# Kitten food?



## Giants84 (Oct 9, 2011)

Hello hows it going, getting an Exotic shorthair kitten in a week or two, she will be 10 weeks or 11 depends on when i will get her. I am wondering which is the best organic kitten food, is dry or canned better? Price is no object for her, just looking for the best. Thank you very much.


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## yingying (Jul 19, 2011)

Hello and welcome 

First of all, you need to give the kitten same stuff she is eating now, even if that's the food you don't like. Kittens have very delicate stomach, switching food too quickly may cause diarrhea. Adding all the stress of leaving mom and changing environment, her having diarrhea is definitely something you want to avoid. So ask the breeder (or whoever gives you the kitty) what she is eating now, and give her the same thing for at least a week. Then add a little of the food you prefer, increase the amount little by little to finish the transfer. Don't make the transfer too fast. It should be at least a week or two. 

In general, canned food is better than dry, and raw food is the best, if you can manage that. Most of the commercial food brand has kitten version. If price is not a concern, I think the top ones are Weruva, Wellness, and Orijen (I never saw canned Orijen though). And seafood flavored food should be given infrequently.


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## Stryker (Apr 2, 2007)

Giants84 said:


> ...is dry or canned better?


There's a "sticky" thread at the very top of this section of CatForum which will answer your question - here: http://www.catforum.com/forum/38-he...inks-why-canned-better-than-all-dry-diet.html

-and, Orijen does not make a wet version.

And...seafood? This about sums it up: Why Fish is Dangerous for Cats | Little Big Cat


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## Giants84 (Oct 9, 2011)

I was told by my breeder that Royal canine is what she uses, should i just feed the kitten wet royal canine. Anyone know about it, thank you again. Appreciate the links by the way.


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## Stryker (Apr 2, 2007)

Giants84 said:


> I was told by my breeder that Royal canine is what she uses, should i just feed the kitten wet royal canine. Anyone know about it...


 
Royal Canin "Kitten Instinctive 12"
Ingredients 
Water sufficient for processing, chicken, chicken liver, pork by-products, pork liver, rice flour, calcium caseinate, gelatin by-product, wheat gluten, modified corn starch, natural flavours, vegetable oil, powdered cellulose, fish oil, calcium carbonate, brewers yeast extracts (source of mannan-oligosaccharides), tetrapotassium pyrophosphate, guar gum, fructo-oligosaccharides...
Analysis table:
Crude Protein (% min.) 11.0
Crude Fat (% min.) 2.5
Crude Fibre (% max.) 1.5
Moisture (% max.) 81.0
Energy (kcal/can) 81.0
Metabolizable Energy (calculated) (kcal/kg) 951.0
Kitten Instinctive 12 / Canned / Cat Diets / Pet Store Exclusive Diets / Home - RoyalCanin


Wellness Kitten
Chicken, Chicken Liver, Chicken Broth, Carrots, Sweet Potatoes, Squash, Zucchini, Guar Gum, Cranberries, Blueberries, Ground Flaxseed...

Crude Protein (% min.) 11.0
Crude Fat (% min.) 7.0
Crude Fibre (% max.) 1.0
Moisture (% max.) 78.0
Energy (kcal/can) 122
Metabolizable Energy (calculated) (kcal/kg) 1,427
Wellness Kitten Recipe

I've highlighted in orange the RC ingredients that are the most objectionable (to me, at least) - pure crap that no cat should ever be exposed to. Then, consider the other 29-letter-chemical- gobbly-gooks...well, I will presume you get my drift. BTW, did you notice that "Water" is the first ingredient? Ingredients are always placed in order of their greatest quantity/volume, so, hey, you're paying for mostly water (and, while cats need water, they also need FOOD).

In red - both products - I've highlighted the ingredient/content percentages which differ significantly......and favour the Wellness product. The caloric content is incredibly different - about 50% more!.

If you're willing to take a free course - Feline Nutrition 101 - written by a Veterinarian who's devoted to cat nutrition and health (professionally and copious volunteerism), you'll find it here Feeding Your Cat: Know the Basics of Feline Nutrition :: healthy cat diet, making cat food, litter box, cat food, cat nutrition, cat urinary tract health (yes, it's more than 140 characters and, yes, while written in clear language, it may well take some time to go through and "digest":wink - trust me, that time will be well-invested!)

*yingying* had suggested that you start your kitten off on the same food it has been eating...and gradually make the changeover. I would second that. (I'm not a fan of Weruva (unless, perhaps as a weight loss tool) (last time I checked it out, at least) - you don't want a lo-cal product for a voracious kitten!)

Finally, for kittens, the generally accepted rule-of-thumb for "how much do I feed" is to feed as much as the kitten will eat...to allow free-feeding. Cats are "designed" to eat small, frequent meals.

It's very late, I'm outta here.


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## yingying (Jul 19, 2011)

Royal Canine is not one of the best, as Stryker pointed out. But it is not very bad either, comparing to grocery store brands. (Funny that my Metoo's breeder also feed her cats Royal Canine. I guess RC has a good relationship with breeders ) So you possibly won't want to stick to it for your cat's life. 

Wellness is definitely the most recommended here. But my cats really don't like it. They eat almost all other brand, just not Wellness, even the seafood flavor. So I have to mix it with other brand :/

BTW, if your breeder is feeding Royal Canine dry, then don't switch to wet immediately. Do the gradual transition as well. Also, even if you have picked one brand that you really like, I would suggest you give your cat other (good) brand occationally. Otherwise she may become very picky and refuse to eat any other brand or flavor. This could be a headache later on.


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## saitenyo (Nov 28, 2010)

I don't really love RC. Yeah it's better than some brands (like meow mix) but it's definitely not the best out there. It's one of the companies that has a very heavy vet-marketing campaign so it gets pushed by vets a lot (like Science Diet) but, also like SD, it's pretty overpriced considering what's in it in my opinion. If price is no issue for you I'd avoid any food that contains corn, grains, wheat gluten, soy, and unclear ingredients (i.e. unnamed meats, bi-products).

EVO, Nature's Variety, Wellness, and Merrick are brands I'd recommend (there are others too, this is just what's available in my area). They all make good meat-based, grain-free canned foods. I'd continue feeding your cat the RC dry for now as others have said, and gradually introduce the new food so you don't upset her stomach with a sudden change. Once she's used to the new food(s) you can safely rotate canned food flavors (or even brands) if you want.

Also if you're willing to do raw, that's another fantastic option. Commercial raw is the easiest but most pricey. Brands of that to look into are Primal, Nature's Variety, Rad Cat, and Feline's Pride.

I do a mix of canned and raw and rotate brands/flavors.


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## Giants84 (Oct 9, 2011)

Thanks appreciate it. Will go with wellness from what people say here and other places, it sounds like the best choice. Appreciate your help.


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## hal1 (Jul 16, 2011)

Good choice, but then go with the Wellness Core.


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## Giants84 (Oct 9, 2011)

Is wellness Core fine for a 10 week kitten? Thank you.


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## fairness (Feb 24, 2011)

Does anyone think By nature and Organix are good wet food?


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## hal1 (Jul 16, 2011)

Here's the ingredients of DRY By Nature Kitten food...

Chicken Meal, Ground Barley, Chicken Fat (Stabilized with Mixed Tocopherols), Ground Oats, Chicken, Chicken Livers, Ground Brown Rice, Flaxseed Meal, Tomato Pomace, Natural Flavors, Alfalfa Meal, Fish Meal, Fish Oil..

I don't know these things personally, but from what I've read this makes no sense to me. Chicken is the 5th ingredient? Barley, oats, rice??? Fish? Chicken Meal? - - - I'm no vet nutritionist, but compared to the other premium brands this just looks goofy to me.

Their 95% meat canned food looks fine...Chicken, Chicken Broth, Chicken Liver, Guar Gum, Cassia Gum.

Organix seems to have rice in their canned food.

For Dry, Wellness Core seems to be pretty solid


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## fairness (Feb 24, 2011)

I've a can of By nature in hand. The ingredients on the lable:
Organic chicken, organic chicken livers, water, organic pea flour, organic guar gum, organic locust bean bum, dicalcium phosphate, potassium choloride, taurine, salt, calcium carbonate, choline chloride, vitamin E supplement, zinc proteinate (chelated source of zinc), copper proteinate, manganese proteinate, sodium selenite, d--calcium pantothenate, vitamin A acetate, Riboflavin supplement, ethylenediamine dihydriodide, vitamin B 12 supplement, biotin, vitamin D3 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, thiamine mononitrate, folic acid, menadione dimethylpyrimidinol bisulfite.

Do these look ok?


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## catinthemirror (Jun 28, 2011)

Menadione Dimethylpyrimidinol Bisulfite (the last ingredient) threw me for a loop for a minute, but I think (someone correct me if I'm wrong) that's just another name for Menadione Sodium Bisulfite, which is synthetic vitamin K. I'd personally never feed my cats anything with Menadione. 

From the Wikipedia article on Menadione: Large doses of menadione have been reported to cause adverse outcomes including hemolytic anemia due to G6PD deficiency, neonatal brain or liver damage, or neonatal death in some rare cases. In the United States, menadione supplements are banned by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) because of their potential toxicity.


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## fairness (Feb 24, 2011)

I just noticed menadione on the label, but it isn't listed as part of ingredients on their website. I emailed By Nature but haven't gotten any repy.


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## eckndu (Sep 20, 2011)

I see my vet have some unique brands(vet specialized?) of dry food, names like Healthy Advantage kitten, royal canin veterinary diet feline development. are they ok as a daily food? they are quite expensive though.

The only store here that carry Wellness only have them in cans, and the store owner suggested me origen 6 fish. Right now my kitten is still on her first bag of 1st choice that I got from the shelter. I mixed some origen with 1st choice and she seems fine with the food.


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## yingying (Jul 19, 2011)

Orijen is a very good brand. I personally highly recommend it as one of the best dry food. Pity they don't have wet food... Though I personally prefer the chicken flavored ones, I am giving my cats Orijen 6 fish now. 

I don't think you should give kittens diet food. They need more neuturion to develop. And if possible, I think cats/kittens should be mainly on wet food


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## catinthemirror (Jun 28, 2011)

eckndu said:


> I see my vet have some unique brands(vet specialized?) of dry food, names like Healthy Advantage kitten, royal canin veterinary diet feline development. are they ok as a daily food? they are quite expensive though.


The unique brand that your vet sells is typically the Hills Science Diet 'special' prescription line. In my opinion it's ridiculously over priced for poor ingredients, and I wouldn't feed it to my cats if they gave it to me free. Just to illustrate, here's what's in the Healthy Advantage Kitten dry food:

Chicken By-Product Meal, Whole Grain Corn, Corn Gluten Meal, Pork Fat (preserved mixed tocopherols and citric acid), Brewers Rice, Chicken Liver Flavor, Fish Oil, Flaxseed, Lactic Acid, Dried Egg Product, Soybean Mill Run, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, DL-Methionine, Cysteine, L-Threonine, L -Lysine, Vitamin E Supplement, L-Arginine, vitamins (L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Thiamine Mononitrate , Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement), Calcium Carbonate, Taurine, minerals (Manganese Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), Soybean Oil, L-Tryptophan, preserved with Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid, Magnesium Oxide, Phosphoric Acid, Beta-Carotene, Rosemary Extract.

As you can see the only actual MEAT ingredients in this food are chicken by-products, not the best source of protein on their own without being the ONLY source of meat based protein in a food. Then you have a whole bunch of grains (corn, rice, and 'soybean mill run' whatever the heck that is). The pork fat is likely sprayed over the kibble to make it smell and taste a little more enticing to your cat, and it's not clear what 'chicken liver flavor' is but it's obviously not actual chicken liver. In my opinion this is a terrible food for a carnivore. 

The Hills wet food is usually a little better than the dry, but there are much better options out there for a better or comparable price.


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