Some vets claim that raw diets are closer to the feline ancestral diet and so better suit cats’ teeth, digestive tract, and dietary needs. Others say the best raw cat food offers many benefits — being high in protein and prebiotic ‘animal fiber,’ rich in nutrients and taste, and filling.
But just like the best dry cat food and best wet cat food, knowing which — if any — raw cat food is best for your furry friend depends a lot on their health, age, and individual preferences.
“When choosing a diet,” explains Dr. Georgina Ushi, DVM, “pet parents should consider the risks and potential benefits of a raw food diet for their cats. There are concerns for bacterial contamination and nutritional imbalances in raw food diets.”
When asked about changing cat food, Dr. Joanna Woodnutt echoed these concerns: “Raw diets for cats are not generally recommended by most vets. This is because there’s no scientific evidence of benefits, and there’s lots of evidence of risk both to your cat and to people that come into contact with them.”
Ultimately, changing your cat to a raw diet is something to discuss with your vet and requires careful consideration. If you’re convinced it’s the right move for your pet, we recommend checking out the five best raw cat foods below. You’ll also find some helpful tips on handling raw foods to minimize risks to your own health, plus insights from Dr. Woodnutt about the potential drawbacks of raw food diets.
The quick list
Best overall raw cat food
With 4.3 stars on Amazon, many pet parents say that this is their fur friend's favorite food. Praising the quality and how gentle it is on the digestive system, the one drawback appears to be the price, with many reviewers noting that they find it too expensive to feed their cat on a regular basis.
Best raw cat food treats
A huge hit with their feline friends, cat owners say they need to hide the bag to stop their cats digging into these treats when they're not looking! With 4.5 stars on Amazon, this product is well-regarded, however, one thing people aren't so keen on is how many crumbs these bags often contain.
Best multi-purpose raw cat food
Awarding this product 4.4 stars on Amazon, reviewers say that their cats find these treats addictive and describe them as being a great addition to their diet. While there are plenty of positive comments, people do say that the texture can be variable, with some packets being crumbly and others hard.
Best premium raw cat food
With an impressive 4.6 stars on Amazon, people praise the freshness and high quality of this product stating that it seems to have boosted their cat's overall health and happiness. The one downside? The smell, which pet parents describe as being quite strong to the human nose!
Best raw cat food for picky eaters
Described as being wonderful for picky eaters, these treats are a huge hit with cats and reviewers seem happy with the high level of protein and quality ingredients they contain. However, people do mention that they feel the small bags are overpriced
PetsRadar’s pick of the best raw cat food in 2024
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Best overall raw cat food
✅ Your cat has allergies: This food is free from grain, gluten, soy, wheat, and corn, plus it is made from a single protein source.
❌You're on a budget: This cat food isn't the cheapest so if you're on a budget, you might want to explore the other options.
🔎 Stella and Chewy’s Freeze-Dried raw cat food: This premium cat food is free from gluten, grain, corn, soy and wheat, making it great for kitties with allergies. You won't find any added hormones, fillers, or preservatives either!
Stella and Chewy makes excellent freeze-dried raw food in a wide variety of flavors. As with most raw cat food, this brand is keen to point out that there are no added ingredients like hormones, filler, or preservatives – the meat they serve is processed, but not overly so. It’s rich in protein, which is perfect for cats, and seems to be widely loved if the wealth of positive user reviews are to be believed.
Stella and Chewy also prides itself on producing cat food from responsibly sourced meat and fish, and its ingredients are gluten-free, which can be an issue for cats with certain dietary problems. There are plenty of claims about the health benefits of Stella and Chewy’s food, and the credentials are good: the guaranteed list of ingredients and percentages meet AAFCO guidelines, and the preparation method is recognized by both the FDA and the USDA, so you’re less likely to get contaminants than any other brand.
If you’re looking for ethically sourced raw cat food that actually has the nutritional value to benefit you kitty, this is easily one of the best out there. The wide range of flavors means you should be able to find something your cat enjoys too. The only downside is the price – this is not cheap food, although it compares well to some of the premium, specialized diet food from other manufacturers.
Best raw cat food treats
✅ Your cat hasn't tried raw cat food before: These treats are a great way to ease them in, without completely changing their whole diet.
❌ You're on a budget: At $4 a bag, these aren't the cheapest cat treats on the market, but they do have lots of benefits.
🔎 Purebites Freeze-Dried Raw Cat Treats: These tasty treats come in a variety of flavors and are made with 1 to 3 human-grade ingredients. If your cat hasn't tried raw food before, these are great to start off with.
If you just want to use raw food as a treat, and a way to lightly supplement your cat’s diet, then treats are a great option. Purebites makes some excellent treats, and they come in a wide range of flavors. If your cat likes seafood, then there are plenty of fish options, including shrimp and minnow (not something you see every day). As with most other raw food, these treats are free from grains, and good for cats with allergies, as they contain few ingredients that would inflame these kinds of issues.
At around $4 per bag, these cat treats are pretty expensive, but it’s an affordable way to get raw meat and fish into your cat’s diet, and prevent them from eating too much and getting sick. While Purebites says that these treats are hypoallergenic, implying that they are suitable for cats on restricted diets, we think it’s best to check with your vet before feeding them to kitty, if they are on a severely restricted diet.
Purebites get excellent user reviews across the whole range of treats, which means they are loved by cats across the country. The most popular flavor does seem to be chicken, but this is often the case for cat food. At $4 per bag, it’s worth trying with your cat.
Best multi-purpose raw cat food
✅ Your cat hasn't tried raw food: If your cat is new to raw food, these toppers are an easy way to introduce them to it. You can also feed them as treats, too!
❌ Your cat struggles to chew: Some people say that these treats have a hard texture, so you might want to avoid them if your cat finds chewing challenging.
🔎Instinct Raw Boost Mixers: These tasty toppers can be mixed into your cat's regular food or given as a treat - we love how versatile they are! There are also lots of formulas to choose from supporting things like digestive health and skin and coat maintenance.
The alternative to a pure, raw diet is toppers. These are freeze-dried raw ingredients that can be mixed in with (or placed on top of) regular food, to supplement your cat’s diet. So they’re getting the benefits of raw meat and fish with the added vitamins and minerals that dry food brings. At the top of the list of toppers is Instinct’s Raw Boost Mixers.
You can buy this in chicken and rabbit flavors, and there’s also a special formula for both digestive health, and skin and coat maintenance. The meat used here is minimally processed, and is boosted with vegetables that are produced to non-GMO standards. While it doesn’t quite have the same ethical standards as Stella and Chewy, Instinct is still at the top-end of responsible cat food.
If you want to go full raw diet, Instinct does do a bag of pure, raw, freeze-dried chicken pieces. It comes highly recommended by users, but we think Instinct’s range is far better for the toppers, which are a better way to introduce raw food into your cat’s diet, and retain the benefits of other food types. And, let’s not forget, toppers can be used as treats too!
Best premium raw cat food
✅ Your cat is fussy: This food has a 4.6 rating on Chewy and customers say it's a great choice for picky eaters.
❌ You don't like strong smells: According to reviews, this cat food has a rather strong smell, so if that's a deal-breaker, you're better off trying one of the other options in this guide.
🔎 Orijen Grain Free Freeze-Dried Cat Food: This raw cat food is high in protein and contains 90% meat (chicken, turkey, whole mackerel, turkey giblets and flounder). It also helps to support healthy digestion, heart health, and skin and has a tasty liver coating.
If you’re looking for a raw cat food that covers a variety of bases, then Orijen’s grain free mix is a great choice. Orijen uses what it calls the ‘whole prey’ approach, which means it mixes in a variety of raw meats, and guarantees that the first five ingredients into every batch of its cat food are animals or fish, before adding fruits and vegetables for other nutritional benefits. Orijen claims that the recipe is 90% meat, 10% other.
This means that the flavor stays consistent, which is important for many cats, but it does limit choice – your kitty will either eat this, or it won’t. Of course it isn’t filled out with grain, or that would defeat the point of it being natural, raw cat food. What it does have, as an added bonus, is a coating of freeze-dried liver to retain the kibble shape, and appeal to your cat’s sense of taste.
This is one of the highest rated cat foods across a number of pet food retailers, and has an impressive score of 4.6 stars on Chewy – making it seem pretty close to one of the best raw cat foods. It does seem that the range of meat and fish ingredients (which, amusingly, one reader review described as disgusting) appeal to a wide range of cats, as many people recommend it for picky eaters.
Best raw cat food for picky eaters
✅ Your cat has allergies and is a fussy eater: These treats have a single protein source, making them ideal for cats with allergies. There are lots of flavors to choose from, so they're perfect for fussy eaters. They're also free from grain and gluten.
❌ You're on a budget: These treats are great to have in the cupboard, but they are a little pricy, costing over $5 per bag.
🔎 Vital Essentials Freeze-Dried Cat Treats: These premium cat treats contain a single protein source and are available in a variety of flavors, like wild Alaskan salmon, tuna and duck. Whilst they're not suitable for a complete diet, they make excellent healthy treats.
For anyone who wants to get as close to possible with their raw cat food, then Vital Essentials does an excellent range of treats which are – essentially – exactly what they say. The minnow treats are actual freeze-dried minnows. The chicken hearts are actual freeze-dried hearts. While the rabbit bites aren’t recognizable… you get the general idea. If ever you were uncertain about the ingredients in your cat’s raw food, these treats from Vital should set your mind at ease.
As these are pretty much all protein and natural ingredients, they’re suitable for gluten-free and grain-free diets. While they won’t give your cat all the nutrients it needs, they are a great accompaniment to some of the best dried cat food out there, which will happily give your kitty all it needs to stay healthy.
At over $5 per bag, these treats are very premium, but you’re getting raw cat food in its purest form. We’d recommend them for already healthy cats, looking for a better class of treat, but can’t say they’re the ideal basis for a balanced diet.
How to introduce the best raw cat food into your cat's diet
If you decide to switch your cat over to raw food, you absolutely shouldn’t just make a straight swap, even if it is the best raw cat food. Cats’ digestive systems are surprisingly delicate, and any change in their food should be introduced over the course of a couple of weeks, as you phase out the old cat food and introduce the new.
We suggest starting with a very small amount of raw food – perhaps 10-15% of the cat’s daily food intake – before slowly building up the quantity. If your cat is sick, or refuses to eat the raw food after a couple of days, it’s a good idea to stop, or speak to your vet about whether or not a raw diet is a good idea for your kitty.
We’ve seen numerous user reviews online claiming that their cats were sick after trying raw food. This could be because the regular food was substituted immediately, instead of being slowly removed and replaced with the raw.
Equally, some cats simply don’t like raw, or their stomachs’ won’t tolerate it, despite the natural ingredients present. As with anything cat related, it usually comes down to the specific cat, and what one mog loves…another simply won’t enjoy at all, even if it's the best raw cat food you can find.
Safety tips for feeding your cat a raw food diet
When it comes to feeding your feline friend raw food, Dr. Woodnutt says there are some steps you can take to minimize the risks, both to their health and to yours.
"If pet parents decide they really want to feed a raw diet to their pets they should ensure the following:
Do cats prefer raw or cooked?
A few factors influence cats’ dietary preferences. Different cats will prefer different types of food; some enjoy raw food, while others love cooked. Research published in Nutritional Neuroscience suggests a cat’s mother’s preferences and what they ate as kittens play a big role, but so do unique nutritional needs and other biological and environmental factors.
One thing is certain, though: palatability is very important when choosing cat food, whether raw, dry, or wet. That’s because, as highlighted in a study in the Journal of Applied Animal Research, cats will refuse to eat nutritious food if it doesn’t taste good. Instead, they’ll go for a less wholesome option if they enjoy the flavor.
You may need to try several food options before you find the right mix of nutrients, convenience, and taste for your cat.
Is a raw diet good for cats?
"Raw diets for cats are not generally recommended by most vets," says Dr. Woodnutt. "This is because there’s no scientific evidence of benefits, and there’s lots of evidence of risk both to your cat, and to people that come into contact with them."
According to Dr. Woodnutt, there are two main reasons that most vets tend to steer clear of raw food diets:
1. "Raw cat food can carry bacteria like Salmonella and E.coli that can cause illness in your cat. However, they can also shed these bacteria – while appearing well – in their feces, and spread it to their fur in their saliva. This means that anybody in contact with these cats could also become ill, especially if they have a weakened immune system (such as children or elderly people)."
2. "Raw diets may not be complete. One study compared two litters of kittens – one being fed raw rabbit and the other a normal cooked cat diet – and it had to end early due to the litter being fed the rabbit developing fatal heart problems. Raw diets are often created by small, ‘boutique’ pet food companies that may not have the experience or regulatory oversight to create a healthy balanced diet."
While people tend to rave about raw food diets for their cats, Dr. Woodnutt advises caution.
"Weighing against this huge evidence of risk is the fact that there have been no demonstrated benefits to feeding a raw food over a cooked one. People claim lots of benefits to raw diets that simply aren’t proven in the literature. Many of these benefits are likely just down to the high-protein diet, or the change in protein type."
Andy is an online Editor-in-Chief, a photographer, and a cat owner of 25 years. He has owned many types of cat, rescuing some and adopting others from kittens. He currently lives with Pickle, a tortie, who loves to play with Christmas wrapping bows and eat flowers.
After graduating as a vet from the University of Nottingham, Dr Joanna Woodnutt went on to practice companion animal medicine in the Midlands. She quickly developed a love of consulting and helping clients with medical problems such as dermatology, behaviour and nutrition - anything that involved helping clients understand their pets better. Jo started writing about pet health in 2017, realising that it meant she could help even more pet parents. Since then, she has written for countless online and print publications and is a regular contributor for Edition Dog Magazine. Jo now lives in the Channel Islands with her husband Ian and terrier Pixie, and they are expecting their first child very soon.
