Best Raw Cat Foods

Best Raw Cat Foods

Raw diets seem to be all the rage for committed cat parents these days.

After all, what could be more natural than a diet of raw meat just like their ancestors and cousins in the wild eat?

Raw diets can also help with medical issues that your cat may have and decrease worries about preservatives harming your feline friend.

However, it’s not as easy as giving your cat a raw steak snack, raw diets still have to be complete and balanced to keep your cat healthy.

With that being said, let’s take a look at the best raw cat foods and the benefits they can provide.

In this article, we’re going to review the following raw cat foods:

When feeding a raw diet, there are basically two ways to go about it.

You can start from scratch and prepare meals for them on your own, or you can purchase raw diets that are commercially made.

No matter what way you choose, quality is what’s important.

The diet needs to be complete and balanced and properly prepared to limit bacterial contamination.

So what are the must-haves for a cat’s raw diet?

First and foremost, cats are carnivores, they need meat or fish and lots of it.

They also need vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids to keep systems functioning properly and they need a fiber source to keep the digestive tract in check.

Top that off with some fresh, clean water and you should have a healthy, raw diet eating kitty.

Proper storage and preparation is necessary to prevent illness from Salmonella, E. coli and other bacterial infections.

While it may sound easy to make your own raw cat food, balancing it correctly can be a challenge.

If you feel that you don’t have the time or attention to detail but still want to feed a raw diet to your kitty, it may be best to look into commercially prepared ones like the ones listed below.

Instinct Raw Boost

Instinct Raw Boost Grain Free
Available at Amazon

Instinct Raw Boost cat food combines high quality dry kibble with real bits of freeze-dried raw meat.

The dry kibble is high in protein and contains all of the necessary nutrients including omega fatty acids for an overall healthy cat.

The raw boosters add minimally processed, raw protein for added nutrition.

This food comes in two different flavors; chicken and duck, so you can switch it up for picky kitties.

The addition of real raw meat to this already high quality kibble makes this an excellent choice for pet parents that want to add a little raw boost to their cat’s diet without the trouble of feeding raw food.

The freeze-drying process makes it more shelf stable so you don’t have to worry about the bacterial issues of raw food as much.

Some kitties don’t like Instinct Raw Boost.

I don’t know if the other flavors were tried in these situations or not.

Also, there seemed to be some inconsistency in the number of raw bits that were in each bag.

Some pet parents noted that bags hardly contained any of the raw food, while other bags were satisfactory.

If you’re looking for more of the raw bits, you could look into the Raw Boost Mixers which are just the raw meat bits without any kibble.

You can feed these separately as treats or on top of your cat’s other food.

Instinct Raw Boost is one of the best raw cat foods because it combines high quality kibble with bits of real raw meat.

The freeze drying of this meat makes it less susceptible to bacterial contamination to keep your kitty safe while still providing minimally processed nutrition.

It’s also nice that two different flavors are offered for more picky eaters.

Stella & Chewy’s Freeze-Dried Dinner Morsels Cat Food

Stella & Chewy's Freeze-Dried Raw Dinner Morsels for Cats
Available at Amazon

A quick and easy way to feed a raw diet, Stella & Chewy’s Freeze-Dried Raw diets are formulated to be more like your cat’s ancestral diet.

It is rich in protein that comes from 98% animal products.

The other 2% is vegetables added for vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

This food also contains probiotics and fiber for digestive health.

It comes in many, many flavors like chicken, duck, turkey, salmon, and rabbit so your kitty should find a recipe to her liking.

Stella & Chewy’s Freeze-Dried Dinner Morsels contain about as much meat as you can get while still providing a complete and balanced diet.

It is also grain free but still contains the necessary fiber for digestive health.

It’s a raw diet that is more shelf stable and easiere to feed than frozen meals, yet is still minimally processed so your cat will feel like he’s living in the wild.

Some pet parents have noted a recipe change and some inconsistency between bags.

Some cats will readily and greedily eat one bag and not touch the next.

When you’re dealing with a raw cat food, there can be some inconsistency as it can be a little more temperamental to store than regular dry kibble.

It’s important to note any color or odor differences before feeding a raw or freeze-dried product to your buddy.

This food is one of the best raw cat foods because it is incredibly high in animal protein and other quality ingredients.

Stella & Chewy’s is a complete and balanced diet with minimal processing and a variety of flavor options making it a great choice for easily feeding a raw diet to your kitty.

The added probiotics and antioxidants are nice additions that you will have a hard time finding in your homemade raw diets.

Northwest Naturals Freeze Dried Cat Nibbles

Northwest Naturals Freeze Dried Diet for Cats
Available at Amazon

A true carnivore diet! claims Northwest Naturals about their freeze dried cat nibbles and it really is.

There are no added grains, fruits or vegetables in this diet, yet it complete and balanced.

Right now there are chicken and turkey varieties available with the promise of more flavors to come.

Northwest Naturals is an easy to feed raw diet that is highly nutritious and very much like your cat’s ancestral diet.

Most cats really like this product and rightly so.

With no grains, vegetables or fruits, it’s very close to your cat’s diet in the wild.

The freeze drying process makes this food very shelf stable with less risk for bacteria issues.

It is high in protein and contains all of the necessary nutrients that your cat needs to be healthy all in an easy to feed format.

With any raw cat food, there can be some inconsistencies between bags.

Just make sure to never feed any food that is off color or odor to your cat.

Some pet parents also noted that the pieces were easily crushed so if shipped or not stored properly they would turn to powder making it unappetizing for some cats.

Northwest Naturals is a great choice for a freeze dried raw diet.

With no added fillers, it still provides all the necessary nutrition to be a complete and balanced meal.

It is shelf stable and easy to feed as long as care is taken with shipping and storage to keep the pieces from being crushed.

The promise of more flavors to come should give every kitty a recipe that he will love.

Primal Freeze Dried Raw Nuggets

Primal Pet Foods Freeze-Dried Feline Turkey Formula
Available at Amazon

Primal really pays attention to the ingredients that they use in their cat food.

All meat products are sustainable sourced and antibiotic free.

They are also human grade in case you want to partake!

The freeze drying process makes this raw food easy to feed and more shelf stable.

It comes in eight different flavors to tantalize any taste buds.

With eight flavors like chicken, venison, beef, rabbit, quail, duck, pork, and turkey, your picky eater or food sensitive kitty will find a recipe that works for him.

Primal Freeze Dried Nuggets are extremely high in protein at 57% with 93% of the ingredients coming from animal sources.

The other seven percent are fruits and vegetables for fiber and necessary vitamins and minerals.

Inconsistency can be in issue between bags.

Since the different flavor options and ingredients make this food a good choice for cats with food sensitivities, the quality consistency needs to be well, consistent.

You don’t want to upset an already sensitive tummy.

Make sure to never feed a food that is off color or odor to your kitty and always make sure to store leftover food according to the label recommendations.

Primal Freeze Dried Nuggets are one of the best raw cat foods because of the high quality ingredients it contains.

With all the extra care that is taken into selecting human grade, sustainable, and mostly organic food items, you can be sure that the quality will be high.

Having the wide range of flavors with several novel protein formulas makes it a great choice for cats with food sensitivities as well just pay close attention to the consistency between bags.

Wysong Archetype Raw Formula

Wysong Archetype Raw Formula

This one is a little different as it is formulated for both cats and dogs.

That may sound strange since dogs and cats have different nutrient needs and dogs are omnivores while cats are obligate carnivores.

But it works.

Wysong Archetype Raw Formula is high in protein and fat and contains all of the nutrition that your kitty needs.

It also comes in four different flavors for some variety and picky eaters.

Wysong Archetype is a minimally processed freeze dried food.

It is largely meat based and contains all the necessary nutrition plus prebiotics and probiotics for digestive health.

It’s also free from artificial preservatives, colors and flavors making it a very natural raw food.

The major downside for this food is that it is formulated for dogs and cats which are so different in their nutritional requirements.

Somehow though, Wysong Archetype meets the nutritional requirements for both just without the specification.

Pet parents also complained about the smell which could be an issue for cats liking it as well.

It is higher in fat than other cat foods, so closely monitor your cat’s weight and adjust the food amount as necessary to prevent weight gain.

Wysong Archetype Raw Formula is on this list of the best raw cat foods because it is highly nutritious.

It is high in protein and contains the necessary nutrients for a healthy cat.

The fat content is higher than most other brands of raw cat food, so that could be a problem for less active or greedy kitties.

Also, the fact that it is formulated for both dogs and cats can be a little misleading even though it does meet the nutritional requirements.

Conclusion:

If you’re looking to feed your feline friend a raw diet but aren’t excited about the amount of work and attention to detail you have to put into it when making your own, you may be better off with a commercially prepared, freeze dried version.

These freeze dried foods are highly nutritious and minimally processed like homemade raw food while being complete and balanced and without as much risk for bacterial contamination.

Raw cat foods are usually better for cats with sensitive stomachs or food sensitivities because they contain fewer ingredients and are easily digestible.

When choosing the best raw cat food, look for something that meets all nutritional requirements and is easy for you to feed and store.

If you’ve been looking to switch to a raw diet but are nervous about making one yourself, hopefully this list of the best raw cat foods will help you find a commercially prepared raw diet that will work for you and your kitty.

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