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Is there anything sweeter than a kitten? These playful balls of fur are a wonderful addition to any family. Whether you’ve adopted a new family member or your cat is a mommy cat, it’s important to give these little guys a great start to life. That start begins with feeding them the best kitten food available. A great kitten food will provide your kitten all the nutrition they need to help them grow into strong and healthy cats. Here is our guide to finding the best kitten food for your little one and how to introduce them to kitten food.
When To Start Feeding Your Kitten Food
Kittens will usually begin weaning off their mothers around four weeks old. At four weeks you will begin introducing them to kitten food. The transition should take about two-three weeks and your cat should be nursing and eating kitten food consistently by 5 to 6 weeks old. Then by 8 weeks they should be fully weaned off their mothers and eating just kitten food. Kittens do not reach maturity until they are 18 months old, so you should continue to feed them kitten food for at least one year.
How To Introduce Your Kitten To Kitten Food
It is important that when you begin the process of introducing kitten food to your kitten, you follow a good schedule. Here is the basic schedule for introducing your kitten to food:
- Week 4: Start giving your kitten small amounts wet food or dry food mixed with water so it’s easily digestible. At this point you really just want to peak your kitten’s interest in real food. If your cat is living away from their mother make sure to still feed them formula.
- Week 5-6: Start feeding your kitten wet or moistened dry kitten food on a routine two to three times a day. They may still nurse occasionally or need formula, but at this point, half their diet should come from kitting food.
- Week 6-7: You can start introducing dry kibble to your kitten and in this time, kitten should also be fully transitioned to kitten food.
Your Kitten’s Nutritional Needs
Kittens grow at an incredibly fast pace, so they need lots of fuel so they have a healthy development. They also have high activity levels so they need a lot of energy from their food. Kittens need foods that are high in protein, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals. Kittens tend to need the same amounts of fat, fatty acids, and most vitamins as adult cats. So kitten formulas usually have a much higher crude protein rating than adult foods.
The Three Best Kitten Foods
There are some really great kitten foods on the market. We recommend a grain-free food for kittens because they tend to have a much higher protein content and are easier for their delicate stomachs to digest. Here are our recommendations for the three best kitten foods:
Wellness CORE Grain-Free Kitten Food
Wellness is a leading natural cat food manufacturer and their high protein CORE line is perfect for helping kittens grow. It is made from a mix of high quality proteins with a high 45% crude protein rating. Wellness CORE kitten is also loaded with amino acids for healthy growth and DHA for brain development. It is also contains probiotics so it is easy for kittens to digest. Wellness CORE kitten food comes in both wet and dry foods and is a great option for your kitten.
Merrick Purrfect Bistro Grain Free Healthy Kitten Recipe
Merrick is another leading natural cat food known for having a great flavor. Their kitten food is no different. With a variety of great protein sources and a 41% crude protein rating, it is a great option for the development of your kitten. It is also fortified with vitamins, minerals, and crucial amino acids to ensure the healthy development of your little friend. Like Wellness, it contains probiotics so it is easy to digest as well. Merrick kitten food comes in two flavors of wet food and a dry kibble.
Organix Grain Free Healthy Kitten Recipe
Organix is the leading organic cat food manufacturer so you do not have to worry about any hard to digest chemical ingredients. Organix has a lower protein rating than the others at 34% but all of their protein sources come from whole meat organic sources, so it is a worthwhile trade off. It are also fortified with vitamins, minerals, and several amino acids to ensure healthy development. Organix is a very healthy, easily digested, organically certified food, so it is a great option for any kitten.
Having a kitten is an absolute delight, though it comes with a lot of responsibility. You want to make sure that you are feeding your kitten the best kitten food so they have a good and healthy start to life. This big responsibility can be a little overwhelming but if you put your little one on a schedule and pick a great, high-protein kitten food like the three listed here, your kitten will be on track to live a healthy, happy, and full life.
