Raw food for cats: hydration benefits

Switching an 8-year-old Somali from tinned wet food to fresh raw is one of the best hydration moves you can make — raw meat typically holds around 70–75% moisture, similar to tinned, but without the processing. That said, cats evolved in arid environments and have a naturally low thirst drive, so most cats on dry food end up chronically underhydrated — and kidney disease is the leading cause of death in older cats. The fact you're already on wet food is great, and raw takes that a step further. A few quick questions before I point you in the right direction: has your Somali had any kidney or urinary issues, how is she doing generally at 8 years old, and have you already chosen a raw format — complete minces, nuggets, or something else?

Nuggets are a great call — easy to portion, easy to defrost, and a well-formulated complete nugget will have everything she needs without you having to balance it yourself. For an 8-year-old with no existing health issues, the main things to look for are high named-meat content, no fillers, and ideally around 70–75% moisture once thawed. Can I ask what brand of tinned food she's been on, and roughly how much she weighs? That'll help me tailor the serving size guidance too.

A non-fussy 4kg Somali on Applaws — you're in a really good position. Applaws is already high-meat and low-filler, so she's used to real food flavours, which makes the raw transition much smoother. My recommendation is Natures Menu Complete Nuggets — specifically the chicken or turkey variety to start, since those flavours are closest to what she'll know. They're 95% meat, offal and bone, properly balanced, and the moisture content once thawed sits right around 72%. At 4kg you're looking at roughly 80–90g per day split across two meals. The transition is simple: swap about 25% of her Applaws for raw on day one, then increase by 25% every two to three days. Because she's already on high-quality wet food her gut bacteria are in a much better place than a dry-fed cat, so you're unlikely to see much digestive upset at all.

In terms of raw moisture versus tinned — they're genuinely comparable in percentage terms, both sitting around 70–75%. The real hydration advantage of raw is what's not in it: tinned food often contains thickeners like carrageenan or guar gum and higher sodium levels, which can subtly affect kidney workload over time. Raw has none of that. So for an 8-year-old cat whose kidneys you want to protect long-term, the cleanliness of the moisture source matters as much as the quantity. During the switch, the main things to watch are loose stools in the first week — totally normal and usually brief — and whether she's eating the raw portions enthusiastically. If she hesitates, slightly warming the nuggets to body temperature after thawing usually does the trick. Also worth doing a vet check and bloodwork at her next annual — it's a good baseline to have once she's settled on raw.

You're very welcome — she sounds like a healthy, well-cared-for cat and this is a genuinely positive step for her long-term kidney health. Stick with chicken or turkey to begin, and once she's fully transitioned you can rotate in duck or fish varieties for nutritional variety. The Natures Menu nuggets are widely available on Amazon UK in bulk bags, which works out well cost-wise for daily feeding. Good luck with the switch — it usually goes faster and easier than people expect.