Last Updated: 10/06/2025
Vet Picks: The Best Wet Kitten Food
Check out our vet reviewed recommendations for the best wet kitten foods.
Author: Dr Michelle Wong BVSc
Reading Time: 37 minutes - long read
Adopting a new kitten is an exciting time! Kittens are cuddly, playful, mischievous and energetic, with big personalities packed into a tiny body. They are sure to bring plenty of fun and love into your home.
Ensure that your kitten will get the best start in life by protecting them from diseases with vaccinations and giving parasite prevention, as well as proper nutrition to support their healthy growth and development. Kitten food is specially formulated to meet the requirements of this lifestage, providing the essential building blocks for strong bones, muscles, shiny coats and a robust immune system.
Why is choosing the right wet kitten food important?
Nutrition is one of the important factors in maintaining our pet's daily health. Choosing the right kitten food is an investment in their long-term wellbeing and happiness. Nourish your kitten with a premium diet and allow them to thrive into adulthood.
Growing kittens require at least twice as much energy intake as adult cats. High-quality balanced kitten food will ensure that essential nutrients are delivered, and in the right proportions, to support this critical stage.
Wet food is great to give in combination with dry food to provide variety, tempt fussy eaters, and increase hydration for urinary health. Urinary tract issues are common in our feline friends and encouraging water intake is beneficial in reducing the risk of these problems occuring.
Four reasons why it's important to choose the right wet kitten food are:
- Support their growth and development: Kittens have unique nutritional requirements; their diet should be more energy dense compared to adult cat food to meet their needs. Make sure to pick a food that is appropriate for this lifestage and has been formulated especially for kittenhood to support their healthy development.
- Complete and Balanced: When choosing a pet food, always ensure that it is complete and balanced, meeting AAFCO nutritional standards. This means that your pet will receive all the nutrients they need and in the correct ratios when they are maintained on these diets. Imbalances in their nutrition can lead to serious issues. Learn how to read pet food labels.
- Quality: Premium foods are made with high quality ingredients and maintain consistency with each batch. They regularly conduct strict quality assurance checks to ensure the food is free from contamination. The result is a highly digestible, nutritious and trustworthy diet for your pet.
- Palatability: Cats have a reputation for being fussy. Wet foods can help to encourage appetite, either mixed in with their dry food or in addition to their usual diet for variation. Keep in mind that cats tend to have their individual preferences. It helps to pay attention to the types of food that your cat will readily eat. Fussier cats may enjoy a rotating diet with varying proteins and flavours. If we choose to feed a rotational diet, remember to introduce this slowly as sudden changes may cause tummy upsets.
How we review our products
Our Vet team use their health and husbandry knowledge, along with their own personal and clinical experiences to evaluate each product and provide detailed, informative reviews, free of any commercial bias. We then collate this information into our 'best of' recommendations.
Top Wet Kitten Food in Australia [Vet Reviewed]
Best scientific wet kitten foods
Royal Canin Kitten Instinctive in Gravy
Pros
- Premium food developed for kittens 4-12 months old
- No added preservatives, artificial colours or flavours
- Supports a healthy immune system and optimal development
- Highly palatable to suit kittens taste preferences
- Soft small chunks to suit baby teeth
- Easy feeding guide for mixed feeding
- Calorie dense for growth
Cons
- Not formulated for weaning and kittens <4 months
- Not a pate style or mousse consistency
- Priced at the higher end
- Not made in Australia
Why we love it
Royal Canin's Kitten foods are specially formulated for kittens 4-12 months of age, providing them with all that they need in this second growth phase. This food ticks all the boxes when looking for a diet that meets the ideal nutritional requirements for kittens. For weaning and younger kittens who are less than 4 months old, they can be fed the more appropriate Royal Canin Mother and Baby Cat instead, as this food has been created to best support them from 1-4 months. We will discuss this diet further below in the next section.
Royal Canin Kitten Instinctive food has been designed to present a specific flavour profile which is most appealing to kitten preferences. Their kitten range offers several wet food varieties: gravy, jelly and loaf style. You could try each one to observe which kind of wet food your kitten enjoys most. You might choose to have all three on rotation to keep their meals interesting.
Breed tailored kitten food is also available from Royal Canin, for Maine Coon and Persian cats.
What our customers say
"My 2 kittens love it - I have tried different brands but they wouldn't eat any of them plus it's good for growing kittens like them."
Hill's Science Diet Kitten Favourite Selection
Pros
- Premium kitten nutrition based on clinical research
- Balanced and complete
- Suitable for kittens from 1 month old
- Small soft chunks in gravy to appeal to kitties
- Fish oil provides DHA and antioxidants for optimal eye and brain health
- High quality protein to support lean muscle growth
- Variety pack offers 3 different flavours
Cons
- Made in USA
- Chunky form may not be suitable for all kittens
- Higher price point
Why we love it
Hill's Science Diet has been a trustworthy premium brand for close to a century, using science backed clinical nutrition to nourish our pets. Hills Kitten foods are complete with essential ingredients for optimal kitten health and vitality. The amounts of protein, vitamins and minerals are carefully balanced to ensure that everything is in the correct ratio.
This wet kitten food is made with tasty ocean fish and meat which kittens will love. The soft chunks are easy on baby teeth and immersed in a delicious gravy for them to lap up. DHA from fish oil and antioxidants provide a strong support for eye and brain development. High quality proteins supply their bodies with the necessary building blocks for lean muscle.
Hills Healthy Development Kitten can be fed from 4 weeks old, around weaning, up until they are 12 months old. They can then transition onto the Hills Science Diet adult cat food.
What our customers say
"My cats love this product and find it easy to eat because it comes in small chunks."
Best wet kitten foods for weaning
Pro Plan Chicken & Liver Entree
Pros
- Soft pate consistency: great as starter food
- Optimal nutrients to support rapid growth
- For all kittens from weaning to adulthood
- DHA for healthy brain and eye development
- Tasty chicken and liver flavour
Cons
- Soft pate consistency: great as starter food
- Optimal nutrients to support rapid growth
- For all kittens from weaning to adulthood
- DHA for healthy brain and eye development
- Tasty chicken and liver flavour
Why we love it
The Pro Plan Kitten Chicken and Liver Entree is tasty and designed to provide optimal nutrition for your kitten's growth and development. This food is made with real chicken meat and liver. The texture is soft, making it easy for weaning kittens who are just starting on solid food. This food is suitable for kittens from weaning through to adulthood at 12 months old.
The kitten dry food by Pro Plan includes an additional ingredient, colostrum, which helps to enhance their immune function. Pro Plan wet kitten foods do not contain colostrum, but they do include the vitamins and minerals to meet their requirements and support their developing immune system.
This Chicken and Liver Entree is made in the USA, but many other Pro Plan products are made here in Australia. If you would prefer foods manufactured locally, the Pro Plan Kitten Wet Food Pouches Chicken in Jelly and their Salmon in Gravy are both great choices. These may also be fed to kittens from 4 weeks old.
What our customers say
"My 2 cats love this and they are usually very fussy."
Royal Canin Mother & Babycat
Pros
- Ideal starter food for kittens (1-4 months)
- Tailored to provide nutrition for mothers as well
- Very soft texture, mousse form
- Prebiotics for healthy gut microbiome
- Highly digestible
- Reasonably priced
Cons
- Slightly larger portion in cans (195g)
- Not formulated for kittens' second growth phase (4-12 months old)
Why we love it
Royal Canin Mother and Baby is specially crafted for a cat's early lifestages, from weaning up till 4 months old. It is also formulated for pregnant cats and nursing mothers, delivering extra calories and all the nutritional support they need during that time.
This wet food comes in an ultra-soft mousse consistency for a smooth transition from milk to solids. Its combination of prebiotics and highly digestible proteins supports a healthy gut and microbiome balance.
What our customers say
"My 12 week old RAGDOLL X kitten MUGGLES absolutely loves this wet food. I've started mixing some of the Royal Canin Mother & Babycat dry food with the wet food & he eats it all up. He isn't very fond of just the dry food by itself yet though."
Most palatable wet kitten food
ADVANCE Kitten Chicken in Jelly
Pros
- Complete and balanced premium nutrition
- Multiple scratching posts and dangly toys
- Specifically made for growing kittens (2-12 months)
- Supports healthy growth and development
- Tasty to help tempt fussy eaters
- No added preservatives
- Made in Australia
- Reasonable cost
Cons
- Contains flavouring and colouring agents
- May include other meat such as beef
Why we love it
If you've got fussy felines, ADVANCE cat food is a fantastic choice. Designed to appeal to picky eaters, ADVANCE foods are also nutritionally balanced and complete. Quality ingredients are sourced locally and manufactured here in Australia.
ADVANCE Kitten food provides optimal nutrition to support kitten development, with added calcium for strong bones and DHA for brain health. These wet food pouches contain delicious chicken in jelly, but ADVANCE does offer a variety of flavours for your kitty to try such as lamb in gravy pouches, and salmon with chicken medley in trays.
What our customers say
"Both cats loved this product. Have had issues with them being sick after eating some wet food brand but never had a problem with this one. They scoff it down and look for more. These are fussy eaters and flat out refuse to eat anything not to their liking."
Best natural and grain free wet kitten food
Ziwi Peak Venison Recipe
Pros
- Made with natural free-range Venison from New Zealand
- Free from grains and preservatives
- Added tripe and green mussel
- Suitable for all life stages
- Complete and balanced nutrition
- High protein content
- Novel ingredient for allergies
- Extremely palatable
Cons
- Not specifically formulated for kittens
- Expensive
Why we love it
Ziwi Peak Venison is not only a natural, grain free food that is balanced and meets all the requirements for growing kittens, but it is also very appealing. This wet food could also fit into the category above for most palatable kitten foods. Venison is a novel protein source and so it could be a suitable option for cats with food allergies and those requiring a dietary elimination trial.
Ingredients for Ziwi Peak are ethically and sustainably sourced from New Zealand. These formulas have no added grains, carbohydrates, fillers, artificial colours or preservatives. Ziwi Peak contains a high meat content and is perfectly suited for our carnivorous felines. While Ziwi Peak dry foods are raw ingredients which have been air-dried or freeze-dried, the canned food products have been cooked to comply with international canning standards and thus, are not considered raw.
What our customers say
"My kitten is sometimes fussy with food and will not finish her bowl unless I am nearby. She does not hesitate to eat when given this, and this has helped her have more solid and firm poops."
The most important things to look for in kitten food are whether it is suitable for their lifestage and is it a complete and balanced diet. Kitten foods are formulated to support their bodies as they grow, and promote optimal development and wellbeing.
Wet foods are often added to add variety and interest. When choosing a wet food for your kitten, it is a good idea to consider their preferences in terms of flavour profiles and textures.
Further Reading
Want to read more? Check out our other articles:
History
Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space and we update our articles when new information becomes available.
Tue Mar 18 2025
Edited by Dr Teagan Lever BVSc (Hons)Dr Michelle Wong BVSc
Veterinarian
Dr Michelle graduated from the University of Queensland in 2011 with a Bachelor of Veterinary Science and has worked in small animal practices around South East Queensland. As an owner of three cats, it is not surprising that Dr Michelle holds special interests in feline behaviour and medicine, as well as dermatology and preventative health care. Her favourite part of being a vet is witnessing the special bond between pets and their owners and helping pets live a happy and healthy life.
