The best cat food UK for kittens

Get your kitten off to the best start for their long and happy life with you

The best cat food UK for kittens 2021

by Angelica Daujotas |
Updated on

Congratulations are in order! You’ve welcomed a new tiny friend into your home, and we’re here to help you get that bundle of fur to grow up into a healthy and strong cat.

Now they won’t be tiny for long, that’s for sure, within the first six months your little one will have reached about 75 per cent of their adult size and be able to eat adult cat food. Give them the nutrition and protein they need to support them through their growing stages, with the best kitten food available in the UK.

Support your pet with the best nutritious and enriching kitten food diet available and give them the best start to life with you.

Related: The best wet cat food for even the pickiest of pets

Knowing what to feed your kitten can be a struggle, especially if they’re your first. We’ll go through the benefits of dry and wet cat food, as well as our top picks, so you can spend more time with your furry friend, instead of worrying about their diet.

In a rush? Here are our top three picks:

Whiskas 2-12 Months Kitten Pouches Poultry Selection in Jelly, 12x100g

Pets at Home Rich Recipe Fish and Poultry in Jelly Kitten Food 12 x 100g

Purina Pro Plan Original Dry Kitten Food Chicken 1.5kg

What to feed your kittens?

Unless your kitten has a medical condition that requires a specific diet, whether you feed them wet or dry food is up to you, and of course, your new kitten gets a say. We’ll cover the benefits of both to help you decide what’s best for your new furry friend.

Dry kitten food:

• Convenient, easy to measure and store.

• Longer shelf life once opened.

• Keep's your kitten’s teeth healthy – removes plaque while chewing.

• Small kibbles are easy for kittens to chew and swallow.

Wet kitten food:

• Stronger and more appealing aroma for your kitten – they may prefer the smell and texture.

• Increased water intake for your kitten.

• Single-serve pouches can be very convenient and easy to serve.

If you can’t decide you could offer a mixture of both! You could even go through a trial period, testing out wet vs dry, and see what your kitten prefers. Take a look at our top picks, both wet and dry foods included, to decide what's best for your new furry friend.

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The best wet cat food for kittens

Whiskas 2-12 Months Kitten Pouches Poultry Selection in Jelly, 12x100g1 of 5

Whiskas 2-12 Months Kitten Pouches Poultry Selection in Jelly, 12x100g

Feed your kitten a 100 per cent complete and balanced meal, with no artificial flavours or colours with Whiskas. Trusted by thousands around the country as the best cat food for kittens, Whiskas kitten food promotes healthy growth for your furry friend. Ingredients: with Chicken Meat and Animal Derivatives (including 4 per cent Chicken), Oils and Fats, Minerals, Various SugarReview: "Good starter for my kitten, Mercury who was being weaned off milk."

Felix Kitten Cat Food Mixed In Jelly 4 x 12 x 100g2 of 5

Felix Kitten Cat Food Mixed In Jelly 4 x 12 x 100g

Available in convenient pouches, for a kitten meal that's ready in seconds, Felix is with you every step of the way, to provide your kitten with all the proteins and minerals they need. With a great assortment of flavours, the Felix diet helps to promote growth, and support the development of healthy teeth, muscles and bones in your kitten.Ingredients: Meat and animal derivatives (of which Chicken/Lamb 4 per cent), Fish and fish derivatives (of which 4 per cent Plaice/Cod), Various sugars, Minerals.Review: "Wow my cat loves this food, when it is feeding time, he hugs the box till I feed him. Not smelly like some of the cat food and doesn't upset his stomach, so no smelly cat either."

Lily's Kitchen Smooth Pate for Kitten, Chicken + Beef (19 x 85 g)3 of 5

Lily's Kitchen Smooth Pate for Kitten, Chicken + Beef (19 x 85 g)

Treat your kitten to a premium diet from Lily's Kitchen, founded in 2009, the brand has pioneered high-quality cat food using fresh ingredients for tasty nutrition. So, if you want to splash out on your bundle of fur, look no further. Ingredients: 65% freshly prepared: 30% chicken, 21% pork, 10% trout, 4% beef, minerals, salmon oil, algae.Review: "Smooth Chicken pate for kittens. I've always trusted Lily's Kitchen foods based on a previous pet and the experience I had with his dog food, so it seemed like a natural decision to go with this kitten food. It's real ingredients, blended up with some nutrition added to fit exactly what your pet needs. They know it too cause my kitten devours the stuff."

Applaws Natural Wet Kitten Food, Tuna in Broth 70 g Tin, 24 x 70 g4 of 5

Applaws Natural Wet Kitten Food, Tuna in Broth 70 g Tin, 24 x 70 g

Made with natural ingredients, containing 46 per cent tuna, this kitten food provides all the Omega-three your little one needs. Ingredients: Tuna Loin 40%, Fish Broth, Vegetable Jelling AgentReview: "The breeder was feeding this to my kitten in addition to a complete dry food. I keep the biscuits down all day and give him half a tin, twice a day. He's coming up for four months and coming along really well. I'm very happy with this kitten food, as is my baby."

ROYAL CANIN Kitten Instinctive Wet Pouch 12 x 85g5 of 5

ROYAL CANIN Kitten Instinctive Wet Pouch 12 x 85g

Easy chewing, with small and tender chunks, Royal Canin Kitten Instinctive Pouch, is designed for 2nd age kittens, where growth continues but at a slower rate. For kittens four to twelve months old, this food will support them as they build their natural defences and grow their permanent teeth. Ingredients: Meat and animal derivatives, cereals, vegetable protein extracts, derivatives of vegetable origin, milk and milk derivatives, oils and fats, minerals, yeast.Review: "My daughters' kitten, an Ocicat, Travis, loves this Kitten food. As soon as you get the packet out, he gets very excited because he knows what's coming. We have tried other kitten foods, but he will only eat a few mouthfuls then leaves it, every bit of the Royal Canin Kitten food is eaten, no waste."

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The best dry cat food for kittens

Purina Pro Plan Original Dry Kitten Food Chicken 1.5kg1 of 4

Purina Pro Plan Original Dry Kitten Food Chicken 1.5kg

Recommended by Cats Protection, Purina Pro Plan is a confident choice for those trusting products based on science, rooted in over 90 years of passion and expertise. Pro Plan Original Dry Kitten is a precisely balanced formula, to support the growing kitten's nutritional needs, up to 12 months of age.Ingredients: Chicken (20%), dehydrated poultry protein, rice, wheat gluten meal, animal fat, maize, maize gluten meal, pea protein concentrate, maize starch, dried egg, minerals, digest, yeast, fish oil, colostrum (0.1%).Review: "My kitten has no problems eating them. Billy eats them with very little fuss, so I'd give it a thumbs up from him!"

Lily's Kitchen Kitten Chicken & White Fish Complete Dry Food 4 x 800 g2 of 4

Lily's Kitchen Kitten Chicken & White Fish Complete Dry Food 4 x 800 g

Another great option from Lily's Kitchen, with 75 per cent meaty greatness from freshly prepared chicken and offal, has lots of protein and calcium to help your kitten grow big and strong. As kittens like to graze, this complete and balanced dry food is perfect for them to snack on throughout the day.Ingredients: 75% Chicken and Fish: Fresh Chicken (50%), Chicken Liver (15%), Freshly Prepared Seasonal White Fish (10%). Potato, Egg, Chicken Gravy, Flaxseed, Salmon Oil, Prebiotics (Mannan Oligosaccharides 1.1g/kg, Fructooligosaccharides 0.7g/kg), Italian Cheese, Seaweed, Carrots, Cranberries, Bilberries, Parsley, Fenugreek Seeds.Review: "Recommend all cats and dogs eat Lily's Kitchen food. I haven't researched many other brands aside from Lily's Kitchen vs the high street premium brands. Lily's Kitchen > all the big names. Very high quality and our kittens love it, took them off Whiskas as soon I could get my hands on this. Super coat on my kittens and very healthy. Recommend buying Lily's kitchen wet + dry food and feeding a mixed diet."

Whiskas Junior Dry Cat Food for Kittens and young Cats 2-12 Months with Chicken3 of 4

Whiskas Junior Dry Cat Food for Kittens and young Cats 2-12 Months with Chicken

Whiskas Dry Kitten food is specially formulated with all the nutrients your kitten needs to grow into a healthy cat. Contains tasty filled pockets with milk in the soft centre, with Calcium to help support the development of strong bones.Ingredients: Cereals, Meat and Animal Derivatives (including 4% Chicken in the Brown Kibbles), Oils and Fats, Vegetable Protein Extracts, Minerals, Milk and Milk Derivatives (0.7% Skimmed Milk Powder in the Filled Kibble, Equivalent to 4% Skimmed Milk), Derivatives of Vegetable Origin, Vegetables (4% Carrots in the Orange Kibbles, 4% Peas in the Green Kibbles)Review: "My kitties loved this food and the fact it was resealable made it extra fresh and handy to store."

Purina ONE Kitten Dry Cat Food Chicken & Wholegrain 800g (Case of 4)4 of 4

Purina ONE Kitten Dry Cat Food Chicken & Wholegrain 800g (Case of 4)

Highly digestible, thanks to the high-quality ingredients, Purina One provides a unique nutritional formula with beneficial functional bacteria scientifically proven to help support your cat's natural defences from the inside out.Ingredients: Chicken (17%), dried poultry protein, whole grain wheat (13%), maize gluten meal, wheat gluten meal, animal fat, soya meal, maize starch, dried chicory root, maize, minerals, digest (with added heat-treated Lactobacillus Delbrueckii and Fermentum powder 0.025%), yeast, fish oil. Review: "I used this product to feed my kittens from 8 weeks to 12 months old, then changed onto the hairball selection. The 800g pouches are great as 1 x pouch lasts them 1 x week, so they are ideal for us! They work out cheaper too- so that's a bonus!! All in all, great product, great price and my cats like it!"

All of these have been hand-selected by What's The Best shopping experts. Our team has spent hours investigating and researching, so you can choose the best one. Plus, we'd never recommend a product we don't believe in. Find out why you should trust us here.

FAQ:

How much do you feed a kitten?

Purina suggests four small meals a day is ideal for your kitten (after they are weaned). Kittens grow fast and they may seem to have a huge appetite, but their tiny bellies can only take so much.

Always read the feeding instructions on each differentiating pack of kitten food and use these as a starting point.

Can kittens eat adult cat food?

Cat food for kittens is designed specifically with growth in mind, with tailored food to support rapid development with special formulas. Most cat owners will feed their kitten food made for kittens until they’re a year old because of the vast differences in protein, fat and nutrients between kitten and cat food.

What do kittens drink?

Cats should really only be drinking water to stay hydrated, despite popular belief that milk is good for cats, you should steer clear from dairy.

What to read next:

The best cat food UK to keep your feline friend happy

The best cat subscription boxes for the purrrfect pet

The best microchip cat flaps for your home

Angelica Daujotas is a Commercial Content Writer at Bauer Media, where she reviews products for sites like What's The Best, Yours, Mother&Baby and Closer.

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