What type of diet is best for a kitten?

Answer 1

The best cat foods are the ones with a very high meat content (labelled as Chicken, Turkey, Tuna, etc.) as the FIRST ingredient with no grains, wheat, or corn. Foods that are free of grains, corns, and wheat gluten are highly recommended as these are cheap "filler" that bulk up foods - but have no nutritional value for your kitten. Wet food with these specifications are much easier to find than in dry food.

Kittens and cats are strict carnivores. They get all their nutritional needs from meat. Kittens in particular, need a lot of Protein and Fat in order to grow and develop in a healthy manner. Kittens need twice as much Protein as an adult cat does, so don't be surprised if you are feeding your kitten much more than you would an adult cat. Also, kittens have small stomachs, so the best method of feeding is "little and often", as often as four to six times a day for very young kittens.

The amount of moisture in cat food is also very important. Dry food contains no moisture, so is quite dehydrating. Cats are notoriously bad drinkers, even when they are thirsty. This is because they have evolved to get all their needed moisture from their prey (their ancestors were cats that lived in very dry and arid environments where water was hard to come by), so therefore have a low "thirst drive" and will not often seek out water on their own. This is a trait that has been passed down over the thousands of years.

Canned or pouched food has anywhere between 60 to 80% water. Seeing as in the wild a cat's prey is around 65%-75% water, wet food provides a cat with more than enough water each day.

For high-quality Cat food there is: Blue Buffalo, Felidae, Weruva, California Natural, Instinct, Prairie, Natural Balance, Eagle Pack, Wellness, EVO, Bozita (the canned stuff is 90+% meat and can be bought from zooplus.co.uk), HiLife (60% meat), Feline Fayre, to name a few.

Answer 2

A Raw diet (including muscle meat, ograns and bone) is the best food for a cat or kitten as this mimicks what a cat would eat in the wild and provides nutrients in the most natural way possible.

If a raw diet cannot be given, however, commercial cat food can be fed. In general, the best prepared cat foods are the ones with a very high, named-meat content. They should be labeled by source, such as: Chicken, Turkey, Rabbit, Lamb, Tuna, etc., as the first, or second ingredient. Keep away from brands with ingredients such as Grain, Corn, Wheat Gluten, Cereals and Various Sugars as these ingredients have very little or no nutritional value for cats. Wet foods are often much easier to find than dry foods with these specifications.

The amount of moisture in cat food is also very important, if not one of the most important part of a cat's diet. Dry food contains no moisture, so is quite dehydrating. Cats are notoriously bad drinkers, even when they are thirsty. This is because they have evolved to get all their needed moisture from their prey (their ancestors were cats that lived in very dry and arid environments where water was hard to come by), so therefore have a low "thirst drive" and will not often seek out water on their own.

Canned or pouched food has anywhere between 60 to 80% water. Seeing as in the wild a cat's prey is around 65%-75% water, wet food provides a cat with more than enough water each day.

Many brands of dry food, including but not limited to; Purina, Friskies, Whiskas, IAMS, Science Diet, etc., regardless of price, contain high concentrations of carbohydrates, or fillers; such as corns, grains, and cereals. Cats can't digest these, and often gets stored as fat or expelled. These fillers are used instead of meat because, compared to meat, it is cheaper and helps to hold the kibble together. However, some high quality dry food brands such as Orijen, Innova and Applaws are free of grains and cereals.

Cats need meat-based protein, not plant-based protein. Cats will often overeat on lower quality foods because they are not getting all the nutrients they need, which can result in obesity and other health problems which can drastically shorten a cat's lifespan and overall quality of life.

Lastly, the notion that dry food cleans a cat's teeth has not been proven. Kibble is hard and brittle, so it shatters at the tips of the teeth - providing little or no cleaning friction. Dental issues usually start at or under the gum line, so kibble is usually ineffective. Some cats don't even chew; they will just swallow the kibble whole. However, some cats will have perfect teeth while the dental health in others will deteriorate, no matter what food they eat. If a cat's teeth are to last through its lifetime, it requires regular dental care. Some owners brush their cat's teeth, while others give their cat a raw meaty bone (often in the form of a chicken wing or neck) once a week to keep their cat's teeth as clean as possible.

For high-quality Cat food there is: Blue Buffalo, Felidae, Weruva, California Natural, Instinct, Prairie, Natural Balance, Eagle Pack, Wellness, EVO, Grau, Animonda Carny, Bozita, HiLife, Feline Fayre, to name a few.

Answer 3

A Raw diet (including muscle meat, ograns and bone) is the best food for a cat or kitten as this mimicks what a cat would eat in the wild and provides nutrients in the most natural way possible.

If a raw diet cannot be given, however, commercial cat food can be fed just fine. In general, the best prepared cat foods are the ones with a very high, named-meat content. They should be labelled by source, such as: Chicken, Turkey, Rabbit, Lamb, Tuna, etc., as the first, or first two ingredients. Reject brands with ingredients such as Grain, Corn, Wheat Gluten, Cereals and Various Sugars as these ingredients have very little or no nutritional value for cats. Wet foods are often much easier to find than dry foods with these specifications.

The amount of moisture in cat food is also very important, if not one of the most important part of a cat's diet. Dry food contains no moisture, so is quite dehydrating. Cats are notoriously bad drinkers, even when they are thirsty. This is because they have evolved to get all their needed moisture from their prey (their ancestors were cats that lived in very dry and arid environments where water was hard to come by), so therefore have a low "thirst drive" and will not often seek out water on their own.

Canned or pouched food has anywhere between 60 to 80% water. Seeing as in the wild a cat's prey is around 65%-75% water, wet food provides a cat with more than enough water each day.

Many brands of dry food, regardless of price, contain high concentrations of carbohydrates, or fillers; such as corns, grains, and cereals. Cats can't digest these, and often gets stored as fat or expelled. These fillers are used instead of meat because, compared to meat, it is less costly, and helps to hold the kibble together. However, some high quality dry food brands such as Orijen, Innova and Applaws are free of grains and cereals.

Cats need meat-based protein, not plant-basedprotein. Cats will often overeat on lower quality foods because they are not getting all the nutrients they need, which can result in obesity and other health problems which can drastically shorten a cat's lifespan and overall quality of life.

Lastly, the notion that dry food cleans a cat's teeth has not been proven. Kibble is hard and brittle, so it shatters at the tips of the teeth - providing little or no cleaning friction. Dental issues usually start at or under the gum line, so kibble is usually ineffective. Some cats don't even chew; they will just swallow the kibble whole. However, some cats will have perfect teeth while the dental health in others will deteriorate, no matter what food they eat. If a cat's teeth are to last through its lifetime, it requires regular dental care. Some owners brush their cat's teeth, while others give their cat a raw meaty bone (often in the form of a chicken wing or neck) once a week to keep their cat's teeth as clean as possible.

For high-quality Cat food there is: Blue Buffalo, Felidae, Weruva, California Natural, Instinct, Prairie, Natural Balance, Eagle Pack, Wellness, EVO, Grau, Animonda Carny, Bozita, HiLife, Feline Fayre, to name a few.