INSTINCT Original Kitten Grain-Free Recipe with Real Chicken Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Dry Cat Food, 4.5-lb bag - Chewy.com

Instinct Original Kitten Grain-Free Recipe with Real Chicken Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Dry Cat Food, 4.5-lb bag

By Instinct
Rated 4.1818 out of 5 stars
Price:
$29.98Chewy Price
($6.67/lb)
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About This Item

Details

  • Cage-free chicken is the first ingredient for high animal protein to support the energy needed for growth and play.
  • Includes 81% real animal ingredients and nutritious oils plus 19% vegetables, fruits and other wholesome ingredients.
  • Tailored nutrition for kittens includes a balanced mix of poultry, fish and meat for healthy exposure to proteins plus natural DHA for brain and eye development.
  • Guaranteed levels of live, natural probiotics, natural omegas and antioxidants to support digestive health, healthy skin and coat, and immune health.
  • Made in the USA using premium ingredients from around the world, with the pure nutrition of raw in every piece.

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Nutritional Information

Feeding Instructions

Play Video: Learn More About Instinct From Our Team of Experts
Learn More About Instinct From Our Team of Experts


About Instinct Original Kibble for Kittens

Raw Coated Kibble

Instinct offers a variety of natural dry food recipes with added vitamins and minerals to suit your furry family member’s needs. And with freeze-dried raw coating on every piece of kibble, adding the nutrition and taste of raw into your pet’s diet is easy!

Grain-Free Kibble

Instinct’s grain-free, raw-coated kitten kibble is crafted with 81% real animal ingredients and nutritious oils, along with 19% veggies, fruits and other wholesome ingredients. The balanced mix of poultry, fish and meat provide healthy exposure to proteins, while natural DHA from chicken eggs supports brain and eye development.

Pure, Real Nutrition of Raw on Every Piece

PROTEIN PACKED

With responsibly sourced real meat as the first ingredient, these recipes are packed with animal protein for strong, lean muscles.

OMEGAS 3 AND 6

Naturally occurring omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids support skin and coat health.

ANTIOXIDANTS

Antioxidant-rich vegetables and fruits help support immune health.

PROBIOTICS

Guaranteed levels of live, natural probiotics are included to support your dog’s digestive health.

RAW COATING

Instinct crushes and tumbles their freeze-dried raw with their kibble, ensuring raw is on every piece!

MADE WITHOUT FILLERS

These recipes are made without grain, potato, corn, wheat, soy, by-product meal or artificial colors or preservatives.

The Benefits of Raw

Instinct believes that eating a diet rich in raw, unprocessed foods is just as good for our pets as it is for us. They make every meal with the understanding that real, less-processed, whole raw foods can have the power to transform lives.

Better Digestion

More Energy & Vitality

Weight Improvement

Improved Skin And Coat

Excitement At Mealtime

About Instinct

Instinct has been crafting and perfecting raw recipes for over 15 years. From 100% raw frozen meals to freeze-dried, raw-coated kibble, Instinct gives you a variety of ways to incorporate raw into your pet’s diet. Their raw recipes are crafted in their own kitchens in Lincoln, Nebraska, to ensure the highest standards in quality and food safety according to SQF standards.
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Questions & Answers

16 Customer Questions


What purpose does the clay in this recipe serve?
Answer by ChewySep 27, 2022
Montmorillonite Clay is approved by AAFCO for use as an anticaking processing aid to absorb excess moisture and to help keep the food from clumping.

Does the kitten dry food have gluten in it? Is it also approved by the AAFCO? Do they have the kitten formula in rabbit?
Answer by ChewyJan 12, 2019
This variety is grain and gluten free. It is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Cat Food Nutrient Profiles for growth. The kitten variety is only made in a chicken flavor by the manufacturer, at this time.

At what age should kittens be switched from this to Instinct Original for adults?
Answer by ChewySep 24, 2020
When cats are over 12 months of age, transition to Instinct Kibble for Adult Cats.

With this being a raw food, what is the risk of salmonella? Is it pasteurized, or does being freeze-dried reduce the risk?
Answer by ChewyNov 05, 2020
Instinct uses High Pressure Processing (also known as HPP or Cold Pressure) on all of their frozen and freeze-dried raw recipes to ensure they are free from pathogenic bacteria like Salmonella, E. Coli, and Listeria. This is the same process used for human foods like cold-pressed juices and guacamole. They also test every batch for safety before it leaves our facilities.


ReviewsWrite a Review

4.2
Rated 4.1818 out of 5 stars
198 Ratings
86%
Would recommend to a friend
1
9.596
10%
2
6.0606
6%
3
8.5859
9%
4
8.0808
8%
5
67.6768
68%

198 Customer Reviews



Rated 5 out of 5 stars
By Mel on May 7, 2023

Kittens love this!

We got our two kittens when they were 4 months old, and they immediately loved this and gobbled it up, even though they'd been eating different food at their foster mom's. They would come running anytime they heard me move their bowl or touch the scoop. They liked to also play with this food, knocking it out on the floor and chasing it around. Enrichment! They're 10 months old now and still loving this. I only hope I can find a cat food they love just as much as this kitten food.


Rated 4 out of 5 stars
By ashley on Apr 29, 2023

good

my kitten finished the whole bag! i usually feed just a little bit of kibble with a base of wet and freeze-dried raw food, so this bag lasted several months. just a note: i didn't notice before but the freeze-dried meats are near the very bottom of the ingredient list, so this kibble seems to have very little freeze-dried raw meat


Rated 2 out of 5 stars
By wetfood on Feb 18, 2023

instinct kitten dry food, be aware

This kitten food has absolutely no problems with its nutrition supplement and my kittens seem to like the taste. However, please be aware the existence of the Montmorillonite clay in the ingredient list. It is a raw material used for anti-diarrhea. If your kitty has soft poops, then probably this will be a good choice for you. However, my kittens used to have totally normal healthy formed stool until trying the new kitten food from instinct. My lil ragdoll meow at me so bad trying to find the right spot right position to poop in her litter tray. Whereas my other cat was totally fine. (Really depends on cats) I can tell constipation is painful for human, and so for cats. BE AWARE!


Rated 1 out of 5 stars
By daisy on May 19, 2023

Bleh! Not good!

I love Instinct’s raw food topper so I thought this would also be a hit with my cats, but I was very wrong, they HATE it!


Rated 5 out of 5 stars
By Catherine on Feb 20, 2023

Clear winner!

My two kittens were on a different food, and this one looked intriguing. They free feed from two bowls on the counter. I filled one with this food, one with their previous food. Consistently, they wouldn't eat the other food until this one was completely gone. I ran out of this food, and they're still finishing off the bag of the other food.


Rated 5 out of 5 stars
By donutgirl on Jan 30, 2023

Favorite kibble for kittens

I've heard such good things about Instinct's dry food for kittens and it definitely lives up to the hype in my opinion. My baby LOVES the kibble! She comes running once she hears the bag opening. I use it as a topper along with her wet food and she always leaves the kibble for last to munch on.


Rated 5 out of 5 stars
By Mariah on Dec 15, 2022

Healthy Kittens Love It

I adopted my two, 3 month old kittens from a shelter a few weeks ago and they sent me home with a different dry food brand (Hills). After researching and looking at ingredients, I decided I needed to switch. It was important to me that my kitties food was grain-free and low carb since cats are naturally carnivores. I also wanted something with no by-products and specific to kittens nutritional needs. I watched a bunch of comparison videos and decided on Instinct. I started out mixing it with their old food and my kittens easily made the switch in a week. They love it and eat it much faster than they did their previous dry food. Also as a note, hydration is really important for cats, so I feed them only a half dry food diet mostly for the cheaper cost than 100% wet. My kittens really like the wet food made for kittens by Instinct also. Nulo duck and tuna is also a healthy favorite.


Rated 5 out of 5 stars
By moxiso on Jan 7, 2023

Cats and I love it!

I did a good amount of research, and this was the dry food I found to best balance cost and ingredient quality. My cats are on a mostly wet food diet, but they scarf this dry food down quickly when they get some.


Rated 2 out of 5 stars
By Theresa on Nov 29, 2022

My cat refused it

I thought yay, finally a "raw" food that's affordable. After almost begging my 10 month kitten to eat this I gave up and went back to her old food. (hense low rating) She's not a picky eater at all and I'm not saying that your cat won't love it. Just my experience was a poor one with this food.


Rated 4 out of 5 stars
By Gabby on Jan 31, 2023

Ten times, YES!

If you have a cat that needs a high protein diet, this is for you! This has been the absolute best food for my sphynx family!