Grain-free food for Siberian kittens

A 9-week-old Siberian — what a brilliant time to be thinking about this! Siberians are a breed with a strong ancestral connection to high-protein, meat-heavy diets, and the grain-free question comes up a lot with this breed specifically. Before I give you a steer, a couple of quick things: is your kitten fully weaned and eating solid food independently now, and do you know whether the breeder had them on anything in particular before they came to you?

That instinct is sound. Siberians do have a genetic profile that's well-suited to grain-free — they're a natural landrace breed with minimal domestication-driven changes to their digestive system, so high-meat, low-starch food genuinely does align well with how they process nutrients. Royal Canin Kitten isn't harmful, but it does rely on cereals for a chunk of its calories, which isn't ideal for this breed long-term. Can I ask — are you open to wet food, dry, or a mix? And any budget range per month to keep things practical?

Perfect — that weight is spot on for a 9-week Siberian, they're a naturally larger-framed breed so she'll grow substantially. For the dry component, I'd point you firmly toward Orijen Cat & Kitten. It's 90% poultry, fish and egg ingredients, completely grain-free, and the protein level sits around 40% — which is exactly where you want a Siberian kitten. Crucially, it's formulated for all life stages including kitten, so it meets the higher calorie and nutrient density she needs right now without you needing to switch foods at 12 months. It's available on Amazon UK and the 1.8kg bag is a sensible starting size to confirm she takes to it well before committing to a larger bag.

Gradually is always better — kittens have sensitive digestive systems even when they seem robust. I'd do a 7-day transition: days 1–2 roughly 25% Orijen mixed with 75% Royal Canin, days 3–4 go 50/50, days 5–6 flip to 75% Orijen, then full switch by day 7. Watch her stools through the transition — loose but not watery is normal adjustment, anything more dramatic and slow it down a day or two. Given she's already on dry food the texture shouldn't be a big issue. For the wet component alongside it, Ziwi Peak in pouches or Lily's Kitchen kitten wet food both pair well and stay grain-free throughout.

At 900g and 9 weeks, she needs roughly 200–250 calories a day — Siberians are energetic and growing fast so don't be tempted to underfeed. Orijen's feeding guide on the bag is reliable; for her current weight you're looking at around 35–40g of dry per day if that's her main food, split across 3–4 meals at this age rather than two. If you're combining with wet food, reduce the dry proportionally. Weigh her weekly for the first couple of months — Siberians typically double in size between 9 and 16 weeks, so you'll need to nudge portions up fairly quickly. She sounds like she's in great hands already.