food for kittens

Question
I have two female,spayed,7month old Maine Coon kittens. I have been feeding them Purina One kitten formula. I have been told by my vet that they food isnt that good for them, it doesnt give them all the nutrition they need.My vet wants me to put them on Science Diet, when i purchased the kittens from the breeder that's what the kittens where eating. The kittens where a little underweight and my vet told me at the time to feed a different kitten that they ate better,they werent eating science diet good at all. So i tried Purina One,they liked it and ate it.My vet tells me today that i need to get them off of it and feed a better quality of food. I have read articles on-line and in magazines and i am so confused. What is the best food to feed my Maine Coon girls? I would like to stick to a food that i can pick up at my local Petsmart and Petco stores.

Answer
Sabrina,

The problem with Science Diet from vets is that they have a conflict of interests.  Vets sell various Science Diet prescription diets at quite a mark up, so I would be very careful getting nutritional advice from your vet.

There are many premium cat foods available at Petsmart and Petco.  I would look for a food whose first ingredients are meat (and not meat by products). Cats are obligate carnivores and cannot use plant protein, so protein from corn, soy, wheat, etc. is useless to the cat. Furthermore, many cats are allergic to corn, soy, or wheat.  Also, avoid any foods with corn, soy or wheat gluten in them!!!!! These were the major sources of problems in the food recalls a couple of years ago.

I will not recommend particular foods, but you can find the types of foods I am suggesting at Petsmart or Petco.

In addition, I would get a good canned food and give the kittens both canned and dry (we mix them together). In addiiton, the different flavors of canned do provide a variety of flavors to their meals.

Please let me know if you have further questions.  If you are interested in what we feed, let me have your e-mail address in a private question, and I will be happy to give you a couple of suggestions.

Best regards... Norm.