There are plenty of reasons to purchase frozen raw cat foods. Maybe you want your cat to eat something closer to its natural diet. Or perhaps, you no longer have the time to prepare them yourself and prefer a commercially made option.
Whatever your reason might be, you still deserve the best options out there. You know, the ones that provide all the nutritional requirements for both adult cats and kittens. Here, we have compiled six of the best raw cat foods out there.
Best Frozen Raw Cat Foods Listed
1Vital Essentials Freeze-Dried Cat Treats
Cats love treats. And you shouldn’t deny it to them just because you are switching to raw food. This is when the Vital Essentials Freeze-Dried Cat Treats comes in. It is an excellent treat made entirely out of raw ingredients. Your cat may not have access to ‘treats’ in the wild, but in your home, it gets to enjoy them.
So, why Vital Essentials?
Well, it is entirely made out of minnow fish, that has been freeze-dried to give your cat a single source of protein. That means there are no artificial flavors, fillers, or hormones, or grains. It is purely formulated from natural proteins.
Furthermore, as one should expect from a treat, it is very delicious. Consider that a friendly warning if your cat starts stalking your snack drawer. All in all, if you are in the market for a nutritious cat treat made entirely out of raw foods, we recommend this product.
Instinct Raw Boost Cat Food
After the main meal, many of us enjoy extra meals on top. So, there is no reason why your furry friend should not enjoy a similar treatment. This category of cat food is called toppers, and the Instinct Raw Boost Mixers Grain Free Cat Food Topper is a great choice.
It is an enjoyable and nutritious meal that would sure put some pep in your cat’s regular diet. Rabbit is the primary ingredient and is loved by most cat breeds. Even better is the fact that there are no artificial colors or preservatives in the formulation.
All you get is a natural, healthy meal to top up their satisfaction and boost their nutritional intake. What’s more, you can use it as an occasional treat when your cat has been a good boy or girl.
We recommend this product because it fits cats with picky food options or who regularly suffer from digestive issues.
Stella & Chewy’s Salmon & Chicken Raw Cat Food
Are you after raw cat food formula that’s suitable for daily feeding? If so, Stella & Chewy’s Salmon & Chicken raw cat food is another top choice.
It is rich in protein, which the number one nutrient required in a cat’s meal. This is thanks to the mixture of salmon and chicken. However, if your cat prefers a different kind of protein, the brand offers other options too.
Asides from protein, the recipe has other nutrient sources like probiotics which, in particular, makes this an ideal choice for cats with digestion problems.
And since what a cat food has is just as crucial as what it doesn’t have, you should know it does not have grain or gluten. It also doesn’t have filler, artificial preservatives, or food coloring.
Stella & Chewy’s raw cat food can be served dry, or hydrated with additional water. Just remember to use cooler water when you do so. Using hot water means you’ll be cooking the food, which erases the point of serving your kitten raw food.
Merrick Backcountry Dry Cat Food for Kittens
It is never too early to start feeding your cat raw food. In fact, it might be better to start early because it aids the transition from commercial food easier. If you are looking to feed your kitten raw cat food, Merrick Backcountry Dry Cat Food is one of the best you can get.
It is a poultry-based raw food, which means its only protein source is chicken, specifically deboned chicken. It also contains other nutritional necessities like vegetables, probiotics, vitamins and minerals, and DHA omega fatty acids.
Besides being rich in protein and containing all the essential nutrients, it is also free of artificial colors, grains, preservatives, and flavors. And if you are thinking if that last one means your cat will hate the taste, kittens love it too.
Feline Natural Chicken & Lamb Cat Food
No doubt, it will be challenging to convince your cat to eat raw food, especially if it’s used to cooked meals. Teaching an old cat new tricks isn’t easy. However, you can make the transition easier by feeding it an appropriate recipe like the Feline Natural Chicken & Lamb Cat Food.
Although it has not been designed specifically for seniors, Feline Natural insists its ingredients are fit for all ages and stages.
The food comes with tons of protein from sources like chicken, lamb, and mussels. The latter especially has more protein than fishes with fins. Other ingredients in the recipe include vitamins, flaxseed flakes, and additional nutritional supplements—which all come in handy for your senior cat’s mineral needs.
What Feline Natural Chicken & Lamb Cat Food doesn’t have are preservatives, additives, and other artificial ingredients. And as for taste, big, small, or medium can enjoy this meal whether served dry or with some cool water.
Instinct Frozen Raw Boost Chicken Cat Food
Since 2002, Natural Variety, which owns the Instinct Pet Food brand, has offered some of the best frozen raw cat foods on the market. One of them is the Instinct Frozen Raw Boost Chicken Cat Food, made in the United States at its Nebraska plant.
It contains majorly of chicken and bones—both great protein, fats, and calcium sources. There are also vegetables and fruits that provide the required vitamin and minerals nutritional content. These are available to serve your cat in five cups.
Additionally, it maintains the goal of transitioning to raw cat food by avoiding artificial colors, fillers, and preservatives. What’s more, not a lot of processing went into mixing the ingredients before they got frozen. So the rawness is very much preserved.
As a result, if you get one, refrigerate it immediately.
Vital Essentials Cat Freeze-Dried Mini Patties
The Vital Cat Freeze-Dried Mini Patties from Vital Essentials is an excellent choice if your cat prefers patties. It is poultry-based (duck) as its single protein source. The good news is that other protein sources like chicken or turkey are also available in this formulation.
Additionally, these mini patties include raw goat’s milk and herring oil in the formulation. Organs and bones have also been added for the essential fatty nutrients. All these natural ingredients not only stick to the raw cat food diet but help provide your kitten with a balanced meal. More importantly, artificial ingredients like fillers, preservatives, and coloring are entirely absent in Vital Cat’s Freeze-Dried Mini Patties.
All in all, there are 14 patties included in each bag. To serve each one, simply crumble the patties, add warm water and let it sit for a few minutes.
Buying Guide and FAQ
Now, you may not want to just take our word for it. However, before ordering your next frozen raw cat food, ensure you make the wise decision by considering some necessary things, specifically if the product meets the dietary requirement of your cat.
Dietary Requirements in Frozen Cat Foods
1. Animal Protein
You may have noticed that protein sources have been the dominant ingredient in many of the above raw cat foods. That is because cats are carnivores, and protein is the most essential nutrient for them.
This can come in via poultry like chicken or turkey or fish or beef. Each source has different levels of protein content, but they are the standard ones.
So, why focus on protein? They contain amino acids, which are basically the building blocks for cells, organs, skin, and bones. Cats of all ages need it for energy, and because they break it down at a high rate, they need it in abundance in their meals.
This is particularly important if you have a kitten. Lack of abundant amino acid called taurine can cause dilated cardiomyopathy in a developing cat. It is a condition where the heart becomes enlarged and fails to pump blood effectively.
There are also other developmental defects to be wary of, like retinal degeneration. Arginine (an amino acid that aids the expulsion of protein waste) is necessary and has to be present in every meal. Its absence in kittens could lead to illness or death. Therefore, make sure you get something extremely rich in protein.
2. Fats
Fat content is something else you want to pay attention to when buying frozen raw cat food. It is an essential nutrient needed to keep your cat healthy because it provides energy and the ability to absorb fat-soluble vitamins.
Other uses include skin and coat maintenance, reproductive health, proper kidney function, hormone production, and vision.
Fat is also necessary for providing insulation to your cat’s internal organs. Because cats cannot make them unilaterally, it has to be present in every meal. That is why all our best frozen raw cat foods have it.
3. Vitamins and Minerals
There are not primary energy sources like protein and fat, but vitamins and minerals are equally necessary nutrients you want in your cat’s diet. There are different kinds of vitamins and minerals, and your cat needs most of them to maintain proper body functioning.
Vitamin A, for instance, is necessary for ensuring its immune system is healthy. It is also suitable for their skin, nerves, muscles, eyes, and coat. Minerals like calcium, phosphorus, and potassium are also necessary to maintain healthy bones and healthy milk production.
The best frozen cat foods provide them through sources like fruits, vegetables, and bones.
4. Water
You would be surprised to find that cats generally consume less water than they actually need. Now, you can always provide enough fresh water along with the meal. Still, the best raw cat foods should contain the necessary amount of moisture content.
Without enough water from the diet and provided one, your cat could struggle to eliminate toxins, metabolize nutrients. It could also affect its ability to distribute nutrients correctly and maintain its body temperature.
To ensure you constantly provide enough water to hydrate, consider buying frozen raw cat foods that you can mix and serve.
5. Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are not the most necessary nutrient in your cat’s diet, which is why they’re at the bottom of the list. However, they still matter in maintaining a healthy body for your kitten. The presence of carbohydrates creates a digestible and readily available energy source for your cat.
Necessary as it may be, they should be present in small fractions as an excessive amount can result in obesity. You can typically find them in grains like wheat and rice. But the best-frozen cat food ingredients all contain required amounts through their sources.
Frozen Raw Cat Foods FAQs
Is frozen cat food nutritious?
Yes, they are. It is a raw diet with zero artificial additives and is considered the biologically appropriate raw food (BARF) diet. They contain all the necessary nutrients to keep your cat healthy. Protein is also present in high amounts and fats are available at moderate levels. More so, there is just the right amount of carbohydrates.
How to prepare frozen cat food?
Whether the food is freeze-dried or frozen, simply take out the portion you intend to feed your cat and let it thaw for some minutes. If you are serving patties, crumble them into small pieces and add cool water. Do not use hot water because it will cook the food, which would defeat the point of serving a raw meal.
Final Thoughts on The Best Frozen Raw Cat Foods
Frozen raw cat foods is a great way to transition your cat to a natural diet with minimal effort and a limited tradeoff in commercial processing.
We have listed five products that we consider the best frozen raw cat foods for all kinds of cats. We hope you find one that is helpful to you and your cat.
Have you tried any of the products? What do you think about frozen cat foods? Let us know what you think in the comments.