Should I Feed Dry Food with the Raw Food?

Should I Feed Dry Food with the Raw Food?


Why mixing raw and kibble doesn't work.

The short answer is no. The longer answer is worth understanding.

The most common reason people mix raw and dry is to ease the transition - keep a bit of the familiar around while introducing the new. It is understandable. It also tends to slow the transition down significantly, because if dry food is still available, most cats will choose it.

They are imprint eaters. They default to what they know. Leaving kibble in the house while trying to transition to raw is a bit like trying to quit something while keeping it in the cupboard. The intention is good. The outcome usually is not.

There is also a digestion argument. Raw meat and dry kibble move through the digestive system at different rates. Raw is processed relatively quickly. Kibble, which is dense, low in moisture, and high in carbohydrates, takes considerably longer. Feeding both together means the gut is dealing with two things that want to move at different speeds, which can show up as inconsistent stools, vomiting, or general digestive unsettledness.

And then there is the more fundamental issue: dry food and raw food are working in opposite directions. Raw feeding is about moisture, animal protein, appropriate fat, and minimal processing. Kibble is low moisture, heavily processed, and carbohydrate-heavy.

Adding kibble to a raw diet does not complement it. It partially undoes it.

If you are using dry food as a fallback for when raw is not convenient, that is worth reconsidering too. A better backup is canned food - still processed, but at least moisture is present and it does not create the same digestive conflict.

Balanced raw on its own is the goal. Not because of rigid rules, but because it is the version that actually works.

Back to blog