The 7 Best Frozen and Freeze-Dried Raw Cat Food of 2023

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Frozen and freeze-dried raw cat food we recommend on a green background

The Spruce Pets / Amelia Manley

As obligate carnivores, cats must derive the nutrition they need from animal-sourced meat, but feeding raw meat to your cat (and yourself) is dangerous. “Raw diets can cause salmonella or other bacterial infections if left out," Dr. Sara Redding Ochoa, DVM, of Whitehouse Veterinary Hospital told The Spruce Pets.

Freeze-dried and frozen foods can make raw and lightly cooked foods safer to handle and more resistant to spoilage, significantly reducing the risk of bacterial infection.

We've curated a selection of frozen and freeze-dried formulations so you can select the preparation method and recipe that best aligns with your cat's feeding routine. Our recommendations are in line with the nutritional standards set by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), but speak with your veterinarian before changing your cat's diet for guidance toward the nutrition your cat needs.

Our Top Picks

Best Overall

Stella & Chewy's Freeze-Dried Raw Dinner Morsels

Stella & Chewy's Freeze-Dried Raw Dinner Morsels

Amazon

What We Like
  • Protein sources are cage-free

  • Includes probiotics for healthy digestive tract

  • Never made with grains, glutens, fillers, artificial preservatives or colorings

  • Seven flavors

What We Don't Like
  • Some flavors are more difficult to come by

Our top choice for most cats is Stella & Chewy’s Freeze-Dried Raw Dinner Morsels. The freeze-dried food is readily avaialble, nutritionally balanced, and suitable for all life stages. Each recipe starts with raw ingredients and is 98 percent a blend of meat, organ, and bone from sustainably-sourced animal meat and/or fish.

There are seven recipes in the freeze-dried line, all inspired by a cat's ancestral diet and all with delightful names: Tummy Ticklin’ Turkey, Duck Duck Goose, Chick Chick Chicken, Absolutely Rabbit, Yummy Lickin’ Salmon & Chicken, Sea-licious Salmon & Cod, Bountiful Beef, and Plate Lickin’ Pork.

The cat food is enhanced with vitamins, and minerals—including taurine for heart health and probiotics for digestive health, and each serving can be quickly rehydrated at mealtime with water for an added dose of hydration. That’s important because cats generally don’t drink a lot of water. In the wild, they get most of their hydration from the food they eat. A moisture-rich food helps your cat avoid chronic dehydration that can lead to kidney and urinary problems later in life.

Stella & Chewy’s is a woman-owned business that has been offering quality raw foods since 2003. Pet parents like that the food—which is prepared in Oak Creek, Wisconsin—is minimally processed, contains no added hormones or antibiotics, and is never made with grains, glutens, fillers, artificial preservatives or colorings.

Stella & Chewy's also offers four frozen recipes all made with raw ingredients, but they are more challenging to have shipped to your house and usually found in speciality shops. The frozen cat food—Stella & Chewy's Frozen Raw Dinner Morsels—is rich in nutrients and moisture, thaws quickly, and is made with with 90-98 percent meat, organs, and bone.

Flavors: Tummy ticklin’ turkey, duck duck goose, chick chick chicken, absolutely rabbit, yummy lickin’ salmon & chicken, sea-licious salmon & cod, bountiful beef, and plate-lickin’ pork︱Crude Protein Minimum: 40-45% depending on flavor︱Crude Fat Minimum: 20-37% depending on flavor︱Crude Fiber Max: 5%

Best Subscription, Raw

Darwin’s Natural Selections Raw Cat Food

Darwin’s Natural Selections Raw Cat Food

Darwin’s Natural Pet Products

What We Like
  • Grain-free, no animal by-products or fillers

  • Ethically-sourced, pasture-raised, cage-free meats

  • No antibiotics, steroids and artificial hormones

What We Don't Like
  • A little more expensive than some non-subscription raw foods

If you feel too busy to shop or making it easier will help you follow through on raw food, consider a subscription delivery service. Darwin’s Natural Selections Raw Cat Food is well rated and committed to using only ethically raised ingredients. Depending on the size and age of your cat, you can expect to spend around $20-$25 per week. Their food is made from minimally processed, human-quality meat and organic vegetables.

Darwin’s offers meat varieties similar to what a wild cat might eat in their chicken and turkey flavors. They also offer lamb for those cats with sensitivities to poultry.

Their website offers a pet food volume calculator and if you sign up, they offer a quiz you can take to develop a custom feeding plan specifically for your cats. Those new to raw food diets can also call in for a free consultation about their menu and how to transition your pet safely to a raw diet.

To get you started, they offer a large “new customer” discount on your first order when you sign up for automatic shipping. You choose the frequency and size of shipments and you can cancel or make changes at any time. They ship their foods to the 48 contiguous states.

Darwin’s also offers Intelligent Design Veterinary Formulas that require a prescription from a veterinarian. These are for cats with specific health issues such as kidney disease or food allergies.

Flavors: chicken, turkey︱Crude Protein Minimum: 16-18 percent depending on flavor︱Crude Fat Minimum: 7-14 percent depending on flavor︱Crude Fiber Max: 0.2–1 percent depending on flavor

Best for Food Sensitivies

Vital Essentials Freeze-Dried Patties Entree Cat Food

Vital Essentials Cat Food

Vital Essentials

What We Like
  • Grain-free, gluten-free, and made without corn, wheat, or soy

  • No fillers, by-products, artificial colors, flavors or preservatives

  • Rich in protein, amino acids, and essential fatty acids

  • Meat is farm raised and humanely harvested

  • Frozen and freeze-dried formulations

What We Don't Like
  • Rabbit recipe is usually more expensive than other flavors

With raw ingredients, Vital Essentials uses a 48-hour slow freeze-drying process to lock in nutrients while remaining free from added hormones, antibiotics, fillers, flavoring, and rendered by-products. They offer five recipes (rabbit, chicken, pork, turkey, and duck) made with one protein source, so the food is highly advantageous for cats with food sensitivities and digestive problems.

Vital Essentials Freeze-Dried Raw Entree Cat Food is packaged as bite-sized mini nibs and mini patties. The nibs can be fed directly from the bag or rehydrated, and the mini patties are designed to be crumbled up and rehydrated with water or sprinkled as a meal topper. You can choose the combination that best suits your cat’s unique needs while following the guidelines on the packaging to avoid over feeding.

Vital Essentials also manufacturers frozen cat food recipes all made with raw ingredients in the United States, but they are harder to order online.

Flavors: Rabbit, chicken, pork, turkey, and duck︱Crude Protein Minimum: 38-60% depending on flavor︱Crude Fat Minimum: 17-40% depending on flavor︱Crude Fiber Max: 2-7% depending on flavor

Best Subscription, Frozen

Smalls Fresh Cat Food

Smalls Cat Food

Smalls

  • Cooked fresh, frozen, and delivered

  • Ground and smooth consistencies

  • Provides hydration

  • Customized for each cat

  • Made with at least 80 percent USDA-certified pasture-raised proteins

  • Only available with subscription

  • Not raw

Smalls Fresh Cat Food offers preservative-free frozen meals made with human-grade ingredients delivered to your home. There are four flavors—chicken, turkey, fish, and beef—and you can choose between ground or smooth consistencies for each recipe depending on whether your cat prefers minced or pate cat food. You can also select both textures to try them out.

The food is not raw, but it does start with fresh ingredients that are lightly cooked to maintain nutrients. The moisture-rich food is more hydrating than kibble, and recipes are made with USDA-certified pasture-raised meat and/or sustainably sourced fish.

The cat food from Smalls is only available with a subscription, and the delivery is customized for each cat in your home to meet their specific needs and line up with their preferences.

Flavors: Chicken, turkey, fish, beef︱Crude Protein Minimum: 13-16.5 percent depending on flavor︱Crude Fat Minimum: 5-10 percent depending on flavor︱Crude Fiber Max: 1.5 percent depending on flavor

Best Premium

Nulo FreeStyle Freeze-Dried Raw Cat Food

freestyle freeze-dried raw turkey & duck recipe

Nulo Pet Food

What We Like
  • Contains added probiotics for healthy digestion

  • 98 percent animal-based ingredients

  • Grain-free

  • Suitable for all life stages

What We Don't Like
  • Only two flavors

  • Protein sources are mixed

While most raw foods are considered premium cat foods because they are nutrient-dense with fewer fillers and more high-quality ingredients, Nulo FreeStyle Raw Freeze-Dried Cat Foods are highly rated because of their quality recipes.

For example, the Turkey & Duck flavor is made of 98 percent turkey, duck, organs, and ground-in bone that helps balance phosphorus levels. They also add small amounts of a few superfoods like cranberries, spinach, salmon and coconut oils, ground flaxseed, and kelp for superior nutrition.

Nulo was founded in Austin, Texas by a former biomedical engineer and his dog when he noticed an increase in demand for insulin for obese and diabetic animals. He worked with animal nutritionists, veterinarians, and food formulators to develop healthy recipes that optimize pet health.

Flavors: Turkey & duck and chicken & salmon︱Crude Protein Minimum: 42-46 percent depending on flavor︱Crude Fat Minimum: 23-37 percent depending on flavor︱Crude Fiber Max: 2 percent

Best Add-In

Only Natural Pet PowerToppers Superfood and Turkey Raw Inclusions

ONLY NATURAL PET POWERTOPPERS SUPERFOOD + TURKEY RAW INCLUSIONS FOR CATS - 1 OZ

Only Natural Pet

What We Like
  • Made in Boulder, Colorado from globally sourced ingredients

  • Grain-free

  • Irradiated for additional hygiene safety

What We Don't Like
  • Only one flavor available

A topper or mixer is an excellent way to introduce raw foods into your cat’s diet, especially if you’ve never tried them before. They’re meant to be poured over or mixed in with your cat’s daily meal. Most of the raw foods in this list can also be used as toppers or mixers or as a full meal.

Only Natural Pet PowerToppers Superfood and Turkey Raw Inclusions for cats are designed specifically for use for “intermittent or supplemental feeding” or as treats rather than as a meal. This topper uses freeze-dried, 100 percent cage-free turkey chunks mixed with superfood bites that include sweet potatoes, goat milk, carrots, broccoli, kale, and blueberries.

Only Natural Pet is a Certified B Corp, which means they’ve met high standards for social, environmental, and governance practices, so you can feel good knowing your purchase is from a company that cares about quality at all levels of their business. You can also save 15 percent by signing up for automatic delivery.

Flavor: Superfood & Turkey︱Crude Protein Minimum: 43 percent ︱Crude Fat Minimum: 21 percent ︱Crude Fiber Max: 5 percent

Best Treats

PureBites Freeze Dried Cat Bites

Pure Bites Cat Treats

PureBites

What We Like
  • All treats are made with one or two ingredients maximum

  • Meat and fish proteins are sourced and freeze dried in the United States

  • Average of two calories per treat

What We Don't Like
  • Some flavors are more expensive

PureBites offers freeze-dried treats for cats that are high in protein, low in calories (up to two calories per treat), and completely free of preservatives, fillers, artificial colors, and flavoring.

You can choose between single ingredient treats made with only wild-caught minnow, whitefish, salmon, shrimp, or tuna, or locally-sourced chicken, duck, beef, or turkey. There are also some options that mix two proteins, like chicken & duck and chicken & lamb.

PureBites manufacturers all of their freeze dried cat treats in the United States, and all packaging used is recyclable.

Flavors: Minnow, salmon, whitefish, shrimp, tuna, turkey, chicken, duck, beef, chicken & lamb, and chicken & duck︱Crude Protein Minimum: 64-74 percent ︱Crude Fat Minimum: 3-9 percent ︱Crude Fiber Max: 0.3-1 percent

The Final Verdict

We like Stella & Chewy’s Frozen Raw Dinner Morsels because they’re moisture-rich and made of 98 percent cage-free meat with probiotics for healthy digestion. This woman-owned company manufactures its food in Wisconsin.

To make it easier on yourself, consider a subscription service like Darwin’s Natural Selections Raw Cat Food that’s ethically sourced and comes with free help to determine what combination of raw foods is optimal for your cat.

What to Look for in Frozen and Freeze-Dried Raw Cat Foods

As obligate carnivores, cats evolved from eating fully raw diets and only had non-raw foods added to their diet since we’ve domesticated them. When choosing freeze-dried or frozen raw food, be sure to consider elements of safety, the form of the food, and complete nutrition.

Be thoughtful when transitioning your cat to a new food. Don’t buy a lot until you’re sure your cat will eat it. Take your time deciding if it’s the right fit. Because all foods differ in caloric content, follow the manufacturer’s directions on what quantity to feed your cat. Your cat may have issues with a new food’s palatability, mouthfeel, or protein source. Some early upsets go away after a day or two into the transition. If your first choice doesn’t fit, transition slowly to another. When you’ve found the right food, you’ll likely see a change in your cat’s behavior. A change in their health will appear in the soft glow of their fur, their spunk, and the lustrous sparkle in their eyes.

Safety

Because the food is raw, it has not been cooked to kill germs that can cause intestinal and other diseases and infections. When stored in a cool, dry place, freeze-dried food can last well because the moisture has been removed before packaging. Similarly, frozen food can last up to a year when freezing temperatures are properly maintained. But once the freeze-dried food is hydrated or the frozen food has thawed, like human food, it can sit out for only a short period of time before disease-causing bacteria and viruses can start to grow and thrive. So, unlike dry mainstream kibble, raw foods should not sit out for more than an hour at room temperature (or whatever period is recommended by the manufacturer on the packaging). Keep this in mind if your cat is more of a grazer, eating small amounts several times a day.

All manufacturers of these raw foods indicate on their websites and packaging their safe handling recommendations. Those usually include washing your hands thoroughly in hot, soapy water before and after handling raw pet food to prevent contamination and exposure to harmful microorganisms. They recommend you use stainless steel or glass containers and wash all utensils, counters and feeding dishes with hot, soapy water after each use or contact with raw meat and poultry products.

Consider avoiding any raw food brand that doesn’t mention their factory safety standards and note safe handling instructions on their packaging.

Form & Nutrition

Raw foods are commercially available as treats, toppers, nuggets, or patties and in either freeze-dried or frozen form. Freeze drying extracts moisture from the food so it comes in a lightweight, very dry form that is best to rehydrate before serving (although can be served dry). Most recommend rehydrating for at least a few minutes before serving—using a bone broth for cats to rehydrate is one option.

“Make sure that the food contains all the nutrients that are needed for a cat and not just protein. Your cat will need proper levels of proteins, fats, amino acids such as taurine to help keep them healthy,” adds Dr. Ochoa. “Some frozen or freeze-dried foods are only to be used as meal toppers and not complete diets. If the diet does meet the standards put out by The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) it will say so on the bag.”

Patties are often meant to be used as meals but can be broken into smaller pieces to be used as treats. Nuggets are easy to use as meals, toppers/mixers or treats. Be sure to read carefully the packaging for toppers and treats as most are not nutritionally balanced to be used as a sole food source, but rather to be used as a supplement to a core meal food.

Be sure that you’re feeding daily meals that offer complete balanced nutrition (confirmed on the packaging) with essential levels of vitamins and nutrients including the amino acid essential to cats, taurine.

It’s also important to feed your cat the correct volume of food each day to achieve those optimal nutritional levels. Always check the packaging or consult the manufacturer to choose a food volume that fits your cat’s size, age, and activity level. Also keep in mind that you’ll feed different volumes of food depending on whether its freeze-dried or frozen which will affect cost calculations.

FAQ
  • Is raw food safe for kittens?

    The immune system of kittens is less developed and therefore more fragile than older cats. Although they receive some natural immunity from their mothers while nursing, they are generally more susceptible to disease than adolescents and adult cats.

    “It is best to stick to a kibble, canned or freeze-dried food for kittens,” notes Dr. Ochoa. “They tend to not eat all their food at one time. This can lead to bacteria growing on the raw food while its waiting to eaten.”

  • Should you refrigerate freeze-dried raw cat food?

    “Once the bag is opened it is best to keep it in the fridge,” advises Dr. Ochoa. “You can store it in a closed container on the counter as long as it is kept in a cool dry place.” Always check the original packaging for storage recommendations specific to the food you purchased to ensure food safety and a longer shelf life.

Why Trust The Spruce Pets?

This piece was written by Lorraine Wilde who has had at least two cat companions in her home for the past 35 years including some special needs kitties. Two of her cats lived happily and healthily into their early 20s. Her current feline companions have been challenged by digestive and urinary tract health issues. When researching these brands, Wilde evaluated the type and quality of the ingredients, the company’s research and development of the food, and their business ethics.

Wilde has only the highest of standards for what she feeds her pets. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Biology and a Master’s degree in environmental science with an emphasis on toxicology. She is a firm believer that consumers can make healthy, informed, and environmentally conscious choices to protect their pets and our planet.

Dr. Sara Redding Ochoa, DVM, is a veterinary consultant with SeniorTailWaggers.com and has more than nine years of veterinary experience treating small animals. She currently works as a lead veterinarian at Whitehouse Veterinary Hospital in Whitehouse, Texas.

The Spruce Pets uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
  1. How cooking affects the nutrient content of foods. Healthline.