Disclaimer: The foods reviewed here were chosen because they have certain characteristics that might help with some of the causes or consequences of this medical condition. However, they are not a medical treatment or a substitute for medical treatment. Keep in mind that each medical case is different and what works for some pets may not work for others. Your veterinarian is the right person to advise you on the best diet for your pet’s individual case.
In this article
A Quick Comparison of Our Favorites in 2026
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Best Overall
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Smalls Fresh Cat Food Subscription |
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Click to Save 40% Use code: Catster24 |
Budget Buy
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Nutro Kitten Dry Cat Food |
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CHECK PRICE |
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Hill’s Science Kitten Dry Cat Food |
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Blue Buffalo Wilderness Kitten Chicken Grain-Free Dry Cat Food |
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Blue Buffalo Healthy Kitten Dry Cat Food |
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The 7 Best Kitten Foods for Diarrhea
1. Smalls Human-Grade Cat Food Subscription– Best Overall
| First Ingredient: | Chicken, turkey, or beef |
| Fiber: | 0.5–1% |
| Size: | 11.5 pounds |
Smalls is overall the best kitten food for diarrhea. This subscription-based food offers high-quality ingredients in multiple formulas and food textures, made with chicken, turkey, or beef. All ingredients are human-grade and appropriate for the specific needs of cats. Customer reviews indicate that cats have healthier and less smelly stools on Smalls recipes.
To order, you fill out a profile about your cat to create a customized recipe based on its age, weight, breed, and activity level. Once you select your recipe, you can choose your subscription and delivery schedule to have it shipped right to your door. Keep in mind that this food is only available with a subscription, so you have to plan. It also must be refrigerated. The meals are expensive, but you can choose options to suit your budget. Smalls also offers a discount on your trial box, and you get a refund if your cat doesn’t like it.
- May help with digestion
- Human-grade food
- Convenient subscription and delivery
- Multiple options to choose from
- Expensive
- Needs refrigeration
2. Nutro Chicken & Brown Rice Kitten Dry Cat Food – Budget Buy
| First Ingredient: | Chicken |
| Fiber: | 4% |
| Size: | 5 pounds |
Nutro Wholesome Essentials Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe Kitten Dry Cat Food is our pick as the best kitten food for diarrhea for the money. At 4%, it has the highest fiber content on this list, which will help regulate the moisture in the intestines. It’s also high in protein at 36%, so it will provide your pet with plenty of energy. All ingredients are non-GMO, and it also has omega fats.
Many people have reported that their kittens liked Nutro Wholesome Essentials; however, some people noted their kittens were not interested in the food. and wouldn’t eat it. You may need to give your kitten a chance to try it out.
- High protein
- Omega fats
- Non-GMO ingredients
- Some kittens don’t like it
3. Hill’s Science Diet Kitten Chicken Dry Cat Food
| First Ingredient: | Chicken |
| Fiber: | 3,5% |
| Size: | 5 pounds |
Hill’s Science Diet Kitten Chicken Recipe Dry Cat Food is our third choice kitten food for diarrhea. It’s high in protein at 33% and contains real fruits and vegetables like apples, broccoli, carrots, cranberries, and green peas. Hill’s also includes a vitamin blend high in antioxidants that will help your kitten stay healthy while it grows. It also contains omega fatty acids and has no artificial colors or preservatives.
People liked Hill’s Science Diet Kitten, and it worked quite well. The only problem some people had was that it was expensive, and some of their kittens didn’t like it.
- High protein
- Real fruits and vegetables
- Antioxidants
- Omega fats
- Some cats don’t like it
- Pricey
4. Blue Buffalo Wilderness Kitten Chicken Grain-Free Dry Cat Food
| First Ingredient: | Deboned chicken |
| Fiber: | 3,5% |
| Size: | 5 pounds |
Blue Buffalo Wilderness Kitten Chicken Recipe Grain-Free Dry Cat Food is another great high-fiber food that also provides your pet with the most protein on this list at 40%. LifeSource Bits provide your cat with vitamin and mineral fortification that will help boost your pet’s immune system. Real fruits and vegetables, like pumpkin, blueberries, cranberries, sweet potatoes, and more, also provide important nutrients. Flaxseed, along with fish oil, is a great source of omega fats.
The downside to Blue Buffalo Wilderness Kitten food is that some kittens don’t like it, similar to many other healthy foods. Some buyers also felt that the kibble was a little too large for their small kittens.
- LifeSource Bits
- High protein
- Real fruits and vegetables
- Omega fats
- Large kibble
- Some cats don’t like it
5. Blue Buffalo Healthy Growth Kitten Chicken & Rice Dry Cat Food
| First Ingredient: | Deboned chicken |
| Fiber: | 3,5% |
| Size: | 7 pounds |
Blue Buffalo Healthy Growth Kitten Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe Dry Cat Food features deboned chicken as its first ingredient, and it also contains whole grains like brown rice, barley, and oatmeal. Fresh fruits and vegetables like blueberries and cranberries also provide plenty of important nutrients your kitten requires to stay healthy. LifeSource Bits provide antioxidants, and fish oil provides omega fats.
The downside some people experienced while using Blue Buffalo Healthy Growth was that their cats sorted through it to pick out the LifeSource Bits and left the rest. They also had a problem with the packaging, and more than one bag had a hole that resulted in food on the floor and made it challenging to keep fresh.
- Whole grains
- Fresh fruit and vegetables
- Omega fats
- LifeSource Bits
- Poor packaging
- Cats sort through it
6. Hill’s Science Diet Indoor Kitten Dry Cat Food
| First Ingredient: | Chicken |
| Fiber: | 3.5% |
| Size: | 7 pounds |
Hill’s Science Diet Indoor Kitten Dry Cat Food is another great kitten food for diarrhea. It provides plenty of fiber to help regulate the digestive system and prevent diarrhea. It contains real fruits and vegetables like peas, apples, cranberries, carrots, and broccoli. It’s also high in protein at 33%, so it will supply your pet with plenty of energy and serve as the building block for strong muscles. Plus, it has omega fats that help with eye and brain development and will also help improve the skin and coat. There are no artificial colors or chemical preservatives that can sometimes lead to an allergic reaction.
The only downside we experienced while using Hill’s Science Diet Indoor is that it’s high in calories and can easily lead to weight gain if you don’t carefully watch your portioning.
- High protein
- Contains real fruits and vegetables
- Omega fats
- No artificial colors or preservatives
- High in calories
7. Instinct Kitten Grain-Free Chicken Freeze-Dried Raw Dry Cat Food
| First Ingredient: | Chicken |
| Fiber: | 3% |
| Size: | 7 pounds |
Instinct Original Kitten Grain-Free Recipe with Real Chicken Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Dry Cat Food is the last brand of kitten food for diarrhea on our list, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give it a try. It contains plenty of protein at more than 40% and also features real fruits and vegetables like carrots, apples, and cranberries to help provide your pet with the nutrients it requires. Fish meal provides omega fatty acids, and natural probiotics help strengthen the good bacteria in your pet’s gut.
The primary downside we experienced while reviewing Instinct Original was that it had a bad smell that could affect the breath of your kittens and make the litter box a bit smellier. It’s also high in calories, so you will need to watch your portion sizes carefully, or your cat can gain weight. Of all the brands on this list, this one was the one we had the most trouble getting the kittens to eat.
- High protein
- Real fruits and vegetables
- Omega fats
- Natural probiotics
- High calories
- Some cats don’t like it
- It has a bad smell
Buyer’s Guide: Selecting the Best Kitten Food for Diarrhea
Keep these aspects in mind when you’re narrowing in on food for your sick kitty.
Fiber
When choosing a kitten food for diarrhea, one of the first things we recommend looking for is a brand high in fiber. Fiber can help regulate the water in the intestines, preventing both diarrhea and constipation from occurring. It’s also great for colon health because it allows the kitten to expel waste faster. We tried to list the fiber content of the brands on our list.
Probiotics and Prebiotics
Probiotics are good bacteria in your kitten’s gut, and supplementing them with commercial food will help them grow and develop a stronger digestive tract. A stronger digestive tract can also help boost the immune system, as some studies show that a stronger gut promotes a stronger defense against bacteria.
Prebiotics are the food that probiotics eat. These nutrients can help the bacteria grow and multiply much faster than they normally would. In some cases, prebiotics can be as effective as probiotics but usually take a little longer before they become effective.
Dry Food Versus Wet Food
We recommend feeding your kitten dry kibble, especially if it suffers from frequent diarrhea. Wet food has too much moisture that frequently causes diarrhea, and there is a good chance you will notice a big change in your cat after switching to dry food. Dry kitten food will also help clean the teeth as your kitten chews by scraping away tartar. It may not seem important at this early stage of your pet’s life, but some experts suggest that more than half the cats over three in the United States have some form of dental disease, so it makes sense to start keeping the teeth clean immediately.
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What Causes Diarrhea?
Several things can cause diarrhea, including poor health, so it is important to visit a vet if the problem doesn’t clear up in a few days after changing foods. In our experience, many people give their kittens wet food because they fear kibble is too hard to chew, but canned food is very rich and contains a lot of moisture, which can cause a lot of cats to have loose stools, gas, and diarrhea.
Inexperienced parents also like to give the kittens milk, but after your kitten switches to regular food, it becomes lactose intolerant, and dairy milk will easily cause diarrhea. Finally, many budget brands contain artificial dyes, preservatives, and other low-quality ingredients that can throw your kitten’s digestive tract off track. We recommend choosing your kitten food like human food by looking at the ingredients and avoiding brands with long lists of hard-to-pronounce items. The surest thing you can do is to consult a veterinarian and ask them what kind of food they would recommend for your cat and what ingredients to watch out for.
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How We Selected Our List of Kitten Foods for Diarrhea
Catster has an experienced, expert team of writers, editors, and veterinarians who carefully consider a wide range of parameters when choosing the kitten foods. This includes but is not limited to customer reviews, brand reputation, veterinary experience, hands-on testing, and of course, our cats have a say in the process too! We aim to select and review only the best products available, to help you make the best possible choice and most informed decision for your and your cat’s needs.
Why Trust Catster?
A trusted online brand since 2001, Catster has a lot of experience with kitten foods. Our team of cat-loving writers, editors, and veterinarians is dedicated to helping you make the best decision for your precious cats. Our aim is to provide the best information available for cat owners to help cats live their best life possible. To do this, we scour reviews from the most trusted sources available and this, combined with our veterinary team’s experience and expertise, helps us gather the best options available to readers. Our team is deeply invested in the health and welfare of cats the world over, and believes that expert knowledge and veterinary guidance will help you make the right choices—for you and your cats!
Conclusion
When choosing a food to help your kitten with diarrhea, we highly recommend our choice for the best overall. Smalls Cat Food is high in protein and contains human-grade ingredients that provide plenty of fiber and other nutrients, which shouldn’t bother your pet’s stomach. Another smart choice is our best value pick. Nutro Wholesome Essentials Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe Kitten Dry Cat Food is high in protein and fiber to balance your pet’s digestive system while providing the building blocks it needs to grow strong and healthy.
We hope you have enjoyed reading over this list and found it helpful in answering your questions!
Also see:
- Best Kitten Foods — Reviews & Top Picks
- How to Get Your Cat to Drink More Water – Effective Tips Approved By Our Vet!
Featured Image Credit: Chendongshan, Shutterstock
