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Instinct Cat Food Review

Company HQ

LocationLincoln, Nebraska

Parent company

M.I. Industries

Sourcing and Manufacturing

LocationUnited States

Type of food

Dry Cat Food, Wet Kitten Food, Wet Frozen Cat Food, Wet Cat Food, Freeze-Dried Cat Food, Dry Kitten Food, Freeze-Dried Kitten Food, Wet Frozen Kitten Food

Ratings

69%
? This rating is determined by comparing the food’s nutritional content to AAFCO standards and other foods in our database. Nutrient Value 71%
? Each recipe is evaluated based on a 5-point ingredient rating system that measures ingredients’ nutritional value, safety, and more. Quality of Ingredients 73%
? We scan the FDA’s database and rate each brand by the number of recalls in its history. Brands with fewer recalls receive higher ratings. Recall History 100%
? By comparing the prices of foods in our database, we determine if a food is above or below market average price. Lower-priced foods receive higher ratings. Price 47%
? This metric is based on customer ratings from various retailers. Customer Experience 75%
? Our rating system evaluates each food’s manufacturing method, assigning higher ratings to manufacturing processes that promote higher nutritional value. Manufacturing Method 48%

Where to Buy

Amazon 44 recipes available View Chewy 56 recipes available View PetFlow 47 recipes available View Only Natural Pet 21 recipes available View Petco 53 recipes available View PetSmart 25 recipes available View Walmart 43 recipes available View
Pros
  • To our knowledge, Instinct has never had a product recall
  • Foods are nutritionally complete and balanced according to AAFCO standards
  • All recipes are free of artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives
Cons
  • Some recipes contain plant-based protein
  • Lower than average protein content
  • Price is above market average

Brand Overview

Instinct is a Nature’s Variety brand that focuses on providing pets with simple, real, raw meals. The raw ingredients in Nature’s Variety are freeze-dried for convenience. The company offers food for dogs and cats alike, including grain-free and limited ingredient diets.

How Much Does Instinct Cat Food Cost

We’ve compared Instinct cat food price to the other 197 cat food brands in our database.

Instinct Dry Cat Food Price Comparison

Brand Avg Market Avg % From the Avg
Price per lb $6.42 $4.42 +45%
Price per 100 kcal $0.33 $0.28 +21%
Price per day $0.20 $0.16 +25%

Instinct Dry Cat Food is priced above the average market price for cat food.

Instinct Wet Kitten Food Price Comparison

Brand Avg Market Avg % From the Avg
Price per oz $0.47 $0.50 -6%
Price per 100 kcal $1.38 $1.66 -17%
Price per day $0.83 $1.00 -17%

Instinct Wet Kitten Food is priced below the average market price for cat food.

Instinct Wet Frozen Cat Food Price Comparison

Brand Avg Market Avg % From the Avg
Price per lb $7.99 $9.00 -11%
Price per 100 kcal $1.07 $1.34 -20%
Price per day $0.64 $0.80 -20%

Instinct Wet Frozen Cat Food is priced below the average market price for cat food.

Instinct Wet Cat Food Price Comparison

Brand Avg Market Avg % From the Avg
Price per oz $0.62 $0.52 +19%
Price per 100 kcal $2.13 $2.15 -1%
Price per day $1.28 $1.29 -1%

Instinct Wet Cat Food is priced within the average market price for cat food.

Instinct Freeze-Dried Cat Food Price Comparison

Brand Avg Market Avg % From the Avg
Price per oz $2.53 $2.98 -15%
Price per 100 kcal $1.86 $2.29 -19%
Price per day $1.12 $1.38 -19%

Instinct Freeze-Dried Cat Food is priced below the average market price for cat food.

Instinct Dry Kitten Food Price Comparison

Brand Avg Market Avg % From the Avg
Price per lb $5.88 $4.87 +21%
Price per 100 kcal $0.29 $0.28 +4%
Price per day $0.17 $0.17 0%

Instinct Dry Kitten Food is priced within the average market price for cat food.

Instinct Freeze-Dried Kitten Food Price Comparison

Brand Avg Market Avg % From the Avg
Price per oz $2.63 $2.63 0%
Price per 100 kcal $2.01 $2.01 0%
Price per day $1.20 $1.20 0%

Instinct Freeze-Dried Kitten Food is priced within the average market price for cat food.

Instinct Wet Frozen Kitten Food Price Comparison

Brand Avg Market Avg % From the Avg
Price per lb $7.19 $7.19 0%
Price per 100 kcal $0.97 $0.97 0%
Price per day $0.58 $0.58 0%

Instinct Wet Frozen Kitten Food is priced within the average market price for cat food.

Instinct Nutrient Profile Comparison

We’ve compared Instinct cat food recipes nutrient profile to the other 197 cat food brands in our database.

Dry Cat Food

Brand Avg Market Avg % From the Avg
DM Protein 44.22% 38.82% +14%
DM Fat 20.43% 16.74% +22%
DM Fiber 4.11% 5.11% -20%
DM Carb 31.25% 38.00% -18%

Wet Kitten Food

Brand Avg Market Avg % From the Avg
DM Protein 54.55% 50.77% +7%
DM Fat 27.27% 24.53% +11%
DM Fiber 4.55% 6.79% -33%
DM Carb 13.64% 10.56% +29%

Wet Frozen Cat Food

Brand Avg Market Avg % From the Avg
DM Protein 40.00% 51.87% -23%
DM Fat 30.00% 26.49% +13%
DM Fiber 10.00% 2.88% +247%
DM Carb 20.00% 15.63% +28%

Wet Cat Food

Brand Avg Market Avg % From the Avg
DM Protein 47.42% 52.90% -10%
DM Fat 23.13% 17.74% +30%
DM Fiber 9.32% 6.38% +46%
DM Carb 20.14% 14.00% +44%

Freeze-Dried Cat Food

Brand Avg Market Avg % From the Avg
DM Protein 40.43% 48.50% -17%
DM Fat 36.17% 26.84% +35%
DM Fiber 3.19% 4.67% -32%
DM Carb 20.21% 19.42% +4%

Dry Kitten Food

Brand Avg Market Avg % From the Avg
DM Protein 46.70% 40.93% +14%
DM Fat 24.73% 20.41% +21%
DM Fiber 3.30% 4.05% -19%
DM Carb 25.27% 32.98% -23%

Freeze-Dried Kitten Food

Brand Avg Market Avg % From the Avg
DM Protein 41.49% 41.49% 0%
DM Fat 29.79% 29.79% 0%
DM Fiber 4.26% 4.26% 0%
DM Carb 24.47% 24.47% 0%

Wet Frozen Kitten Food

Brand Avg Market Avg % From the Avg
DM Protein 46.67% 46.67% 0%
DM Fat 26.67% 26.67% 0%
DM Fiber 10.00% 10.00% 0%
DM Carb 16.67% 16.67% 0%

All of Instinct cat food recipes meets AAFCO's minimum requirements.

Recall History

The following list (if present) shows all cat food recalls related to Instinct Cat Food Review since 2011. If no recalls are listed, no recall events have been reported.

Since 2011 Instinct has never been recalled.

Explore All Reviews of Instinct Cat Food Recipes

Overall Score
82%
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Instinct Kitten Grain-Free Pate Real Chicken Recipe Natural Wet Canned Cat Food Instinct Kitten Grain-Free Pate Real Chicken Recipe Natural Wet Canned Cat Food
Cost per day $0.83
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Instinct Limited Ingredient Diet Grain-Free Pate Real Turkey Recipe Natural Wet Canned Cat Food Instinct Limited Ingredient Diet Grain-Free Pate Real Turkey Recipe Natural Wet Canned Cat Food
Cost per day $0.86
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Instinct Original Grain-Free Pate Real Venison Recipe Wet Canned Cat Food Instinct Original Grain-Free Pate Real Venison Recipe Wet Canned Cat Food
Cost per day $1.05
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Instinct Grain-Free Minced Recipe with Real Tuna Wet Cat Food Cups Instinct Grain-Free Minced Recipe with Real Tuna Wet Cat Food Cups
Cost per day $1.71
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Instinct Ultimate Protein Grain-Free Cage-Free Chicken Recipe Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Dry Cat Food Instinct Ultimate Protein Grain-Free Cage-Free Chicken Recipe Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Dry Cat Food
Cost per day $0.22
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Overall Score
77%
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Instinct Ultimate Protein Grain-Free Pate Real Chicken Recipe Wet Canned Cat Food Instinct Ultimate Protein Grain-Free Pate Real Chicken Recipe Wet Canned Cat Food
Cost per day $0.82
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Overall Score
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Instinct Original Grain-Free Pate Real Chicken Recipe Wet Canned Cat Food Instinct Original Grain-Free Pate Real Chicken Recipe Wet Canned Cat Food
Cost per day $0.85
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Instinct Original Grain-Free Pate Real Salmon Recipe Wet Canned Cat Food Instinct Original Grain-Free Pate Real Salmon Recipe Wet Canned Cat Food
Cost per day $1.00
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Overall Score
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Instinct Original Grain-Free Pate Real Lamb Recipe Canned Cat Food Instinct Original Grain-Free Pate Real Lamb Recipe Canned Cat Food
Cost per day $0.99
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Overall Score
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Instinct Original Grain-Free Recipe with Real Chicken Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Dry Cat Food Instinct Original Grain-Free Recipe with Real Chicken Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Dry Cat Food
Cost per day $0.14
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Overall Score
77%
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Instinct Original Grain-Free Recipe with Real Duck Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Dry Cat Food Instinct Original Grain-Free Recipe with Real Duck Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Dry Cat Food
Cost per day $0.14
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Overall Score
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Instinct Grain-Free Minced Recipe with Real Chicken Wet Cat Food Cups Instinct Grain-Free Minced Recipe with Real Chicken Wet Cat Food Cups
Cost per day $1.36
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Overall Score
77%
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Instinct Original Kitten Grain-Free Recipe with Real Chicken Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Dry Cat Food Instinct Original Kitten Grain-Free Recipe with Real Chicken Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Dry Cat Food
Cost per day $0.17
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Overall Score
77%
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Instinct Grain-Free Minced Recipe with Real Salmon Wet Cat Food Cups Instinct Grain-Free Minced Recipe with Real Salmon Wet Cat Food Cups
Cost per day $1.57
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Overall Score
76%
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Instinct Original Grain-Free Pate Real Rabbit Recipe Wet Canned Cat Food Instinct Original Grain-Free Pate Real Rabbit Recipe Wet Canned Cat Food
Cost per day $1.55
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Overall Score
76%
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Instinct Grain-Free Minced Recipe with Real Rabbit Wet Cat Food Cups Instinct Grain-Free Minced Recipe with Real Rabbit Wet Cat Food Cups
Cost per day $1.85
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Overall Score
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Instinct Raw Boost Grain-Free Recipe with Real Duck & Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Pieces Dry Cat Food Instinct Raw Boost Grain-Free Recipe with Real Duck & Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Pieces Dry Cat Food
Cost per day $0.21
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Overall Score
75%
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Instinct Original Grain-Free Recipe with Real Salmon Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Dry Cat Food Instinct Original Grain-Free Recipe with Real Salmon Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Dry Cat Food
Cost per day $0.17
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Overall Score
75%
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Instinct Original Grain-Free Recipe with Real Rabbit Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Dry Cat Food Instinct Original Grain-Free Recipe with Real Rabbit Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Dry Cat Food
Cost per day $0.19
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Overall Score
75%
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Instinct Raw Boost Grain-Free Recipe with Real Chicken & Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Pieces Dry Cat Food Instinct Raw Boost Grain-Free Recipe with Real Chicken & Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Pieces Dry Cat Food
Cost per day $0.19
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Overall Score
74%
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Instinct Original Grain-Free Pate Real Duck Recipe Wet Canned Cat Food Instinct Original Grain-Free Pate Real Duck Recipe Wet Canned Cat Food
Cost per day $0.97
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Overall Score
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Instinct Ultimate Protein Grain-Free Pate Real Rabbit Recipe Wet Canned Cat Food Instinct Ultimate Protein Grain-Free Pate Real Rabbit Recipe Wet Canned Cat Food
Cost per day $1.71
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Overall Score
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Instinct Ultimate Protein Grain-Free Cage-Free Duck Recipe Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Dry Cat Food Instinct Ultimate Protein Grain-Free Cage-Free Duck Recipe Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Dry Cat Food
Cost per day $0.29
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Overall Score
74%
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Instinct Raw Boost Indoor Grain-Free Recipe with Real Rabbit & Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Pieces Dry Cat Food Instinct Raw Boost Indoor Grain-Free Recipe with Real Rabbit & Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Pieces Dry Cat Food
Cost per day $0.26
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Overall Score
73%
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Instinct Limited Ingredient Diet Grain-Free Pate Real Rabbit Recipe Canned Cat Food Instinct Limited Ingredient Diet Grain-Free Pate Real Rabbit Recipe Canned Cat Food
Cost per day $1.59
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Instinct Raw Boost Indoor Grain-Free Recipe with Real Chicken & Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Pieces Dry Cat Food Instinct Raw Boost Indoor Grain-Free Recipe with Real Chicken & Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Pieces Dry Cat Food
Cost per day $0.21
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Instinct Limited Ingredient Diet Grain-Free Recipe with Real Turkey Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Dry Cat Food Instinct Limited Ingredient Diet Grain-Free Recipe with Real Turkey Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Dry Cat Food
Cost per day $0.15
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Overall Score
71%
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Instinct Frozen Raw Bites Grain-Free Cage-Free Chicken Recipe Cat Food Instinct Frozen Raw Bites Grain-Free Cage-Free Chicken Recipe Cat Food
Cost per day $0.64
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Overall Score
71%
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Instinct Raw Boost Healthy Weight Grain-Free Chicken & Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Pieces Recipe Dry Cat Food Instinct Raw Boost Healthy Weight Grain-Free Chicken & Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Pieces Recipe Dry Cat Food
Cost per day $0.21
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Overall Score
71%
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Instinct Raw Boost Grain-Free Recipe with Real Salmon & Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Pieces Dry Cat Food Instinct Raw Boost Grain-Free Recipe with Real Salmon & Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Pieces Dry Cat Food
Cost per day $0.21
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Overall Score
71%
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Instinct Bites Chicken Recipe Grain-Free Cage-Free Raw Frozen Kitten Food Instinct Bites Chicken Recipe Grain-Free Cage-Free Raw Frozen Kitten Food
Cost per day $0.58
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Overall Score
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Instinct Limited Ingredient Diet Grain-Free Recipe with Real Rabbit Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Dry Cat Food Instinct Limited Ingredient Diet Grain-Free Recipe with Real Rabbit Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Dry Cat Food
Cost per day $0.22
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Overall Score
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Instinct Limited Ingredient Diet Grain-Free Recipe with Real Salmon Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Adult Dry Cat Food Instinct Limited Ingredient Diet Grain-Free Recipe with Real Salmon Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Adult Dry Cat Food
Cost per day $0.20
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Overall Score
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Instinct Freeze-Dried Raw Meals Grain-Free Cage-Free Chicken Recipe Cat Food Instinct Freeze-Dried Raw Meals Grain-Free Cage-Free Chicken Recipe Cat Food
Cost per day $1.12
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Overall Score
63%
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Instinct Raw Meals Cage-Free Chicken Recipe Grain-Free Freeze-Dried Kitten Food Instinct Raw Meals Cage-Free Chicken Recipe Grain-Free Freeze-Dried Kitten Food
Cost per day $1.20
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FAQ

faq-item-image Who owns Instinct cat food?

Instinct is owned by M.I. Industries.

faq-item-image Where is Instinct cat food made?

Instinct is manufactured in the United States .

faq-item-image Is Instinct AAFCO approved?

Yes, all of Instinct recipes are AAFCO approved.

faq-item-image Has Instinct cat food been recalled?

No Instinct has never been recalled.

Disclaimer and Disclosure

At Pet Food Sherpa, our primary goal is to provide pet owners like you with accurate, relevant, and unbiased information about pet nutrition. As such, we do not accept gifts or incentives as motivation to include certain products in our reviews.

We do, however, participate in affiliate marketing programs and we partner with select brands to fund our site. We choose the products we review carefully and review them thoroughly before publishing a review or accepting any form of payment.

Proceeds from this program and our partners enable us to continue providing high-quality content to our readers. Read more about how we’re funded here.

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One thought on “Instinct Cat Food Review”

  • Joy

    The Instinct cannes cat food with the “made in the USA” stamp is a wonderful recipe. But now it is made in Thailand and it’s terrible. Coagulated globules on the top of grey food. The inside of the can is not lined. No pieces of carrots or peas in the recipe. Switching brands.

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