Freeze dried cat food gives pet parents another option between traditional kibble and wet food, with high protein and low carbohydrates in the convenience of a dry food format.
Most freeze dried cat foods are raw, and many include ingredients like organ meat and ground bone. Others are fully cooked, use boneless cuts of meat, or approach the category with a different nutritional philosophy. So while the bags may all say "freeze dried," what's inside and how it's prepared can vary quite a bit.
In this blog, we'll take a look at some of the most popular freeze dried cat foods available, how they're made, and what they offer, to help pet parents compare their options.
- How This List Was Created
- Best Freeze Dried Cat Foods
- Weruva Freeze Dried Compared to Other Freeze Dried Cat Food Brands
- Why Is Weruva Freeze Dried Different?
- Freeze Dried With 0% Bones or Organs
- Is Weruva Freeze Dried Raw?
- How Much Protein Does Weruva Freeze Dried Have?
- Is Weruva Freeze Dried a Complete Meal?
- Weruva Freeze Dried Cat Food Recipes
- The Best Freeze Dried Cat Food
- Weruva Freeze Dried Dog Food Recipes
- FAQ's about Freeze Dried Cat Food
What Is Freeze Dried Cat Food?
Freeze dried cat food is made by removing moisture at low temperatures. The process creates a lightweight, shelf-stable food that can be served straight from the bag or rehydrated with water.
Freeze drying itself doesn't determine whether a food is raw or cooked. While many major freeze dried cat food brands use raw meat, Weruva Freeze Dried is cooked before going through the freeze drying process.
Pet parents can choose the format that fits how they want to feed, whether that's a raw diet or the convenience and nutritional benefits of freeze dried food without feeding raw meat.
Cooked, Not Raw: A New Approach to Freeze Dried Pet Food explores Weruva's fully cooked take on freeze dried pet food.
How This List Was Created
For our top pick, we looked to Cats.com's independent 2026 Best Cat Food guide rather than creating our own ranking.
Cats.com reports spending 3,192 hours researching cat food, vetting 266 brands and reviewing 10 key features to select 10 top foods across different categories. The foods were purchased at full retail price and evaluated through at-home testing, nutritional analysis, and research into each brand's reputation and customer satisfaction.
The guide was written by NAVC-certified Pet Nutrition Coach Kate Barrington and medically reviewed by veterinarian JoAnna Pendergrass, DVM.
Best Freeze Dried Cat Foods
1. Weruva Paw Lickin' Chicken Freeze Dried
Paw Lickin' Chicken Freeze Dried
Our fully cooked freeze dried recipe, inspired by our Paw Lickin' Chicken wet food.
Shop NowBest Overall Freeze Dried Cat Food
Cats.com named Weruva Paw Lickin' Chicken the Best Freeze Dried cat food in its 2026 Best Cat Food guide, highlighting its high protein content, single animal protein source, and fully cooked preparation.
Paw Lickin' Chicken Freeze Dried is inspired by one of Weruva's most popular wet food recipes and starts with 96% boneless, skinless chicken breast. Other ingredients include vitamins and minerals needed to make it a complete and balanced meal for adult cats.
Paw Lickin' Chicken is high in protein and very low in carbohydrates, with 79.6% protein and just 0.1% carbohydrates on a dry matter basis. The food is also relatively lean for the category, with 13.3% fat on a dry matter basis. Cats.com noted that its caloric density remains similar to average kibble despite the lower fat content.
Like all Weruva Freeze Dried recipes, it’s fully cooked before it’s freeze dried, so there's no raw meat to handle. It can be scooped and served directly from the bag much like a traditional dry food, or rehydrated with water or broth when additional moisture is preferred.
Why Paw Lickin' Chicken Freeze Dried Stands Out
- 96% boneless, skinless chicken breast
- Fully cooked before freeze drying
- 0% bones and organs
- Single source of animal protein
- 79.6% protein on a dry matter basis
- 0.1% carbohydrates on a dry matter basis
- Complete and balanced for adult cats
- Can be served dry or rehydrated
- Works as a complete meal, topper, or treat
- Grain free and gluten free
Cats.com listed only one notable drawback: like all dry and freeze dried foods, it’s naturally low in moisture. Rehydrating it before serving is an easy way to bring additional moisture back into the meal. For a complete nutritional overview, visit the Paw Lickin’ Chicken Freeze Dried product page.
How Does Weruva Compare to Other Freeze Dried Cat Foods?
There are plenty of established options in the freeze dried cat food aisle, with raw feeding making up a large part of the category.
Brands such as Stella & Chewy's, Primal, Vital Essentials and Instinct all offer freeze dried foods centered around raw nutrition. Their recipes and feeding philosophies vary, but raw meat, organs, and bone are common throughout the category.
Weruva Freeze Dried is fully cooked and made without bones or organs, giving pet parents who aren't looking for a raw diet another option.
Stella & Chewy's Freeze Dried Raw Dinner Morsels
Stella & Chewy's is well known for its freeze dried cat food, with a large selection of proteins including chicken, turkey, rabbit, beef, pork, duck, goose, salmon, and cod. Stella & Chewy's Chicken Dinner Morsels are made with 98% raw chicken, organs, and bone. The company uses high pressure processing as a food safety step while still positioning the finished food as raw. For pet parents specifically looking for a raw diet, Stella & Chewy's offers a range of protein options and recipes.
Primal Freeze Dried Raw Nuggets
Primal Pet Food’s Freeze Dried Raw Nuggets are also formulated around raw nutrition. Its Chicken & Salmon recipe combines cage-free chicken with ground bone, chicken liver and wild-caught salmon, along with fruits, vegetables, seeds, and other whole-food ingredients.
Primal offers several protein combinations and formulates its Freeze Dried Raw Nuggets to be served as a complete meal, topper or mix-in.
Vital Essentials Freeze Dried Raw Cat Food
Vital Essentials approaches freeze dried cat food through what it calls whole animal or "butcher cut" protein. The brand offers a broad range of animal proteins, including chicken, turkey, rabbit, pork, duck, and beef combinations. Its foods are designed for pet parents looking to feed raw in a convenient, shelf-stable format.
Instinct FreshDried Raw Meals for Cats
Instinct is another established brand in the raw pet food category. Its FreshDried line brings that feeding philosophy into a shelf-stable format, with recipes for both adult cats and kittens.
Like Stella & Chewy's, Primal and Vital Essentials, Instinct positions its freeze dried foods around raw nutrition.
Pet parents interested in raw freeze dried cat food have several established options to choose from. For those who prefer a fully cooked food, Weruva fills a less common space within the category.
Why Is Weruva Freeze Dried Different From Other Freeze Dried Cat Foods?
Weruva brings together a few qualities that aren't often found in the freeze dried pet food: fully cooked meat, 0% bones and organs, high protein and the flexibility to serve it as a complete meal, topper, or treat.
While much of the category is built around raw feeding. Weruva offers the convenience and protein-forward nutrition of freeze dried food in a fully cooked format.
It's shelf stable, easy to scoop, and can be served dry or rehydrated, making it simple to work into an everyday feeding routine. Freeze Dried Pet Food vs. Kibble: What's the Difference? takes a closer look at how dry food formats compare.
Why Does Weruva Freeze Dried Use 0% Bones and Organs?
Using boneless meat keeps muscle meat at the center of the recipe while helping minimize phosphorus contributed by bone.
Bones are naturally rich in minerals, including phosphorus. Weruva has long been mindful of phosphorus in cat food, so using deboned meat helps limit phosphorus coming from bone while still delivering a protein-rich diet.
Organs and bones are intentionally included in many raw freeze dried foods as part of a whole-prey or raw feeding philosophy. Weruva Freeze Dried focuses on muscle meat as the primary source of animal protein, with vitamins and minerals added to create a complete and balanced diet.
For us, 0% bones and organs is more than an ingredient callout. It reflects a focus on muscle meat, high protein, and thoughtful mineral levels.
Is Weruva Freeze Dried Raw?
No. Weruva Freeze Dried is fully cooked before it is freeze dried. "Freeze dried" describes how moisture is removed from the food. It doesn't mean the food has to be raw.
Raw foods remain raw through the freeze drying process. Weruva cooks the meat first, then freeze dries it, giving pet parents a fully cooked option without raw meat to handle.
How Much Protein Is in Weruva Paw Lickin' Chicken Freeze Dried?
Paw Lickin' Chicken Freeze Dried contains 79.6% protein on a dry matter basis.
Its nutritional profile is protein-forward, with 13.3% fat and just 0.1% carbohydrates on a dry matter basis. Chicken and chicken fat lead the ingredient list, followed by less than 1% tapioca starch and the vitamins and minerals needed to make the food complete and balanced.
Can Weruva Freeze Dried Be Fed as a Complete Meal?
Yes. Paw Lickin' Chicken Freeze Dried and Mideast Feast Freeze Dried are complete and balanced for adult cats.
Freeze Dried can be an everyday meal, but it doesn't have to be served the same way every day. The bite-sized pieces can be served straight from the bag, rehydrated into a softer texture, crumbled over another food, or offered individually as treats.
That flexibility makes it easy to use Freeze Dried as much or as little as you'd like, from a full bowl to a little extra on top. 5 Easy Ways to Feed Freeze Dried Pet Food has more ideas for serving it as a meal, topper or treat.
What Weruva Freeze Dried Cat Food Recipes Are Available?
Weruva offers two complete and balanced Freeze Dried recipes for adult cats, along with a phosphorus-focused Freeze Dried option for cats with specific nutritional needs.
Paw Lickin' Chicken Freeze Dried
Paw Lickin' Chicken Freeze Dried is the chicken recipe in the lineup, inspired by the Weruva wet food favorite of the same name.
Mideast Feast Freeze Dried
Mideast Feast Freeze Dried gives seafood-loving cats another option with 94% tuna, salmon and tilapia. It's complete and balanced for adult cats and can be served just like Paw Lickin' Chicken: dry, rehydrated, as a meal, topper, or treat.
Looking for Low Phosphorus Freeze Dried Cat Food?
Weruva also offers Wx Phos Focused Freeze Dried, bringing the convenience of our cooked Freeze Dried format to the Wx Phos Focused line.
Wx Phos Focused is different from the complete and balanced recipes above. Pet parents looking specifically for a phosphorus-focused food can learn more in Wx Phos Focused Freeze Dried: A Low Phosphorus Cat Food Solution.
Is Weruva the Best Freeze Dried Cat Food?
Cats.com named Weruva Paw Lickin' Chicken the Best Freeze Dried cat food in its 2026 Best Cat Food guide.
This recognition was based on the same qualities we've explored throughout this guide, including its high protein content, single animal protein source, and fully cooked preparation.
There's no single food that's going to be the right fit for every cat. Raw feeders have several established freeze dried brands to choose from, while pet parents looking for a fully cooked option have more select options.
For those looking for high protein, boneless animal protein and the convenience of freeze dried food without feeding raw, Paw Lickin' Chicken earned independent recognition to back up its place in the bowl.
Does Weruva Make Freeze Dried Dog Food?
Yes. Weruva also makes fully cooked Freeze Dried food for dogs.
The dog recipes use more than 75% animal-based proteins, including ingredients such as boneless, skinless chicken breast, sirloin tip, and egg. They're complete and balanced for everyday feeding and can be served straight from the bag or rehydrated.
Like the cat recipes, they're flexible enough to be a complete meal or an easy way to add a little extra protein as a topper or treat.
Weruva Dog Freeze Dried Food
Try fully cooked freeze dried for dogs too, available in three recipes.
Shop NowLearn more in Fully Cooked and Ready to Serve: Weruva Dog Freeze Dried.
Frequently Asked Questions About Freeze Dried Cat Food
What is the best freeze dried cat food?
Paw Lickin' Chicken Freeze Dried was named Best Freeze Dried cat food by Cats.com in its 2026 guide. The independent review highlighted its high protein content, single animal protein source and fully cooked preparation.
Is all freeze dried cat food raw?
No. Freeze drying removes moisture from food but doesn't cook it. Many popular freeze dried cat foods are raw, while Weruva cooks its animal proteins before freeze drying.
What is the best freeze dried cat food that isn't raw?
Cats.com's 2026 Best Freeze Dried pick, Weruva Paw Lickin' Chicken Freeze Dried, is fully cooked rather than raw and is complete and balanced for adult cats.
Is Weruva Freeze Dried complete and balanced?
Yes. Weruva Paw Lickin' Chicken Freeze Dried and Mideast Feast Freeze Dried are complete and balanced for adult cats and can be served as everyday meals. They can also be used as toppers or treats.
Does Weruva Freeze Dried contain bones or organs?
No. Weruva Cat Freeze Dried contains 0% bones and organs. Using deboned meat keeps the focus on muscle meat while helping minimize phosphorus contributed by bone.
Should I add water to freeze dried cat food?
Weruva Freeze Dried can be fed straight from the bag or rehydrated. Adding water increases the moisture in the meal and creates a softer texture, which some cats prefer. Fresh water should always be available.
Is freeze dried cat food better than kibble?
Neither format is automatically better for every cat. Ingredients, nutritional composition, and your cat's individual needs all play a role. Weruva Freeze Dried offers a high-protein, low-carbohydrate alternative to traditional kibble and can be rehydrated when additional moisture is preferred.
