Feeding 7-week-old rescue kittens: wet or dry?

Seven-week-old rescue kittens are right at the weaning stage — their teeth are barely there and their digestive systems are still very immature, so wet food isn't just preferable here, it's pretty much essential. Dry food at this age is genuinely too hard for them to manage and risks them not eating enough. Wet food also gives them the hydration they'd normally get from their mother's milk. Before I give you a specific recommendation — are they eating on their own, or are some still wobbly on feeding? And do you know if they've had any vet check yet?

Good — if they're lapping independently that's a really positive sign at seven weeks. The watered-down approach the rescue used makes sense; it bridges the gap between milk and solid food. What I'd move them onto now is a proper kitten mousse — a very smooth, soft wet food formulated for kittens this age. It's easy to lap, calorie-dense for their growth needs, and gentle on their stomachs. How many meals are you doing a day currently, and are you warming the food at all?

Four meals is exactly right at this age, and warming it slightly is a good instinct — it releases the smell and mimics body temperature, which is what they're used to. Supermarket own-brand at this stage is genuinely a gamble; the texture and nutritional balance varies a lot. My clear recommendation for kittens this young is Royal Canin Mother & Babycat Ultra Soft Mousse. It's specifically designed for kittens from birth to four months, the texture is smooth enough for tiny mouths with no proper teeth, and the nutrition profile supports rapid development. It comes in small 195g tins which is practical for three kittens — you open one, split it across the day, and it keeps covered in the fridge. Nothing in the supermarket aisle is formulated this specifically for this age window.

Ignore it for now. You can introduce a small amount of wet-softened kitten kibble around ten to twelve weeks when their teeth are stronger — but there's genuinely no benefit to rushing it. At seven weeks, wet food only. Once they've had their vet check next week, ask about a weaning timeline and they'll confirm the same thing. Stick with the mousse, four meals a day, slightly warmed — you're doing this right.