Primal - Differences In Online Food Calculator And Bag

[MargoLane]

Hi everyone!

I've just started the slow transition to raw with my IBD cat. She's currently on a decreasing dose of Prednisolone, and is managing very well. I bought some Stella and Chewys and Primal freeze dried to start her off with. I figured if she didn't like them rehydrated, I could still use them as toppers/treats and wouldn't be out money. Eventually, I'll move to the frozen raw.

However - success! She's taken to it so easily. I've been mixing a little of the S&C in with her wet food and she starts meowing and dancing as soon as I open the bag, and no tummy troubles so far. I'm really happy. However, as I start to reduce the amount of wet food, I'm having real trouble figuring out how much she should eat, especially with the Primal.

My cat is 8 pounds, 2 years old, and indoor. She does get wild and runs around in the evenings, but pretty much loafs around and watches cat TV (window) all day. Primal's online calculator for said she only needs 2 bricks per day, while the bag says 3-3.5 Why would it be different? Plus, the calories are often shown in ounces, but serving sizes in scoops, cups or bricks. So I'm worried about under or overfeeding her. How do you calculate, especially with freeze dried?

 

[dhammagirl]

Different kitties can have very different food requirements.

I'd recommend getting a small digital scale for weighing the food, as it will be more accurate. I scored a good but inexpensive one at Walmart. Keep track of how much food she's getting. You can make a note for each meal, or just the grand total for each day.
Next, try to get a scale for weighing your kitty. I scored a used one that's designed for weighing babies at a kid's stuff re-sale shop. Check a local Goodwill shop if you have one.
Weigh your kitty once a week or every other week.
If she's already at her ideal adult weight, that's great!
I've got an overweight kitty I'm monitoring.

I'm glad you found some food that her digestive system tolerates!

 

[MargoLane]

Thanks! I think you're right - a food scale is the best way to go. The different calorie counts and measurements are just too weird and different to do quick calculations. Not sure if you feed freeze dried or not but if so, do you weight it when dry or wet?

 

[Azazel]

I would look to see how many ounces are in each brick and then how many calories are in an ounce. Typically the recommendation is 20xweight in pounds for calories per day for an inactive cat.

 

[lisamarie12]

Congratulations on the beginning of your transition to raw.

When you used Primal's online calculator was it specifically for their freeze dried nuggets vs frozen?

I would contact Primal for specific info regarding the discrepancy, their customer service is excellent, especially if you speak with Angeline.

Also, please note that Primal's recommendation of one tablespoon of water per nugget is way too low -- at least 3-4 tablespoons of water per nugget.

Good luck.

 

[dhammagirl]

Thanks! I think you're right - a food scale is the best way to go. The different calorie counts and measurements are just too weird and different to do quick calculations. Not sure if you feed freeze dried or not but if so, do you weight it when dry or wet?

Well, I feed raw mostly.
But since water doesn't add calories, I'd say weigh the food prior to adding water.

 

[lisahe]

What's on the bag is likely to be more correct: the one ounce they refer to on the bag of pork Primal in our cabinet is only 148 calories, which might be a little low for your cat's size and age. (Our indoor cats are pretty active even at around five!) We don't measure our cats' freeze-dried food by weight, volume, or anything other than eye so I don't know how many calories they eat but, depending on the cat's weight, activity, and other factors, somewhere around 20 calories per pound of at weight is considered fairly typical for maintaining weight. Our cats' appetites vary a lot depending on season, weather, and who knows what else!

Also, L lisamarie12 is absolutely right that it's best to add more water to Primal!

 

[MargoLane]

Congratulations on the beginning of your transition to raw.

When you used Primal's online calculator was it specifically for their freeze dried nuggets vs frozen?

I would contact Primal for specific info regarding the discrepancy, their customer service is excellent, especially if you speak with Angeline.

Also, please note that Primal's recommendation of one tablespoon of water per nugget is way too low -- at least 3-4 tablespoons of water per nugget.

Good luck.

I went back and looked at the calculator and it didn't differentiate between freeze dried and frozen. So I'm thinking that it's two nuggets for frozen, but 3.5 bricks for the freeze dried, as per the bag.

And yes - definitely extra water! I was already just putting them in a soup bowl full of water so that they'd get soggy enough to mash them with a fork. She likes pate texture. Thanks for your help!

 

[MargoLane]

What's on the bag is likely to be more correct: the one ounce they refer to on the bag of pork Primal in our cabinet is only 148 calories, which might be a little low for your cat's size and age. (Our indoor cats are pretty active even at around five!) We don't measure our cats' freeze-dried food by weight, volume, or anything other than eye so I don't know how many calories they eat but, depending on the cat's weight, activity, and other factors, somewhere around 20 calories per pound of at weight is considered fairly typical for maintaining weight. Our cats' appetites vary a lot depending on season, weather, and who knows what else!

Also, L lisamarie12 is absolutely right that it's best to add more water to Primal!

I think you're right. Best to go with the bag. Thanks!

 

[lisahe]

I went back and looked at the calculator and it didn't differentiate between freeze dried and frozen. So I'm thinking that it's two nuggets for frozen, but 3.5 bricks for the freeze dried, as per the bag.

It should be the same number of bricks for freeze-dried and frozen. The foods are (or at least used to be!) the same thing in both forms, other than the water. In any case, somewhere around three or four freeze-dried bricks a day should be about right. (I suspect that if we fed only Primal that our cats would probably eat a little more than that... they're 7-8 pounds but have always eaten well for their size! They're indoor cats who really burn up the calories; I'm not convinced that indoor cats need low-calorie diets!)

 

[MargoLane]

They're indoor cats who really burn up the calories; I'm not convinced that indoor cats need low-calorie diets!)

I agree with you! And for the past few weeks, I've been letting her eat plenty as she needs to gain back the weight she lost after her last IBD flare up. She's back to her regular weight now, but the prednisolone means she would eat all the cat food in the house, plus an entire horse! So I feel that I need to keep an eye on her calories.

I've already noticed a difference in energy level with the raw food. And she's only up to half and half now. It's super cute. Is that normal?

 

[lisahe]

I agree with you! And for the past few weeks, I've been letting her eat plenty as she needs to gain back the weight she lost after her last IBD flare up. She's back to her regular weight now, but the prednisolone means she would eat all the cat food in the house, plus an entire horse! So I feel that I need to keep an eye on her calories.

I've already noticed a difference in energy level with the raw food. And she's only up to half and half now. It's super cute. Is that normal?

Yes, it's normal! We feed about 60-70% raw, and the rest homecooked an canned and our cats are very energetic. Rather than counting calories or units (bricks, nuggets, ounces, etc.) of food, I keep an eye on how they look (skinny or gaining weight?) and ask for food (aggressively or not at all), then adjust their freeze-dried meals as necessary. I'm definitely not into calculations so that works best for me and keeps the cats happy, too. I understand, though, about needing to watch your cat's calories because of the medication. Maybe she'll stay active, though, to stay fit!

 

[lisamarie12]

I went back and looked at the calculator and it didn't differentiate between freeze dried and frozen. So I'm thinking that it's two nuggets for frozen, but 3.5 bricks for the freeze dried, as per the bag.

And yes - definitely extra water! I was already just putting them in a soup bowl full of water so that they'd get soggy enough to mash them with a fork. She likes pate texture. Thanks for your help!

And yes - definitely extra water! I was already just putting them in a soup bowl full of water so that they'd get soggy enough to mash them with a fork. She likes pate texture. Thanks for your help!

Great re: water! Usually what I do with my nuggets, feeding both cats: I place the nuggets in an empty glass measuring cup, mash them up with a pestle and then gradually add water while stirring, this way you can fine tune the amount into a pate (and even chunky this way it also hydrates well).

Some nuggets are harder than others, eg venison due to the leanness of the protein.

I'm glad it's working out for you.