper her milk production and make the transition easier and more comfortable for her.
VCA Animal Hospitals suggest withholding the queen’s food on day one of weaning. Allow the kittens to eat their solids away from mama and then allow them to be together at night. The kittens will likely suckle a bit at this point, and that is okay.
On day two, separate the kittens from the queen and feed her half of her pre-breeding portion.
Over four to five days, increase the queen’s food to her pre-breeding portion size. Try to discourage the kittens from nursing during this time to ensure mama’s milk production can slow down.
We recommend speaking with your veterinarian to determine the best method of feeding your mother cat during the weaning phase.
High-quality cat food is an important part of fostering a long and healthy life for your cat but the right cat food and water dish will promote good posture, offer whisker relief, and aid in good digestion. The Hepper NomNom Cat Bowl is our favorite bowl since it offers all of the above and is beautifully crafted to meet modern home stylings. The wide tray design catches any food and water spills and the entire setup is dishwasher safe. Learn more about the Hepper NomNom Cat Bowl here.
At Pet Keen, we’ve admired Hepper for many years and decided to take a controlling ownership interest so that we could benefit from the outstanding designs of this cool cat company!
Conclusion
Our best overall cat food for nursing mother cats is Royal Canin’s Mother & Babycat Ultra Soft Mousse, as it is highly digestible and contains the hydration mama needs to promote lactation. For a more affordable option, Blue Buffalo’s Wilderness Pate Kitten Variety Pack offers great nutrition that won’t break the bank. However, our Premium Choice, Wellness CORE Natural Grain-Free Turkey & Chicken Liver Pate Canned Kitten Food, is fantastic if you have a bit extra to spend on your mama cat.
If your kittens have reached an age where they can eat solid foods, Fancy Feast Tender Feast Variety Pack Canned Kitten Food is going to be beneficial for both them and the mother. If your cat prefers dry food over wet, Purina ONE +Plus Healthy Kitten Formula Natural Dry Cat Food will give them the nutrients they need in this dry formula.
We hope our reviews and buying guide have helped you better understand proper nutrition for nursing mother cats. The right food and portion sizing will ensure your lactating queen supports her own health and promotes the healthy development of her sweet kittens.
Featured Image Credit: Rashid Valitov, Shutterstock
