Feeding freeze dried raw

[waddle]

Wondering how others feed freeze dried raw. I feed Northwest Naturals (may also try Stella and Chewys) and have always crushed and rehydrated it and and created a mash. My kitties love it but honestly I am way too lazy to do this more than a couple times a week. The instructions seem to indicate you’re just supposed to pour some water over it and let it soak in for a bit and then feed it? I just used up a bag so I can try it that way next time I get some, but I’m not skeptical the kits will like it nearly as much that way.

i already tried to take the easy way out and got a bag of frozen raw in the same protein, but only one will eat it and even he is much more enthusiastic about the freeze dried raw, so I won’t buy the frozen again.

 

[Alldara]

When I did Stella and Chewy's I followed the directions on the bag. Lily really liked it.

 

[msserena]

Wondering how others feed freeze dried raw. I feed Northwest Naturals (may also try Stella and Chewys) and have always crushed and rehydrated it and and created a mash. My kitties love it but honestly I am way too lazy to do this more than a couple times a week. The instructions seem to indicate you’re just supposed to pour some water over it and let it soak in for a bit and then feed it? I just used up a bag so I can try it that way next time I get some, but I’m not skeptical the kits will like it nearly as much that way.

i already tried to take the easy way out and got a bag of frozen raw in the same protein, but only one will eat it and even he is much more enthusiastic about the freeze dried raw, so I won’t buy the frozen again.

I crush it too. The little nuggets are so hard packed that who knows how long it would take for the water to penetrate them. I have been feeding Vital Essentials, I have a very picky cat & she won't eat NW Naturals anymore. It's a good product.

 

[waddle]

The rabbit pellets are much harder (and much more expensive!) so even though they loved it and it’s such a natural food for them, I’m not sure I’ll buy it again. The turkey pellets are much easier to mash up with a fork. The rabbit I put in the blender to crush them up. I am too lazy to do that very often.

 

[sophie1]

I've tried freeze dried. So many problems. High cost being one, it's the priciest form of cat food on the planet. When it's rehydrated it has a weird texture that my cats dislike. For brands that come in chunks, the larger chunks don't rehydrate well and they often cause my cats to throw up that uber-expensive food. The bone content in virtually all freeze-dried raw offerings is too much for most cats including mine. And the Hare Today food being unsupplemented means you have to supplement it yourself, which kinda defeats the purpose of choosing freeze dried raw for convenience. And actually it's not so convenient because the rehydrating process is a pain, especially when you have a frantic, meowing cat who really doesn't want to wait 5 minutes for his dinner. And frankly...neither do I!

Anyway despite multiple tries I just can't make freeze dried food work. Fancy Feast from the grocery is my emergency backup instead.

Oh and a quick word about Viva Raw's complete cat foods. I tried them and they've worked out very well. My cats tolerate it well and it looks like a reasonable bone percentage judging by my cats' poop. The one issue is that there isn't enough water in the food. I cut down the amount I feed slightly and add extra water at each meal, which works out fine. I'm quite pleased at the ingredients otherwise, and their packaging is so efficient that you could fit an order (min about 32 lbs) even into a small freezer. And it's very convenient to keep one "active" chub and one defrosting chub in the fridge at all times. So if you're looking for freeze dried because you want convenience, then you might consider this instead.

 

[Robyn5678]

I use the stella and chewy freeze dried rabbit as treats. I do not rehydrate it, as on their site it says it can be given as is. They only get 1-2 pieces a day im addition to their wet foods

 

[BellaBlue82]

I use Stella and Chewy' freeze dried chicken. I don't rehydrate, simply because my carnivorous monsters don't seem to like it that way! They like the texture of it dry, and to chew it (they don't get any dry food, so this is like their treat.) Sometimes I do have to break them up for the princess, but that's only if she's feeling extra special.
It's actually a life saver for when I'm at work during the day. I can leave some out (about 10-15 pieces) for them to nibble on when I have to go into the office.