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The 11 Best Wet Kitten Foods

Kittens grow and develop rapidly during their first year. Their nutrition throughout the first several months is critical to their long-term health.

After all, you can't expect children to develop properly if they don't receive the resources they require.

There are numerous wet kitten feeds on the market, but not all of them are created equal. Sorting through the sea of ingredient lists might be difficult.

In this post, we'll help you pick through a variety of wet kitten diets to locate the ideal one for your cat. There isn't always a one-size-fits-all answer to the finest cuisine, just as no single diet works for everyone.

As a result, it is critical to examine your feline's specific demands while selecting the best wet kitten foods for them.

BestForPets (bestforpets.org) has provided a variety of alternatives below so you may find something that works for you.

Reviews

Best Value Purina Pro Plan Chicken Wet Kitten Food
 

Purina Pro Plan Savor Classic Chicken Grain-Free Kitten Entree Canned Cat Food is an affordable option with real chicken as the first ingredient.

The ingredients aren’t as high-quality as some other options, but the price is fairly reasonable for what you get. The first ingredient is chicken, which is a common meat source for kitten food.

The second component is liver. While this isn’t the best option, liver does give some of the essential nutrients your cat requires. However, because it is nameless, we have no idea where the liver came from.

This food contains no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives and is grain-free. It is designed specifically for kittens and contains many of the nutrients they require throughout their first year of life.

It contains more DHA for vision and brain development. Despite being less expensive than most diets, this kitten food contains a significant amount of protein. This recipe helps your cat’s growing muscles and active lifestyle.

However, this cat chow contains a few low-quality components. As the fourth ingredient, meat byproducts are included. By-products are not only lower-quality meats, but they are also nameless. These byproducts could originate anywhere.

Still, this is the greatest wet kitten food money can buy.

Pros

  • DHA supplementation
  • The first ingredient is chicken.
  • Inexpensive
  • Grain-free

Cons

  • Some lower-quality substances are used.

 

Blue Buffalo Fundamentals Kitten Food in Cans – Best for Sensitive Stomachs
 

Some kittens’ tummies are delicate. Regular cat feeds do not always work for these cats since they may be allergic to some common ingredients. In this scenario, we recommend selecting a food created exclusively for sensitive stomachs.

While there are a handful of these recipes available, we chose the Blue Buffalo Basics Limited Ingredient Grain-Free Indoor Kitten Turkey & Potato Canned Cat Food over all others. It contains high-quality ingredients while being reasonably priced.

The first two ingredients are turkey and turkey broth. Extra fish oil is incorporated for increased DHA, which is necessary for brain and eye development.

This recipe does not contain any chicken. As a result, it is a perfect choice for cats who are allergic to chicken. While this is uncommon, it can occur and may explain why some cats have upset stomachs.

It is free of grains and gluten. Again, not many cats are allergic to grains. Some, though, are. Avoid grain-containing recipes if you’re attempting to soothe your pet’s stomach.

This recipe, like many others, provides extra vitamins and nutrients to help your kitty develop properly. It is made with fewer components, making it more acceptable for allergic cats.

Pros

  • Limited-ingredient
  • Grain-free
  • Designed for people with sensitive stomachs
  • Fish oil supplementation

Cons

  • Expensive

 

Kitten Food Wellness CORE Turkey & Chicken Pate
 

Wellness CORE Natural Grain Free Turkey & Chicken Liver Pate Canned Kitten Food is ideal for kittens who require the best.

All of the ingredients have been carefully selected to provide your kitty with the greatest nourishment possible. Meat makes up nearly the whole ingredient list, making it an ideal choice for our obligate carnivore kittens.

Turkey, chicken liver, and entire chicken are among the high-quality meats featured. DHA has been added to help your kitten’s brain and eye health. It is grain-free and mostly focuses on animal sources.

Carrageenan, artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives are not used in this recipe. This dish also has no maize, wheat, soy, or peas.

This kitten food has a high protein and fat content. Both of these macronutrients are essential for your cat’s health. The ingredient list is mostly made up of animal protein sources, with only cranberries serving as a substantial source of carbs.

Pros

  • Ingredients of superior quality
  • High in protein and fat
  • DHA was added.
  • There are no artificial additives, corn, wheat, soy, or peas in this product.

Cons

  • Expensive

 

Best Pouch Kitten Food Merrick Backcountry Chicken & Duck Wet Kitten Food Pouches
 

The majority of wet kitten diets are tinned. This is simply the most convenient method of storing wet foods. However, several companies have released pouches of moist kitten food.

One of these foods is the Merrick Backcountry Grain-Free Kitten Recipe Cuts Chicken & Duck in Gravy Cat Food Pouches. This is a good alternative to canned kitten food if you’re searching for something different.

Each pouch is made with high-quality components. The majority of the top ingredients are meat-based. For example, deboned chicken as the first component, followed by a variety of broths.

Chicken liver is added to increase nutritional content because liver provides a variety of vitamins. This recipe also includes eggs, which are high in vitamins and minerals that our kittens require to flourish.

This dish contains no grains or gluten. It does, however, feature potatoes, a starchy vegetable. Because of this, it isn’t quite low-glycemic.

We appreciated how broth was used in place of water. This increases the protein and fat content because broth contains more of these macronutrients than water.

Both duck and chicken broth are included, providing your kitten with a variety of nutrients and flavors. The broth also enhances the flavor of the food.

It may be especially appealing to picky kittens due to its more strong flavors. The increased moisture can also help to avoid urinary tract infections, which are frequent in both adult cats and kittens.

There are no byproducts, additives, gluten, or other unnatural ingredients in this recipe. Only high-quality components are used, which is how it ended up on this list.

Pros

  • Grain-free
  • Meat-derived goods are abundant.
  • DHA supplementation

Cons

  • It is difficult to store.
  • Included are starchy vegetables.

 

Purina Pro Plan Concentrate Canned Cat Food – Best for Skin and Coat Issues
 

Some kittens are predisposed to skin and coat issues. If this is the situation with your cat, you should think about switching to a meal that is specifically intended to maintain their skin and coat health.

Purina Pro Plan Focus Kitten Flaked Whitefish & Tuna Entrée Canned Cat Food is specifically designed for this purpose. It’s made with fish as the major component, therefore it’s strong in omega fatty acids.

These fats are beneficial to your cat’s skin and coat. The major meat ingredient is ocean whitefish, which comes right after the water required to make this a wet dish.

This is a reasonably high-quality item, particularly if you want to improve your cat’s omega fatty acid consumption. However, many of the other ingredients are of poor quality.

As the third ingredient, “fish” appears. While most fish are safe for kittens, we don’t know what kind of fish this ingredient is. It might be anything because it isn’t identified.

There is also liver. While organ meat is of exceptional quality, we have no idea what kind of animal it came from. Wheat gluten has a lot of protein, however it’s plant-based protein. It’s not the finest choice for our felines.

Pros

  • Omega-3 fatty acid content is high.
  • The first ingredient is whitefish.
  • Taurine and zinc have been added.

Cons

  • Unknown, low-quality components
  • Some felines dislike the flaking texture.

Choosing The Best Wet Kitten Foods: A Buyer's Guide

Kittens’ nutritional needs differ from those of adult cats. They are growing, thus they naturally consume more calories per pound than adult cats. They also require more of certain vitamins and minerals, such as omega fatty acids.

There are various considerations to address while selecting food for your kitten. Wading through macronutrient percentages and ingredient lists may appear difficult, but we’re here to help.

Below, we’ll go over some of the most crucial factors to consider when buying.

Kitten Formulation

As we’ve already stated, kittens and adult cats have varied nutritional requirements.

As a result, the food you select must be designed specifically for kittens. The information on the front of the bag isn’t always correct.

Fortunately, the AAFCO oversees all nutritional criteria for pet food. Before purchasing kitten food, ensure that it is AAFCO certified for kittens. The food container should have a label somewhere on it.

This category includes all of the foods we examined.

Quality of Ingredients

Cats are carnivores by nature. This mark indicates that they were created to exist only on meat. They are not like dogs, who can consume grains, vegetables, and fruits in addition to meat.

As a result, your cat’s meal should mostly consist of meat items. Meat should be the first ingredient. Ideally, the meat should be of high grade.

Look for “chicken” or “salmon” entire meats. Meat meals are a good option if they are labeled “chicken meal” or “turkey meal.” Avoid unidentified meat products. You should be aware of where your beef originated from.

By-products should also be avoided if possible. The issue with by-products is that we have no idea what they are. By-products are any leftovers from the processing of an animal.

This can include everything from high-quality organ meats to feathers. We do know that by-products are less digestible than other types of meat.

While cats should consume predominantly meat, some fruits and vegetables may be beneficial to them. Cranberries are one apparent example.

They have been demonstrated to lower the risk of some urinary tract disorders in cats, which is why they are frequently added in cat meals.

These additional fruits and vegetables may assist your cat, especially if they have underlying health issues. However, you should avoid grains, vegetables, and fruits that have no nutritional value for cats.

Wheat gluten is a typical binding ingredient that adds a lot of low-quality protein to cat food. It may, however, be linked to an elevated risk of certain health conditions. As a result, it should be avoided whenever feasible.

Macronutrient Composition

Cats, as obligate carnivores, thrive on a diet high in protein and fat. Choose foods with the highest concentrations of these two nutrients.

For kittens, 12 percent protein and 7 percent fat appear to be the best currently available. This is relatively high and leaves little room for carbs, which cats require in little amounts.

Keep in mind that this is the food’s guaranteed analysis. In other words, it is the amount of protein and fat while accounting for moisture. As a result, many wet foods may appear to be lower in protein than dry foods, even if this is not the case.

Wet meals just have more moisture, which makes the protein and fat appear lower. After the moisture is removed, wet meals often include more protein and fat than dry foods.

Cats thrive on a diet that is 52 percent protein, 36 percent fat, and 12 percent carbs, according to certain scientific studies. However, this is without any moisture – also known as the “dry matter basis.”

It is the percentage of certain macronutrients remaining after all moisture has been eliminated. Choose a diet that is as high in protein and fat as possible based on the kitten food market today.

You don’t have to be concerned about your cat not getting enough carbs from most commercial meals. Most include significantly more carbohydrates than our kitties require.

Budget

While many of us would want to completely disregard our budgets, it isn’t possible for the majority of us. We don’t have hundreds of dollars to spend on cat food every month.

Fortunately, there are numerous high-quality, low-cost cat foods available. You may need to make some adjustments, such as replacing salmon with a more “typical” protein, such as chicken. Many low-cost kitten feeds, on the other hand, can help your cat thrive.

However, avoid low-cost items that skimp on components. You should not choose one with meat by-products as the only meat element. Choose one with entire beef as the first ingredient.

You should also avoid foods containing “premium” ingredients such as pumpkin and rare proteins. These rarely benefit cats, but they can significantly increase the expense.

Conclusion

Choosing food for your kitten is both critical to their health and overwhelming. There are the best wet kitten foods available on the market, and the significance of this selection can easily lead to indecision.

BestForPets (bestforpets.org) recommends Smalls Fresh Cat Food for most felines. The dishes use high-quality ingredients and contain a lot of fat and protein.

If you require cheap food, we recommend Purina Pro Plan Savor Classic Chicken Grain-Free Kitten Entree Canned Cat Food.

This dish contains a lot of meat and protein. To make it more inexpensive, some corners were cut in the ingredient list. These top recommendations may not be the ideal food for your kitten.

If your cat has a sensitive stomach, you might consider buying a limited-ingredient food. This page has numerous examples to assist you in making your decision.

When selecting a kitten food, keep your cat’s demands as well as your budget in mind.

Author Image

Dr. Deborah Fletcher

Deborah R. Fletcher, DVM, is a skilled veterinarian with more than 15 years of experience dealing with companion and exotic animals. She has experience caring for a variety of animals, including household cats and dogs, reptiles, birds of prey, and even primates. Dr. Fletcher is a valuable part of the BestForPets team, where she contributes to their aim of providing pets and their owners with the finest possible treatment and services.

Veterinarian (DVM) Dr. Deborah Fletcher

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