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Instinct Cat Food Review

? This rating is determined by comparing the food’s nutritional content to AAFCO standards and other foods in our database. Nutrient Value 45%
? Each recipe is evaluated based on a 5-point ingredient rating system that measures ingredients’ nutritional value, safety, and more. Quality of Ingredients 75%
? 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 81%
? 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 66%
? This metric is based on customer ratings from various retailers. Customer Experience 80%
? Our rating system evaluates each food’s manufacturing method, assigning higher ratings to manufacturing processes that promote higher nutritional value Manufacturing Method 40%

Company HQ

LocationLincoln, Nebraska

Parent company

M.I. Industries

Sourcing and Manufacturing

LocationUnited States

Type of food

Dog Dry Food, Dog Wet Food, Cat Dry Food, Cat Wet Food, Dog Fresh Frozen Food, Cat Fresh Frozen Food

Where to Buy

Chewy PetFlow Only Natural Pet Petco PetSmart Walmart Amazon
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Pros

  • Foods are nutritionally complete and balanced according to AAFCO standards
  • Affordable
  • All animal protein comes from animal sourced ingredients

Cons

  • Lower than average protein content
  • The brand has been previously recalled

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 to the other 197 cat food brands in our database.

Brand Price Market Price Avg +- From the Avg
Cat Dry Food $4.54/oz $3.40/oz +$1.14/oz
Cat Wet Food $0.54/oz $0.43/oz +$0.11/oz
Cat Fresh Frozen Food $2.76/oz $3.23/oz -$0.47/oz
Instinct cat food is priced above the average market price for cat food.

Instinct Nutrient Profile comparison

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

Cat Dry Food

Brand Avg Market Avg +- From the Avg
Protein 44.37% 38.10% +6.27%
Fat 20.70% 17.04% +3.66%
Fiber 4.06% 5.15% -1.09%

Cat Wet Food

Brand Avg Market Avg +- From the Avg
Protein 47.91% 53.23% -5.32%
Fat 20.81% 17.34% +3.47%
Fiber 8.81% 6.50% +2.31%

Cat Fresh Frozen Food

Brand Avg Market Avg +- From the Avg
Protein 39.32% 48.60% -9.28%
Fat 29.32% 27.18% +2.14%
Fiber 12.33% 4.24% +8.09%
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 since 2009. If no recalls are listed, no recall events have been reported.

Instinct® - Instinct® Raw Chicken Formula for dogs (07/24/2015) -+
Date: 07/24/2015
Company Name: Nature's Variety
Product Description: Instinct® Raw Chicken Formula for dogs
Recall Reason: Salmonella
Read the Full FDA Report

Instinct Healthy Cravings Grain-Free Cuts & Gravy Real Rabbit Recipe Wet Cat Food Topper

Overall Score
77%
Instinct Healthy Cravings Grain-Free Cuts & Gravy Real Rabbit Recipe Wet Cat Food Topper
Cost Cost per day
$1.68
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Instinct Kitten Grain-Free Pate Real Chicken Recipe Natural Wet Canned Cat Food

Overall Score
75%
Instinct Kitten Grain-Free Pate Real Chicken Recipe Natural Wet Canned Cat Food
Cost Cost per day
$0.95
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Instinct Original Grain-Free Pate Real Lamb Recipe Canned Cat Food

Overall Score
74%
Instinct Original Grain-Free Pate Real Lamb Recipe Canned Cat Food
Cost Cost per day
$1.13
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Instinct Limited Ingredient Diet Grain-Free Pate Real Turkey Recipe Natural Wet Canned Cat Food

Overall Score
73%
Instinct Limited Ingredient Diet Grain-Free Pate Real Turkey Recipe Natural Wet Canned Cat Food
Cost Cost per day
$0.94
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Instinct Original Grain-Free Pate Real Chicken Recipe Wet Canned Cat Food

Overall Score
73%
Instinct Original Grain-Free Pate Real Chicken Recipe Wet Canned Cat Food
Cost Cost per day
$0.93
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Instinct Original Grain-Free Pate Real Salmon Recipe Wet Canned Cat Food

Overall Score
73%
Instinct Original Grain-Free Pate Real Salmon Recipe Wet Canned Cat Food
Cost Cost per day
$1.25
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Instinct Healthy Cravings Grain-Free Cuts & Gravy Real Salmon Recipe Wet Cat Food Topper

Overall Score
73%
Instinct Healthy Cravings Grain-Free Cuts & Gravy Real Salmon Recipe Wet Cat Food Topper
Cost Cost per day
$1.30
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Instinct Healthy Cravings Grain-Free Cuts & Gravy Real Tuna Recipe Wet Cat Food Topper

Overall Score
73%
Instinct Healthy Cravings Grain-Free Cuts & Gravy Real Tuna Recipe Wet Cat Food Topper
Cost Cost per day
$1.45
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Instinct Healthy Cravings Grain-Free Cuts & Gravy Real Chicken Recipe Wet Cat Food Topper

Overall Score
73%
Instinct Healthy Cravings Grain-Free Cuts & Gravy Real Chicken Recipe Wet Cat Food Topper
Cost Cost per day
$1.45
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Instinct Original Grain-Free Pate Real Rabbit Recipe Wet Canned Cat Food

Overall Score
73%
Instinct Original Grain-Free Pate Real Rabbit Recipe Wet Canned Cat Food
Cost Cost per day
$1.62
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Instinct Ultimate Protein Grain-Free Pate Real Chicken Recipe Wet Canned Cat Food

Overall Score
72%
Instinct Ultimate Protein Grain-Free Pate Real Chicken Recipe Wet Canned Cat Food
Cost Cost per day
$1.01
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Instinct Original Grain-Free Pate Real Duck Recipe Wet Canned Cat Food

Overall Score
72%
Instinct Original Grain-Free Pate Real Duck Recipe Wet Canned Cat Food
Cost Cost per day
$1.24
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Instinct Ultimate Protein Grain-Free Cuts & Gravy Cage-Free Chicken Recipe Wet Cat Food Topper

Overall Score
72%
Instinct Ultimate Protein Grain-Free Cuts & Gravy Cage-Free Chicken Recipe Wet Cat Food Topper
Cost Cost per day
$1.23
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Instinct Ultimate Protein Grain-Free Cuts & Gravy Cage-Free Duck Recipe Wet Cat Food Topper

Overall Score
72%
Instinct Ultimate Protein Grain-Free Cuts & Gravy Cage-Free Duck Recipe Wet Cat Food Topper
Cost Cost per day
$1.27
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Instinct Original Grain-Free Pate Real Venison Recipe Wet Canned Cat Food

Overall Score
72%
Instinct Original Grain-Free Pate Real Venison Recipe Wet Canned Cat Food
Cost Cost per day
$1.52
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Instinct Original Grain-Free Recipe with Real Duck Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Dry Cat Food

Overall Score
72%
Instinct Original Grain-Free Recipe with Real Duck Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Dry Cat Food
Cost Cost per day
$1.90
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Instinct Healthy Cravings Grain-Free Cuts & Gravy Real Duck Recipe Wet Cat Food Topper

Overall Score
71%
Instinct Healthy Cravings Grain-Free Cuts & Gravy Real Duck Recipe Wet Cat Food Topper
Cost Cost per day
$1.26
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Instinct Limited Ingredient Diet Grain-Free Cuts & Gravy Real Rabbit Recipe Wet Cat Food Topper

Overall Score
71%
Instinct Limited Ingredient Diet Grain-Free Cuts & Gravy Real Rabbit Recipe Wet Cat Food Topper
Cost Cost per day
$1.43
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Instinct Grain-Free Minced Recipe with Real Salmon Wet Cat Food Cups

Overall Score
71%
Instinct Grain-Free Minced Recipe with Real Salmon Wet Cat Food Cups
Cost Cost per day
$1.62
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Instinct Limited Ingredient Diet Grain-Free Pate Real Rabbit Recipe Canned Cat Food

Overall Score
71%
Instinct Limited Ingredient Diet Grain-Free Pate Real Rabbit Recipe Canned Cat Food
Cost Cost per day
$1.65
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Instinct Grain-Free Minced Recipe with Real Tuna Wet Cat Food Cups

Overall Score
71%
Instinct Grain-Free Minced Recipe with Real Tuna Wet Cat Food Cups
Cost Cost per day
$1.73
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Instinct Original Grain-Free Recipe with Real Chicken Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Dry Cat Food

Overall Score
71%
Instinct Original Grain-Free Recipe with Real Chicken Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Dry Cat Food
Cost Cost per day
$1.77
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Instinct Original Grain-Free Recipe with Real Rabbit Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Dry Cat Food

Overall Score
71%
Instinct Original Grain-Free Recipe with Real Rabbit Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Dry Cat Food
Cost Cost per day
$1.91
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Instinct Ultimate Protein Grain-Free Cage-Free Chicken Recipe Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Dry Cat Food

Overall Score
71%
Instinct Ultimate Protein Grain-Free Cage-Free Chicken Recipe Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Dry Cat Food
Cost Cost per day
$2.44
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Instinct Raw Boost Mixers Chicken Recipe Grain-Free Freeze-Dried Cat Food Topper

Overall Score
70%
Instinct Raw Boost Mixers Chicken Recipe Grain-Free Freeze-Dried Cat Food Topper
Cost Cost per day
$1.04
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Instinct Raw Boost Mixers Rabbit Recipe Grain-Free Freeze-Dried Cat Food Topper

Overall Score
70%
Instinct Raw Boost Mixers Rabbit Recipe Grain-Free Freeze-Dried Cat Food Topper
Cost Cost per day
$1.20
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Instinct Raw Boost Grain-Free Recipe with Real Chicken & Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Pieces Dry Cat Food

Overall Score
70%
Instinct Raw Boost Grain-Free Recipe with Real Chicken & Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Pieces Dry Cat Food
Cost Cost per day
$2.03
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Instinct Original Grain-Free Recipe with Real Salmon Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Dry Cat Food

Overall Score
70%
Instinct Original Grain-Free Recipe with Real Salmon Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Dry Cat Food
Cost Cost per day
$2.02
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Instinct Original Kitten Grain-Free Recipe with Real Chicken Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Dry Cat Food

Overall Score
70%
Instinct Original Kitten Grain-Free Recipe with Real Chicken Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Dry Cat Food
Cost Cost per day
$2.24
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Instinct Freeze-Dried Raw Meals Grain-Free Cage-Free Chicken Recipe Cat Food

Overall Score
69%
Instinct Freeze-Dried Raw Meals Grain-Free Cage-Free Chicken Recipe Cat Food
Cost Cost per day
$1.01
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Instinct Freeze-Dried Raw Boost Mixers Grain-Free Skin & Coat Health Recipe Cat Food Topper

Overall Score
69%
Instinct Freeze-Dried Raw Boost Mixers Grain-Free Skin & Coat Health Recipe Cat Food Topper
Cost Cost per day
$1.08
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Instinct Freeze-Dried Raw Boost Mixers Grain-Free Digestive Health Recipe Cat Food Topper

Overall Score
69%
Instinct Freeze-Dried Raw Boost Mixers Grain-Free Digestive Health Recipe Cat Food Topper
Cost Cost per day
$1.08
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Instinct Grain-Free Minced Recipe with Real Chicken Wet Cat Food Cups

Overall Score
69%
Instinct Grain-Free Minced Recipe with Real Chicken Wet Cat Food Cups
Cost Cost per day
$1.47
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Instinct Limited Ingredient Diet Grain-Free Recipe with Real Turkey Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Dry Cat Food

Overall Score
69%
Instinct Limited Ingredient Diet Grain-Free Recipe with Real Turkey Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Dry Cat Food
Cost Cost per day
$1.89
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Instinct Raw Boost Grain-Free Recipe with Real Duck & Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Pieces Dry Cat Food

Overall Score
69%
Instinct Raw Boost Grain-Free Recipe with Real Duck & Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Pieces Dry Cat Food
Cost Cost per day
$2.77
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Instinct Grain-Free Minced Recipe with Real Rabbit Wet Cat Food Cups

Overall Score
68%
Instinct Grain-Free Minced Recipe with Real Rabbit Wet Cat Food Cups
Cost Cost per day
$1.78
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Instinct Ultimate Protein Grain-Free Pate Real Rabbit Recipe Wet Canned Cat Food

Overall Score
68%
Instinct Ultimate Protein Grain-Free Pate Real Rabbit Recipe Wet Canned Cat Food
Cost Cost per day
$1.78
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Instinct Limited Ingredient Diet Grain-Free Recipe with Real Rabbit Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Dry Cat Food

Overall Score
68%
Instinct Limited Ingredient Diet Grain-Free Recipe with Real Rabbit Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Dry Cat Food
Cost Cost per day
$2.04
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Instinct Raw Boost Indoor Grain-Free Recipe with Real Rabbit & Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Pieces Dry Cat Food

Overall Score
68%
Instinct Raw Boost Indoor Grain-Free Recipe with Real Rabbit & Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Pieces Dry Cat Food
Cost Cost per day
$3.13
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Instinct Limited Ingredient Diet Grain-Free Cuts & Gravy Real Turkey Recipe Wet Cat Food Topper

Overall Score
67%
Instinct Limited Ingredient Diet Grain-Free Cuts & Gravy Real Turkey Recipe Wet Cat Food Topper
Cost Cost per day
$1.29
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Instinct Raw Boost Healthy Weight Grain-Free Chicken & Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Pieces Recipe Dry Cat Food

Overall Score
67%
Instinct Raw Boost Healthy Weight Grain-Free Chicken & Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Pieces Recipe Dry Cat Food
Cost Cost per day
$2.23
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Instinct Raw Boost Indoor Grain-Free Recipe with Real Chicken & Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Pieces Dry Cat Food

Overall Score
67%
Instinct Raw Boost Indoor Grain-Free Recipe with Real Chicken & Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Pieces Dry Cat Food
Cost Cost per day
$2.89
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Instinct Limited Ingredient Diet Grain-Free Pate Real Salmon Recipe Adult Canned Cat Food

Overall Score
66%
Instinct Limited Ingredient Diet Grain-Free Pate Real Salmon Recipe Adult Canned Cat Food
Cost Cost per day
$1.17
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Instinct Raw Boost Grain-Free Recipe with Real Salmon & Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Pieces Dry Cat Food

Overall Score
66%
Instinct Raw Boost Grain-Free Recipe with Real Salmon & Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Pieces Dry Cat Food
Cost Cost per day
$2.94
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Instinct by Nature's Variety Freeze-Dried Raw Boost Mixers Grain-Free Digestive Health Recipe Cat Food Topper

Overall Score
65%
Instinct by Nature's Variety Freeze-Dried Raw Boost Mixers Grain-Free Digestive Health Recipe Cat Food Topper
Cost Cost per day
$1.32
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Instinct by Nature's Variety Freeze-Dried Raw Boost Mixers Grain-Free Skin & Coat Health Recipe Cat Food Topper

Overall Score
64%
Instinct by Nature's Variety Freeze-Dried Raw Boost Mixers Grain-Free Skin & Coat Health Recipe Cat Food Topper
Cost Cost per day
$1.32
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Instinct Limited Ingredient Diet Grain-Free Recipe with Real Salmon Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Adult Dry Cat Food

Overall Score
64%
Instinct Limited Ingredient Diet Grain-Free Recipe with Real Salmon Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Adult Dry Cat Food
Cost Cost per day
$2.39
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Instinct Ultimate Protein Grain-Free Cage-Free Duck Recipe Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Dry Cat Food

Overall Score
64%
Instinct Ultimate Protein Grain-Free Cage-Free Duck Recipe Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Dry Cat Food
Cost Cost per day
$4.07
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Instinct Raw Meals Cage-Free Chicken Recipe Grain-Free Freeze-Dried Kitten Food

Overall Score
53%
Instinct Raw Meals Cage-Free Chicken Recipe Grain-Free Freeze-Dried Kitten Food
Cost Cost per day
$1.13
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Instinct Frozen Raw Bites Grain-Free Cage-Free Chicken Recipe Cat Food

Overall Score
48%
Instinct Frozen Raw Bites Grain-Free Cage-Free Chicken Recipe Cat Food
Cost Cost per day
$9.84
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FAQ

Who owns Instinct cat food?

Instinct is owned by M.I. Industries.

Where is Instinct cat food made?

Instinct is manufactured in the United States .

Is Instinct AAFCO approved?

Not, all of Instinct recipes are AAFCO approved, the following recipes are not AAFCO approved.

Has Instinct cat food been recalled?

Instinct has been recalled 1 times in the years 2015.

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