What is the best food for kittens? Nutrition tips every “pet parent” should know

Your household has just welcomed a new member, a kitten, and you’re wondering what the best food for kittens is to ensure healthy growth? Don’t worry, PAWDELI will help “pet parents” understand each feeding stage for kittens in a way that’s easy to apply while still ensuring nutrition. Plus, we’ll throw in some top-secret tips too!

What do newborn kittens eat?

In the initial stage, kittens almost exclusively need their mother’s milk. Mother’s milk is rich in protein, fat, vitamins, and also contains antibodies that help develop a strong immune system. In the first 48 hours after birth, the mother cat produces colostrum, which is packed with valuable nutrients.

If the mother cat doesn’t have enough milk or any milk at all, you should choose specially formulated milk replacers for newborn kittens. Absolutely do not give kittens cow’s milk as it can cause diarrhea and indigestion.

1-month-old kittens

At this stage, mother’s milk will still be the main source of nutrition. However, you can start introducing kittens to soft foods like pureed porridge, pate, and soups (rich in protein, calcium, vitamins, and minerals) to help develop their bones, teeth, and muscles. You can also give them specialized milk powder or goat’s milk to supplement nutrients, drinking about 2-3 times a day combined with solid meals to ensure comprehensive development later on.

Always make sure to choose food that suits the kitten’s digestive system. The food should be cooked soft, pureed, and avoid raw or hard foods.

Read more: Can kittens drink TH True Milk?

2-month-old kittens

The 2-month stage is a significant transition when kittens start weaning off mother’s milk. You can feed them 2-3 meals of porridge mixed with lean meat, shrimp, fish, and cleaned, cooked organs. Fish, in particular, contains taurine, which is excellent for brain and vision development, and also helps keep their coat shiny.

It’s still advisable to give them milk (suitable for kittens over 1 month old) 1-2 times a day to provide additional nutrition and hydration.

3-6 month-old kittens

At this point, kittens are older and entering a rapid growth phase, so diversifying their diet becomes crucial. This is when you can introduce them to soft and dry kibble for kittens from 3 months old from reputable brands like Royal Canin, Me-O, Cat’s Eye…

Still unsure about which kibble to choose? Check out the article Review of the Best Cat Kibble Brands of 2025.

Just like humans, if kittens eat too much, they might gain weight uncontrollably, leading to obesity, which directly affects their mobility and increases the risk of diseases. Therefore, don’t overfeed them; let them exercise freely to stay healthy and avoid “turning into a pig”!

Kittens over 6 months old

Kittens over 6 months old are much sturdier and can eat a wider variety of foods such as hard kibble, pate, chew bones, treats, and nutritious soups. Cooked meat remains essential for providing high-quality protein.

At this stage, they can also eat raw meat, but PAWDELI does not recommend this due to food safety concerns and the potential impact on long-term eating habits. Therefore, cooked food is always the best option.

What shouldn’t kittens eat? PAWDELI’s top-secret tips

• Do not feed cats dog food because the nutritional content is different.
• Do not give them cow’s milk or human milk as cats do not digest lactose well.
• Avoid raw fish, garlic, onions, chocolate, tea, coffee, macadamia nuts, grapes, avocados… as they contain toxins harmful to the digestive, nervous, and cardiovascular systems of cats.
• As mentioned above, you should also not feed cats raw eggs or raw meat as they can cause bacterial infections.

To better understand which foods are dangerous for cats, you should read the article What not to feed cats? 10 foods to avoid . We dare say you’ll become a nutrition expert (for cats) if you read and remember all this knowledge!