7 Best Fresh Cat Foods

• Made In: United States
• Guaranteed Protein: 38%
• Age Range: All Life Stages
• Calories Per Ounce: 106
• Calories Per Pound: 1696
• Typical Cost Per Day: $0.90 per day

Open Farm is a newer pet food brand that’s earned our respect with excellent transparency and end-to-end quality, including detailed information on ingredient sourcing, partnerships with ethical suppliers, and typical analyses available for each recipe.

What distinguishes Open Farm’s RawMix from other dry foods is its inclusion of freeze-dried raw ingredients. The line’s Grain-Free Open Prairie recipe features nutrient-packed kibble coated in a blend of bone broth and freeze-dried raw meat.

While this formula is carbohydrate-heavy, we like that it contains more animal-derived protein than other Open Farm formulas. This recipe derives its animal protein from chicken, turkey, and menhaden fish meal. Additional protein comes from chicken liver, chicken neck, and whitefish meal. This recipe is fairly low in fat, so it isn’t as calorie-dense as others on this list.

Sample buyer review...
"I used Open Farm when I used to feed my cats kibble. I personally really love their sustainability model and the fact that every ingredient is listed and comes with a source. It makes me feel better about what I'm feeding my cats. It's a very healthy food too! It's not high on carbs, but every kibble is. It has a fairly high protein content too. My cats were always eager to eat it as well."

• Made In: United States
• Guaranteed Protein: 21%
• Age Range: All Life Stages
• Calories Per Ounce: 50
• Calories Per Pound: 800
• Typical Cost Per Day: $4 per day

The thing that I like most about Raised Right is its exceptional transparency. The brand offers complete nutrient profiles and information on their lab testing on the website. Raised Right was also the first company to voluntarily submit a recipe to be tested by Check Your Pet Food, an independent organization testing pet food for nutritional adequacy, contamination, and more.

Like Smalls, Just Food for Cats, and My Perfect Pet (which we’ll review next), Raised Right offers 100% human-grade cat food, meaning that not only are the ingredients USDA human-grade but the foods are made in a human food facility as well.

Four recipes are available. You can choose from turkey, chicken, turkey and pumpkin, and chicken and pumpkin formulas. Regardless of the primary protein, all of these recipes share a variety of plant ingredients, including organic spearmint, flaxseed oil, parsley, and dried kelp.

• Made In: United States
• Guaranteed Protein: 14.5%
• Age Range: All Life Stages
• Calories Per Ounce: 40
• Calories Per Pound: 640
• Typical Cost Per Day: $4.00 per day

Smalls is a fresh cat food delivery service that uses human-grade ingredients, including premium proteins like chicken, turkey, beef, and fish. Choose from minced-style recipes or classic pâté to provide your cat with protein-rich, low-carb cat food that’s formulated for cats of all life stages.

The brand’s Fresh Ground Bird recipe features chicken and chicken liver as its top two ingredients. With green beans, kale, and dandelion greens as the only plant ingredients, this formula is very low in carbohydrates. It offers plenty of animal-sourced omega-3 fatty acids and is rich in hydrating moisture.

When you place your first order, you’ll receive a sampler pack catered to your cat’s protein preferences and dietary requirements. You can adjust your meal plan, pause deliveries, or cancel your subscription through the customer portal, via email, or by text. Every Smalls subscription includes free treats for life.

Sample buyer review...
We have overall really, really loved Smalls. The quality is outstanding and we have seen several health benefits for our girls - most noticeably their coats, and the smell of the litter box is much much less! Deliveries have always been good, never any issues there.

• Made In: United States
• Guaranteed Protein: 8.10%
• Age Range: All Life Stages
• Calories Per Ounce: 30
• Calories Per Pound: 480
• Typical Cost Per Day: $3.60 per day

Though relatively new to the pet food industry, Open Farm has quickly become popular—especially among eco-conscious consumers. Open Farm pet food is made from responsibly sourced, human-grade ingredients. The brand’s sourcing policy emphasizes humanely raised poultry and meat, as well as sustainably-harvested wild-caught fish. All their fruits and vegetables are non-GMO.

This chicken-based recipe appears to rely primarily on animal-sourced protein, though it’s hard to say how much beans and legumes like garbanzo beans and lentils contribute to the total crude protein content. As a whole, the food is moderately high in protein, measured at nearly 39% on a dry matter basis, and fairly low in carbohydrates at under 20%.

The food’s dry matter fat content is almost equal to the protein content. At 30 calories per ounce, this recipe is fairly calorie-dense, so follow the feeding recommendations carefully if your cat is prone to weight gain. Overall, if you prefer to support brands that are conscious of their impact on the environment, Open Farm might be a good pick.

• Guaranteed Protein: 9%
• Age Range: All Life Stages
• Calories Per Ounce: 29.40
• Calories Per Pound: 464
• Typical Cost Per Day: $1.02 per day

Cats can be finicky in their food preferences; some prefer certain types, flavors, and textures. If you’re having trouble getting your cat to eat traditional canned or dry cat foods, this stew-style recipe from Caru might pique their interest. It also doesn’t hurt that the dry matter carbohydrate content of this recipe is very low.

Caru’s grain-free Turkey Stew is made with a single source of animal protein: turkey muscle meat. The food is gently cooked in turkey bone broth for flavor and moisture, so it supports your cat’s hydration as well. That said, some reviewers comment that the food contains too much liquid and verges on soupy. When it comes to the texture of cat food, your cat has the final say.

This wet cat food is fairly expensive, costing over $3.50 a day to feed the average 10-pound cat. It does, however, come in resealable cardboard cartons rather than cans, so it’s easy to store the leftovers if you prefer to mix it with another food.

Sample buyer review...
"I bought this for my cat after she had dental surgery (6 teeth removed) because I figured she’d like to have something soft to eat. So I gave her a small bowl of it, then started using it to soften her dry food. She goes crazy for it! I bought some of the less expensive, regular chicken broth for cats and dogs, too, but she didn’t seem to like it. I’m giving her this stuff as a treat now."

• Made In: United States
• Guaranteed Protein: 15%
• Age Range: All Life Stages
• Calories Per Ounce: 36
• Calories Per Pound: 576
• Typical Cost Per Day: $4.00 per day

Featuring salmon and cod as the main ingredients, this fish-based fresh cat food has a smooth, pate texture. Measured as dry matter, the food contains over 62% protein and around 20% fat. Combined with the recipe’s low carbohydrate content, it’s another carnivore-appropriate formula.

Not only is this recipe easily digestible for most cats, but the salmon, cod, and cod liver oil all provide animal-sourced omega-3 fatty acids. These fatty acids may help keep your cat’s coat shiny and soft.

Though packed with animal-sourced protein, this recipe is much less calorie-dense than the previous two formulas. As such, it may be an appropriate choice for overweight cats who need to shed a few pounds. To maintain or gain weight, however, your cat may need larger portions of this food which could increase your monthly subscription cost.

Sample buyer review...
"Excellent product and customer service. I have a fur baby with a picky palate, sensitive stomach, and struggles with drinking water. He loves Smalls fish and so does his stomach. Grateful for the extra hydration it provides."