Wet food, Purina Kitten Chow, and Rachael Ray Zero Grain chicken and potato.

Hi. I'm pretty new here, and I have some questions about feeding my 12 week old kitten, Rupert. I usually feed him about half a can of wet food(Friskies)mixed with a small palm full of Purina Kitten Chow and a couple of tablespoons of water. He gets that 3 times a day. I leave out a small amount of the Kitten Chow for nighttime, and fresh water at all times. I tried the Rachael Ray food, but he doesn't eat it. Am I giving him what he needs? And is there any Zero Grain food that costs about the same as the Rachael Ray stuff that I can try? I know the kitten chow isn't the best for him, but he eats it. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

It sounds like you're feeding him good. I'm not that familiar with those brands as they really aren't that great of a quality food. You definitely want to make sure you're feeding him kitten food & the kitten chow is just that. I fed mine Merrick kitten dry & Wellness Core kitten canned until they were about a year old.

Wet food is the best thing for a cat, especially a male. You want to make sure he is well hydrated & pees a lot.

Keep in mind that grain-free does not mean carbohydrate-free.  Some zero grain brands have ingredients like potato, pea, barley and rice printed on their labels.  Last time I looked those plants were certainly carbohydrates and some are definitely grain.  So you see, sometimes the higher priced "grain free" recipes are not worth the extra expense. There are some beneficial no corn, no soy, no wheat recipes out there.  To be candid, this is my first cat and I knew little about cat nutrition when I brought her home, which is why I fed her the Purina One Kitten recipe.  Well, she remains active and healthy but after I have read that corn gluten isn't great for cats, I didn't renew our supply of Purina One once she finished it.  Since then, in the main I have fed her no CWS recipes.

If you're giving your pet Friskies, try to stick to the pates Poultry Platter and Salmon & Chicken Liver.  Neither of which contain CWS.  Those Friskies varieties are cheaper than Fancy Feast and they come in 13oz cans.  As for dry food, take a look at Diamond Naturals Kitten Formula.  It's a no CWS recipe and it is very reasonably priced.  Same is true for Evolve Chicken & Vegetable Formula, although Evolve can be hard to find in some parts of the U.S.  Both brands are grain-free and considerably cheaper than Rachael Ray Zero Grain.  Purina Beyond Chicken works for us, too.