The Best Hill’s Science Diet Kitten Foods Reviewed

Hill’s Science Diet continues to be one of the top pet food companies on the market. They have a huge following and produce hundreds of different formulas, many of which help treat chronic diseases. However, they also produce a variety of “normal” foods, including some for kittens.

Of course, all of these formulas are just a bit different. Hill’s Science Diet uses veterinary science to create all of its foods, which is why they also remain one of the most expensive options on the market.

Although all of Hill’s Science Diet recipes are excellent, discovering which formula has the best ingredients and nutrition for your cat can be challenging. We did some of the legwork for you and reviewed some of the company’s best kitten foods so you can make an educated choice.

Top Picks: The Best Hill’s Science Diet Kitten Food

#1 Best Overall: Hill’s Science Diet Indoor Kitten Dry Cat Food

For most kittens, we recommend this dry formula by Hill’s Science Diet. It includes chicken as the first ingredient, as well as chicken fat further down the ingredient list. With that said, this formula also relies on wheat gluten, which is a protein concentrate from wheat.

This ingredient is somewhat controversial. However, it does provide extra protein for your feline. This formula also includes brown rice, which is a whole grain that provides fiber and some nutrients.

For brain and eye development, this formula includes DHA from fish oil. This formula contains antioxidants, as well. These can improve your kitten’s immune system by preventing oxidative stress. Plus, we love that this formula does not contain artificial colors, preservatives, or flavors. For all these reasons this food is a high-quality option for most kittens.

Nearly 9,700 Amazon reviewers gave this product a positive rating. As with any product, some reviewers left negative reviews. The most frequent complaint was that some cats didn’t like it.

Pros and Cons of Hill’s Science Diet Indoor Kitten Dry Cat Food

Best Overall

Hill's Science Diet Indoor Kitten Dry Cat Food

• Best for most kittens
• Chicken is the first ingredient
• Also includes wheat gluten, which will be an issue for kittens with allergies or sensitivities to gluten
• Other ingredients include brown rice for fiber and nutrients
• Supplemented with DHA from fish oil and antioxidants

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2. Best Wet Kitten Food: Hill’s Science Diet Kitten Healthy Cuisine

Many cats do best on wet cat food, as it provides extra moisture. This moisture helps prevent UTIs and other urinary tract problems. Plus, extra hydration is rarely a bad thing.

Compared to most formulas on this list, this wet food includes more meat-based ingredients. Chicken broth appears as the first ingredient, which helps add moisture and nutrients to this wet kitten food. Whole chicken appears as the second ingredient, while pork liver is the third.

Based on all these ingredients, this formula includes lots of protein and amino acids to improve your kitten’s growth and development. However, wheat gluten appears as the fifth ingredient. Keep this in mind when looking at the protein content of this food.

We love that this formula doesn’t contain any artificial flavors or preservatives.

On Amazon, 90% of reviewers left positive feedback for this product. But some reviewers reported that their kittens didn’t like this food.

Pros and Cons of Hill’s Science Diet Kitten Healthy Cuisine

Best Wet Kitten Food

Hill's Science Diet Kitten Healthy Cuisine Canned Cat Food

• Contains roasted chicken and rice
• Support urinary tract health
• High-quality protein for growing kittens
• Added antioxidants and vitamins C and E

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3. Best for Digestive Health: Hill’s Prescription Diet I/D Digestive Care with Chicken

We recommend Hill’s Prescription Diet i/d Digestive Care with Chicken Dry Cat Food for kittens and cats that need a bit of extra digestive support. Whether your feline has an underlying condition or just a sensitive tummy, this recipe will improve their digestion and stool quality. However, it does require a veterinary prescription, which is something you need to keep in mind before trying to purchase it.

This formula includes highly digestible protein and fat, which helps your feline assimilate nutrients and avoid digestive problems. Plus, Hill’s has included many sources of fiber. For most digestive problems, fiber remains vital for digestive care and support.

This formula lists chicken as the first ingredient. This ingredient helps improve digestion, as chicken is extremely digestible. Plus, chicken provides protein, which kittens and cats turn into energy and to maintain proper glucose levels.

On Amazon, 92% of purchasers left positive reviews. Some reviewers said that this food didn’t work for their kitten or cat.

Pros and Cons of Hill’s Prescription Diet I/D Digestive Care with Chicken

Best for Digestive Health

Hill's Prescription Diet i/d Digestive Care

• For kittens and cats with digestive issues
• Requires a veterinary prescription
• Includes highly digestible protein and fat so nutrients are assimilated easily without causing digestive issues
• Includes several sources of fiber, which are essential for digestive care
• The first ingredient is chicken

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4. Best Pouch Recipe: Hill’s Science Diet Kitten Tender Chicken Recipe Kitten

Hill’s Science Diet Kitten Tender Chicken Recipe Kitten features an extremely tender texture that’s sure to entice kittens. Plus, most kittens have no trouble eating it. Therefore, for very tiny kittens, you may want to consider this delectable food.

To increase the moisture content, this food contains water as the first ingredient. Plus, chicken and pork liver are the second and third ingredients. Therefore, Hill’s included a lot of meat in this formula, as well.

On top of meat protein, soy protein isolate and wheat gluten have also been included. These two ingredients increase the protein content of these foods substantially. However, they are not meat-based and therefore may not contain all the amino acids that your cat needs.

Many customers reported that they loved the pouch this food comes in. Each single-serve pouch allows you to quickly and easily feed your kitten.

The majority of Amazon reviewers (90%), left four- or five-star reviews. The majority of negative reviews had to do with kittens not liking this food.

Pros and Cons of Hill’s Science Diet Kitten Tender Chicken Recipe Kitten

Best Pouch Recipe

Hill's Science Diet Kitten Tender Chicken Recipe Kitten

• Features an extremely tender texture
• Perfect for tiny kittens because it's so easy to chew
• Water is the second ingredient, so it's very hydrating
• The recipe includes lots of meat, including chicken and pork liver, and soy and wheat gluten for extra protein
• Each pouch includes a single kitten-sized serving

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5. Best Turkey-Based Kitten Food: Hill’s Science Diet Kitten Savory Turkey Canned Cat Food

While most Hill’s Science Diet features chicken as the main ingredient,Hill’s Science Diet Kitten Savory Turkey Canned Cat Food features turkey as the primary flavor. The company added water first to increase the moisture content. Many kittens need the extra moisture, and this wet food provides just that.

However, turkey does appear as the second ingredient. Therefore, this formula works well for kittens that don’t like chicken. However, this formula does include some chicken. For instance, chicken liver flavor appears further down on the list.

Therefore, it is not best for kittens that are extremely sensitive to chicken. However, for only moderate allergies, this formula may work just fine.

Soy protein isolate and corn gluten meal both appear pretty high on the ingredient list. For this reason, we highly recommend keeping this in mind when looking at the overall protein content. Not all of the protein comes from meat.

Ninety percent of Amazon reviews for this product were positive. Some reviewers said that their kittens didn’t care for this food.

Pros and Cons of Hill’s Science Diet Kitten Savory Turkey Canned Cat Food

Best Turkey-Based Kitten Food

Hill's Science Diet Kitten Savory Turkey Canned Cat Food

• The first ingredient is water for cats and kittens that need extra hydration
• Turkey is the second ingredient
• While turkey is the principal flavor, this recipe does include some chicken products
• This formula also includes soy protein isolate and corn gluten meal
• Contains vitamins for your kitten's immune system support

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6. Best Fish-Based Kitten Food: Hill’s Science Diet Kitten Savory Salmon Entrée

You’re sure to appreciate the many benefits that Hill’s Science Diet Kitten Savory Salmon Entrée provides to cats. Firstly, salmon is high in omega fatty acids, which support skin and coat health. However, despite its name, salmon doesn’t appear until the third ingredient in this food. Therefore, while it does contain salmon, it contains more of other ingredients.

Water appears as the first ingredient. This improves the moisture content of this cat food, which helps with many different health problems. Plus, picky cats also enjoy increased moisture content in many cases.

However, pork liver appears as the second ingredient. While this ingredient is high-quality, it is far from salmon. Don’t let the advertising fool you. Plus, pork by-products and chicken fat appear high on the ingredient list, as well.

This formula includes high levels of fiber, supporting your kitten’s digestive tract. Fiber remains vital for many cats, as it helps regulate your cat’s digestive system. This recipe also includes vitamins C and E, which may help improve your cat’s immune health.

This recipe isn’t available on Amazon. On Chewy, 66% of reviews for this product were favorable. The majority of the negative reviews were from customers who said that their kittens didn’t like this recipe.

Pros and Cons of Hill’s Science Diet Kitten Savory Salmon Entrée

Best Fish-Based Kitten Food

Hill's Science Diet Kitten Savory Salmon Entree

• The first ingredient is water to improve moisture content and hydration
• Pork liver, a high-quality protein, is the second ingredient
• Salmon, which is high in omega fatty acids that support skin and coat health, is the third ingredient
• Includes high levels of fiber to support your kitten's digestive tract
• It also includes vitamins C and E for immune system support

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Choosing the Best: What to Look For

When you’re choosing the best Hill’s Science Diet kitten food, there are several things you should keep in mind: ingredients, nutritional value, grain inclusion, and price. Not all of these foods are the same. Therefore, you’ll need to carefully consider each recipe’s ingredients, nutritional value, grain inclusion, and price before making your purchase.

Ingredients

Generally, you want to see meat as the primary ingredient in any kitten food. Cats are obligate carnivores, which means that they thrive on a diet containing mostly meat. They need to eat meat to survive.

Therefore, it only makes sense to choose a kitten food that’s high in meat for your kitten.

Canned food is an exception since water or broth is usually the first ingredient for moisture. In case of canned food, meat should be listed as the second ingredient.

Plus, you also want to consider not purchasing foods that include any controversial ingredients. These foods may not necessarily harm your feline, but they are rarely the best option.

Nutritional Value

All kitten foods on the market meet Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) guidelines for kitten formulas. In other words, they all count as complete diets. However, these formulas often include additional nutrients like omega fatty acids and vitamin C.

These added nutrients can provide nutritional support for many felines. If your kitten has a specific health problem, these ingredients may be even more important.

Grain Inclusion

Grains remain a controversial subject despite being in most kitten foods. For the most part, there currently is no guideline as to whether these ingredients should be in kitten food. They do provide fiber and some nutrients when included in their whole form.

Therefore, we recommend that most cats consume either no grains or whole grains. Generally, whole grains are the best option.

Many people choose grain-free foods because they often appear to be low in carbohydrates. However, many grain-free cat foods contain lots of starchy veggies, which aren’t a necessary part of a kitten’s diet.

Price

Hill’s Science Diet is one of the more expensive kittens food brand. However, this higher price pays for the company’s food research. This brand employs many veterinary nutritionists, which are surprisingly hard to find. Therefore, your kitten will benefit from the added cost.

The Different Types of Hill’s Science Diet Kitten Foods: Pros and Cons Compared

Hill’s Science Diet creates three main different types of kitten foods, including dry food, wet food, and veterinary food. Which option is best for your feline depends on a number of factors.

• Dry cat food — For the most part, dry kitten food is the norm. This food has a long shelf life when stored in an appropriate container.
• Wet cat food — Many cats benefit from the extra moisture in wet cat food. This food must be stored in the refrigerator after opening and used within five to seven days.
• Veterinary cat food — Veterinary cat food has been designed for specific health conditions. Kittens with health problems may require one of these foods.

Dry Cat Food

Wet Cat Food

Veterinary Cat Food

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