Good Food for Kittens?

What kind of food is best to feed my 10 week old kitten? Right now I'm giving him Purina kitten kibble. The vet told me not to give him canned because he has diarrhea and canned can make it worse. I don't have a lot of money to get expensive food.

I was in the same situation as you. New kitty, not a lot of money....

I picked my kitty (Malloy) when he was 7 weeks old. The people I got him from said his litter of siblings were starting to eat dry food, so I feed Malloy dry food from the day he came home with me.

Malloy is healthy and now almost 3 years old, he seems fit, muscular and happy. He jumps around like a crazy cat when I feed him dry food twice a day.

I like the Nutro Natural Kitten food. It's not very expensive. Yes, kittens have sensitive digestive systems but I disagree with your vet about wet food. I would personally feed your kitten at least some wet food. You can also give kittens a small dose of probiotic to help with the diarrhea, if that occurs, I give all my kittens/cats a probiotic daily. 

My vet did give me a probiotic. I could only afford 3 days worth, and the dog and adult cat were eating the food too. He still has diarrhea.

angel3115 said:

My vet did give me a probiotic. I could only afford 3 days worth, and the dog and adult cat were eating the food too. He still has diarrhea.

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It can take time for it to work. I'm assuming he was tested for worms etc? I use this one and I've used it on kittens as young as 10 weeks. I just give them a smaller amount (I would give 3 kittens half a pill, or so once a day mixed in their wet food). It's possible the kibble you're feeding doesn't agree with him. 

I would recommend the Wellness core kitten food if you want a good brand and were advised not to feed canned food. It is pricy, about $18-$25 per 5lb bag depending on where you get it from, but it lasts a really long time and your kitten will eat less of it since it contains a lot of protein. This is what I have been feeding my 3 month old kitten and now I'm starting her on the wet food since I hear it may be better. I recommend looking on chewy.com for the best prices for food, the prices are usually unbeatable and their costumer service is incredible. Good luck!

Hey Krysnic,

Thanks for the recommendation. I tried the wellness brand for my kitten and at first she seemed to like it. But after a few days, her fecal movements seemed to be getting more and more liquidy. I don't have insurance and spent a lot of money on the food so I'm gonna need to wait a little to take her to the vet. I'm so scared. It's very green and brown but she doesn't seem to be in pain. Since I don't have much money at the moment, I have no choice but to feed her the wellness food that causes the diarehea. It's a viscious cycle. Any recommendations?

HI Cattitude821,
I'm so sorry to hear that! I am assuming your kitten was possibly allergic to an ingredient in the wellness dry food. Where did you purchase it from? Most companies are very good about returning food for a refund (provided most of the bag isn't gone) or at the very least exchanging the food brand. Maybe you can try some wet food? Fancy feast is pretty palatable and a relatively cheap option! It does contain byproduct meat but it's not the worst food. How old is your kitten? Also, a good substitute may be some boiled rice and plain boiled chicken if that's in your budget.

angel3115 said:

What kind of food is best to feed my 10 week old kitten? Right now I'm giving him Purina kitten kibble. The vet told me not to give him canned because he has diarrhea and canned can make it worse. I don't have a lot of money to get expensive food.

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unfortunately vets (especially older ones) don't seem to know alot about cat nutrition. dry food is not good for cats and grains are not good for them either. purina kitten chow's main ingredient is corn, making it a really bad food imo. iams kitten dry is mainly corn too and my vet (prior older vet) told me that was great food too. i kept that cat on iams for years before i knew any better and before the internet. he died of kidney failure at only 10 years old. dry food is high in carbs that causes diabetes also so even the cheap wet foods are better than the expensive dry. i give my cats a little bit of dry as a treat only (3 of the 5 like it) and i found a new brand called good natured at petsmart (it's their brand that's cheap and good quailty. a 6lb bag is only $5.99 and a 16lb bag is $21.99 which may be a little cheaper than purina. for my wet food i have to change it up because they get bored quickly but i rotate fancy feast, good natured, meow mix, wellness, weruva, tiki and occasionally the frozen raw nature's instinct. this is the best site for cat nutrition: www.catinfo.org

Also just something to add, in order to prevent dehydration from the diarrhea I would encourage your kitten to drink a lot of water or maybe freeze some chicken broth in the shape of an ice cube and have her lick it to get some added fluids. Drinking water doesn't usually come naturally to most kittens/cats.

Hey Krysnic,

Thanks for the advice. It sound Purrrrfect. I purchased the food from petland. I hope they take it back. My kitten is a year old. She is a Scottish fold and the love of my life. Her name is Cinnamon. How old is your kitten? I love the idea of the boiled rice but I want to make sure it doesn't affect her stomach poorly. Thanks for your amazing Cat-tastic attitude.

Aww she sounds adorable! I've returned cat food from there, they will definitely take it back or at least offer an exchange! My kitten's name is Spice actually! I always said if I got another I would name it Cinnamon[emoji]128522[/emoji]. My kitten is 3 1/2 months and I can empathize with that feeling, I'm obsessed with her! I'm not sure how the rice will affect her stomach, but the boiled chicken definitely should help! I read somewhere that boiled chicken and rice is the go to sick meal for cats/dogs, but I can't be certain. I purchased pet insurance and I have access to a vet on the phone 24/7 I can call and ask for their advice.

Cattitude821 said:

Hey Krysnic,

Thanks for the advice. It sound Purrrrfect. I purchased the food from petland. I hope they take it back. My kitten is a year old. She is a Scottish fold and the love of my life. Her name is Cinnamon. How old is your kitten? I love the idea of the boiled rice but I want to make sure it doesn't affect her stomach poorly. Thanks for your amazing Cat-tastic attitude.

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Cats don't need grains, It is not advisable to give her rice at all. "chicken and rice" is a common meal fed to dogs when they have tummie issues, cats are not dogs and don't need rice. Some chicken would be okay only as a treat but be careful not to give much as it's unbalanced and will cause more problems if she's not eating food with the right vitamins and minerals. It's likely your cat is allergic to something in the food you're feeding or has something else undiagnosed. A trip to another vet is def a good idea. Long term diarrhea can cause dehydration and malabsorption so I would do everything you can to get her to another vet ASAP. Consider purchasing a human grade probiotic and adding that to some wet food. 

http://www.littlebigcat.com/health/probiotics-a-dietary-powerhouse-for-your-cat/

Hey Krysnic,

Right now I have my second cat, he is 5 months old and his name is Spock. With my first cat Captain Kirk,I tried that rice technique and it worked perfectly! However, Spock is not responding to it as well as I had hoped =( they're the same breed (american bobtail) and I was hoping for the same result, but now I'm thinking it might just depend on something else.

Hey Catthew Purry, (love the name btw), I think all cats are different, I definitely don't think that rice is good for cats in the long run for all the reasons other posters have mentioned, but in some cases, as with one of your cats, it definitely helps! Luckily my kitten has been in good health so I haven't used any of these home remedies, but definitely keeping up the fluids is always a good strategy with digestive disorders.

missmimz said:

 
I like the Nutro Natural Kitten food. It's not very expensive. Yes, kittens have sensitive digestive systems but I disagree with your vet about wet food. I would personally feed your kitten at least some wet food. You can also give kittens a small dose of probiotic to help with the diarrhea, if that occurs, I give all my kittens/cats a probiotic daily. 

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Nutro Natural Choice is also usually well received by most cats. I second the nomination of this food and I also disagree with your vet about wet food. My cats are on a wet only diet and rarely have any digestive issues. Another plus is that their #2 rarely has any odor at all. When they were eating dry, the smell could knock a buzzard out of the sky.

Plain canned pumpkin puree is good for both diarrhea and constipation in cats. Pumpkin is rich in soluble fiber. Soluble fiber delays gastric emptying, slowing down GI transit times (and the number of episodes of diarrhea).

If you choose to give him pumpkin (this can be found in most grocery stores in the baking aisle near the pie fillings), please make sure that it is plain pumpkin puree and NOT pie filling. The ingredients should not read anything except pumpkin. I'd start off at about a teaspoon a day and see how it goes. Most cats like the taste of pumpkin. All 3 of mine do. I have 2 ice cube trays that make mini cubes. I buy a bigger can of pumpkin, fill the trays, freeze them, then pop out the cubes and put them in a freezer bag. It works great and the now the pumpkin is already portioned out. All I do is defrost it and add it to their food. It really does help with tummy troubles.

Kat0121 said:

If you choose to give him pumpkin (this can be found in most grocery stores in the baking aisle near the pie fillings), please make sure that it is plain pumpkin puree and NOT pie filling. The ingredients should not read anything except pumpkin. I'd start off at about a teaspoon a day and see how it goes. Most cats like the taste of pumpkin. All 3 of mine do. I have 2 ice cube trays that make mini cubes. I buy a bigger can of pumpkin, fill the trays, freeze them, then pop out the cubes and put them in a freezer bag. It works great and the now the pumpkin is already portioned out. All I do is defrost it and add it to their food. It really does help with tummy troubles.

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Soulistic, found at Petco, also has a pumpkin in pouches for cats, which might be a good alternative too.