I've been talking to my daughter about raw food, as I'm trying to find a good brand. I like Honeys and Luna and me also look good in the little portion patties. They say they're complete, but my daughter says they're not balanced as they don't have 2 organs in, should be 10% heart, and 5% liver. I'm all confused ha ha! I'd prefer free range, and I'm not into making my own! Does anyone know why companies tend to not use the correct percentage of organs in the foods?

I don't feed raw but do know that heart is not considered an organ. Instead its classed as muscle meat.

 

Yes she said 2 organs is best, like liver and kidney for example. It's very confusing!

 

Ideal is 5% liver, 5% other secreting organ. I feed liver with chicken heads (meaty bone +brains) for my organ content.

 

Sometimes it's hard to know what is in raw brand foods, as some don't put the percentages.

 

I feed raw/bone for my dogs and cat however I make it myself ( as I want to know exactly what they are eating)
If you find a raw product you like but are concerned about lack of organ meat then simply purchase some chicken liver, chop and freeze them using an ice cube tray & add one 'cube' to the meal.... or I dry bake ox liver/kidney, chop when cool and dry a little more in the oven, they make great treats for my dogs but the cat loves them too

As SbanR says ox heart is a muscle meat and that also works well as a treat baked the same as liver/kidney... my cat doesn't like heart raw but loves it baked

 

Thank you, my cats have oddly never eaten any treats I've tried them with! My dog is currently eating the freeze dried chicken I got them! That's a good idea with the kidney! Might be able to manage that!

 

Many on here like Luna & Me.
If you occasionally change brands, it should balance things out?
Or do a mix of commercial wet and raw.

 

Thank you, yes, Luna and me looks good, as does Honeys. Whether they'll even touch it, I don't know, but I can only try! I need to get a new raw food freezer first though!

 

I've been talking to my daughter about raw food, as I'm trying to find a good brand. I like Honeys and Luna and me also look good in the little portion patties. They say they're complete, but my daughter says they're not balanced as they don't have 2 organs in, should be 10% heart, and 5% liver.

Just my two pennies worth based upon my own personal experience: Prior to last Autumn, I fed Kiezebrink raw complete to my cats for a number of years without issue. I switched to Luna & Me because I felt the patties would make it easier to manage the portions for each cat. I did put aside my niggling concern that despite what the packaging said, the food wasn't really complete. However, this year I have had problems with two litters I bred (both displaying symptoms that indicate a lack of specific nutrition during pregnancy). As the queens involved had previously had no problems with their litters while eating the kiezebrink, rightly or wrongly I have dropped L&M like a hot potato. After asking round breeder friends I have gone for the somewhat more expensive Purrform.

Finding the right raw company is a bit of a minefield, there are an increasing number out there doing raw pet food now. However I would carefully read all the ingredients and nutritional details before making your final choice.

 

Thank you for your reply and warning. I've contacted Honeys with lots of questions! Sorry you've had issues with your queens. Purrform does look good too, but not free range, but might have to have one that I think has better ingredients. May I ask why you didn't go back to Keizebrink?

 

Hi Tigermoon,

I'm really interested in the problems you mentioned with feeding composition and your litters, can you elaborate on the issues?

Thanks!

 

Thank you to everyone for all your advice. I’ve bought a cat food freezer, and ordered the trial pack of 5 tubs of Purrform, as I liked their flavours, and they seem a good company. I ordered the kitten ones, which are double minced, as my boys seem to have issues with lumpy food! I really hope they can be converted.

 

I've become more interested in raw foods, their components and whether they really are complete as manufacturers claim for some.

I make my own, following a Lisa Pierson complete recipe which I trust implicitly. Anyone who has read her web pages will know that she is utterly obsessive (I do mean that in a kind way) about ingredients and the safety of raw diets in relation to completeness and preparation. I have a suspicion that a few of the supplements in her list are there for good measure, in a harmless 'on the safe side' basis.

A few manufacturers some years ago were challenged on their claims of their food being nutritionally complete for cats. The food proved not to be as, incredibly, the manufacturers were treating cats like small dogs - as so many have a wont to do - in their keenness to widen their market to the growing number of raw fed cats.

I stopped using Purrform partly due to the expense and I hate their customer service. I have my doubts about the completeness of the minced rabbit I used to buy from them. And I never believed Kiezebrink rabbit to be complete though I'm not sure they ever claimed it was?

 

It does worry me, but Purrform looks like one of the best raw foods out there that I could see.

 

Yes she said 2 organs is best, like liver and kidney for example.

Best maybe.
But that doesn't mean the others aren't complete.

The best car for a race could be considered a fast one. That doesn't meant the slower cars aren't any good for racing.

 

My cats love Raaw cat food but there is only 2 varieties so I’m looking for another brand of raw to add in.
I’ve just ordered Bella & Duke and my cats wouldn’t go anywhere near it.
I wasn’t impressed with the delivery - packaged in 2 cardboard boxes with a pack of dry ice in.
No thermal or foil/polystyrene lining so would have thought the dry ice would have dissipated within a couple of hours.
my order was partially defrosted so don’t feel it’s keeping it truly fresh. Or maybe it’s the dry ice contamination? The food comes in small tubs so not truly air tight. I don’t know but there’s some thing about it that has put my cats off with just a smell of it.
Interested to hear other people’s experience with frozen food deliveries and which company is best.
mid I felt confident enough to do it myself I would but there’s so many different views on what is best I’m bit confused with it all.

 

My cats love Raaw cat food but there is only 2 varieties so I'm looking for another brand of raw to add in.
I've just ordered Bella & Duke and my cats wouldn't go anywhere near it.
I wasn't impressed with the delivery - packaged in 2 cardboard boxes with a pack of dry ice in.
No thermal or foil/polystyrene lining so would have thought the dry ice would have dissipated within a couple of hours.
my order was partially defrosted so don't feel it's keeping it truly fresh. Or maybe it's the dry ice contamination? The food comes in small tubs so not truly air tight. I don't know but there's some thing about it that has put my cats off with just a smell of it.
Interested to hear other people's experience with frozen food deliveries and which company is best.
mid I felt confident enough to do it myself I would but there's so many different views on what is best I'm bit confused with it all.

I'm transitioning my 2 from wet onto Purrform. Was very happy with their packaging, and the food was frozen solid still. I ordered tubs, but have wasted about half a tub, so think the pouches may be easier, although more expensive. The food looked lovely and fresh too. They were eating the chicken ok, one cat better than the other, but changed to rabbit today, and now they're confused again as it was a new flavour I guess, and different, but I will carry on trying. I've ordered some pouches to come Wednesday, so I'll waste less during transition.

 

The Raaw food I’ve got is in 100g packages so I find it’s so easy especially the transition period to make sure it’s 100% fresh.
I know my cats won’t eat meat when it’s been open for a bit Or too cold out of the fridge. opened canned food was always a no no so wasted a lot then.

 

The Raaw food I've got is in 100g packages so I find it's so easy especially the transition period to make sure it's 100% fresh.
I know my cats won't eat meat when it's been open for a bit Or too cold out of the fridge. opened canned food was always a no no so wasted a lot then.

The 100g packages sound good, but I've looked at raaw, and there are only 2 flavours, and I'm not overly keen on feeding hooved animals, although one of the Purrform flavours I have is rabbit with ox heart. I like that the flavours are mainly things they'd catch in the wild like rabbit, turkey, chicken and quail. I wish their pouches were bigger than 70g though, as it's not quite enough for my 2 for a meal. They're now eating the raw and their old wet food half and half, so getting there slowly, and I have pouches coming tomorrow, as like you say, you like it fresh, I do too! They said it lasts 3- 4 days, but on the second day, the chicken particularly went a bit grey looking. The pouches are more expensive, but might be easier!

 

I have a Purrform delivery due any minute. I’ve always been happy with their packaging and everything is always stil frozen. I buy the pouches as I don’t have much freezer room and would struggle cutting up a tub. The pouches are a perfect size for my boys as they have 35g per meal. Meat looks and smells fresh. I haven’t given up on Luna and Me (packaging fine on that - always arrived frozen) as I want to feed more than one brand, although I am a bit hesitant if it seems to be unbalanced. I take the view that if you feed different varieties, things tend to balance out in the end. May be a bit naive, but I’m not up to making my own. I do add Felini to plain meat so I suppose that’s 3 brands that they have. I’d like to add one more thing in but have been wary of the quality. I ordered some stuff years ago when I first tried raw and it arrived partially defrosted and the meat didn’t look good quality.

 

I have a Purrform delivery due any minute. I've always been happy with their packaging and everything is always stil frozen. I buy the pouches as I don't have much freezer room and would struggle cutting up a tub. The pouches are a perfect size for my boys as they have 35g per meal. Meat looks and smells fresh. I haven't given up on Luna and Me (packaging fine on that - always arrived frozen) as I want to feed more than one brand, although I am a bit hesitant if it seems to be unbalanced. I take the view that if you feed different varieties, things tend to balance out in the end. May be a bit naive, but I'm not up to making my own. I do add Felini to plain meat so I suppose that's 3 brands that they have. I'd like to add one more thing in but have been wary of the quality. I ordered some stuff years ago when I first tried raw and it arrived partially defrosted and the meat didn't look good quality.

Yes, so far I've been very impressed with Purrform, and it was totally frozen. I think the pouches will be better, as I want the meat as fresh as possible for my boys. I bought a small freezer especially for the cat food! Yes, I've read a few worrying things about Luna and Me, so I decided on Purrform, plus I liked their flavours better. It might be fine, but I didn't want to risk it. I am not one for making my own either, being vegetarian my whole life, it's just not for me. I'm very happy with how the Purrform looks and smells though.

 

I use the Purrform tubs for one cat. He only needs 45g per meal, 3 times a day. (He was on more, but started resembling a potato which was not helping his arthritis...)

I find I can let the tub sit in the fridge overnight, at which point is mostly frozen but soft enough that I can chisel bits off with a spoon, and mash the portion a bit for a few minutes to mostly defrost it. I then add warm water to finish the defrosting and take the chill off.

At the next meal, the core is still slightly frozen but the edges are soft enough to scoop out. By the third meal, it's usually mostly soft with a slightly icy core. That way, it seems to stay fresher for long enough to finish it before it starts looking or smelling less than fresh...

 

I use the Purrform tubs for one cat. He only needs 45g per meal, 3 times a day. (He was on more, but started resembling a potato which was not helping his arthritis...)

I find I can let the tub sit in the fridge overnight, at which point is mostly frozen but soft enough that I can chisel bits off with a spoon, and mash the portion a bit for a few minutes to mostly defrost it. I then add warm water to finish the defrosting and take the chill off.

At the next meal, the core is still slightly frozen but the edges are soft enough to scoop out. By the third meal, it's usually mostly soft with a slightly icy core. That way, it seems to stay fresher for long enough to finish it before it starts looking or smelling less than fresh...

Yes that's what I did, getting the first meals out hurts my hand though lol! The rabbit tub seems to be ok, and today is day 3, although the first day it was mostly frozen still, but the chicken one looked odd by the third day. My boys don't seem to mind it cold.

 

I’m thinking mince might go rancid more quickly than chunks — mine tends to look fine (and not smell) 3 days after defrosting. That said, there don’t seem to be premade balanced options in the UK that aren’t minced, at least for cats. I don’t think my cats would like food they can’t shred with their teeth.

 

I'm thinking mince might go rancid more quickly than chunks - mine tends to look fine (and not smell) 3 days after defrosting. That said, there don't seem to be premade balanced options in the UK that aren't minced, at least for cats. I don't think my cats would like food they can't shred with their teeth.

Oh you may be right about that, as I bought the double minced tubs, as I thought it would be easier for transition from wet, as they're used to pate wet food and have never liked lumps!

 

But then my daughter makes her own raw for her ferrets, and she says she thinks chicken always smells and looks horrible lol.

 

One of mine likes chunks but the other won’t touch anything other than mince. At least not until recently. Gradually over the past few years I’ve been giving him chunks cut up very small and he will eat those. Then I started leaving some larger pieces in and he mostly eats those now, provided he’s in the right mood.

 

The thing that puts me off about Purrform is it seems quite expensive.
More or less an extra £1 per tub, which if you're buying 20 tubs, is quite a lot...

It may not be the standard these days but Natural Instinct is usually the price I base others on.

 

I think I just really liked the flavours of Purrform, as I prefer my cats to eat meats that they might catch in the wild, and a lot of them are.

 

Just had a look at Natural Instinct, and their recipes are weird The stuff with beef and lamb in doesn’t have enough organ, and the pure chicken and turkey recipes have a whopping 14% liver. My cats have never eaten anything other than raw, and I’m certain that much liver would give them diarrhoea, not to mention the vitamin A content. Chicken (and turkey) heads are cheap to source, and are good for both organ and bone — unsure why they’ve made this choice, tbh.

 

I wouldn’t touch NI after the venison incident.

 

Natural Instinct is awful quality. I used to feed it a very long time ago, being one of the first commercial brands that came to my attention and that was readily available.

My cats were always rather hit and miss with whether they'd eat it and how much. Then a number of breeders claimed serious bowel/constipation problems as a result of the food. Sceptical, I started taking 100g portions and separating the bone from the meat...and was absolutely shocked. I'd never use it again.