To help your feline grow without health issues, you need to feed them with the best kitten food. You ought to feed them with the correct proportion of ingredients so they are strong and healthy. 

Kittens are very user-friendly. They have respectable bathroom manners, rarely disturb the neighbours, and don’t require extensive training.

But when you’re preparing to bring a kitten home, buying feather toys and setting up a litter box isn’t all it’s going to take.

You’re going to need to get special high-protein kitten food to encourage their healthy growth and development. A cat’s first few months are very important because they’re rapidly growing and developing. 

They require plenty of playtimes, naps, and a healthy diet containing amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins, carbohydrates, and minerals.

A well-balanced and healthy diet will help your pint-sized kitten develop muscles, bones, a healthy coat, teeth, and stronger internal organs. 

When you’re on the quest for finding the best kitten food for your bundle of fluff, it is crucial to understand your kitty’s digestive system and dietary needs to find something that actually suits them.

From wet kitten food to chewy dry kibble, here is a comprehensive guide on the best kitten food for your feline baby in 2023. 

Our 6 Best High Protein Kitten Food

• Royal Canin Feline Health Nutrition Wet Kitten Food (Best overall)
• Purina ONE (Highest in protein content)
• Hill’s Science Diet (The most well-balanced diet)
• Wellness Kitten Food (Best optimum diet)
• IAMS Proactive Health (Best budget food)
• Blue Buffalo Wilderness (Best premium food)

Top Kitten Food in 2023

Let us now look at the list of our top picks for the best kitten food this year. I hope you find the information useful for taking an informed decision when it comes to the health and nutrition of your youngest feline friend. 

1. Royal Canin Science Backed Formula With A Yummy Surprise

Royal Canin is one of the most popular cat food brands on the market that aims to make kitten food and food for adult cats with natural, high-quality ingredients that your pet cat actually requires. Their foods are verified and approved by esteemed scientists and veterinary experts, which makes their ingredients reliable.

Where is Royal Canin Produced?

The Royal Canin pet food brand was founded by Jean Cathary in 1968 after finding out about the importance of proper nutrition for pets.

Initially headquartered in France, Royal Canin now has manufacturing plants distributed all over the world, including Missouri, South Dakota, and Canada.

However, in 2001, Royal Canin was purchased by Mars Petcare, the owner of Pedigree, Whiskas, and Eukanuba.

They follow strict procedures to ensure high quality across all foods and regions. They even make sure their suppliers undergo a meticulous selection process to guarantee consistent quality of all the ingredients used to make their cat food.

Royal Canin offers food for cats of all ages, breeds, and sizes, and they even manufacture specialty formulas for specific cat breeds with specific lifestyles.

For example, their selection of cat food includes special recipes for cats with urinary health issues, a Renal Support blend for cats who have kidney problems, and even a Glycobalance formula that minimize post-prandial blood glucose fluctuations.

Why Should I Get Royal Canin for My Kitten?

Royal Canin designs a special and unique recipe for kittens that consists of thin meat slices soaked in gravy.

Like many other kitten-specific diets that typically have chunks and pâté, Royal Canin’s lean muscle slices are easier to chew for kittens, especially if they have sensitive stomachs and have trouble keeping the food down. This kitten food will improve your kitty’s digestion and help it develop strong muscles.

The first ingredient is chicken by-products, followed by real chicken, salmon, and pork liver. This kitten food also includes fillers like wheat gluten and modified starch. While these fillers help to bulk up the food at a low cost, cats can be allergic to these ingredients.

Apart from the fillers, their high-quality kitten food includes pork plasma which is chock full of amino acids, essential for your little kitten to grow. These vital amino acids cannot be found in regular lean meat cuts.

2. Purina ONE – High-Protein Kibble Delight

Purina, an A-rated cat food brand, was originally founded in 1894 but is constantly working to diversify and improve its recipes.

They are constantly conducting new leading-edge research and are creating healthy cat food blends that have a high-protein content to support your kitten’s muscle development and brain development.

Purina has two infamous recipes labeled Purina Pro Plan and Purina ONE. Both of these blends have specific ingredients for various health requirements and life stages.

The primary difference is that Purina Pro Plan has a larger range of recipes for cats with specific health conditions.

While Purina ONE consists of a special recipe designed for both cats and dogs. These recipes are tailored specifically to the type of animal breed, their age, and health condition.

Where is Purina ONE Produced?

Purina ONE is manufactured by Nestle Purina Petcare – one of the largest pet food manufacturers in the world. Currently headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, Purina ONE distributes its products all over the US.

The company sources all of its ingredients from the US and assures buyers that they are premium-quality.

Why Should I Get Purina ONE for My Kitten?

Purina ONE has established a solid reputation for being one of the most reliable kitten food brands in the market.

Their recipes are jam-packed with high-quality meats like fish, chicken, and liver. Their food also contains a rich amount of Taurine and omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential for your kitty’s heart health and eye health.

Purina ONE lists chicken as their first ingredient, and it also includes DHA, an omega-6 fatty acid found in their mother’s milk that is good for their brain and vision development.

Apart from that, Purina ONE also consists of several questionable ingredients that could potentially harm your feline baby’s digestive issues.

These include flour, wheat gluten, soy, and artificial flavors. Purina ONE wet food also lacks an adequate amount of fiber. For this reason, you might want to choose a suitable dry kibble to give your kitten a healthy dose of fibers.

Their kibble is highly digestible with plenty of chicken by-products to keep your kitten healthy and have a high activity level.

3. Hill’s Science Diet – Vet-Recommended Healthy Kitten Food

Hill’s Pet Nutrition is a well-reputed cat food brand that sells scientifically designed recipes intended to help cats live a long and healthy life.

The company was first founded in 1907 by Burton Hill, and the original name of their company was decided to be Hill Rendering Works since they provided rendering services.

Once they decided to manufacture pet food, Hill’s acquired a team of 220 veterinarians, food scientists, technicians, and nutritionists to develop the perfect cat food formula.

Their team of animal nutritionists collectively worked in their research facility located in Topeka, Kansas, and were fully determined to produce cat food that is healthy and reliably sourced.

Where is Hill’s Science Diet Produced?

Even though Hill’s started as a rendering company in Kansas, they are currently a huge corporation with products being distributed in around 86 countries worldwide.

Hill’s produces all of its pet food in its world-class manufacturing plants in the US.

Why Should I Get Hill’s Science Diet for My Kitten?

Hill’s Science Diet kibble and canned food are highly recommended by vets because it is loaded with fish oil DHA, omega-3 fatty acids, and an abundance of minerals that support the healthy development of your kitten’s eyes and brain.

This quality kitten food contains premium-quality proteins for growing cats. Their first ingredient is chicken, and their wet food is full of chicken broth which is deeply hydrating for kittens.

They use a variety of meats, including pork liver, fish, and real chicken, which are both full of nutrition. They even add chicken fat in their recipes which contain glucosamine, essential for healthy joints.

Their kitten feed also has essential botanicals like spinach, broccoli, green peas, carrots, and apples. The only odd thing they add to their cat food blends is cheap fillers like rice and wheat, which can be unhealthy for some cats who have food sensitivities.

But their formulas are balanced out with a healthy dose of Taurine, an essential amino acid, and plenty of digestible proteins and vital vitamins that promote heart health.

Their kitten feed formulas are highly recommended by animal nutrition specialists because they have an experienced team of veterinary nutritionists that designs and develops their recipes.

4. Wellness Kitten Food – For Your Kitty’s Optimal Health

Wellness Pet Food started in 1997 and was founded by a team of animal wellness experts. Their holistic cat food recipes are created by animal nutrition specialists and veterinarians.

Today, Wellness Pet Food is one of the largest selling pet food in independent retailers.

The company primarily uses natural digestible ingredients to boost your pet’s immune system and ensure that they’re being provided with an adequate amount of nutrition.

Food scientists at Wellness Pet food highlight five key areas that need to be targeted with protein-rich cat food: energy levels, digestive health, coat health, immune system, and teeth.

Wellness Pet Food avoids using artificial fillers in their cat food recipes and prefers to use high-quality botanicals like peas, flax seed, potatoes, and real meat.

Their cat food has high protein content, healthy fat content, and a balanced ratio of calories, perfect for your kitty’s feeding regime.

Where is Wellness Pet Food Produced?

Wellness Pet Food is manufactured by WellPet LLC, a subsidiary of Berwind Corporation. The Berwind Corporation is a private investment management firm located in Philadelphia.

They manufacture their food at their plant in Indiana, and they source all of their ingredients from the US.

Why Should I Get Wellness Kitten Food for My Kitten?

Wellness kitten food consists of a wide range of amino acids, fish oil, which is a rich source of omega-3 DHA, and high-quality meat from a variety of sources.

Wellness pet food also keeps the water content in their wet food high with chicken broth for maximum hydration.

Their first ingredient is chicken and chicken liver for an abundance of amino acids from various protein sources.

While most of their cat food recipes are grain-free, they do use what they call ‘superfoods’ like cranberries and flaxseed, which are full of antioxidants and perfect to boost your furry friend’s immune system, heart development, joint development, eye health, and dental health.

5. IAMS Proactive Health – Budget Friendly Treats for Your Feline Friend

IAMS Proactive Health is a nutritious blend of a fiber-rich recipe made with prebiotics and beet pulp, which makes your kitten’s gut healthy and strong. 

IAMS pet food is one of the oldest pet food brands in the market; where it started as a dog food manufacturing company. The company primarily uses only animal-based proteins and is created with a small amount of grain to achieve a well-rounded formula.

IAMS was founded in 1946 by Paul Iams, who was an autodidact animal nutritionist. After two decades of selling dog food for a living, Paul decided to expand his company and founded Eukanuba.

Today, IAMS sells premium cat food with high-quality, wholesome ingredients that are available at a reasonable price.

Where is IAMS Cat Food Produced?

IAMS food is a subsidiary of Mars Inc., and its manufacturing plants are located in the US. Most of their factories are found in Ohio, Nebraska, and North Carolina, with the main headquarters in Virginia.

In Ohio, IAMS has a high-tech research facility where a team of animal nutrition experts, veterinarians, and scientists work together to create new and nutrition-full recipes. 

IAMS also has branches in the Netherlands.

Why Should I Get IAMS Cat Food for My Kitten?

IAMS Proactive Health has built a solid reputation because of its nutritionally strong and holistic cat food recipes that are also affordable.

IAMS cat food contains Taurine, a powerful amino acid for your kitten’s eyesight, natural fibers, and prebiotics that helps digestion.

Their recipes also have omega-3 fatty acids and DHA for healthy brain development and Vitamin E for a strong immune system.

Many cat owners don’t like the fact that IAMS uses animal by-products in the cat food blends. Their recipes are also not grain-free or free of fillers like corn grain and whole grain sorghum.

But apart from that, IAMS cat food is a reliable cat food brand that contains similar nutrients found in a mother’s milk to give young kittens proper nutrition if they were weaned prematurely. These nutrients help the kitten during its period of growth and provide it lots of protein.

Primary ingredients include chicken, poultry liver, and water (in wet food). Some questionable products like dried egg products and artificial colors can upset your cat’s stomach.

If you’re opting for the IAMS wet cat food, make sure to give your cat some dry kibble as well because their wet food contains almost no fiber content.

6. Blue Buffalo Wilderness Canned Kitten Food

A personal favorite of many pet owners, Blue Buffalo, is a relatively young pet food company that was quick to establish a robust reputation for being a high-end pet food.

The company initially manufactured just dog food but slowly expanded its business and designed some of the most nutritious cat food recipes that your kitten will absolutely love.

Its cat food recipes follow a basic philosophy that involves adding a high amount of real meat before anything else.

What started as a family-owned company later got acquired by General Mills in 2018. Even after this shift, Blue Buffalo still creates high-quality cat food which is rich in protein and contains meats from various sources of protein.

Where is Blue Buffalo Wilderness Cat Food Produced?

Blue Buffalo Wilderness is owned by a massive corporation called General Mills. Most of their manufacturing plants are mainly located in the US and have two huge headquarters in Indiana and Missouri.

Why Should I Get Blue Buffalo Wilderness Cat Food for My Kitten?

If you want to give your kitten a protein-rich diet, blue buffalo wilderness is the best choice. It has a minimum crude protein level of 40% and is also completely grain-free.

The Blue Buffalo Wilderness consists of a variety of meats like chicken, fish, and omega-6 fatty acids, which can help your kitten develop strong muscles.

Their wet cat food also has essential vitamins like Vitamin A and C, omega fatty acids, fiber, potassium, and botanicals like potatoes and blueberries for iron and magnesium.

Although it is very healthy, Blue Buffalo Wilderness cat food also contains pea flour, which can be hard to digest.

Their cat food is also rich with beta-carotene and carotenoids to boost your kitten’s immune system and give them long-lasting energy.

Looking for More Helpful Cat Food Guides? Check Our Daily Cat Food Today!

Our feline friends can be finicky eaters. This is why finding the best cat food which is rich in protein, vitamins, and minerals and also tastes good is no easy feat.

This is why at Daily Cat Food, we are fully determined to make your quest for the best cat food easier with comprehensive cat food guides and nifty tips and tricks for your fluffy friend!

We are cat enthusiasts and animal nutrition experts who are committed to helping you wade through the range of cat food brands available in the market.

We make sure to highlight all the important features and disadvantages of every single cat food and help you make an informed decision.

We have meticulously studied the different dietary requirements, anatomy, genetics, and the life cycle of different cat breeds and can help you find a cat food that perfectly suits your cat!

Our detailed cat food guides include extensive information about cat food for hair loss, shedding, bad teeth, cats that are vomiting, diabetic cats, and feral cats.

We can also help you find cat food best suited for rag dolls, Bengal cats, Siamese cats, Sphynx cats, and Russian blue cats.

Ready to give your feline friend the healthiest meal of her life? Read our cat food reviews today!