Last Updated: 16/06/2025
Vet Picks: Best Kitten Food
Wondering which food to feed your new kitten? Find out which are vet recommended for your kitten.
Author: Dr Carla Paszkowski BVSc (Hons)
Reading Time: 38 minutes - long read
As a new kitten parent, no doubt you want the best for your bouncy new fur baby; and that includes their nutrition. With so many wet and dry kitten food on the market, how can you be sure your precious fluffball is getting the best?
Not all kitten diets are created equal, and there's a lot of conflicting information out there on the grand old internet. Many kitten parents want to know "Is raw food best for kittens?", "How long should you feed a kitten food for?" "Which kitten food is made in Australia?" When it comes to nutrition for our furry friends, there are a lot of factors to consider and it definitely pays to do your research.
We've discussed these factors below, included our top picks for each category, and a comparison table of the best kitten food on the Australian market.
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Ingredients and Quality
When comparing different varieties of kitten food, many pet owners start by looking at the ingredients list. Be aware that the ingredients listing alone doesn't provide sufficient information to determine the overall quality of a cat food, as other factors such as nutrient balance, quality assurance, digestibility are also important. However, that said, the ingredients panel can certainly give you some hints as to the quality.
Lower quality pet foods may use vague ingredient terms such as 'meat' (instead of 'chicken') or 'cereals' (instead of 'corn'), which means the manufacturer can change the ingredients batch by batch depending on what is cheapest at the time. Cheaper, lower quality pet food may also add artificial colours, flavours and gelling agents to give their foods a more appealing look or texture. Rest assured, cats don't mind what colour their food is - in fact, they can't even see colours! So these extra ingredients are included to please your eyes only, and are entirely unecessary.
To compare, higher quality kitten foods will list specific ingredient terms and will not change the recipe between batche. In addition, they may contain extra beneficial ingredients to support your cat's overall health and wellbeing, such as antioxidants or fish oil for skin and coat health.
The Winners: Top Kitten Food based on Ingredients
With a high meat content and 'whole prey' ingredients including organs and tripe, Feline Natural is widely reviewed as a real cat pleaser.
Ziwi is made from premium quality, New Zealand animal protein and contains whole prey ingredients, including beneficial microflora. With novel proteins such as rabbit and mackerel, it is marked for 'all lifestages' and therefore balanced for growing kittens.
Each Black Hawk recipe is proudly made in Australia from high quality proteins, vegetables and fruits with no unnecessary filler ingredients. Based on the 'Real Food Movement', Black Hawk also provides a wide range of flavours to keep fussy kittens interested.
Vetalogica produces 2 ranges - Biologically Appropriate and Vetalogica Originals. All varieties are high in meat, grain free, and highly palatable. They are also made in Australia from local products.
Want to know more? Read more about ingredients in cat food and ingredients vs nutrients in pet foods.
Science, Research, and Quality Assurance
Quality can also be assessed by the brand's manufacturing process, research practices, and overall reputation. It's all well and good to have natural ingredients, but a manufacturer should also ensure recipes based on scientific research, gold standard hygeine, as well as a consistent balance of nutrients including fat, energy, vitamins and minerals appropriate for growing kittens. The more regular tests a manufacturer completes to assure the quality of its food, the better.
In terms of research, Hills Science Diet and Advance take the cake for industry-leading pet nutrition. Over the past century, Hills has completed dozens of studies in the U.S.A. to help establish nutritional guidelines and therapeutic diets to help manage health conditions. Meanwhile Advance, in conjunction with The Waltham Institute in the United Kingdom, has also made breakthrough discoveries and perfected nutritional guidelines for both cats and dogs.
What about Quality Assurance to ensure consistency? While most pet food factories in Australia complete daily quality assurance tests to ensure pet food is free from contaminants and balanced nutritionally, typically the 'larger' reputable companies, such as Mars Petcare, have the most stringent quality assurance processes.
The Winners: Top Wet Cat Food Brands based on the brand's Manufacturing Facilities, Research, and Quality Assurance
Hill's Science Diet produces a wide range of wet and dry food for kittens. It is made in the USA, recommended by more vets worldwide than any other brand, and supported heavily by industry-leading science.
Royal Canin is one of our most popular brands, and known for being highly palatable. Royal Canin produces wet food, dry food, and even a mother/kitten formula which can be fed to kittens and their mother as they nurse.
Pro Plan produces targeted, scientifically formulated wet food for cats. With a focus on specific lifestages, their wet food is highly palatable and available in a number of flavours.
Advance produces highly palatable kitten food based on scientific research from the WALTHAM institute in the U.K. Advance wet food is produced in top quality Mars Petcare manufacturing facilities in Australia.
Read more about the why lifestage nutrition matters in our article The Importance of Age-Appropriate Nutrition
Palatability
When searching for a kitten food, palatability is undoubtedly one of the most important features to consider. Cats can be notoriously fussy, and nobody wants to waste time or money on food that won't get eaten. Plus, kittens need to eat regularly to maintain their quick metabolism, rapid growth rate, and constant blood sugar levels. If they miss even one meal due to a disliking of the flavour, they risk becoming hypoglycaemic.
Why are some kittens so fussy? The truth is, rather than being 'fussy', some kittens may simply be bored with a lack of variety. Eating the same food every day is an unnatural concept for cats, who are naturally inclined to hunt a different prey animal each day. This means that if your cat seems a little fussy, it may help to rotate between different flavours (particularly between different meat proteins) to see if it sparks their interest. However, care needs to be taken when rotating diets with kittens, as they can experience loose stools with sudden diet changes. A slow and gentle introduction to a rotation diet is best.
So, what is the most palatable kitten food? Based on customer reviews, we've listed our top 4 varieties most often reviewed for being readily accepted and highly palatable. However, it's important to note that all cats have different flavour preferences, and what works for another kitten might not work for your kitten.
The Winners: Most Palatable Wet Cat Foods
Royal Canin is one of our most popular brands, and known for being highly palatable. Both the dry and wet food is great for tempting fussy eaters.
With a high meat content and 'whole prey' ingredients including organs and tripe, Feline Natural is widely reviewed as a real cat pleaser.
Ivory Coat is grain-free, natural, high in protein, and widely reviewed as being highly palatable among kittens.
Highly palatable and with a range of flavours available, Paw & Spoon is high in water content to promote hydration and a favourite among fussy kittens.
Country of Manufacture
Image: @sakeandshiro_theburmese
Most kitten owners consider the place of manufacture as an important factor, and actively look for an Australian-made kitten food over one made overseas. Buying locally can have major benefits.
Why buy Australian Made cat food? Considering recent pet food recalls due to deficiencies or contaminated food, one can never be too careful. When seeking an Australian-made food, it is comforting to know you're buying food from trusted, 'first world' Australian facilities (with nationally controlled manufacturing factories, quality assurance, and OH+S standards). There is also a financial benefit: buying locally avoids unecessary import costs. This all adds up to a better good quality pet food for a much fairer price. Plus, buying locally produced pet food ultimately helps support our economy!
Below we've listed which pet foods are Made in Australia:
The Winners: Top Australian Made Kitten Food
Advance kitten food is produced in Australia (Albury/Wodonga and Bathurst) in state-of-the-art MARS Pet Food facilities. Their food is all based on world-leading research.
Ivory Coat is made in Australia from local ingredients. It is highly palatable and complete and balanced for fast-growing, active kittens.
Each Black Hawk recipe is proudly made in Australia from high quality proteins, vegetables and fruits with no unnecessary filler ingredients.
A Complete Comparison of Kitten Food
We've collated our top kitten food below. To see current prices, simply click on the product.
Kitten Food
Key callouts
First 5 Ingredients (of pictured formula)
Varieties Available
Australian made, highly palatable, premium recipes based on gold standard WALTHAM Institute research.
Chicken, Maize Gluten, Rice, Maize, Chicken Fat
Dry Food, Wet Pouches and Trays
Natural Australian-made dry and wet food for cats.
Chicken, Peas, Chicken Broth, Plasma Protein, Egg Powder
Dry Food and Wet Pouches
Australian made, affordable, palatable kitten food perfect for tempting fussy eaters.
Meat including Chicken, Beef, Lamb and Pork; Fish including Salmon and Tuna; Cheese
Wet trays
Natural, grain-free, high meat canned food, complete and balanced for all life stages.
Beef Heart, Hoki, Beef, Beef Kidney, Beef Liver
Freeze dried raw kibble and wet cans
Affordable, palatable kitten food perfect for tempting fussy eaters.
Fish broth, Ocean whitefish, Chicken, Egg, Beef liver
Wet Food Tins
Delivers a wide range high quality wet and dry food, perfectly balanced according to industry-leading science.
Chicken, Brown Rice, Wheat Gluten, Chicken Fat, Egg Product
Dry Food, Wet Cans and Pouches
Natural, grain free, highly palatable and made in Australia.
Chicken Meal, Tapioca, Peas, Chicken Fat, Ground Flaxseed
Dry Food, Wet Food
Australian made, grain free diet formulated from all natural ingredients.
Chicken Meal, Peas, Potato Starch, Chicken Fat, Natural Flavour
Dry Food
Sustainably farmed, certified humane, high meat content, super premium
Wild Pacific Salmon, Ocean Whitefish Meal, Ocean Herring Meal, Garbanzo Beans (Chickpeas), Red Lentils
Dry Food, Wet Stews and Bone Broths
Natural, grain free, protein-rich wet and dry food diet for cats and kittens.
Deboned Turkey, Whitefish Meal, Deboned Chicken, Herring Meal, Chicken Meal
Dry Food, Wet Food, Cans and Pouches
Premium quality, highly digestible dry and wet food, with recipes based on science.
Chicken (dehydrated chicken, chicken); corn protein; whole grain wheat; animal fat; wheat protein
Dry Food, Wet Pouches and Cans
A tasty array of kitten diets scientifically formulated to be complete and balanced.
Dehydrated poultry protein, rice, vegetable protein isolate*, animal fats, maize
Dry Food, Wet Pouches and Cans
Natural, limited ingredient cat food made in New Zealand with novel proteins and 'whole prey' ingredients.
Rabbit Meat, Lamb Broth, Lamb Liver*, Lamb, Lamb Lung
Freeze-dried Kibble, Wet Cans
Top Recommendations from our Vet Team
"I really like the Royal Canin range of kitten food. This premium kitten food contains highly digestible nutrients to help support healthy bone and muscle development. It includes an exclusive combination of nutrients to maintain optimal digestive health and stool quality, as well as antioxidants and prebiotics to support your kitten's natural immune defences."
Dr. Teagan
"While I like different brands for different reasons, I have always been impressed with the Feline Natural line of cat food, which is balanced for all lifestages. Feline Natural provides different protein sources such as mackerel, beef, and lamb - which is usually quite hard to find for kitten food. I recommend including this in a rotation with other top quality kitten diets."
Dr. Carla
"Hills Science Diet is my go-to for kitten food. This premium line of food is scientifically formulated to meet the requirements of your kitten's growing needs. The wet food is available in cans or handy pouches, and different flavours afford plenty of variety for fussy cats."
Dr. Elise
"I routinely recommend Advance for kittens. It is highly palatable, and made in Australia from premium ingredients. With recipes based on research from the WALTHAM Institute, and a strong veterinary influence, you know you're getting the best in terms of balanced nutrients!"
Dr. Antonella
Further Reading
Want to read more? Check out our other articles:
Premium pet food: Is it worth it?
History
Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space and we update our articles when new information becomes available.
Fri Mar 14 2025
Edited by Dr Teagan Lever BVSc (Hons)Dr Carla Paszkowski BVSc (Hons)
Veterinarian
Dr. Carla graduated from the University of Queensland in 2013 with a Bachelor of Veterinary Science and worked for a number of years in small animal clinics across South East Queensland. While Carla enjoys most facets of clinical veterinary work, she holds a special passion for feline medicine, pocket pets, and nutrition.
