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What's the best food for my new kitten to ensure healthy growth?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

What should I look for in choosing a food for my new kitten?

4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Christie Long, DVM

Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist

Published on December 19th, 2018

Kittens do the majority of their growth in the first five to six months of life but continue to grow until they are around one year old. During this time of rapid growth and maturation of their bones, it is very important to choose a complete and balanced diet with the appropriate levels of nutrients. Diets formulated for growth include those labeled for kittens or “all life stages.” Canned foods promote increased water consumption in cats, and feeding dry food exclusively or in combination with canned is also acceptable. Offering a kitten with a variety of textures early in life can be helpful in minimizing the chance of having a picky eater. Regardless of diet selection, always make diet changes gradually by mixing the old and new foods together over five to seven days and make sure to carefully measure the appropriate portions of your cat’s food. Abrupt changes have a greater likelihood of resulting in vomiting and/or diarrhea.

30Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Christie Long, DVM
Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist
Published on April 5th, 2018
Kittens grow quickly in their first year of life, so during this time, they should ideally be fed a commercial diet designed for kittens. Kitten diets are formulated for optimal growth and development, particularly by carefully balanced calcium and phosphorus levels, and all life stages foods are formulated to meet the demands of both growth as well as pregnancy. After one year of age, your kitten can be transitioned to a diet for adult cats by gradually mixing the old and new foods together over a 5-7 day period.
36Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Ricardo Fernandez, DVM
Veterinarian, Veterinary Oncology Resident
Published on March 29th, 2018
Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Congratulations on getting a new kitten, no better feeling! As you have probably noticed there are many kitten diets available. Hill's Science Diet healthy development and Purina Pro Plan diets are in my opinion the best kitten diets. Both you can get at your local pet store or online. Good luck and have a good night!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Linda G, MS, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on June 6th, 2018
Hello. There are many good kitten foods available, but the very best are the ones produced by Hills Science Diet & Royal Canin. They are exceptional foods & well worth the little extra expense of feeding a well-balanced diet. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Smart Picks for Smart Questions

Related Questions

What's the best way to feed my 10-week-old kitten for healthy growth?

Hi there. I would recommend feeding her a high quality kitten food until she is 9 months old. You can feed her canned food and dry food. There are several great brands of kitten food available, I like Royal Canin kitten food, Natural Balance and Wellness. I hope that helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Food & Nutrition

What's the best food for a 6-month-old cat: wet, dry, and how much?

The answer is up to you and your cat. Some cats prefer dry only, some wet only, some enjoy both. Kitten food is still needed at six months of age and will be until he is a year old. Cats are carnivores, and canned, pate-type wet food is the closest to what they would get in the wild. Dry food has to have some carbohydrates in the form of grains or vegetable pulp in order to be made into dry nuggets. Cats have a very low carbohydrate requirement and some gain excess weight on dry food. Feed the best food you can afford. My personal favorites are Science Diet and Royal Canin. Both offer excellent quality, specifically formulated diets that are nutritionally complete for your pet's life stage and condition and both offer money-back guarantees if your pet doesn't like them. Just make sure when switching to a new food to introduce it gradually. Transition your pet onto a new food by offering the old food in one bowl and a mix of 1/4 new food and 3/4 old food in another bowl next to it. Do this for a week, then offer 1/2-1/2 new/old food in the second bowl for a week. Change to 3/4 new-1/4 old for a week and gradually stop putting old food in the first bowl. By the end of the month she should be transitioned to the new food with a minimum of digestive upset.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Food & Nutrition

What should I feed my new kitten? Dry food, wet food, or homemade?

Cats have very specific dietary needs, and home diets are not recommended for kittens. Kofi need a kitten food. Brands I recommend include Royal Canin, Hill's Science Diet, Purina Pro Plan, or Iams. I hope this helps!

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Food & Nutrition

How can I ensure my kitten has a healthy body and strong growth?

I would recommend feeding her a kitten formulated food, as she needs more calories, protein, and calcium that adult cats, and a kitten formulated food will provide that. Make sure she receives her vaccines, put her on monthly heartworm prevention, monthly flea treatment, and deworming treatments.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Food & Nutrition

Is my 7-week-old kitten getting enough nutrition from homemade food?

Unfortunately I can't recommend feeding a diet such as you are suggesting. Kittens need minerals (among other things) for proper growth, especially calcium and phosphorus, and they need to receive them at a specific ratio. Commercial diets specifically prepared for growing cats are formulated properly, and I would urge you to feed one of these. Royal Canin is available in India, and they have an excellent diet for kittens. Here is a link to their dry product: https://www.royalcanin.com/products/royal-canin-feline-health-nutrition-kitten-dry-cat-food/2522 At 7 weeks of age you may want to also purchase the canned product (https://www.royalcanin.com/products/royal-canin-feline-health-nutrition-babycat-instinctive-canned-cat-food/4057) and mix the two together. You can certainly continue feeding a bit of chicken (preferably white meat/no bones) along with the commercial diet, but limit the amount you feed to only a tablespoon or so.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Food & Nutrition

What's the best food to help my kitten grow and gain weight?

Hello, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. The best you can do for Meena is to feed her the best quality kitten food you can afford. Purina, Science Diet & Royal Canin are the better companies. Make sure that Meena has been & continues to be dewormed on a regular schedule, & make sure she receives the proper vaccinations at the proper points in her life. She does not need anything fancy or special, nor to you want to supplement her food with any additional vitamins or additives, unless your veterinarian recommends something. Do this & Meena will grow sleek & strong. Take care.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Food & Nutrition

What should I feed my cat to ensure a healthy and balanced diet?

Any good quality kitten food can be fed until she is about 12 months old then you can transition to an adult formula. A commercial diet will be much more complete than simply feeding the items listed. Choose a grain free diet with a named protein source. Avoid meat meals and by-products. Avoid store or discount brands as these typically contain low quality ingredients and more fillers. Choose a diet that is easy for you to buy and one that Bella will eat without causing gastrointestinal upset. Royal Canin and Canidae have a line of cat and kitten foods. You will need to check your local pet store or order food online.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

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