Cat Food Chart

Last updated: Aug 16, 2021 (2 months ago)

How we rank foods

Freeze-Dried Raw

Freeze-dried raw is another easy way to feed your ferrets raw, if you feel intimidated by a true raw diet. All you need to do is add water. It provides most of the benefits of a full raw diet, except it doesn't naturally clean their teeth as well since there is nothing tough to chew on (they usually include ground bone, but those pieces are too small).

See the full Freeze-Dried Raw chart

Frozen Raw

Frozen raw and freeze-dried raw are basically identical, except the way they're stored. With freeze-dried raw, you need to add water to rehydrate it before feeding. Frozen raw is already hydrated, it just needs to be thawed.

Note: it's important not to microwave frozen raw food, since it often contains small bone pieces which could fracture. A safer way to thaw is to microwave a bowl of water and place the food in the hot water to soak.

See the full Frozen Raw chart

Air-Dried Raw

Air-dried raw is a healthier alternative to kibble. But like kibble, it can be served straight from the bag! It's also great for transitioning since it can be mixed with kibble.

It generally a) contains no fruits or veggies, b) has limited ingredients, and c) has high protein and fat content. It provides most of the benefits of a raw diet except moisture. But it is a lot easier to prepare and less messy.

Like all raw foods, it is more expensive up front, but it can help you avoid costly health issues in the future.

See the full Air-Dried Raw chart

Canned

A good canned food is much healthier than kibble. There are canned food options that are completely or almost grain- and starch-free. Canned foods also have a much higher meat concentration usually.

Another benefit of canned foods is that they provide moisture, which is essential for dental health and hydration.

See the full Canned chart

Kibble

Kibble can generally be left out for days without spoiling. However, it needs something (usually a grain) to bind all of the ingredients together to form its solid shape. Therefore most kibbles are high in fruit, veggie, and/or grain content, which is not great for cats. 

Notice how raw diets clearly advertise their meat percentage ("96% meat, organs, and bone" on Ziwipeak for example) but kibbles do not. They hide this information, which is why I don't have it for most of these foods yet.

See the full Kibble chart