Raw And Dry

[Show Me Your Kitties]

I'm thinking about buying a bag of Stella's Selects to see if the boys (4-5 months) would be interested in raw, and possibly slowly add some raw to their diet. They are currently eating Rawz canned.

The thing is I'm still free feeding them dry (Solid Gold. I bought a small bag of Dr Elsey's to try since I like the ingredients better).

Is it really so bad for raw and dry to mix? I read you should stop the dry before going raw. I also randomly saw someone on here mention that was a myth while browsing threads (don't remember who or which thread).

I try to feed them more wet than dry and give them only a small amount of dry to nibble on during the day and then some for the night. It keeps the same old dry from just sitting in the bowl for days on end since they can actually finish it, and if they are full from the wet they eat less dry.

So anyway, is it okay for them to eat raw and dry? Or should I just wait until they no longer have to be free fed and transition them fully to wet?

Also how old should they be when they can be put on scheduled meals?

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

From whatI understand, you should not feed raw and kibble TOGETHER, because they digest at a different rate, which can cause tummy issues. But I think if you were to feed all meal of raw, then set out kibble in between for them to nibble on, you would be okay.

Have you looked at Stella's dry food line? They now offer some raw coated kibble and a raw blend kibble (which I don't quite get since that DOES offer raw and kibble together ) OR you could possibly feed them freeze dried raw and not rehydrate it as their in between meal snacks.

I would say at about 8 or 9 months they could go in schedule meals, as long as they aren't large breed cats. But I know some people feed kittens raw from the get go so you might want to pose that question in our Raw Forum. Maybe they have the luxury of being home all day and feed them several scheduled meals per day.

 

[Show Me Your Kitties]

From whatI understand, you should not feed raw and kibble TOGETHER, because they digest at a different rate, which can cause tummy issues. But I think if you were to feed all meal of raw, then set out kibble in between for them to nibble on, you would be okay.

Have you looked at Stella's dry food line? They now offer some raw coated kibble and a raw blend kibble (which I don't quite get since that DOES offer raw and kibble together ) OR you could possibly feed them freeze dried raw and not rehydrate it as their in between meal snacks.

I would say at about 8 or 9 months they could go in schedule meals, as long as they aren't large breed cats. But I know some people feed kittens raw from the get go so you might want to pose that question in our Raw Forum. Maybe they have the luxury of being home all day and feed them several scheduled meals per day.

So if I were to feed raw the same way I feed canned (scheduled meals) and leave dry out to be nibbled on it should be okay? Sorry just wanted to clarify. The last thing I want to do is cause my boys to have upset tummies.

I thought about feeding freeze dried raw for their "dry" food. They eat freeze dried treats like poultry hearts/gizzard and chicken breast, so they aren't apposed to the texture. Not sure how they'd feel about eating that instead of their kibble. It's an option to look into, though.

I'll have to look at their dry line. I don't think I ever really paid much attention to it.

Okay, thanks for the info! Sometimes articles online say different things about certain things. I'm not sure how big they are gonna get (domestic short hairs) as adults. I should probably invest in a pet weigher to keep track of their weight and make sure they aren't over or under what is considered healthy.

I unfortunately don't have the luxury of staying home, but I live with my mom and she works from home. That doesn't mean she is home all day every day, though. Might be hard to keep up with a kittens' appetite, which is why I asked this question, to see if I could introduce raw into their diet while still allowing them access to dry between meals.

Anyway thanks for the reply! I really appreciate it.

 

[1 bruce 1]

We know people who feed raw and dry together with no problems, but if it does upset their stomachs I would back off and keep the meals separate.

More importantly (to me) is at this age it's easier to teach them that dry food of all kinds, wet foods of all kinds, tinned foods of all kinds and raw foods of all kinds (dehydrated mixes, pre mixes, or just frozen/thawed raw meat, bones etc.) are food. Even if the raw isn't something you want to do all the time long term, getting it (and other types of food) under their nose now will perhaps prevent finicky eating in the future. And cats can be super, super finicky once their minds lock onto one type of food, in one flavor, is food and nothing else.
Sometimes companies fold, sometimes they are bought out, the formulas change, or there's a bad recall for something dangerous. When your cats only like that specific brand that's either obsolete or off the shelves due to contamination, it's so much easier to be able to pick something out similar and have them dive in than it is for them to go on a hunger strike. So I think your plan sounds like a good one.

 

[Show Me Your Kitties]

We know people who feed raw and dry together with no problems, but if it does upset their stomachs I would back off and keep the meals separate.

More importantly (to me) is at this age it's easier to teach them that dry food of all kinds, wet foods of all kinds, tinned foods of all kinds and raw foods of all kinds (dehydrated mixes, pre mixes, or just frozen/thawed raw meat, bones etc.) are food. Even if the raw isn't something you want to do all the time long term, getting it (and other types of food) under their nose now will perhaps prevent finicky eating in the future. And cats can be super, super finicky once their minds lock onto one type of food, in one flavor, is food and nothing else.
Sometimes companies fold, sometimes they are bought out, the formulas change, or there's a bad recall for something dangerous. When your cats only like that specific brand that's either obsolete or off the shelves due to contamination, it's so much easier to be able to pick something out similar and have them dive in than it is for them to go on a hunger strike. So I think your plan sounds like a good one.

Well I wasn't planning on mixing kibble and raw together in the same bowl. I just wanted to find out if I could still leave a bowl of dry out for them to nibble on between meals like I do now with their canned. But I'd definitely stop if it looks like it's causing upset.

I definitely agree! You never know when a brand is recalled or goes out of stock or discontinues. It's always good to have another food you're cat or dog would eat if that happens. It's also why I introduced them to freeze dried organ meat once I got them because they are curious about food and I want to take advantage of that while I can in case they get finickier with age. They get bored if they eat the same thing every day, so I made sure to get a bunch of different proteins from Rawz. Another reason I want to add raw to their diet.

Thanks for your reply!

 

[Azazel]

The idea that you can’t feed raw and dry together is just an internet myth. There’s no evidence to support this claim and in fact I saw a report on a study with dogs once that actually supported the opposite - that it was okay to mix. Not sure where the link to the study is unfortunately.

 

[1 bruce 1]

Well I wasn't planning on mixing kibble and raw together in the same bowl. I just wanted to find out if I could still leave a bowl of dry out for them to nibble on between meals like I do now with their canned. But I'd definitely stop if it looks like it's causing upset.

I definitely agree! You never know when a brand is recalled or goes out of stock or discontinues. It's always good to have another food you're cat or dog would eat if that happens. It's also why I introduced them to freeze dried organ meat once I got them because they are curious about food and I want to take advantage of that while I can in case they get finickier with age. They get bored if they eat the same thing every day, so I made sure to get a bunch of different proteins from Rawz. Another reason I want to add raw to their diet.

Thanks for your reply!

You're very welcome my friend

 

[Show Me Your Kitties]

The idea that you can’t feed raw and dry together is just an internet myth. There’s no evidence to support this claim and in fact I saw a report on a study with dogs once that actually supported the opposite - that it was okay to mix. Not sure where the link to the study is unfortunately.

It would be interesting to read this study, and if it also applied to cats. If it's a myth I wonder where and why it came about.

 

[Azazel]

Someone at some point suggested in the Internet world that cooked food and raw food digest at different speeds and therefore it would cause digestive upset if cats eat both, with raw food digesting more slowly.

We know though that raw meat actually digests more quickly than cooked food, although raw bone takes longer. We also know that outdoor and feral cats have been eating a mix of raw and cooked food for a long time (trash can scraps and wild prey).

I feed mostly raw but sometimes feed canned and never had a problem. Dr. Pierson also has a raw/cooked recipe on her site.

 

[1 bruce 1]

Someone at some point suggested in the Internet world that cooked food and raw food digest at different speeds and therefore it would cause digestive upset if cats eat both, with raw food digesting more slowly.

We know though that raw meat actually digests more quickly than cooked food, although raw bone takes longer. We also know that outdoor and feral cats have been eating a mix of raw and cooked food for a long time (trash can scraps and wild prey).

I feed mostly raw but sometimes feed canned and never had a problem. Dr. Pierson also has a raw/cooked recipe on her site.

I know the GI tract of cats and humans are different of course, but I always wondered how that works with humans, if we eat a piece of rare-ish steak, and a salad. If they digest at different rates, wouldn't we get sick too?
Our cats get raw but also cooked scraps of meat we don't want to throw out. (and treats, too!)

 

[She's a witch]

There’s article on feline nutrition about this:
https://feline-nutrition.org/nutrition/raw-meat-and-kibble-dont-mix
If that’s true, it’s more about carbs in kibbles than about cooked vs raw.

Show Me Your Kitties , I personlly avoid feeding my cats not rehydrated freeze dried; they hardly drink and I’d be afraid they get dehydrated.
Have you heard about Surefed bowl? It’s lid automatically lifts when kitty wants to eat. That would be one way of free feeding your kittens wet, and leave dry during the night only. Something to consider.

 

[Azazel]

There’s article on feline nutrition about this:
https://feline-nutrition.org/nutrition/raw-meat-and-kibble-dont-mix
If that’s true, it’s more about carbs in kibbles than about cooked vs raw.

Yeah, that article is a little misleading. It’s not that you can’t feed them together. It’s that they are saying that raw food is healthy and dry food is not so why would you mix the two. I guess they are also making claims about high carb diets canceling out the benefits of healthy ones. Not sure of the basis for that claim.

 

[Show Me Your Kitties]

R=10040344]@Show Me Your Kitties[/USER] , I personlly avoid feeding my cats not rehydrated freeze dried; they hardly drink and I’d be afraid they get dehydrated.
Have you heard about Surefed bowl? It’s lid automatically lifts when kitty wants to eat. That would be one way of free feeding your kittens wet, and leave dry during the night only. Something to consider.

That makes sense. I suppose freeze dried would be best served as a treat than a meal. I'm trying to make sure my boys get enough moisture in their diets, after all.

I've never heard of that bowl before. That's pretty cool, though If I found the right one, it's really pricy.

 

[She's a witch]

That makes sense. I suppose freeze dried would be best served as a treat than a meal. I'm trying to make sure my boys get enough moisture in their diets, after all.

I've never heard of that bowl before. That's pretty cool, though If I found the right one, it's really pricy.

Yeah, it is pricey, I’d also add stainless steel insides instead the standard plastic ones so it gets even pricier! Plus, they have a chip operated version, and I’m like: I’m not buying the simple version because what if I need the chip operated one one day, in case I need to ensure my cats eat different food? Plus, I would need to find a stable way to elevate it. So in short, it’s not perfect, and I don’t have it, but I wish I had, so maybe I wouldn’t have to feed my cats small portions 5 times a day lastly, it doesn’t work with black cats and I have one (I’m sorry, this is a joke: there’s actual question on the amazon page if it works with black cats and I often make fun of it )

Edited to add: you can feed freeze dried as a meal, just make sure you rehydrate it with water. My cats love it.

 

[daftcat75]

Raw and dry shouldn’t be fed at the same meal because bone requires a lot of stomach acid to digest and carby/starchy dry food doesn’t stimulate acid production like real meat.

Edit: I see you’re looking at Stella & Chewy’s Selects. That’s boneless. That should probably be okay to feed with dry in the rotation. I’d still avoid mixing them in the same meal but it probably makes less of a difference with boneless raw.

 

[Azazel]

Raw and dry shouldn’t be fed at the same meal because bone requires a lot of stomach acid to digest and carby/starchy dry food doesn’t stimulate acid production like real meat.

Edit: I see you’re looking at Stella & Chewy’s Selects. That’s boneless. That should probably be okay to feed with dry in the rotation. I’d still avoid mixing them in the same meal but it probably makes less of a difference with boneless raw.

This argument makes more sense to me but then again it’s more about raw bone than raw meat. Hopefully nobody is feeding their cats only raw bone and dry kibble.

 

[Show Me Your Kitties]

Raw and dry shouldn’t be fed at the same meal because bone requires a lot of stomach acid to digest and carby/starchy dry food doesn’t stimulate acid production like real meat.

Edit: I see you’re looking at Stella & Chewy’s Selects. That’s boneless. That should probably be okay to feed with dry in the rotation. I’d still avoid mixing them in the same meal but it probably makes less of a difference with boneless raw.

After reading so many threads on this site, I've become very wary of bone percentage in cat food, and honestly want to avoid it if possible.

I honestly never planned on mixing them together (like in the same bowl). I just wanted to know if leaving a bowl of dry out for them to nibble on in-between meals would be okay.

I'd like to introduce raw to them slowly, and right now they are more open to trying new things. so I figured giving them some S&C's Selects (if they like it, that is) a few times a week along with their Rawz would be a way to start. I just didn't want to jump into that plan, and then them munching on some dry before breakfast/lunch/dinner screwing them up.

Teddy stepped on my keyboard and wrote this mysterious message: xdfrygthhhhhhhhh.;/l

lol

But anyway, thank you for your insight!

 

[Show Me Your Kitties]

Yeah, it is pricey, I’d also add stainless steel insides instead the standard plastic ones so it gets even pricier! Plus, they have a chip operated version, and I’m like: I’m not buying the simple version because what if I need the chip operated one one day, in case I need to ensure my cats eat different food? Plus, I would need to find a stable way to elevate it. So in short, it’s not perfect, and I don’t have it, but I wish I had, so maybe I wouldn’t have to feed my cats small portions 5 times a day lastly, it doesn’t work with black cats and I have one (I’m sorry, this is a joke: there’s actual question on the amazon page if it works with black cats and I often make fun of it )

Edited to add: you can feed freeze dried as a meal, just make sure you rehydrate it with water. My cats love it.

Maybe one day I can splurge on some high-techy cat stuff, but not with my salary now lol you could also just feed your cats in separate rooms, or one-up high and the other on the floor if they had to eat different foods. That's what my cheap butt would do.

Yeah both my wet food bowls are elevated. I noticed the fancy bowl wasn't raised.

lol people ask the weirdest things on there. That question had to have been a joke.

Yeah, I know

 

[daftcat75]

I use this feeder with Krista for wet food. But you could certainly lock down the dry food for a certain number of hours after their scheduled raw meal. Pick up any raw meal not finished in 30 minutes as a matter of food safety. Place down the feeder with dry in it to open two hours later.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07M9J4SNR/?tag=&tag=thecatsite



Krista and her daytime buffet line. She eats her scheduled meals off two plates because I find she’ll finish two smaller portions more often than one large portion even if it’s the same total amount. Cats! And she gets two feeders of wet food in case one fails to open. They open at 4 and six hours after I plate her second breakfast/second dinner. Her feeders on the overnight let me sleep through the night and she doesn’t wake me at 4 or 5 am.

 

[Show Me Your Kitties]

I use this feeder with Krista for wet food. But you could certainly lock down the dry food for a certain number of hours after their scheduled raw meal. Pick up any raw meal not finished in 30 minutes as a matter of food safety. Place down the feeder with dry in it to open two hours later.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07M9J4SNR/?tag=&tag=thecatsite

View attachment 297852

Krista and her daytime buffet line. She eats her scheduled meals off two plates because I find she’ll finish two smaller portions more often than one large portion even if it’s the same total amount. Cats! And she gets two feeders of wet food in case one fails to open. They open at 4 and six hours after I plate her second breakfast/second dinner. Her feeders on the overnight let me sleep through the night and she doesn’t wake me at 4 or 5 am.

That's pretty cool! And looks more affordable than the one I looked at. I'll have to bookmark it. Thanks for the link.