First of all, everyone wants to make sure that they're feeding their ferrets the right food. If you are more experienced with ferrets, and would like to explore more options in raw food, you may want to try Blueridgebeef.com as that is a healthy option and is the meat source that we use here at our farm. Though, if this is your first ferret, do not be confused by all of the raw food diets. Just stick to the packaged ferret food(and make sure to feed it according to all of the directions on the label). It doesn't really matter what brand you use, however you do want to look for a high protein content on the label. You may want to mix several different brands together, as ferrets enjoy variety. Ferrets can indeed eat cat food and kitten chow, and they do seem to like it, so if you live in a country or place where ferret food is very difficult to find then this may be an option for you. Cat food that has any artificial colors should be avoided, and the cat food you select should be supplemented with meat and vitamins.
Summary: Packaged ferret food is the first choice in what to feed your ferret if you are a new ferret owner.

As for packaged treats, just stay away from those. Most of them are not that healthy for the ferrets, and feeding too many of them to any ferret may cause it to become ill.