8 Tips To Find The Perfect Cat Food For Your New Kitten

Your kitten may be cute and cuddly, but it also comes with a lot of responsibility. Part of this responsibility is making sure that your chosen cat food meets the nutritional requirements of your kitten. However, this is easier said than done, especially when you consider the sheer variety of cat food on the supermarket aisles.

A great way to find the best food for your kitten is to work closely with your veterinarian. They will advise you on the nutritional requirements and help you pick the best brand.

Types of Commercially Available Cat Foods

When it comes to commercial cat foods, they’re formulated as canned, dry, and semi-moist. These Premium cat food products vary in protein level, water content, caloric density, digestibility, and palatability.

Dry cat food usually contains about six to 10 percent water. The dry food pieces are usually coated with flavor enhancers, such as animal fat, making the food more appetizing. Check this site and read more about cat foods.

A combination of ingredients may include the following:

• Meat or meat by-products
• Fiber sources
• Poultry or poultry byproducts
• Fish meal
• Grain or grain byproducts
• Milk products
• Vitamin and mineral supplements

Semi-Moist Cat Food

Semi-moist cat food contains about 35 percent moisture, and the main ingredients are meat and meat byproducts. Other ingredients include soybean meal, grain byproducts, cereals, and preservatives. Semi-moist foods are generally more appealing than dry food. However, the semi-
moist cat food can dry out, which makes it less palatable or rancid.

Canned Cat Food

Canned cat foods have a 75 percent moisture content, which is a great water dietary source. It’s good for cats that are finicky eaters. Canned cat foods have the longest shelf life and must be refrigerated to prevent spoilage.

Consider the Age of Your Kitten

Kittens will begin to eat solid food at the age of four to six weeks. Before this time, they should be fed exclusively on their mother’s milk. Moreover, from four weeks old to a year, your kitten should eat kitten food. After a year, your kitten can transition to cat food, which can be to your advantage if you want to go camping with your cat or take them to other outdoor activities.

Choose the Best Brand of Cat Food

Only choose cat food brands from companies that have undergone the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) feeding trials. These are companies that create diets that meet all the nutritional needs of your kitten without resulting in deficiencies.

Unfortunately, there are plenty of pet food companies out there that make cat food based on a formula. Often, the food is untested on actual cats before it is sold to the general public. The result is a nutritionally deficient cat that is unable to live a full and happy life.

Petsumer.com suggest these kitten foods that work in close association with veterinarians to create the ideal kitten food that meets all the needs of your kitten. Furthermore, the cat food will not contain any additives that may threaten the health or life of your cat.

Choose Wet Kitten Food

The best kitten food is wet food that is high in protein and low in carbohydrates. Cats are carnivores and need high protein diets to survive. On the other hand, they do not require plant-based foods. Furthermore, cats can keep themselves hydrated by absorbing moisture from the food they eat.

Food with little moisture and excess carbohydrates can cause a variety of health issues. Therefore, providing the right type of food is the best way to prevent any future health issues. Granted, wet cat food is often more expensive than dry cat food. However, it is healthier for your kitten in the long run.

Check the Calories

Kitten food needs to have more calories than adult cat food. This is because kittens expend more energy playing than adult cats. Moreover, kittens are growing and therefore need food with enough energy to help them grow. Cat food packed full of nutrients is thus essential for the proper development of your kitten.

Check the Ingredients

The type of ingredients and their amounts are crucial to ensuring the proper growth of your kitten. For instance, fatty acid DHA is required for the development of the nervous system. Therefore, the food should have high amounts of DHA to support the development of the eyes, ears, and brain.

Also check for taurine, which is an amino acid that supports the development of the heart, digestive system, vision, and immune system.

Buy Different Flavors

Your kitten may grow tired of eating the same type of meals over and over again. Just like humans, they need variety in their diet. As you choose food for your kitten, pick different flavors and textures. Furthermore, this helps maintain a healthy appetite.

Check Your Kitten’s Weight

Cat food that doesn’t have the required nutrients will result in an underweight cat that doesn’t develop properly. On the other hand, overfeeding your kitten exposes it to health issues such as diabetes, high blood pressure, arthritis, and heart disease.

You can ensure your kitty is always at a healthy body weight by making regular trips to the vet. Your vet will inform you of how your kitten is developing, and whether you need to find better cat food or cut down on the meals.

Check the Food’s Expiration Date

The last thing you’d want is to feed your kitten food that is close to their expiration date or has already expired. Whenever you are shopping for your kitten food, it is critical to always check the expiration dates.

Dry cat food can last anywhere between one to two years before expiring. On the other hand, wet cat food can last over two years if left unopened.

Conclusion

A kitten needs nutrient-dense food for fast and proper growth. Make sure that you provide wet food that is low in carbs but high in protein. Also, take your kitten for regular checkups to the vet in order to find out if it is growing properly.