You’re inundated with choices to make for your kitten right now, and choosing the best food for them is on that lengthy list. Your VCA care team is here to help you with this tough decision! Assuming your kitten is weaned, it’s time to get them on a healthy commercial diet.
Every kitten food should have what’s called an AAFCO Statement on the packaging. AAFCO is the acronym for the Association of American Feed Control Officials, an organization which has guided feed regulations in the United States for over a century.
The AAFCO Statement will indicate the life stages for which the specific food is appropriate and should state whether the food underwent animal feeding trials or was formulated to meet nutritional standards.
You specifically want to see that the food provides complete and balanced nutrition either for growing kittens or for all life stages. This statement is usually found near the Guaranteed Analysis or Pet Nutrition Facts on the packaging.
If there is no AAFCO Statement on the package, you should not use the food as your kitten's main diet!
So, what’s the difference between kitten food and adult food? Generally, kitten foods will have:
- More calories in a smaller amount of food to support the higher energy needs of kittens
- More protein than adult foods, which is important for growth
- More calcium and phosphorus than adult foods, which is important for growing bones
- Higher levels of several other vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin A and magnesium
- Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an omega-3 fatty acid which is important for brain and eye development
Most kittens will eat their kitten food for around a year before switching to an adult food. Kittens can have either wet or dry kitten food by the time they’re 6 to 8 weeks old.
When transitioning from wet to dry food (or between any cat food, really), it’s best to do so over 7 days. Here’s how to transition:
- Days 1 to 2: ¾ old food, ¼ new food
- Days 3 to 4: ½ old food, ½ new food
- Days 5 to 6: ¼ old food, ¾ new food
- Day 7: New food exclusively
Another important note! We don’t recommend home-cooked diets for kittens, as kittens have very specific nutritional needs. An unbalanced diet could be detrimental to their growth and development. If you‘ll be feeding a home-cooked diet, it’s absolutely essential that you work with a veterinary nutritionist to ensure the diet is complete and balanced.
With shopmyvca.com, you can easily select a food for your kitten and have it delivered to your home. Plus, if you subscribe to regular deliveries, you won’t have to worry about running out of kitten food! All non-prescription kitten foods that are available meet AAFCO standards for growing kittens.
Watch “What should I feed my new kitten?” to learn more about feeding your new kitten.
