What is the Best Kitten Food in Australia?

This article is written by Pet Circle veterinarian, Dr Carla Paszkowski, BVSc (Hons)

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.

Skip to a Section:

1. Ingredients and Quality

2. Science, Research and Targeted Benefits of your chosen food

3. Palatability

4. Country of Manufacture

5. Complete Comparison table

6. Our vet team's top recommendations

7. Further reading

1. 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.

Want to know more? Read more about ingredients in cat food and ingredients vs nutrients in pet foods.

2. 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.

Read more about the why lifestage nutrition matters in our article The Importance of Age-Appropriate Nutrition

3. 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.

4. 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:

MADE IN AUSTRALIA: Advance Applaws (dry food) Black Hawk Dine Fancy Feast ("Inspirations" Line only) Ivory Coat Meals for Meows Optimum Pro Plan (wet pouches only) Vetalogica Whiskas	MADE OVERSEAS: Applaws wet food (Thailand) Paw and Spoon (Thailand) Canidae (U.S.A) Fancy Feast (U.S.A. / Hungary / Thailand) Feline Natural (New Zealand) Pro Plan (U.S.A) Hills Science Diet (U.S.A) Open Farm (U.S.A) Wellness Core (U.S.A) Orijen (U.S.A) Pro Plan (tins) (U.S.A) Royal Canin (France) Taste of the Wild(U.S.A) Ziwi Peak (New Zealand)

The Winners: Top Australian Made Kitten Food

A Complete Comparison of Kitten Food

We've collated our top kitten food below. To see current prices, simply click on the product.