Royal Canin Kitten is a complete dry food for the second half of kittenhood — roughly four to twelve months. Small kibble, sized for a mouth that is still swapping its teeth, with the nutrient balance aimed at a body that has stopped growing quickly but has not finished growing.

What changes at four months

Kittens grow in two distinct phases, and the second one is easy to underestimate. The dramatic early growth slows down, so owners often assume the hard part is over. It isn't. Underneath, the bone structure is still hardening, the adult teeth are pushing through, and both the digestive and immune systems are still finishing their development — robust enough to look fine, fragile enough to be worth protecting.

Activity, meanwhile, goes the other way. A six-month-old kitten burns energy at a rate no adult cat matches, which is why food for this stage is denser than adult food rather than lighter.

• ✓Built around digestibility. Royal Canin specify highly digestible protein plus fibre and prebiotics, aimed at a gut that is still maturing and at firmer, more consistent stools.
• ✓Supports developing defences. An antioxidant complex is included to support the immune system through the stage where it is still coming online.
• ✓Kibble sized for small mouths. Easy to pick up and crunch while the adult teeth are arriving.
• ✓Energy-dense for the stage. Formulated for the high energy demands of a kitten that has become considerably more active than it was at eight weeks.
• ✓A complete food. Everything a kitten needs in one bowl — nothing needs adding to balance it.

Feeding it

At twelve months, growth is finished and the energy demand drops sharply. That is the point to move on to an adult food — staying on kitten food past this stage is a common route to a young, overweight cat.