Which cat food should I try? Raw diet maybe?
Posted on October 28th, 2009 by admin
Ok. I currently feed my cat a combo of Blue Buffalo Spa Select wet and dry. I know all the problems with dry, I just like the idea of her being able to free-feed, mostly because I honestly can’t afford to feed her strictly wet. Because of this, I’ve been looking at other, lower-priced premium foods like Wellness and Natural Balance. Which of these would you recommend, and why? Also, is it a good idea to rotate the brands to add some variety?
One more thing: I’m interested in learning about a raw diet, and I would like to know people’s experience with cost of feeding raw and convenience of preparing the food and obtaining it.
Blue Buffalo is a pretty good choice as far as dry. Their product, Wilderness, is even better for your cat.
I’ve read some ppl’s answers that they feed more than one brand. As long as you do it slowly, it shouldn’t be too hard on their digestive systems. I would suggest using 2-3 different brands of canned to add variety and different flavors. Cats, after all, don’t really like the idea of eating the exact same thing for the rest of their lives. I’ve heard that Wellness, Blue Spa, Avoderm, Chicken Soup for the Cat Lovers, Merrick are all good, although I’ve never tried that many. There are a few more brands who’s names I can’t think of.
For raw, I would suggest you get a frozen (not freeze-dried) diet that has the lowest/smallest amount of those unnecessary fruits/veggies. If you’ve been doing research, you’ll learn that cats don’t need fruits/veggies in their diet. Some may say that they eat the fruits/veggies that was in their prey’s stomach, but this is normally a negligible amount. A mouse’s stomach isn’t very large and will not hold a large amount of fruits/veggies and won’t be hardly enough for any nutritional value for the cat.
I purchase my raw from mypetcarnivore.com whose supplier is Taylor Pond Farms. I chose them because the food is 100% meat/bones/organs w/o the added fruits/veggies. A close second is Rad Cat Raw Diet. I’ve also heard that Nature’s Variety is good. You may want to google these.
Since mypetcarnivore delivers to my area at specific locations once per month, I pay for the amount of food I purchase and $10 extra for them driving to the location. It’s in my best interest to purchase a large amount so I don’t have to pay the $10 fee so often. If I buy 1 lb of fine ground turkey, I separate the turkey and put it in baggies and put 1/4 cup of turkey in each baggie and put in the freezer. My cats, Binnie is almost 1 yr old and Marble is 4 mos old. Binnie eats approx. 1/4 cup in the morning and about 1/2 cup at night. Marble eats half of the 1/4 cup in the morning and 1/2 cup at night. One pound will probably last 4 days. I normally buy 15 lbs and this lasts approx. 1 to 1 and 1/2 month. 15 lbs costs approx $40 plus the $10 fee. So if I purchased 20 lbs, it would last about 2 months and would costs about $60. This is all approximate. There are different prices for different meats.
For preparing, I explained above that I separate the meat and put in baggies and then in the freezer. I take out, the night before, the amount they will eat for the next day and it defrosts in the refrigerator. I warm up their morning food in lukewarm water to knock the chill off. Warming up takes about 5 mins. I put it in their bowl and continue getting ready for work. They eat again at after work and it takes an extra 2 minutes to put a fish oil pill in the food. I wash with antibacterial soap after each feeding and this takes about 4 minutes. If you want more info, just send me an email.
October 28th, 2009 at 9:30 pm
wellness and natural balance are pretty much on the same level, but many cats prefer wellness do to the enticing meaty ‘aroma’, but natural balance is also great in quality. so alternating is good! just not too frequently as it may cause an upset stomach, so alternating every few months is ok. now Raw diets are the BEST you can possibly feed!! they are NOT cheap though, raw foods are usually much more expensive than either wet or dry, so let me tell you if your trying to save money it would be very difficult to purchase raw diets, that’s why only a small number of people feed their cats raw. now Raw diets are not something YOU create, they are readily prepared diets with added vitamins and nutrients, more than human grade meat can offer, so obviously its the perfect diet for cats, but wow the price is pretty darn expensive, but its for the wonderful quality of course; http://www.rawfedcats.org/nature.htm and here’s a brand: http://www.stevesrealfood.com/feline.html
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October 28th, 2009 at 10:11 pm
I feed my cat vet brand which is not the cheapest obviously but I’m happy with it. In regards to your Raw Diet question, I know a lot of people who have played around with this and I know that it is not your best option if 1) you enjoy being able to free-feed because this food cannot be left out all day for her to pick at. 2) preparing is difficult because you need to read up on what cats need every day in their diet and what foods provide that (example cat diets lacking taurine lead to death) also if you choose to prepare in advance to not have to make it everyday be sure that you know what you are doing because raw food for them can cause similar problems as in humans, (parasites/microorganism infections) which can cause health problems that could cost you big vet bills in the long run. And you’ll have to wash her bowl after every feeding to keep bacteria down, and you’ll need a stainless steel bowl because plastic and raw meat is not wise. Also there is less benefit to the cats oral health which dry food is good for.
As far as rotating food, it can be a good idea to add variety but it also depends on your cat. Cats are typically picky eaters and if you get a new food and she doesn’t like it, you just wasted money and a bag of food.
References :
School: I am an animal health technician.
October 28th, 2009 at 10:53 pm
I heard that wellness is really good(:
References :
Cat Owner.
October 28th, 2009 at 11:09 pm
I HAVE 14 CATS AGES 1-16 YEARS OF AGE. I HAVE HAD GREAT SUCCESS WITH PURINA ONE WITH CHICKEN AND RICE AND RECENTLY FOR MY TWO ELDERLY CATS PURINA ONE FOR SENSITIVE SYSTEMS..EVERYONE SEEMS TO LIKE BOTH BUT THE OLDER CATS WILL BENEFIT MOST. I STAY AWAY FROM FOODS THAT CONTAIN CORN OR CORN MEAL IN THE FIRST 3 INGREDIENTS..JUST TOO MANY EMPTY CALORIES AND I STAY AWAY FROM WHEAT IT CAN PRODUCE ALLERGIES. I USE FRISKIES WET FOODS ALTHOUGH NO ONE SEEMS TO LIKE THAT SHREDDED OR SLICES OR CHUNK STYLE. ALSO FOR A TREAT I USE TUNA FISH AND ONE CAN OF WATER EQUAL PARTS. WHISKAS TEMPTATIONS ARE THEIR FAVORITE OF ALL TIME TREATS AND THEY WOULD ALL BE FAT AND HAPPY IF I GAVE THEM NOTHING ELSE. THE RULE OF THOUGHT IS TO MIX THE CAT FOOD YOU ARE USING NOW WITH THE NEW CHOICE. OCCASIONALLY I GIVE MY CATS SOME RAW DEER STEAK…YUCK I AM VEGETARIAN SO THIS GROSSES ME OUT. NEVER GIVE THEM RAW CHICKEN OR PORK PRODUCTS..IT CAN KILL AS WELL AS MAKE THEM VERY SICK FIRST…BY THE TIME YOU ADD ALL THE PROPER VITAMINS AND MINERALS CATS NEED TO A HOME MADE DIET YOU WILL TRIPLE THE COST OF STORE PREPARED CAT FOODS. DON’T GAMBLE WITH THEIR HEALTH..THE VET BILLS WILL SHOW THE ERROR OF THAT THOUGHT PROCESS. ALWAYS FRESH WATER AND ALWAYS CLEAN FOOD AND WATER DISHES EVERY TIME YOU FEED THEM.
References :
14 CATS AND LOTS OF READING ON CATS AND THEIR HEALTH. I OWN A LOT OF CAT BOOKS ONE OF MY FAVORITES IS THE NEW CAT HANDBOOK BY URLIKE MULLER
October 28th, 2009 at 11:40 pm
Blue Buffalo is a pretty good choice as far as dry. Their product, Wilderness, is even better for your cat.
I’ve read some ppl’s answers that they feed more than one brand. As long as you do it slowly, it shouldn’t be too hard on their digestive systems. I would suggest using 2-3 different brands of canned to add variety and different flavors. Cats, after all, don’t really like the idea of eating the exact same thing for the rest of their lives. I’ve heard that Wellness, Blue Spa, Avoderm, Chicken Soup for the Cat Lovers, Merrick are all good, although I’ve never tried that many. There are a few more brands who’s names I can’t think of.
For raw, I would suggest you get a frozen (not freeze-dried) diet that has the lowest/smallest amount of those unnecessary fruits/veggies. If you’ve been doing research, you’ll learn that cats don’t need fruits/veggies in their diet. Some may say that they eat the fruits/veggies that was in their prey’s stomach, but this is normally a negligible amount. A mouse’s stomach isn’t very large and will not hold a large amount of fruits/veggies and won’t be hardly enough for any nutritional value for the cat.
I purchase my raw from mypetcarnivore.com whose supplier is Taylor Pond Farms. I chose them because the food is 100% meat/bones/organs w/o the added fruits/veggies. A close second is Rad Cat Raw Diet. I’ve also heard that Nature’s Variety is good. You may want to google these.
Since mypetcarnivore delivers to my area at specific locations once per month, I pay for the amount of food I purchase and $10 extra for them driving to the location. It’s in my best interest to purchase a large amount so I don’t have to pay the $10 fee so often. If I buy 1 lb of fine ground turkey, I separate the turkey and put it in baggies and put 1/4 cup of turkey in each baggie and put in the freezer. My cats, Binnie is almost 1 yr old and Marble is 4 mos old. Binnie eats approx. 1/4 cup in the morning and about 1/2 cup at night. Marble eats half of the 1/4 cup in the morning and 1/2 cup at night. One pound will probably last 4 days. I normally buy 15 lbs and this lasts approx. 1 to 1 and 1/2 month. 15 lbs costs approx $40 plus the $10 fee. So if I purchased 20 lbs, it would last about 2 months and would costs about $60. This is all approximate. There are different prices for different meats.
For preparing, I explained above that I separate the meat and put in baggies and then in the freezer. I take out, the night before, the amount they will eat for the next day and it defrosts in the refrigerator. I warm up their morning food in lukewarm water to knock the chill off. Warming up takes about 5 mins. I put it in their bowl and continue getting ready for work. They eat again at after work and it takes an extra 2 minutes to put a fish oil pill in the food. I wash with antibacterial soap after each feeding and this takes about 4 minutes. If you want more info, just send me an email.
References :
October 28th, 2009 at 11:53 pm
I am not sure if it is available in your area (it used to be kind of hard to find), but there is a really good dry kibble out there called Innova Evo.
http://www.evopet.com/
References :
October 29th, 2009 at 12:26 am
The NB duck & green pea is a decent dry food that isn’t horribly expensive. IMO, the only good dry food that Wellness produces is Core which I believe is pricier. I’m not crazy about their other ones. I think they have too many grains.
Variety can be a good thing. I don’t think it’s absolutely necessary though. And by feeding both wet and dry, you are already providing variety. You just don’t want to offer too much variety, or you won’t have as many options should you ever need to change foods.
Raw feeding: I raw feed one of my cats. I think it can be pretty reasonable and not that difficult to do. It used to be super-easy and inexpensive for me but I had to change suppliers. Now I’m making my own, using a pre-made supplement (Instincts TC) and store-bought chicken. I’m using breast meat only because it’s much easier to get the meat deboned and there isn’t as much tendon-y stuff like in legs. I buy bone in skin on because it’s slightly less. You can stock up when the meat goes on sale. I wouldn’t stock up too too much because I prefer that their meat not be frozen too many times, but if it were super low-priced I’d probably buy more.
I think my threshold is processing 4 breasts at a time. Yesterday I processed 6 breasts and it seemed to go on forever! 4 should get about 2 pounds of meat, which translates into 8 4oz meals, which comes to 4 days. Somehow that seems wrong. I suck at math so maybe I’ve gone off somewhere. Anyway, the 6 breasts that I bought, after removing the meat, yielded just over 4 pounds of meat. So I guessed that 4 breasts would get me 2 pounds. I *think* that’s about right.
So it’s very convenient to get the meat – just get it from the grocery store. The supplement comes in the mail.
So the chickboobs are about $2.29 per pound so a 2lb pkg is $4.58. X2 is 9.16. So for $9.16 I get 8 meals, which comes to about $1.14 per meal. Yikes, that’s a little high! But actually no more than the high-priced canned food I buy.
The method I’m using is a bit of work, but I can say for SURE what my cat is eating. So it’s worth it.
Sorry to go on so long. I’m going to stop now and turn you over to my blog on rawfeeding. I wrote it as a getting started guide for others, so you can look into the other methods and it has tips on finding a local supplier – which can be key to saving money.
References :
http://runeamok.multiply.com/journal/item/16/HOW_TO_GET_STARTED_FEEDING_RAW