The Australian lifestyle is perfect for a pet cat. With warm weather year-round and plenty of fun things to keep them engaged, cats from “Down Under” are some of the healthiest and happiest on the planet. But which is the best kitty food for them? Bringing home a new kitten comes with many considerations, but the right nutrition is probably the most crucial. From kittens to adults, the initial growth stage is one of the most important parts of their development, and they require the right vitamins and nutrients. The diet must be nutrient-dense and free of fillers.
In addition to being obligate carnivores, cats require a diet that is high in protein, ideally from animal sources, and among the first three ingredients listed. Protein is arguably the most important ingredient to consider when choosing the right food for your kitten, but there are other essential factors to take into account too.
Getting exactly the right kitten food can be a little confusing, as there are many different brands and types of food available in Australia. That’s why we have compiled a list of the top choices from the various wet and dry kitten food available on the Australian market today.
A Glance at Our Top Picks (2024 Update)
Image | Product | Details | ||
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Best Overall | Pro Plan Chicken Wet Kitten Food |
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Best Value | Hill's Science Diet Kitten Dry Cat Food |
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Premium Choice | Felix As Good As It Looks - Kitten Menus |
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Purina Pro Plan Dry Kitten Food |
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Purina One Kitten Dry Cat Food |
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The 10 Best Kitten Foods in Australia
1. Pro Plan Chicken in Jelly Wet Kitten – Best Overall
Flavor: | Chicken |
Top three ingredients: | Chicken, lamb and fish products, cereal and vegetable products |
Formulation: | Wet cat food |
This food is designed for kittens and is made with real chicken. The pouches are easy to open and serve, and the food is nutritionally balanced to help support kitten growth and development. Pro Plan Kitten wet cat food contains DHA for optimal brain and vision development, antioxidants for a healthy immune system, and essential nutrients to support bone, tooth, and muscle growth. Also included in this kitten formula is inulin, a prebiotic fiber that supports superior nutrient absorption enhances digestive health, and reduces litterbox odor.
With meat as its number one ingredient, it contains no added artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives and is our choice for the overall best kitten food in Australia. It comes in 12 pouches of 85 grams each and is Australian-made. You can divide each pouch into two or more meals. For maximum benefit, you can feed this product to your kitten exclusively or mix it with dry food.
2. Hill’s Science Diet Kitten – Best Value
Flavor: | Chicken |
Top three ingredients: | Chicken, brown rice, wheat gluten |
Formulation: | Dry cat food |
Hill’s Science Diet Kitten Chicken Recipe Dry Cat Food is made with chicken as the main ingredient. It is designed to provide kittens with the nutrients they need to grow and develop properly and contains essential vitamins and minerals to support overall health. This particular variety of Hill’s Science Diet dry cat food is also a great value, making it a cost-effective option for pet parents, and is the best kitten food in Australia for the money. This food supports healthy brain and eye development in kittens with DHA from fish oil and its blend of high-quality proteins ensures strong muscles and optimal growth.
It contains essential nutrients like taurine and vitamin A and is fortified with minerals and antioxidants to help keep your kitten healthy and happy. Not all cats enjoy the flavor, though, and some picky cats reject this food altogether.
3. Felix As Good As It Looks – Premium Choice
Flavor: | Chicken; Tuna; Beef |
Top three ingredients: | Meat and meat derivatives (poultry, beef and/or lamb), cereal and vegetable derivatives, fish |
Formulation: | Wet cat food |
This product is our premium choice of kitten food in Australia. The ingredients are of high quality and the recipe is designed to meet the nutritional needs of kittens. The food is made with meat and meat derivatives as the main ingredient, and it is also fortified with vitamins and minerals to ensure that growing kittens get all the nutrients they need. In addition, the food is coated with a delicious jelly that kittens love, making it a favorite among felines. Each box comes with a variety of flavors, including chicken, beef, and tuna.
Felix as Good as It Looks is a popular choice among kitten owners because it is convenient and it provides their kittens with the nutrition they need. One drawback is that there are sometimes fluctuations in pricing online, and this product tends to go out of stock regularly.
4. Purina Pro Chicken Formula Plan Dry Kitten Food
Flavor: | Chicken |
Top three ingredients: | Chicken, brewers rice, poultry oil |
Formulation: | Dry cat food |
This kitten food is a dry kibble that has been specifically designed to meet the nutritional needs of kittens aged 5 weeks to 12 months. The food is made with real and dehydrated chicken as the main ingredient, and it contains all the essential nutrients that kittens need to grow and develop into healthy cats. The kibble is fortified with essential vitamins and minerals, which helps to ensure that kittens get the complete and balanced diet they need. This dry food contains 41% protein for healthy bones, teeth, and muscles.
This food supports healthy eye and brain development with DHA and promotes a strong immune system with antibodies from colostrum. This product is proudly Australian-made without artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. Some kittens with sensitive stomachs have difficulty keeping this down, however.
5. Purina One Kitten Dry Cat Food
Flavor: | Chicken |
Top three ingredients: | Chicken and chicken products (>45%) (dehydrated chicken, chicken oil, chicken and hydrolyzed chicken), vegetable and cereal protein, cereals (wheat and rice) |
Formulation: | Dry cat food |
Purina One Kitten Dry Cat Food is made with high-quality ingredients that help kittens grow into healthy cats. The food is also fortified with essential vitamins and minerals to support kitten development, and it has a great taste that kittens love. Plus, the kibble is small enough for kittens to chew easily. It is made with real chicken and has all the nutrients a kitten needs to grow up healthy and strong, with 39% protein content. The food is also affordable and easy to find, making it the perfect choice for busy cat owners.
Your kitten should enjoy a long, and healthy life with Purina One because it contains beta-glucans and a special blend of nutrients and minerals to support a strong immune system. Added to the formula are vitamins and minerals, including calcium and phosphorus, as well as taurine, vitamin A, EPA, DHA, and choline for bright brains and eyes. Kittens up to 12 months of age can consume this product. It sounds good, but keep in mind that not every cat enjoys every cat food, and some owners report that this food is sometimes refused.
6. Hill’s Science Diet Kitten Wet Cat Food
Flavor: | Ocean fish |
Top three ingredients: | Chicken, pork, pea protein |
Formulation: | Wet cat food |
Hill’s Science Diet Kitten Wet Cat Food provides a complete and balanced diet for kittens and is crafted with high-quality ingredients to promote healthy digestion in kittens. The food contains all the nutrients your kitten needs to grow and develop into a healthy adult cat. Despite the name, fish makes its first appearance in this recipe in fourth place, with 4% salmon added to every pouch. Still, this fish-enriched formula is rich in DHA, which promote healthy skin, brains, eyes, and fur.
The food is made with chicken and pork, which provide kittens with two high-quality protein sources. Additionally, the food is enriched with essential vitamins and minerals to help ensure that kittens grow up healthy and strong.
7. VETALOGICA Biologically Appropriate Kitten Food
Flavor: | Chicken |
Top three ingredients: | Chicken meal, duck meal, tuna meal |
Formulation: | Dry cat food |
With Vetalogica Biologically Appropriate Kitten Food, your kitten will receive a healthy diet that’s as close to nature as possible. This kitten food contains a variety of four different meat and fish sources, making it a high-protein, low-carb diet. It is made with 65% meat and animal ingredients sourced from local Australian farmers and suppliers. In addition to containing important animal oils, Vetalogica Biologically Appropriate Kitten Food also offers a complete and balanced diet for your kitten.
Vitamins and minerals are added to this natural kitten food, but it contains no grains, artificial colors, flavors, preservatives, glutens, or genetically modified organisms. Because this food isn’t as popular with consumers as some of the other foods reviewed, there isn’t a lot of data for or against this food. Nevertheless, we find it to be a high-quality food and a great choice for kittens.
8. Fancy Feast Kitten Ocean Whitefish Wet Cat Food
Flavor: | Ocean Whitefish |
Top three ingredients: | Meat and meat by-products (pork, chicken) ocean fish, milk, egg |
Formulation: | Wet cat food |
This food is designed to be nutritionally complete and balanced for kittens aged 2–12 months. The main protein source in this wet cat food is a mix of meat and meat by-products and ocean whitefish. This food is a good choice for kittens because it has a high protein content and it is low in carbohydrates. Ocean whitefish is a good choice for kittens as it is high in omega-3 fatty acids which are beneficial for skin and coat health. There are also added vitamins and minerals, as well as taurine, an essential nutrient for cats.
This is great quality food and most kittens seem to relish the flavor, but a major drawback is that the price tends to fluctuate wildly and so it’s quite difficult to budget your pet food expenses with this brand. The food also contains added probiotics to support digestive health.
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9. Optimum Kitten Months with Chicken Dry Cat Food
Flavor: | Chicken |
Top three ingredients: | Poultry and poultry by-products, cereals, cereal protein |
Formulation: | Dry cat food |
This food is designed for kittens and contains Poultry and poultry by-products as the main ingredient. It is dry food, which means that it will not spoil or go bad as wet foods can. The kibble is small enough that it can be easily eaten by kittens, and it also contains all the essential vitamins and minerals they need for healthy growth. This food meets the nutritional needs of kittens aged between 2 and 12 months old and provides high-quality protein, as well as other essential nutrients that kittens need for healthy development.
The food is also calorie-rich, which can help kittens to maintain a healthy weight as they grow. Additionally, this food is enriched with omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, which are beneficial for skin and coat health. Optimum Kitten food is Australian-made with Australian ingredients. As a kibble, this food is not as hydrating as some others on our list, so you will need to be careful to make sure your kitten gets enough water. In addition, some owners do not like the high cereal content and report stronger smelling urine with this food.
10. Purina One Kitten with Chicken Wet Cat Food
Flavor: | Chicken |
Top three ingredients: | Chicken, lamb, beef and fish products |
Formulation: | Wet cat food |
This food is designed to provide kittens with the nutrients they need to grow and develop properly. The formula includes chicken, which is a high-quality source of protein, as well as other essential vitamins and minerals. This food contains all of the nutrients a kitten needs to develop properly, including taurine, which is essential for healthy vision and heart function. The pouches are easy to serve and store, making them ideal for on-the-go kitties. The soft wet food is easy to digest and makes feeding your kitten a breeze. Wet food contains far more moisture and makes it easier to keep your kitten hydrated, plus this food is made in Australia.
Although it’s not clear that this is a larger issue and so far it has only happened to one owner, you should be aware that this product has shipped with mold previously. We think this is a great kitten food, but the manufacturer has yet to respond to this issue online.
Buyer’s Guide: Choosing the Best Kitten Food in Australia
This guide will help you select the food that will be best for their new feline friend. The first step is to decide what type of diet you would like your kitten to follow. There are three main options: wet, dry, or a combination of both. Wet food is usually made up of either meat or fish, and typically contains more moisture than dry food.
Wet Food vs. Dry Food
There are a number of advantages to wet food over dry food for cats. First, wet food contains more moisture than dry food, which is important for cats because they need to drink water to stay hydrated. Second, wet food has a higher protein content than dry food, which is important for cats because they need protein to maintain their muscle mass. Third, wet food often contains more essential nutrients than dry food, including vitamins and minerals. Despite the ongoing debate over dry vs. wet food for cats, both have pros and cons. Many cat and kitten owners prefer dry food over wet food because it is cheaper, easier to store, and can be purchased in bulk. Providing your kitten with dry food is also perfectly healthy, although we recommend adding wet food occasionally.
Adult Cat Food vs. Kitten Food
There is a common misconception that kittens can be fed adult cat food. A kitten’s nutritional needs are different from those of an adult cat. During kitten’s rapid growth and development, they need nutrient-rich food. So that you can ensure that your kitten gets all the nutrients it needs to grow and develop into an adult, kitten food made especially for kittens is the best choice.
Final Thoughts
You’ll naturally want to provide your kitten with the best foundation possible when they are kittens. Pro Plan Chicken in Jelly is our top pick for Australian kitten food. Besides chicken, it contains antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and omega fatty acids. Hill’s Science Diet Kitten Chicken Recipe is the best kitten food for the money. There are no artificial colors or flavors in this product and it contains chicken, DHA fatty acids, taurine, and antioxidants. Our favorite Felix As Good As It Looks Kitten Menus if you’re looking for a premium choice for your growing kitten. There are three flavors available, and the food contains a powerful antioxidant and vitamin blend, without artificial flavorings, colors, or preservatives.
We hope that our in-depth reviews have helped you to find the best dry food for your new feline friend by helping you to narrow down the options.
Featured Image Credit: MaraZe, Shutterstock