Freeze Dried And Wet Food Diet

[anapaula0324]

Okay so I've been reading and it seems like it's not such a bad idea to combine these two diff diets. My kitten is currently almost 7 weeks and has just been eating wet food. Tried some dry but I'd really prefer to have him mostly on a wet food diet. The thing is that can get expensive when he's eating 4-5 times a day and I really want to go for the higher end stuff.

So just thinking maybe if I do Stella and Chewy's twice a day , then possibly a lower to mid range wet food 3 times a day , would that be okay ? I know freeze dried is definitely better than giving him dry and honestly he doesn't show much interest in it. He also doesn't really drink water , although I do leave out fresh bowls every day. I do also add about a tbs to each of his wet food meals. I just want to be able to basically balance out the quality of his diet w.o having to spend so much on the higher quality wet food , that have a lot of ingredients I'm not even sure I want him eating.

I haven't really done the math per se on cost so a little insight into that would be awesome. I will consider a commercial raw diet or homemade but not until he's at least a year and not eating as much as he has to now. Plus I tend to be pretty busy and there's many things to consider when going that route to make sure he's eating a balanced diet. Either way just want advice on what I can do and what could be more cost effective. As of now I plan on ordering Stella and Chewy's duck and chicken freeze dried , Fancy Feast classics and Purina Muse grain free chicken and spinach ( not sure entirely about the actual flavor as I've never seen this before ).

Also need help with the actual prep work and how much Smokey would need to eat a day as I'm bad with that. I know I should feed him as much as he wants but I also want to make the correct amount of rehydrated food so I don't waste any. I have to add the water as he doesn't really drink water on its own. Sorry for the long message and thanks for reading and any help.

 

[lisahe]

The combination of freeze-dried and canned food works very well for our cats -- I think it's great that you want to try it for Smokey.

The great thing about freeze-dried is that it's so easy to store and prepare. We add water to each meal just before feeding it (it hardly takes any time at all) and I'd suggest at least starting that way, to see how well Smokey likes the food and how much of it he'll eat. In any case, how much Stella & Chewy's you feed each day will depend on how much canned food you feed, too, so it would be difficult for me to gauge amounts. (Beyond that, I'm not very scientific about how much I feed, particularly since we mix three foods in varying proportions for each freeze-dried meal.)

One thing to watch for with Stella & Chewy's: their food tends to have high bone content, which can make some cats constipated. I'd suggest introducing it in pretty small amounts... and watching the litter box. Cats fed raw diets or (like our cats) combination diets of raw and very high-protein/low-carb cooked foods tend not to poop very often so don't be surprised if litter box production goes down. But do watch for straining or very infrequent poop. And just ask if you have questions about what's normal. There are quite a few of us who feed diets like this. FWIW, our cats, who eat quite a bit for their size, seem to poop roughly once every day and a half or two, each. The best thing is that there's hardly any smell!

Good luck!

 

[Neo_23]

This is the diet that I'm moving toward too with my kitten. I'm only going to be giving a bit of freeze dried per day though because it is very pricy. Primal is another brand that ends up giving you more bang for your buck because each nugget is higher in calories than S&C, but personally I like S&C's ingredients better.

As for how much to feed, at 10 weeks they need about 250 kcal per kg of body weight and it's about 100-130 calories per kg of body weight for kittens 4 to 6 months or so.

As you can imagine, feeding freeze dried with kittens can get pretty expensive because they need to eat a lot. This is the only downside.

 

[anapaula0324]

Right now , Smokey eats around 5-7 ounces of wet food split into 4-5 meals. I'm not sure if that's enough or not but he doesn't seem to be hungry and while I do leave dry out , he won't touch it. He did try a couple of pieces but I figure if he wasn't eating enough , he would definitely go for the dry as the family I got him from started him on dry. I'd rather spend the extra money on the freeze dried versus dry food.
Thanks for letting me know about the pooping I would have worried. And I'm all for having less of it to clean not that he does much now but that will probably change with age. I'll be sure to look out for any signs of constipation with the freeze dried. I do want to try diff combinations when it comes to feeding him. I know from reading through the forums , I can feed him 10 percent of meat and his diet would still be balanced. I'm scared to go the complete raw route because it seems really complicated to me and I don't want to end up doing more harm than good.

 

[anapaula0324]

I was thinking of Primal as well. I also looked into a couple of air dried diets like the real meat company and I saw another brand that uses patties. I don't remember the name. I'm going to try diff ones , just want to make sure I don't end up giving Smokey an upset tummy. But he's young so he's pretty adaptable I would think. And yes freeze dried is expensive. It's def a downside esp when feeding a kitten. Some dry can be even more so though especially the higher end it gets so I'm thinking freeze dried is a better alternative. Are we feeding more of that versus the dry ? A lot of people tend to free feed with the dry so I would think it would be more expensive in the long run. Or maybe I'm wrong. I'm not sure. I think the combo if wet and freeze dried should help with costs somewhat but again this is the first time I've ever considered a diet like this.


I read on chewy from reviews and answered questions that a bigger bag lasts about two weeks depending on which brand it is. And that seems a little manageable price wise if I'm doing both. But I could always go all wet if anything. It's just wet has some ingredients and I don't even know what they are. They certainly don't sound appetizing. Right now I'm just looking at lower to mid range wet food with no grains and no carrageeneen. Oh also no potatoes or peas in the first five ingredients.

Everywhere I read it says to just feed him as much as he'll eat. So it's helpful to have the base line you provided. I'm not sure how much he weighs right now but I'm planning on taking him to the vet once he turns 8 weeks. His previous family took him and his siblings when they were younger and they all got a clean bill of health.

 

[anapaula0324]

Here's Smokey btw. My camera sucks so no good pics. Some days he looks darker , other days lighter. It's weird lol

 

[Neo_23]

What a cutie!!

Currently I am feeding mine mostly wet and I leave him a little bit of dry when I'm gone for a long day and overnight. He's a big boy (7 pounds at 4 months) so he eats A LOT. I think he probably eats much more than a regular kitten because he's almost twice as big as an average kitten his age.

One really good wet brand I found that is decently priced for grain free wet foods without any fillers/gums is Rawz. It is only sold at select local pet stores though, so it can be a bit hard to find, but many pets stores will order it for you on request. I'm not sure if it's available on chewy. I am really impressed by the ingredients so far. One 5.5 oz can is 2.49 where I live (Canada), so it should be closer to 2.00 for you if you're in the States. Also, a bonus about the brand is that all proceeds go to charity helping animals in need.

I think at your kitten's age the 'feed as much as he will eat' rule is still good. Mine is almost 5 months and my vet told me it's good to start getting him used to a regular schedule at this age so he's not just expecting food all the time. He is still getting tons of food at his feeding times though. Currently he goes through about 8 oz of wet food a day plus 1/3 a cup of dry food. I'd like to replace the 1/3 cup of dry with freeze dried within the next month.

 

[anapaula0324]

Thank you he has quickly stolen my heart and he's really attached to me and vocal. I haven't seen it around here. I live in NYC but I will def ask and see if I can find it at a specialty pet store. I am looking for 5.5 ounces or bigger as I feel it would last longer but then there's also the risk of a really big can ( like 13 ounces ) not being as fresh after a few days. Although I'm pretty sure a can like that would be gone in a couple of days now that I calculate it. I just think a bigger can would be more cost effective.

Smokey hasn't really tried dry food besides a few small pieces. I know right now I have a higher chance of getting him to pretty much acclimate to anything. I'm going to order the Stella and Chewy and see how it goes. I know it comes in nuggets so I'm trying to figure out how much I should make for a day if I'm only feeding him it twice a day.

 

[lisahe]

I agree with Neo_23 's thought about starting a feeding schedule early in life: feeding meals works really well for our cats. (One particularly loves to eat so mealtimes help keep her from begging.)

I also second the idea of trying Rawz: our cats like it a lot! They're mostly eaten the turkey and chicken so they were very confused last night when I fed them the beef for the first time. (I don't feed them a lot of beef.) They loved the smell when I was plating it but were then thoroughly perplexed when I served it to them. A few sprinkles of chicken Pure Bites and they ate it right up.

And yes, Smokey is very cute! He looks a little like a lynx mix kitten. Is he part Siamese?

 

[anapaula0324]

I was actually up late last night looking at the diff options for wet food and I think I'm going to stick with all wet for now and once he hits 4-5 months start to regulate his feedings and add in some freeze dried. I'm going with Neo_23 's kitten's age as a reference point.

I was calculating it and based on how much he eats now , I can stretch the 12.5 ounce cans of wellness chicken and beef for a while. I'm also going to get TOTW 5.5 ounce cans and and Triumph Turkey for kittens ( not grain free but they don't have kitten forms of grain free cans and it's a really a good price ). He's eventually going to eat more but I still think the wet food will last me at least two weeks or more. My target is two weeks.

Is there a particular reason you don't like giving beef ? I'm still doing research so I'm learning as I go. I want to do rabbit , lamb or venison as well but those are pretty expensive. I'm still a little hesitant on the pork but from what I've read , a lot of cats like it.

I Iooked into Rawz. While I definitely like the ingredients and will probably add it into the rotation , it's over 50 for 24 5.5 ounce cans and I can do a couple of diff wet foods for that price. They might be a little less quality wise but still at this age if it's an all you can eat buffet , he'll finish those up pretty quickly as he grows. Once I'm doing measured feedings I think it would be better to add Rawz in. The closest place that has it to my location is NJ. All wet food is expensive either way if you're looking for specific diets or ingredients is what I've seen lol

Thank you for your compliment I'm pretty sure at least one of his parents was a point. His litter was mostly points. But I never saw the parent so I'm not sure. There were four kittens in his litter and three were points so that's why I think one was a point. I've been looking for a point for a while now and Smokey fits right in with us. Although his love for meowing does keep me up a lot more than I'm used to lol

 

[Neo_23]

I was actually up late last night looking at the diff options for wet food and I think I'm going to stick with all wet for now and once he hits 4-5 months start to regulate his feedings and add in some freeze dried. I'm going with Neo_23 's kitten's age as a reference point.

I was calculating it and based on how much he eats now , I can stretch the 12.5 ounce cans of wellness chicken and beef for a while. I'm also going to get TOTW 5.5 ounce cans and and Triumph Turkey for kittens ( not grain free but they don't have kitten forms of grain free cans and it's a really a good price ). He's eventually going to eat more but I still think the wet food will last me at least two weeks or more. My target is two weeks.

Is there a particular reason you don't like giving beef ? I'm still doing research so I'm learning as I go. I want to do rabbit , lamb or venison as well but those are pretty expensive. I'm still a little hesitant on the pork but from what I've read , a lot of cats like it.

I Iooked into Rawz. While I definitely like the ingredients and will probably add it into the rotation , it's over 50 for 24 5.5 ounce cans and I can do a couple of diff wet foods for that price. They might be a little less quality wise but still at this age if it's an all you can eat buffet , he'll finish those up pretty quickly as he grows. Once I'm doing measured feedings I think it would be better to add Rawz in. The closest place that has it to my location is NJ. All wet food is expensive either way if you're looking for specific diets or ingredients is what I've seen lol

Thank you for your compliment I'm pretty sure at least one of his parents was a point. His litter was mostly points. But I never saw the parent so I'm not sure. There were four kittens in his litter and three were points so that's why I think one was a point. I've been looking for a point for a while now and Smokey fits right in with us. Although his love for meowing does keep me up a lot more than I'm used to lol

I understand the hesitation to spend more at the young age when they are eating lots. That's a problem I have too, but I just can't find an affordable brand that has decent ingredients. I don't want to feed fish on a daily basis because of the magnesium levels (also fish allergies are common amongst cats). I also want to avoid carrageenan, gums, and potatoes/rice/too many peas. The best ones I've found that are *kind of* affordable are Rawz and Instinct Pride.

Natural Balance seems decent too and it is cheaper than Rawz and Pride, but I'm not sure about the brown rice in it.

 

[Neo_23]

I forgot to mention - the other thing to look for is calorie content. I preferably like to buy 5.5 oz cans that are close to 200 calories. A lot of times the cheaper brands will have 150 kcal/can so you end up having to use more to fill your kitty up than the more expensive ones.

 

[lisahe]

anapaula0324 , I can understand your reasoning behind waiting a bit to add in the raw food. Whenever you do, it's fine (actually, it's usually even best) to just start with a little bit. That's what I did with our cats: fed them small snacks of Rad Cat once a day, then gradually added in more foods.

I don't like feeding beef because it's a large animal that's not really something a cat would tend to be able to kill as prey... though I'm not very consistent because I feed a lot of pork! The other reason for my slight beef aversion is that it's one of the proteins that tends to cause allergies and/or sensitivities... though I'm not very consistent on that, either, because I feed a ton of chicken! I think a lot of this has worked out to be where I find foods that fit other criteria...

Like Neo_23 , I avoid carrageenan, potatoes, peas, grains, and fish. I do feed some canned foods with gums but only a can or two a week. I also like neo_23's suggestion to look at calorie content: buying high calorie-foods can definitely save you a lot of money with a kitten! Our cats still love Wellness's Core kitten food: it's high-calorie and no longer has carrageenan.

And that's interesting that only three of the four cats in Smokey's litter were points! Our two cats (in my avatar photo) are littermates but don't look much alike. I guess that's not atypical with points, though. We adopted them at 10 months and even from that age they darkened noticeably over time. They're very sweet cats and have gotten very chatty! (They're now about 4.5 years old.) One thing our vet mentioned about Siamese and mixes is that they tend to have digestive issues. Our cats proved her right very quickly: one can't eat potato and the other seems to have low-grade nausea that stays under control with a good diet. All of which is to say that it's a big plus that you're planning to feed them a good wet diet, which is what our vet recommended, too. High-protein, low-carb, and grain-free is her thing for all cats but she said it's especially important for Siamese.

 

[anapaula0324]

I understand the hesitation to spend more at the young age when they are eating lots. That's a problem I have too, but I just can't find an affordable brand that has decent ingredients. I don't want to feed fish on a daily basis because of the magnesium levels (also fish allergies are common amongst cats). I also want to avoid carrageenan, gums, and potatoes/rice/too many peas. The best ones I've found that are *kind of* affordable are Rawz and Instinct Pride.

Natural Balance seems decent too and it is cheaper than Rawz and Pride, but I'm not sure about the brown rice in it.

There's so many things to avoid , it kind of makes your head hurt ...or at least mine anyways lol but I do know I definitely want to avoid potatoes , peas , any grains and carrageeneen. Maybe later on that list will expand but there's so many foods with guar gum or some type of gum that it's hard not to trip over those. Or I might just go ahead and go the raw route but if I do , it will be after Smokey turns one. They do eat a lot before that age and I really need the time to do adequate research. I want the best for him and if I were to accidentally hurt him by not having the correct knowledge , I would be devastated.

My total right now on chewy is 70 and altogether I'm getting a decent amount of wet food ( over 50 cans ) so I don't think that's too bad. But I know as he grows older and gains a bigger appetite , I might have to lower that amount. Because even though the target for the food to last for me is two weeks , I'm not too sure if I want to be spending 70 every two weeks. 3 or 4 weeks I could deal with though. I'm thinking of just going the big can route as that seems more cost effective.

 

[anapaula0324]

lisahe sorry didn't mean to tag you in the last post .. I'm a little sleepy. Your cats are cute I'm pretty sure Smokey will look like your lynx point. Probably somewhat darker because his nose is really dark. Smokey had one sibling that looked just like him , another that had the more traditional Siamese coloring and a grey Tabby sister. Smokey is really chatty too although he doesn't have any signature noises besides the traditional meow. I did read that Siamese tend to have digestive issues. So far I've only given Smokey wet food with chicken. He seems to be doing good on that but I want to try other proteins as well.

I totally get the beef thing. It does make sense that in the wild , they would not take down a huge animal like that. I also want to avoid fish but I will include some. I just don't want it to be a huge part of his diet. The Wellness cans I'm trying to buy have beef and chicken. There are other flavors though so I'll look into those. I do look at the protein levels but like I said a lot of it is hard for me to really get. I really need to touch up on my math or I'm going to have a seriously fat cat when he's older lol I'm just going with everything I'm learning and applying it pretty much. I'm sure I'll get the rest as I go on.

 

[anapaula0324]

lisahe Neo_23 any tips on feeding refrigerated wet food ? Will it make his stomach hurt ? I've been heating it up but he seems like he doesn't like it that way. I've had to feed him from a fork to get him to eat today. Yesterday his appetite was a little down too but again I heated up the food. I thought it was the food he was getting tired of but I just gave it to him cold and he had no issue with it.

 

[Neo_23]

I feed wet food cold and refrigerated all the time. My kitty has had no problems. Also since we've moved to an all wet diet I've been freezing small portions of his wet food and leaving it out to defrost so he can eat it later when I'm gone for a long day. He actually licks the frozen food for about a minute when I first put it out. And eventually he eats it when it defrosts.

If he likes it cold I would just mix up with a spoon a bit first when you take it out of the fridge and then just give it to him. I don't see a problem.

 

[himawari]

I feed my cat a raw-wet diet. I let the raw defrost in the fridge, add in a bit of room-temp water (since he likes it kinda mushy and it's good for urinary health!) and let him eat it. It has never bothered his stomach, and he is 7 years old. But I did hear that it is best to have their food in warm temperature so sometimes (when I have the time) I let soak or put in hot water to warm it up.

 

[anapaula0324]

Neo_23 well that alleviates my worries I usually mush it up with a fork before giving it to him. But he had no issue eating it cold today. Just wasn't so enthusiastic about it after it was heated up lol

H himawari I usually add in room temp water to most of his meals as he's giving me a hard time drinking water. I'm thinking of getting him a couple of fountains because the traditional bowl is not attracting him at all. But I'm happy to hear your cat has never had issues I would be upset if I ended up giving Smokey an upset stomach. I will try to just leave it out maybe for an half an hour before I feed him so it warms up but he def doesn't like it microwaved.

 

[Neo_23]

I don't think it's unsafe to feed it cold. My sister has also been feeding cold wet food to her cat for years. Some cats might have sensitive tummies but I feel like you would find out sooner than later if your cat was one of those. ... actually he probably wouldn't touch it if it bothered him.