Feeding cats a raw food diet that closely mirrors what nature intended offers many benefits. After more than a decade of raw feeding, we’ve seen firsthand the benefits of a raw diet for cats with the improved health and wellbeing of our own feline family.
Of course, raw feeding has its pros and cons. But after years of research and real-life experience, we’re convinced it provides better nutrition than commercial alternatives. The difference was especially clear with Charlie, one of our cats who suffered from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). His struggles with digestion were the reason we first made the switch, and it’s no exaggeration to say a raw food diet changed his life.
Cats are obligate carnivores and their bodies are built to thrive on a meat-based diet. Feeding them a raw, species-appropriate diet aligns with their natural biology and can support a longer, healthier, and happier life. Here are the key benefits cat owners observe, and what you can expect if you choose raw feeding for your own cat.
Better digestion and nutrient absorption
Cats are natural hunters with short, acidic digestive systems built to process raw meat quickly and efficiently – usually within 12 hours. Commercial pet foods, especially those heavy in carbohydrates, can be harder for cats to digest since they lack the necessary enzymes needed to break down grains and vegetables.
With raw food, nutrients are absorbed more effectively. This often means fewer digestive issues, less overeating, and reduced begging. Many raw-fed cats feel satisfied for longer, which naturally helps regulate their appetite.
Managing food sensitivities and supporting gut health
One of the biggest benefits of a raw diet for cats is its role in reducing food sensitivities and promoting gut health. A biologically appropriate raw diet helps calm inflammation, often easing symptoms such as diarrhoea, constipation, vomiting, nausea, and even excessive hairballs.
Food intolerances don’t just affect digestion, they often appear on the skin as itchiness, dryness, redness, or irritation. Many commercial diets contain wheat, corn, or soy, which are common triggers. By removing grains and feeding raw, you reduce inflammation and give the skin a chance to heal. Many cats see major allergy relief, and sometimes their symptoms vanish after switching to a balanced raw diet.
Stronger teeth and fresher breath
Improved dental health is another raw diet benefit for most cats, although genetics can also play a role. Cats fed carbohydrate-heavy kibble (cat biscuits) are more likely to develop plaque, tartar, and even gum disease.
In contrast, raw-fed cats typically have cleaner teeth, stronger jaws, healthier gums, and fresher breath. Chewing chunks of meat and raw meaty bones acts like a natural toothbrush and floss, scraping away plaque while exercising jaw muscles. This isn’t just cosmetic, oral bacteria can spread to vital organs, so keeping teeth and gums healthy supports long-term wellbeing.
Healthier skin and shinier coats
A raw diet supports your cat’s skin and coat health by delivering essential fatty acids that nourish from the inside out. Many cat parents notice a visible difference within weeks: coats become softer, glossier, and silky to the touch.
Raw feeding is also believed to reduce shedding and minimise hairballs, and plenty of owners happily report this as true. In our household though, it hasn’t made much difference. Our cats all have thick, medium-length coats, and they still shed heavily especially during seasonal changes, even with regular brushing.
Smaller, less smelly poop
One of the best benefits of a raw diet for cats is what happens in the litter box. When cats are fed a species appropriate raw diet, their bodies use more of their food, stools become smaller, drier, and almost odourless.
When our cats ate commercial cat food, they pooped daily and had larger, smellier stools. On a raw diet, their bowel movements are about half the size, nearly odourless, and usually every two to three days. Less scooping, less smell, that’s a definite plus for cat parents.
More energy and better weight control
Think of how you feel after a heavy, processed meal: sluggish, sleepy, and unmotivated. Cats are no different. Their energy levels are directly linked to the quality of their food. A species-appropriate raw diet, rich in high-quality meat protein and balanced nutrients, fuels both their body and mind, leaving cats more alert, more active, and more playful.
If your cat usually spends most of the day snoozing in a sunny spot, don’t be surprised if they suddenly show more interest in toys or interactive play once they’re eating raw food. Our own cats made the switch when they were young, and even now, well into their senior years, they’re still active and enjoy daily play sessions.
For cats who are overweight, the change can be even more dramatic. The combination of increased energy, renewed interest in play, and a biologically appropriate diet helps shed excess grams naturally. Raw feeding supports appetite regulation and a healthy metabolism, making it easier for cats to maintain a healthy weight without restrictive portion control.
Improved hydration and urinary health
Unlike dogs, cats don’t naturally drink much water. Instead, they’re built to get most of their hydration from their food. This makes diet one of the most important factors in protecting their kidneys and urinary health.
While commercial canned food provides a moisture content closer to what cats need, kibble-fed cats are often chronically dehydrated. Over time, that lack of hydration can take a toll, contributing to health issues like urinary tract problems and even chronic kidney disease (CKD).
Raw food, on the other hand, naturally contains around 70% moisture, very similar to the water content of small prey such as mice and birds. Feeding raw helps your cat stay properly hydrated, supporting healthy kidney function, efficient toxin flushing, and lowering the risk of painful urinary conditions like cystitis, infections, bladder stones, and crystals.
Healing through raw feeding: Charlie’s story
Charlie’s journey shows why so many cat parents answer yes when asked, is a raw diet good for cats? As a kitten, he struggled with frequent bouts of diarrhoea, vomiting, and nausea due to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). We tried everything – commercial raw diets, novel proteins, even prescription medications, but nothing worked.
Finally, we made the gradual switch to a carefully prepared homemade raw diet. Within weeks, his symptoms began to improve. Within six months, flare-ups became rare. Today, Charlie is a thriving senior cat with no signs of IBD. Raw feeding didn’t just improve his digestion, it gave him a new lease on life.
Final thoughts
From the litter box to their overall wellbeing, the benefits of a raw diet for cats are far-reaching. Better digestion means smaller, less smelly stools. Higher moisture content keeps them properly hydrated, protecting kidney and urinary health. Balanced, high-quality proteins fuel steady energy and support a healthy weight, while essential fatty acids nourish their skin and coat, leaving it soft, glossy, and healthy.
After more than a decade of raw feeding, we’ve seen these improvements across all our cats,and Charlie’s transformation proves just how life-changing it can be.
So, is raw diet good for cats? In our experience, absolutely. Feeding a species-appropriate raw diet gives cats the best chance to live long, healthy, and happy lives.
🐾 Thinking about a raw diet for your cat? Start with our Complete Guide to Raw Feeding Cats.
I have fed my dogs raw off and on, but not the kitties yet. I like this post. Makes me want to try this with my own 🙂
We might have to try Ricky on raw again. He didn’t seem to care for it when we gave it to him last time.
I’ve read a lot about the benefits of raw feeding for cats. I’m glad it’s working for some. I don’t have plans to switch at this time, but I do like to keep informed about it.
It is amazing what a species appropriate diet can do for a kitty! Cat food is slowly evolving. I think it some ways that slowness has to do with misconceptions that many people have about nutrition in general. All of the carbs that humans are eating these days aren’t good for us either. I love the idea of raw diets and it is something that I would love to be able to do, but to make a long story short, I’m doing the best I can with the resources I have.
I am trying REALLY hard to get Dusty (14) to eat 100% raw but he won’t. I know its better for him so I try to make it predominantly Jimbo’s raw or Feline Natural freeze dried raw as a compromise. I know it’s a slow steady process transitioning to raw and you can’t just ‘do it’ – fair enough. I will keep trying with Dusty. Some of our others do not like raw at the moment, but others enjoy a portion!
Great information thanks! I hate when people try to make their cats vegetarian. I’ve never tried feeding raw, but have tried freeze dried raw, my dogs love it!
I have started adding a bit of freeze dried raw as a topper to Rosie’s food. She’s mildly interested so we will keep experimenting and see what happens.
I’m going to switch to raw for one of my dogs as soon as I can. The health benefits are amazing. It’s great to know it’s so good for cats too!
I love the idea of a raw diet, processed food just can’t be the best way to feed any animal, but I’m so worried about messing it up, especially since my pets already do okay with their kibble.
Mr. N loves eating raw and we’ve definitely noticed a difference since we switched.
This is great info for anyone with a cat! All benefits are amazing, but I think my sister would say that her cat doesn’t need more energy ?
These are such great reasons to feed a raw food diet to cats. I am looking into making the switch!
My cat had IBS, he has been on a raw diet supplemented with dry food purchased at the pet store. It took three months to get his system on track and now he has a great coat and is actually grooming himself, no more clumps. (ps I had to have him shaved due to the fact with having IBS he would not groom)
I haven’t tried feeding my cat raw food yet. My main issue is preparing having time to prepare the food (and there are no freeze or dry raw food alternatives where I live).
We eat a partly raw diet, and it works great for us! It would be even better if we could always eat raw, but price wise, it’s prohibitive since my human doesn’t grind it herself. Binga does get a mostly-raw diet, because she has been helped the most by it.
Raw diets are great, but I feel like there are many cat owners who don’t really understand what a complete raw diet entails. Many cat owners completely forget about the importance of feeding organs, bones (or replacements), and proper supplementation. There’s so many great resources out there, and many established recipes. If your new to raw feeding, please seek out these resources (there are many great articles here at pawesomecats)!!
Mum finally switched us to raw feeding three weeks ago, and we all love it : Zorro eats with pleasure, as if he had always been waiting for being fed raw, I love meaty bones, and Mum is delighted to see that we product small non-stinking stools. Joy is in the air ! Purrs
I would love to switch Cosmo to raw, but he’s not interested. So I’ve started adding freeze dried raw to his meals and I’m working on transitioning him from kibble to canned. I bought several cases of Tiki Cat (through our co-op) and he’s barely interested. I’ll be trying Bravo next. He’s so frustrating, but I love him.
I must confess that I never thought about trying a raw food diet for my cat. Fortunately he has never had health issues and, on the other hand, raw feeding isn’t practical on a busy daily routine. But this is great information and if it helps with certain health conditions it’s an option to consider.
I agree, Right now I have an 18 y/o cat without any medical problems. Lab works from the vet are always in the normal range. He gets can pet food, but the one I use is organic with no grain and no by products, and no GMO and made with pure meats and made in america with only american products.. I really see no reason to switch to a raw diet with my busy schedule and increase the chance of adding e-coli or salmonella to their system.
I am a raw feeder for my dogs, but I have a pack of picky cats that absolutely will NOT eat raw. My oldest cat complied for awhile, but in time, he was much more likely to bury the food than he was to eat it. Super frustrating. So we're back to cooked foods. I'm sad, too, as I really liked the way his coat looked on raw.
We are big believers in raw feeding as well. We have NO fleas, great teeth and breath, less poo, less smelly poo and their overall condition is much improved over kibble feeding. The less poo is a great bonus as we have several large dogs here. 😉
We’re getting some commercial raw now with mixed acceptance levels between us. The one cat who will probably benefit most is most reluctant to eat it, so we aren’t sure how the experiment will turn out, but it really does make sense that we eat the kind of food our bodies are made for.
Great post. If you make your own raw from chicken, it can actually be much less expensive than commercial canned food. Mom has been making our raw food for years and we love it.
GREAT article! I fed my cats a raw diet for a couple of years, and it made a world of difference for Sophie, who has food allergies and chronic URIs. I was doing a combination of homemade and commercial ground. The cats loved it, and I had absolutely no trouble introducing them to it – they took right to it! But then we moved, and with everything going on to prepare for the move I had to put a hold on the raw diet because I didn’t have time to prepare it. I had every intention of switching back once we got settled, but here we are a year later and I haven’t done it. SHAME ON ME! I really need to get back on it.
I have often thought about a raw diet but I have so many cats, I don’t think we could afford it. Also, the majority of the cats live outside and they do catch their own raw food every now and then.. I like them to catch their own since then it is very fresh for them. I know myself, when I freeze food, it doesn’t taste nearly as well as before freezing. But great post.