Choosing an appropriate food for your kitten will help ensure that they get the protein, vitamins, and other nutrients that they require to grow up strong and healthy. It needs to be a well-balanced food, but it also needs to appeal to your kitten so they don’t turn their noses up and ignore it. The food should be easy to digest, too, so that it helps your kitten transition from milk to solid foods. However, there are a lot of options on the market, including both dry and wet food.
Below, we have reviewed the best kitten foods in the UK to help you find the one that best meets your kitten’s needs, as well as yours.
A Quick Glance at the Winners (2024 Update)
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Product
Details
Best Overall
Purina One Kitten Dry Cat Food
Chicken is the primary ingredient
Kibble is small enough that it is easily consumed by kittens
High protein ratio of 41% is suitable for kitten nutritional requirements
Purina One Kitten Dry Cat Food is a dry kibble that contains Purina Bifensis, a unique blend of vitamins and minerals designed to improve feline health, and a main ingredient of chicken. Chicory root serves as a prebiotic, facilitating good gut health and ensuring healthy development for your kitten.
The kibble is small enough that it is easy to consume even for the smallest of kittens. The food is suitable for pregnant and lactating cats, as well as kittens aged between 1 and 12 months. The biscuits are hard, which helps prevent tartar build-up, and it has a high protein ratio of 41%, which is ideal for kittens that need plenty of protein for muscle growth and energy.
With chicken as its primary ingredient and some thought obviously having gone into the design of the kibble shape and texture itself, this is our choice as the best overall kitten food in the UK.
Purina One Kitten Dry Cat Food is quite expensive, and although chicken is the primary ingredient, it only accounts for 17% of the ingredients. It would benefit from having a much higher meat content.
Pros
Chicken is the primary ingredient
Kibble is small enough that it is easily consumed by kittens
High protein ratio of 41%
Cons
Expensive
Only 17% chicken
2. Whiskas Dry Food for Junior Cats And Kittens – Best Value
Whiskas Dry Cat Food for Junior Cats And Kittens is targeted at cats between 2 and 12 months old. Its primary ingredient is listed as “meat and animal derivatives,” and while this would benefit from being more specific about the meat ingredients, it does account for 40% of the total ingredients, which is better than a lot of other dry foods.
The kibble mix contains four different types of biscuits, including the softer, meat-based biscuits, and harder kibble. As well as containing a lot of the vitamins and minerals that your kitten needs, the hard kibble is also beneficial for maintaining good dental health, and all the biscuits are small enough to be easily managed by kittens and junior cats.
The Whiskas Dry Cat Food For Junior Cats is an affordable price and has a reasonable 35% protein ratio, as well as a primary ingredient of meat, which makes it our choice as the best kitten food in the UK for the money.
However, the food would not only benefit from a more transparent ingredient listing, but it also contains milk and milk derivatives. Many cats are lactose intolerant, so these ingredients could cause upset stomachs and other possible reactions.
Pros
Affordable
Primary ingredient is meat based
Contains 40% meat ingredients
Cons
Ingredients are generically labeled
Contains milk, which is bad for lactose-intolerant cats
Orijen Cat And Kitten Food is a premium dry food for cats and kittens of all ages. More than 80% of its ingredients are meat or fish based, with the remainder being fruit and vegetables as well as added vitamins and minerals. This means that the majority of the 40% protein in this food comes from species-appropriate meat sources.
The meat ingredients are air-dried or fresh, which means there are no dehydrated or unrecognizable ingredients. Because the food is quite rich, this is best for slightly older kittens, but its natural ingredients mean that it can be fed to adult cats or even seniors, so there’s no need to transition to a new food once your cat reaches 12 months of age.
Because of the quality of the ingredients, Orijen Cat and Kitten Food is expensive, and it can be too rich for some cats, especially young kittens that are making the transition from milk to solid food.
Royal Canin Kitten Food is a poultry-based kitten food that Royal Canin says is suitable for kittens that have moved off milk and are starting to eat dry food. It has high digestibility and contains 36% protein. The primary ingredient is dehydrated poultry protein, which aims to aid muscle and bone development up to the age of 12 months. It also includes yeast, which is a beneficial probiotic, and because of its source of highly digestible protein, litter odours are also reduced.
The Royal Canin Kitten Food is expensive, even when bought in a large bag. Also, the bag isn’t resealable, which makes safe and sustainable storage difficult. It does have 18% fat content, which should be fine for active, outdoor cats, but indoor kitten owners will have to be careful to ensure their feline friends don’t put on too much weight.
Pros
Primary ingredient is a meat-protein
Protein is more than 90% digestible
Digestible protein source reduces litter smell
Cons
Expensive
18% fat content may be too high for indoor kittens
There are pros and cons to both dry and wet food. While dry food is easier to store and can be left out for picky eaters to take their time with, wet food tends to be more palatable and appealing. It also contains high levels of moisture, which helps keep kittens hydrated. Felix Kitten As Good As It Looks Cat Pouches are a mixture of flavours: beef, tuna, chicken, and salmon. The food consists of chunks, which are 50% meat, covered in a jelly that is not only a good source of moisture but also contains nutritious ingredients. The food is well priced for wet food, but it is more expensive than dry food.
Although the food is reasonably priced and made by Purina, the ingredients list is vague. The primary listed ingredients include “meat and animal derivatives” and “fish and fish derivatives,” so you don’t really know exactly what is in the recipe.
Applaws Natural Wet Kitten Food is a premium wet kitten food that contains 46% tuna, which is not only popular with most feline diners but is also a good source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids. The food also contains a gelling agent and rice flour and consists of approximately 82% moisture. The food is meant as a complementary wet food, so it should be fed with biscuits or another food source to meet the nutritional requirements of your kitten.
Applaws does consist primarily of tuna as the main ingredient, but it is expensive and there are reports that a recent recipe change means the food has a looser texture than it used to.
Purina Pro Plan Live Clear Kitten Dry Cat Food With Turkey is a dry food that contains 16% turkey with other primary ingredients including rice and dried turkey protein. The dry food consists of 40% protein, which is suitable for growing and active kittens. It also contains vitamins C and E for healthy development, and natural prebiotics like chicory root that helps maintain good gut health and a healthy immune system.
Purina Pro Plan Live Clear Kitten Dry Cat Food is also an allergen-reducing food. People with cat allergies react to the Fel d1 protein that is produced in cat saliva and urine. Purina food includes proteins that are naturally found in eggs and that bind with the Fel d1 protein before neutralizing it. The manufacturer claims that feeding Live Clear cat food reduces the allergens produced by as much as 47% and in as little as 3 weeks, while being safe and still providing a balanced diet for kittens.
Whiskas 2-12 Months Kitten Food Pouches are wet food pouches for kittens aged between 2 and 12 months. The pouches come in four flavours: salmon, tuna, coley, and whitefish. In all pouches, the primary ingredient is listed as “meat and animal derivatives” and only guarantees 4% of the listed ingredient. Most of the ingredients are poorly listed, and it looks likely that the majority of the 8% protein in the food comes from non-animal sources.
Although the food is very reasonably priced, its lack of transparency in the ingredients will be a cause for concern with many owners, and the protein level could do with being higher for developing kittens.
Royal Canin Kitten Instinctive Wet Pouches are a wet food aimed at kittens between 4 and 12 months old. During this stage, kittens are still growing but not as quickly. The 12% protein found in Instinctive food is considered a good amount. The food comes as small chunks of meat, which are suitably sized for a kitten’s mouth, and coated in a moist and flavour-rich gravy.
This is another food with vaguely labelled ingredients, including “meat and animal derivatives”, “cereals”, and “vegetable protein extracts,” so if you want to know exactly what you’re feeding to your kittens, you will need to look at different foods. Despite having the same problem as lower-priced alternatives, Royal Canin is a lot more expensive.
Lily’s Kitchen Curious Kitten With Chicken is a premium cat food. It has a pate-like texture and is made primarily of meat ingredients. It also has clearly listed ingredients that include 30% chicken, 21% pork, 10% trout, and 4% beef. The other ingredients are listed as minerals, salmon oil, and seaweed. Seaweed is added for its antioxidant benefits because it helps the gut and immune system.
The Curious Kitten food has 10% protein. While this could be a little higher, the ingredients indicate that the majority of this protein comes from animal sources, which means that it is densely packed and has greater bioavailability for your kitten than proteins from plant sources.
The food is expensive, and while it does have plenty of meat protein, it contains several different types of meat for a chicken recipe. Kittens with sensitive stomachs may be better eating food with a single protein source. You may also find some pieces of bone in the pate.
Pros
Majority of the protein comes from meat
Pate texture is easy for kittens to eat
Ingredients are well labelled
Cons
Expensive
Multiple meats used for a chicken recipe
Bits of bones can be found in the food
Buyer’s Guide: Choosing the Best Kitten Foods in the UK
Kittens develop quickly with all but the largest breeds, like the Maine Coon, reaching their full adult size by the age of 12 months and typically reaching 75% of their adult size by the time they are 6 months old. All of their organs are still developing within the first 12 months, and because they are balls of energy, they need plenty of protein, as well as essential vitamins and minerals, to develop healthily.
When it comes to feeding kittens, you also need to consider their teeth. Kitten teeth do fall out as the cat ages, with most having fallen out by the age of 6 months. Kittens need smaller food that is easier to manage.
Here, we look at some of the most important factors that you need to consider when choosing the best kitten food.
When Should You Start Feeding Cats Solid Food?
Moving a kitten from its mother’s milk to solid food can be a stressful experience for the cat. If you try to do it too early, or too quickly, it can cause stress and your cat may not eat properly. Assuming that the kitten and its mother are still together, you can gradually start to introduce solid food at the age of about 4 weeks. You should always feed them a special kitten food , rather than adult food , because kitten food has been formulated for the needs of young kittens.
Wet vs. Dry Food
There are two basic types of kitten food on the market: wet and dry. Each has its own merits and pitfalls:
Dry Food: Dry food, also known as kibble, typically contains meat, vegetables, and other ingredients. The food is then dried out, leaving no moisture but giving a dry biscuit with a long shelf life that doesn’t spoil as quickly as wet food. Dry biscuits are also good for dental health because the chewing of the biscuits helps remove tartar build-up. Dry food tends to be cheaper than wet food but it contains no moisture, so you do need to ensure that your kitten consumes water from a bowl.
Wet Food: Wet food usually consists of 75% or more moisture, as well as meat and other ingredients. The high moisture content helps ensure your kitten stays suitably hydrated, although fresh drinking water should still always be made available. Because the ingredients have not been dehydrated or heavily processed, they can spoil quickly, so wet food should be picked up after an hour or two. Once opened, a packet or tin needs to be refrigerated and used within 2–3 days. Wet food tends to be more palatable for your cat, but more expensive for you.
Listed Ingredients
Whether you opt for wet or dry food, you should pay careful attention to the listed ingredients while paying particular attention to the first ingredients. Cats are obligate carnivores, which means that they should get all of the vast majority of their nutrients from meat sources. While most cat foods do list a meat source as the main ingredient, some dry foods list cereal as their main ingredient.
Higher quality meat ingredients tend to be listed according to the type of meat or meat product. Cats can benefit from eating the organs of animals, as well as the meat, so don’t be put off if you see these in the ingredients list.
You may choose to avoid foods with vague ingredients, such as “meat byproducts” or “meat and animal derivatives” because this doesn’t name the type of food or the quality of the ingredients used.
Nutritional Needs
Kittens have different nutritional requirements than adult cats. Dry kitten food should consist of at least 35% protein, with 40% being considered an optimum level for outdoor and active kittens.
It is a little more difficult to judge wet food based solely on protein ratio because you have to calculate the protein by the dry ingredients. Assuming most wet food contains 80% moisture, the wet food protein ratio should be around 10% or more.
Can Kittens Eat Adult Food?
Kitten food is formulated to meet the specific dietary requirements of young and developing cats. It has higher protein and typically contains more calories than adult cat food because kittens expend more energy. Feeding a kitten adult cat food as a one-off in an emergency shouldn’t cause any damage to your kitten, but you shouldn’t feed them adult food regularly.
Image by: MaraZe, Shutterstock
How Much Do You Feed a Kitten?
The exact amount you should feed a kitten depends on its exact age, size, and even its breed. It will also depend on whether an older kitten is an indoor or outdoor cat and whether it has any special health, dietary, or weight requirements. If your kitten is overweight, for example, you will need to feed it less.
Generally, though, a young kitten will eat between a quarter and half a cup of dry food per day. Wet food requirements can vary from 3–6 pouches per day.
Always check the manufacturer guidelines and weigh your kitten to ensure that you’re feeding an appropriate amount. If your vet has instructed you to feed a certain amount, follow these guidelines over the manufacturer guidelines.
How Often Should You Feed a Kitten?
The younger the kitten, the more often you should feed them, but you should always stick to the daily feeding amount and split this over the number of meals you are serving.
A very young kitten can be fed as often as six times a day, and some vets may prefer free-feeding, which means giving your kitten as much food as they want whenever they want it. By the time your cat reaches 6 months old, they should be eating two to three meals a day.
Can You Overfeed a Kitten?
Regularly overfeeding a kitten can cause them to put on too much weight which, in turn, can cause long-term illnesses and may present problems with development. In the short-term, feeding too much in a single meal may cause loose stools and other gastrointestinal complaints.
Do Kittens Need Water?
Dehydration is a potentially serious problem in cats of all ages, including kittens. While wet food does contain a large volume of moisture that will hydrate your kitten, you should also freely offer fresh drinking water that your kitten can access whenever they want.
Image by: MarinaTr, Shutterstock
How Do You Know If Your Kitten Is Eating Enough?
If your kitten has a healthy diet of good quality food, they should look a little plump and should be healthy and energetic. Their coat should be healthy, along with their teeth, too.
Conclusion
Kittens need to eat more than adult cats and need higher levels of protein so that they can develop and have the energy they need to be active. Above, we have listed 10 of the best kitten foods in the UK, including Purina One Kitten Dry Cat Food, which we believe is the best overall kitten food available because of its high protein ratio and decent quality ingredients. Whiskas Dry Cat Food For Juniors And Kittens is the best kitten food in the UK for the money. While it is cheap, it is also appealing to most kittens and still has a good protein ratio.
Nicole is the proud mom of 3 rescue fur babies, Baby, a Burmese cat; Rosa, a New Zealand Huntaway; and Mac, a Lab/Mastiff. A Canadian expat, Nicole now lives on a lush forest property with her Kiwi husband and new baby daughter in New Zealand. She has a strong love for all animals of all shapes and sizes (and particularly loves a good interspecies friendship) and wants to share her animal knowledge and other experts' knowledge with pet lovers across the globe....Read more
