Cold pressed cat food
Cold pressed cat food is made at a much lower temperature than standard extruded kibble, which can better preserve some heat-sensitive nutrients and, some owners find, results in a more natural smell and taste. It is still a dry food in the way you feed and store it — the difference is in how it is manufactured, not a different category of diet.
How cold pressing differs from standard extrusion
Most dry cat food is made through extrusion, which uses high heat and pressure to cook and shape the kibble in one process. Cold pressing uses much lower temperatures, which proponents argue better preserves certain vitamins and the natural qualities of the ingredients that higher heat can degrade.
In practice, both methods are used to produce a complete, balanced dry food, and the manufacturing process itself is only one part of what makes a food nutritionally sound — the recipe and ingredient quality matter at least as much as how the kibble was physically made.
What actually changes for your cat day to day
Cold pressed kibble often has a denser, slightly different texture than standard extruded kibble, and some owners report their cat finding it more palatable, though this varies between individual cats as much as between food types. Storage and feeding are otherwise identical to any other dry food — a sealed container, kept somewhere cool and dry.
Cold pressed foods are sometimes priced at a premium compared with standard extruded kibble, reflecting the different manufacturing process, so it is worth weighing whether the difference matters enough to your cat to be worth it, rather than assuming cold pressed is automatically the better choice.
Choosing between cold pressed and standard kibble
There is no strong evidence that cold pressed food is essential for a cat's health, and plenty of cats do perfectly well on standard extruded kibble their whole lives. The choice often comes down to a cat's individual preference and what an owner is comfortable feeding, rather than one method being clearly superior.
If you are considering switching your cat to a cold pressed food, introduce it gradually alongside their current food over a week or so, the same way you would with any new food, to avoid an unnecessary stomach upset from too abrupt a change.
This format, in stock
Everything below is in stock with us, priced with delivery worked out, and packed and posted by hand in the UK.
HypaGel Reusable Hot & Cold Gel Pack – Pet First Aid
A reusable gel pack that can be chilled in the freezer or warmed in the microwave — a handy first-aid essential for muscle and joint therapy.
£6.99
Whiskas 1+ Salmon Adult Dry Cat Food
Complete salmon dry food for adult cats in a practical 1.9KG bag
£12.39
Whiskas Kitten Chicken Dry Cat Food
Complete chicken dry food for kittens, available in several bag sizes
From£3.19
James Wellbeloved Grain Free Adult Dry Cat Food Turkey
A grain-free turkey dry food for adult cats, with potato rather than rice or wheat for carbohydrate
£24.65
James Wellbeloved Kitten Dry Cat Food Fish
Single-protein fish dry food for growing kittens, excluding common allergens
£21.79
James Wellbeloved Senior Dry Cat Food Turkey
A single-source turkey dry food for senior cats, formulated with added joint-care ingredients
From£21.79
James Wellbeloved Light Adult Dry Cat Food Fish
A lower-calorie fish dry food for adult cats managing their weight, with joint-support ingredients
£24.65
Whiskas 1+ Lamb Adult Dry Cat Food
Complete lamb dry food for adult cats in a practical 1.9KG bag
£12.39
Whiskas 7+ Chicken Adult Dry Cat Food
Complete chicken dry food for senior cats aged 7+ in an 800G bag
£6.09
Purina One Kitten Chicken
Chicken kitten food with added DHA, and a feeding guide from 6 weeks to a year
From£6.65
Purina One Sensitive Cat Turkey
A complete dry food for cats with sensitive digestion, built around turkey
£19.29
One Purina One Light Cat Chicken
A weight-management dry cat food with chicken, 37% protein and reduced fat for cats watching their weight
From£6.65
Common questions
- Is cold pressed cat food better than regular dry food?
- Not definitively — it is a different manufacturing method that some owners and cats prefer, and it may better preserve certain heat-sensitive nutrients, but standard extruded kibble is also a perfectly sound complete food. The recipe and ingredient quality matter more than the process alone.
- Does cold pressed cat food need to be stored differently?
- No, it is stored the same way as any other dry food: in a sealed container, kept somewhere cool and dry, away from damp and direct sunlight. There is no special storage requirement specific to cold pressed food.
- Why is cold pressed cat food often more expensive?
- The manufacturing process is generally slower and more specialised than standard high-heat extrusion, which tends to be reflected in the price. Whether the difference in process is worth the extra cost is a personal judgement rather than a clear-cut nutritional answer.
- Can I switch my cat straight to cold pressed food?
- It is better to introduce it gradually alongside their current food over about a week, the same way you would with any new food, rather than swapping overnight. This reduces the chance of an upset stomach from too sudden a change.
Related
Written by Matt Garnett, who runs Giddy Pets and is a lifelong pet owner — not a vet. This is general information, not veterinary advice, and it cannot replace an examination by the vet who knows your animal. How we write these guides.