→ See the live ingredient breakdown for Instinct
What's actually in Instinct?
We analyzed Instinct Original Kibble Real Chicken Recipe, sold before as Instinct Original Grain-Free Recipe with Real Chicken. The first five ingredients are chicken, chicken meal, turkey meal, menhaden fish meal, and peas.
Chicken at #1 and chicken meal at #2 deliver a strong protein foundation for obligate carnivores. Natural preservation with mixed tocopherols keeps the formula clean. Shop on Amazon →
The good stuff
The grain-free approach is well-suited for cats. As obligate carnivores, cats have no biological need for grains, and Instinct avoids corn, wheat, soy, and all grain-based fillers.
Instinct's signature feature is freeze-dried raw coating on the kibble pieces. The coating is freeze-dried pollock, a fish, listed after the vitamins and minerals.
Natural preservation throughout — no artificial colors, flavors, or chemical preservatives.
The not-so-good stuff
The rich, high-protein formula may be too intense for cats with sensitive stomachs, especially during transition from grain-based foods. The freeze-dried raw coating may pose a minor contamination risk if not handled properly — standard food safety practices apply.
How it compares
Instinct's B/78 lands it in the low-B range, level with Wellness (B/78). The grain-free approach and raw coating differentiate it from the grain-inclusive competition at the same score.
Instinct trails Nulo (B/82) by 4 points.
Against budget brands, the gap is dramatic. Instinct scores 20 points above Purina Pro Plan (C/58) and 43 above Meow Mix (D/35). If you're upgrading from a grocery store cat food, Instinct is a meaningful step up.
Read the full breakdowns in our head-to-head comparisons: Instinct Kitten vs Instinct and Instinct Raw Boost vs Instinct.
For Instinct's freeze-dried raw topper (NOT a complete diet), see our Instinct Raw Boost Mixers Cage-Free Chicken Topper (B/79) review scored under the Fresh Food Rubric v1.0 §16 mixer rules — use only as a supplement to a complete-and-balanced base diet.
The bottom line
Instinct Original earns a B grade (78/100) from KibbleIQ. The chicken-first, grain-free formula with freeze-dried raw coating delivers premium nutrition. If the raw-coating concept appeals to you and grain-free is a priority, Instinct is a strong choice. Shop on Amazon →
Corrected 2026-10-19: we removed claims we could not support; we corrected factual errors, and grades and score comparisons that did not match our current scores.