Dry Kibble Is Killing Your Cat (Literally): How I Transitioned My Felines to Raw Food Without a Feline Mutiny

Let’s get one thing straight: dry cat food is garbage.

I don’t care how “grain-free,” “organic,” or “made with love” it claims to be—

if it crunches like a cracker and comes from a bag,

it’s slowly killing your cat.

Yes, even the premium kind with cute fonts and pastel packaging.

I learned this the hard way—

after adopting two glorious Russian Blue cats who came to me addicted to Costco kibble.

I was horrified.

These majestic cats were eating what was essentially processed cereal...

with chicken dust.

Wild Cats Don’t Eat Cereal, So Why Are Yours?

Let’s take a moment to reflect on what a real cat eats.

Picture a wild feline:

sleek, focused, hunting with primal precision.

What’s it chasing?

A mouse. A bird.

Something squishy and bleeding.

Not a bowl of toasted cornmeal coated in “natural flavoring.”

Cats are obligate carnivores.

That means their bodies are biologically designed to eat meat, bones,

and organs—not grains, peas, lentils, soy, or “chicken meal byproduct no. 7.”

And here’s the kicker:

even the best dry food dehydrates your cat,

wrecks their kidneys,

causes chronic inflammation,

and can lead to obesity, diabetes, and cancer. 


Don’t believe me?

Here's a taste of the research:

• Chronic dehydration is nearly inevitable in kibble-fed cats and is a major contributor to feline kidney disease. Buffington et al., 2006.

• Carbohydrate-rich diets (aka most dry food) have been linked to feline obesity and diabetes. Cats aren't built to metabolize carbs efficiently. Appleton et al., 2004.

• A 2017 study found that processed pet foods contain advanced glycation end- products (AGEs)—known contributors to cancer and aging. Koontz et al., 2017.

In short?

If your cat’s food doesn’t rot, you probably shouldn’t feed it.

The Raw Truth: My Journey from Kibble to Kill Mode

So how do you go from dry food dependency to a juicy,

raw diet without your cats staging a hunger strike?

Slowly. Very slowly.

My first step was switching from cheap kibble to organic kibble.

(Think methadone for felines—still addictive, but slightly less toxic.)

But then something wild happened.

My neighbor’s raw-fed cat, Belle, started breaking into my house.

Yes—breaking and entering.

She bypassed my magnet-locked cat door and stole my cats’ kibble.

Why would a raw-fed cat raid a kibble stash? 


Same reason kids raised on kale will still inhale a Pop-Tart.

Kibble is chemically engineered to be addictive—

loaded with sprayed-on chemicals and rendered fats.

It’s feline junk food, and cats love it... until their kidneys fail.

The incident with Belle was my wake-up call.

If a healthy cat would risk her life for kibble,

maybe it’s not just “food”—maybe it’s a drug.

Step-by-Step: How to Transition Cats to a Raw Diet Without Getting Clawed

1. Don’t mix dry food with raw food. Ever.

Different digestion rates = bloating, gas, and digestive chaos. That’s a hard no.

2. Start with organic canned food.

Mix it 50/50 with dry. Reduce the dry slooooowly. If the canned isn’t organic, it’s probably loaded with GMOs. That’s a no from me.

3. Once they’re fully off kibble, introduce a little raw food.

I used this great local brand called feedthis.com (they ship all over the country), but there are many great raw brands, just read ingredients as some raw food blends have fruit and junk cats should not eat. Start with a tiny amount mixed into the canned.

4. Sprinkle in nutritional yeast like cat fairy dust.

This was my holy grail. When my cats gave me the “excuse me, what is this garbage?” look, a little yeast on top got them eating again. Eventually, I phased it out.

5. Go full raw.

Once they’re tolerating the raw/canned mix, you can start reducing the canned. Watch their digestion and energy. You’ll know when it’s time.

So... What Changed?

Everything. Within weeks:

They lost their flabby kibble weight

Their coats became butter-soft and gleamed in the sun

The fleas? Vanished.

Raw-fed cats have stronger skin microbiomes and immune responses.

They started catching gophers.

A lot of gophers. (Sorry, rodents. You had a good run.)

I didn’t just change their food—I changed their biology.

And they’re thriving.

Final Truth-Bomb:

If you wouldn’t feed your kid Cap’n Crunch for every meal, don’t feed your cat kibble.

Cats deserve real food.

Blood, bones, and all.

They're miniature lions,

not cereal-eating couch potatoes.

So yeah—it’s work.

It’s a process.

But it’s also the most loving thing you can do for your furry,

purring death machine.

Trust me.

They’ll thank you with a dead mouse on your pillow.

Where to Start If You’re Overwhelmed

I know the raw food rabbit hole can feel like a lot—been there.

If you want to skip the trial-and-error and start with a brand I trust in my bones,

check out http://www.feedthis.com.

Their formulations are clean, balanced, and biologically appropriate

(read: what your cat’s wild ancestors would actually eat).

No shady fillers. No sketchy sourcing.

Just real food for real health.

My cats are obsessed—and thriving.

Did this help you?

Feel free to share it or link to it—spreading healing is how we rise together.

Want More Raw Truth? Here’s the Research:

• Study: Markwell, P. J., Buffington, C. A. T., et al. (1999). Clinical evaluation of commercially available urinary acidification diets in the management of idiopathic cystitis in cats. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 214(3), 361–365.

• Summary: This prospective study compared recurrence rates of lower urinary tract disease (LUTD) in cats fed canned versus dry formulations of a urinary acidification diet. Results showed significantly fewer recurrences in cats fed the canned version.

• Source: avmajournals.avma.org

  
  

Dietary Carbohydrates and Feline Diabetes

• Study: Appleton, D. J., Rand, J. S., & Sunvold, G. D. (2004). Dietary carbohydrate source affects glucose concentrations, insulin secretion, and food intake in overweight cats. Nutrition Research, 24(6), 447–457.

• Summary: This study evaluated how different carbohydrate sources influence glucose metabolism in overweight cats. It found that the type of carbohydrate significantly affected glucose levels, insulin release, and food intake.

• Source: sciencedirect.com

  
  

• Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs) in Processed Pet Food and Cancer

• Article: High Heat Processing Creates Higher Levels of AGEs. (2018). Bark & Whiskers.

• Summary: This article discusses how the high-heat processing used in manufacturing most commercial pet foods can increase the presence of advanced glycation end products (AGEs), compounds associated with inflammation, cellular aging, and chronic diseases including cancer.

• Source: barkandwhiskers.com