Food for Bengal cat

[Jdutton24]

Was thinking of going to wet food instead of dry. She is currently on a raw diet from her owner(we are about to be her parents) but I'm not sure I can sustain a raw diet for her. Was thinking of going wet food instead is raw. How expensive is raw? Looked at some freeze dried food but it's hard to tell how much or long it will last. What feed to buy? The wet food I was looking at was tiki after dark, Dave's, Dr Elsey. Is guar/xanthium gum bad? Seems like its in alot of wet food I'm trying to stay away from fillers like potatoes and stuff but if I have to no biggie. I really need some guidance! I not opposed to freeze dried or anything but didn't know how price wise it compares to wet food

I feed my other cats taste of the wild and they seem very healthy. They are rescues.

 

[lisahe]

We feed our cats a combination of wet foods: freeze-dried raw, homemade cooked food, and canned (one small can a day for two cats). Unless your cat(s) has/have very sensitive digestive systems, there's nothing wrong with doing that. Our cats love it for the variety.

The downside to freeze-dried raw -- we feed a lot of Primal pork as well as some Purpose chicken -- is that it's definitely not cheap. The upside is that it seems to hold our cats over very nicely until their next meals. And even feeding one meal a day is good for them. What raw food has your soon-to-be cat been fed?

In our cats' case, I focus most on avoiding carby filler vegetables -- the potatoes you mention (especially since they make one cat barf!) as well as peas, lentils, and grains, among others -- but also stay away from agar-agar (another barf-inducer) and carrageenan. Although I try to keep gums relatively low, we do feed some, in various pates; the cats' canned foods also include Tiki, though, which doesn't have gums.

Beyond variety, that varied diet is great for limiting the ingredients I don't want to feed too much of. It's not a particularly convenient diet: two meals a day are homemade and there's a lot to keep track of. But it works for everybody!

 

[Jdutton24]

Good deal. It's hard to find wet food not full of crap. Any other recommendations? Brand wise

 

[LTS3]

I feed frozen raw to my cats. It is a little pricey and takes up freezer space. Some people find making their own raw from a recipe costs less than canned food. A big batch of raw might cost less than canned food. Freeze dried just takes up cabinet space but most bags won't last more than a week or so. There's a forum here on TCS with more info on the various types of raw foods: Raw & Home-Cooked Cat Food

Rawz is one the best brands out there that is filler/junk-free. It is pricey depending on where you live. A 5.5 oz can costs $2.99 where I am. Only a few online web sites sell the brand if there are no local stores near you that sells it. RAWZ | Where to Buy

If you're looking to avoid feeding certain ingredients, try using this chart: Check This Out.... Chart For Cat Food Ingredients

 

[lisahe]

Good deal. It's hard to find wet food not full of crap. Any other recommendations? Brand wise

We feed a sort of odd assortment! On the cheaper end, there's Chewy's Tiny Tiger (turkey only, since the others have small amounts of fish), Sheba pate (surprisingly decent for the price); in the middle there's Weruva BFF (Play pates and OMG little chunks) plus Chewy's Miko shreds (basically a Tiki knockoff); on the higher end are Tiki After Dark and the chicken/egg food.

LTS3's post came up as I was typing: those suggestions are great, too. I've put frozen raw food on hiatus because of COVID-19 complications (only one store sells the one I like to feed, etc.) but still have one lone bag of Stella & Chewy Selects in the freezer; the cats love it. They don't consistently love Rawz, though! They prefer the shredded foods (though not many stores here sell it, even though the company is based in my state!) over the pates, which they alternately love and hate.

 

[Jdutton24]

Guar gum seems to be either bad or good depending on which site lol. I'll probably try food with it I'm there and have a rotation. Try to limit and see how it goes.

 

[She's a witch]

Feeding wet only is the best thing you can do to your cats, regardless if they are purebreds or rescues, so I’m glad you’re looking into this option. I highly recommend the following pages to learn about the basics of feline nutrition:

Feeding Your Cat: Know the Basics of Feline Nutrition – Common Sense. Healthy Cats.

A veterinarian explains the basics on properly feed cats which are strict carnivores, and the link between a poor quality diet and common diseases.

catinfo.org

Feline Nutrition - Nutrition | Hare Today

feline-nutrition.org

I feed both commercial frozen raw and high protein, low carb canned. The raw brand I feed are following:
- Natural Pet Pantry
- Wild Coast Raw
- Darwin’s
all manufactured in WA so not sure if available in your area. Out of them Darwin’s is least expensive but most of their recipes contain bones so not every cat does well on it, although it works well for my guys as part of the rotation. They have very well priced introductory offer if you’d like to try it. Homemade raw may be the least expensive options if you’d decide to go raw route, and that would give you the most control over what your cats eat.
My favorite canned company is Rawz, my cats constistently love it and it has good ingredients. To take the cost down we also have a following as part of the rotation: Redbarn Naturals Turkey, BFF fishless flavors, American Journey (although higher carbs). If your cat does well on agar agar (mine doesn’t) you’d have other good options: Hound&Gatos, dr Elsey, Koha, Pure Vita, Essence, Identity.

 

[cataholic07]

Raw is super cheap if you are able to do it yourself, but you have to do some research to do it properly
I do TC feline and store bought meat cut into chunks. My cats love it the most. But they do love wet food to. Fynn can be picky with his raw that's for sure..

 

[LTS3]

Just to add another option though it may be pricier than all other options: pet meal subscription services. There are fully prepared complete meals that arrive frozen in individual portion sizes that you just thaw and feed as needed. Smalls is one subscription service that offers what they call "gently cooked food": Smalls: Real Food for Cats (The web site seems to work only in the Chrome web browser) There are a few different ones for raw food like Darwin's. Some subscription services include veggies and stuff in the food Most have customizable subscription plans or somewhat customizable food.