Premium Kitten Food: Composition, Manufacturers, Selection Tips

Depending on the composition and quality, cat food is divided into classes. The premium class option cannot be called the best, but it surpasses the economy class feed in quality and is one of the most common. The main reason for this is optimality in terms of price and quality.

Premium dry feed at a price slightly more expensive than economy feed, but they are prepared from higher quality raw materials and have a balanced composition. The composition must be protein. Usually it is represented by chicken, chicken protein, corn gluten.

When specifying chicken, the producer implies not only chicken, but also crushed skin, tendons, bone meal. Despite the presence of vegetable protein, animal protein should still come first. If the protein is represented by corn gluten, soy, then it is better to refuse the purchase. These are not those protein compounds that the predator needs, but, in addition, plant protein is a strong allergen.

In addition, premium feeds are enriched with micro and macro elements, vitamins, taurine. In order for the food to be stored for a long time and has a certain texture, preservatives and stabilizers are added to it. As a rule, if these components are of natural origin (for example, tocopherol), then the manufacturer indicates this on the package. Naturally, natural preservatives are better than synthetic ones.

Dry food is not recommended to be introduced into kittens ’diet earlier than 2.5-3 months, since hard foods are still very rough for unformed digestion. After a specified period, you can begin to enter the granules, after soaking them in water. Do not use milk for this.

Canned food is usually pieces of meat or fish, filled with jelly or sauce. Such a product can be introduced into the diet of an animal from 1.5 months. In this case, more fluid consistencies - wet food, and more dense - canned foods are distinguished. Both options are also suitable for pets with sensitive digestion.

The form of release of wet food is spider, that is, metallized soft packaging. Some manufacturers use cans. In most cases, the amount of feed is enough for just one meal, which is very convenient. However, to begin to introduce feed into the diet of caudate should be gradually, with a small dosage.

As with dry food, canned foods contain animal protein. As a rule, this is chicken and fish, the more expensive option is turkey and rabbit. Carbohydrates are represented by rice, corn, oats, wheat. Hypoallergenic feeds are produced without grain. Wet food, like dry food, is enriched with micro and macro elements, vitamins, may contain a probiotic. In general, its composition is not much different from the dry counterpart. An exception is the presence of meat or fish broth and gelling components.

The list of feeds produced by Russia is not so extensive. It should definitely include the product "Eucanuba", which was previously produced only in the Netherlands. Now it is being made on the territory of the Russian Federation. Basis - animal protein from poultry meat. Carbohydrates are represented by rice. The feed is enriched with animal fats, minerals, probiotics.

Shermurr feed has a good composition, which contains up to 80% of meat and offal. Animal protein - 29%. Belongs to low-cereal fodder, contains vegetables, fiber, vitamins and minerals, taurine. Release form - canned food. The disadvantage of this food can be considered the lack of information about what types of meat, in addition to chicken, are used. The manufacturer forgot to write about what specific offal are in the composition. It is not indicated which fiber and which cereals are present in this feed.

Among premium feeds, Karmy also stands out. Suitable for kittens, including those with sensitive digestion. The content of animal protein is 38%, but minus is immediately visible - meat and fish have a dehydrogenated form. As carbohydrates - brown and white rice. Fat is represented by fatty acids.

Of the undesirable elements - brewer's yeast.

Purina is one of the most famous brands in the domestic market. Pro Plan has a fairly extensive product line - food for kittens and adults, animals older than 7 years old, cats who underwent surgery, food for certain diseases. Specialists and owners of cats note the high quality of the product with the availability of its cost. Up to 20% of the feed is represented by chicken meat, there is dry bird protein, wheat gluten and corn. The feed is enriched with the necessary amount of micro and macro elements, probiotics for better absorption.

Royal Canin food, despite its high popularity, cannot be called as good in composition as the previous version, but all because the composition contains dehydrated protein, an animal protein hydrolyzate and a protein isolate of plant origin. The composition also contains soy, a high fat content.

Higher quality can be called feed of the Czech company Brit. Products have a higher cost compared to other premium feeds, but this is justified by the composition.Up to 38% of the latter is chicken. Fat is represented by salmon and chicken fat. The lack of composition - the presence in the composition of allergenic corn and rice. The food also includes a small presence of valerian, but its amount is calculated in such a way as to only attract the cat to food, but in no case cause dependence or inappropriate behavior.

The high cost and equally high quality distinguishes Cat & Kitten from Canadian company Orijen. The product is suitable for both kittens and adults, and has no analogues among the feeds of this segment. Up to 85% of the composition is represented by animal protein - this is the meat of birds grown in ecologically perfect areas, wild sea fish and egg whites.

Balanced levels of calcium, carbohydrates and phosphorus, the optimal amount of omega-3 fatty acids.

Another fairly high cost food is Bozita. Sometimes it is mistakenly referred to as super-premium food, but this is not true - you need to focus not on cost, but on composition. It is also represented by protein of chicken meat and salmon (up to 35% of the composition). The second most important component is pure corn flour, as useless for the cat's body as allergenic, which can provoke digestive disorders. Despite this, this food mainly has positive reviews.

The next product is 1.5 times cheaper - this is the 1st Choice. It is often used as food for kittens, as the product line has special food for babies. The product contains a high content of animal protein, which is so necessary for a growing organism.. The amount of protein in the body reaches 30%, and it is represented by chicken meat and bird protein. Carbohydrates are rice and oats. The presence of herbs makes it possible to enrich the composition, natural tocopherol is used as a preservative. The food is positioned as hypoallergenic, which is confirmed by pet owners and professionals.

High protein can boast of feed from the German manufacturer Happy Cat. Composed of 21% chicken protein and 8% lamb protein.

For feeding kittens from 2 months, pregnant and lactating cats, it is worth paying attention to Minette food (Germany). It has a high calorie content, but is easily absorbed. The feed contains natural meat, there are no offal. The only “but” - the meat is represented by flour from turkey and chicken meat, as well as salmon. Plant fiber is up to 2% of the composition, which helps to improve the digestion of the pet and the removal of wool lumps from the esophagus.

For animals suffering from allergies or simply sensitive digestion, you should choose grain-free feeds, for example, Nature Cat. Up to 29% of the composition is represented by poultry meat, another 10% - salmon meat.

Contains no synthetic preservatives. Among the disadvantages of Nature Cat is not whole meat, but flour in the composition, brewer's yeast is also present.

Valuable and balanced, in terms of nutrition, is Hill's products (Netherlands). Its basis is chicken meat and poultry flour, pea-based protein, fish protein and eggs.

Carbohydrates are represented by rice, fruits and vegetables are also included. Fats - useful for the body of furry fish oil. Not only animal owners, but also veterinarians note the quality of the Hills feed. Unwanted ingredients include brewer's yeast and flavor enhancers.

Among the premium canned food, it is worth highlighting the Almo Nature chicken product.According to the manufacturer, the unique production technology allows you to maintain the maximum benefit of each ingredient. This is possible, because at first the product is placed in a jar, then it is sealed, and only after that it passes heat treatment. The percentage of protein can not be called high - 19%, in addition, the composition includes rice, chicken broth and a small amount of fat.

When choosing premium food, you should first of all pay attention to structure:

• not less than 35% the composition should occupy meat and its processed products;
• not less than 20% - protein of animal origin;
• no more than 10% - offal (liver, lungs), if this ingredient is missing, this is not a violation;
• no more than 25% - components of plant origin (cereals).

Premium food should be enriched with vitamins and minerals, and to preserve its properties - and preservatives, better than natural origin. Sometimes on the packaging you can find the inscription "bone meal" - this should not scare the owner of the animal. Of course, flour is worse than whole meat, however, and it is a source of animal protein.

A high-quality product should not contain cellulose, propylene glycol, sweeteners, salt, synthetic oxidizing agents (one of them is E321 or E320), and artificial colors (E127). Optimally, if the package contains data not only about the manufacturer, expiration date and composition, but also presents a feeding scheme for the animal depending on its weight and age.

It is better to feed canned kittens and pets with sensitive digestion, since such a product is easier to digest. However, as the animal grows, hard granules should be included in its diet - this contributes to the development of the jaws, helps to clean the teeth.

High marks from owners receive 1st Choice feed. The owners of kittens note hypoallergenic food, improving the quality of the coat when it is used, problems with the skin of pets are eliminated: irritation, peeling goes away. Bozita has good reviews, however, there are users who indicate a violation of the stool in kittens after this treat.

Despite the widespread publicity of the Royal Canin brand (the manufacturer sponsors numerous cat shows), it receives more and more negative reviews from breeders. The reason is an unbalanced composition, many synthetic ingredients. In addition, owners note the appearance of a redhead in the color of the kittens, which is especially noticeable in silver and white cats.

Owners of kittens recommend carefully introducing Hill`s Ideal Balance into the pet’s diet. Despite the fairly high quality and balanced composition, this food is very oily. In addition, it often provokes a violation of the stool - from mild softening to severe bouts of pancreatitis. Finally, in some cats, food becomes the cause of skin problems: pimples, inflammation, peeling.

The quality of the wool does not change in a special way, although it does not deteriorate. There are sayings that pets absorb canned food of this brand with greater pleasure than dry granules.

The rating of premium feeds for kittens is provided in the video below.