Why no Raw at Petsmart or Petco?

I'm sure there's a wide enough customer base for them to carry it, I wonder why they don't..

That would require refrigerator space I think. Maybe if more people ask, they might start doing it

SPACE and HEALTH concerns... folks are more likely NOT to be educated at a big box and just LOOK at it an take ... RAW is something that needs more knowledge ... PETCO was going to carry Natural balances raw but the $$$ to outfit I geuss the two side s couldnt figure out

Originally Posted by sharky

SPACE and HEALTH concerns... folks are more likely NOT to be educated at a big box and just LOOK at it an take ... RAW is something that needs more knowledge ... PETCO was going to carry Natural balances raw but the $$$ to outfit I geuss the two side s couldnt figure out

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Yeah that. I think this is an area where one is better served by going to an independent pet store owner, one who feeds raw and is well educated on the various options out there.

Pet Supplies Plus (regional chain) sells raw foods. I'm not sure of the brand.

the petco here sells raw but only for dogs, it's not like some of the other raw either that's made for both.
boo.

thank god there's a petfood express close by, don't know what I'd do

At one of the WalMarts, they had raw (but only for dogs). I never really checked into what "brand" they were selling.

Large chains like Petco and Petsmart are less likely to carry it because so many people are influenced by vets who don't reccommend it and most people are too scared to try it or they think it's inconvenient. Large chain pet supply stores market to the general public who wants to conveniently feed their pets rather than enlightened individuals such as you or other members of this cat forum who actually study the carnivore diet.

Here's how to access raw cat food if you really want it.


I'm looking into reliable ways to access raw food. I'm on public transportation myself and the nearest stores are in Point Loma or El Cajon and I'm in San Diego and I'm not going to have raw meat thawing out while I'm on the bus for 2 hours on my way home. But I thought about contacting the stores to see if they do delivery. Petco is walking distance from my home but of course they don't carry raw.

Your first bet is to search your local area for independant pet supply stores and retailers who sell raw pet food such as Nature's Variety for example. If not you can have frozen raw food shipped to you from companies that sell the stuff such as www.onlynaturalpet.com but it can be expensive and you have to be home to receive those packages and immediately put the raw food in the fridge or freezer. Some companies may even have distributors in your area who you can make arrangements with. This same website has a mix called sojos that you can mix with water and raw meat but I don't like that it's a corn mix and just too grainy for my taste.

So far the raw food company that I like best is Felines Pride. www.felinespride.com Luckily they have a distributor in San Diego (So maybe they have a distributor in your area as well) and I e-mailed her to see if she can work out delivery for me.She'll probably get back to me after the Southern California wild fires are over. I hope she doesn't lose her home. As a second option I'll get in touch with the stores in Point Loma or El Cajon who carry Nature's Variety raw and ask if they deliver.

Another option is to buy a complete supplement mix from an on line retailer which you can mix with water and raw meat that you buy at your local grocery store. It's a lot of work but you won't pay for the cost of shipping frozen raw meat and the restrictions that apply. With frozen raw meat delivery you have to be home and if you're at work and can't sign for the package you lose. www.felinefuture.com and www.felineinstinct.com sell such supplements which are just dry mixes you can easily arrange to have shipped and you don't have to have a meat grinder if you buy chicken thighs without bones and raw liver, you can use a food processor and just follow the simple recipe.

Or your can get Freeze dried raw and reconstitute it with water. Not the same though.

Or if you are so inclined make it completely from scratch and buy a meat grinder for grinding meat and bones. These websites will show you how to do it. www.catinfo.org and www.catnutrition.org.

I personally like the convenience of locating a company who will make the raw cat food for me and just send it to me. That's why I'm trying to get in touch with my local Feline's Pride distributor. And their food is tested in labs to be 100% negative of salmonella. I can't get that at my local grocery.

You can make your own quite cheap and semi easy ... BUT YOU know I recommend finding a like minded vet... Mine has been the greatest help , even when I went back to homemade for the dog

The worst possible diet is badly done RAW. The best possible diet is well researched RAW. Too many people don't do the research and lots of vets have seen the result of this. Also petco and petsmart hardly even carry what I'd considered the best foods. There are only about 2 brands I'd actually feed if I couldn't get something better. Not a whole lot of their customers really do research into diet. They buy what they see on tv or what someone else including a vet suggests and that is very rarely RAW. It's usually something like iams, eukanuba, or nutro if your lucky. Even my favorite vet when asked about a better food for a sensitive cat listed meow mix and other grocery store brands. There just aren't enough people and vets that are willing to do their own research beyond what they are told by the companies who sell the food.

Originally Posted by river

I'm sure there's a wide enough customer base for them to carry it, ...

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Actually, I don't think there is, so the premise they should is false. PSP+ does carry Nature's Variety raw (I checked since my last post) but they sell very little. So I really don't think there's much marketing incentive for the big box stores to carry it. And has been noted they're not equipped to educate people on it either. That leaves home-made and mail order for those that want to feed raw. Having been feeding home-made raw now for close to a year, I can say it takes quite a bit of motivation as well as available time to do it. I wouldn't characterize it as easy by any means. There's the research that goes into learning how to do it right. And the preparation eats up a good two hours or more for every batch. Not to mention running around town trying to find decent organ meat. No, it's not easy; in fact, it's getting rather tiresome. But then there's my cats in the pink of health, and especially Twinkie who is prone to crystals and doesn't have to eat that crappy prescription food. Ahhhh......sigh......I guess it's worth it.

Originally Posted by coaster

So I really don't think there's much marketing incentive for the big box stores to carry it. And has been noted they're not equipped to educate people on it either. That leaves home-made and mail order for those that want to feed raw. Having been feeding home-made raw now for close to a year, I can say it takes quite a bit of motivation as well as available time to do it. I wouldn't characterize it as easy by any means. There's the research that goes into learning how to do it right. And the preparation eats up a good two hours or more for every batch. Not to mention running around town trying to find decent organ meat. No, it's not easy; in fact, it's getting rather tiresome. But then there's my cats in the pink of health, and especially Twinkie who is prone to crystals and doesn't have to eat that crappy prescription food. Ahhhh......sigh......I guess it's worth it.

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You see? That's why I would really love to see an increase in the market for commercially prepared raw. Most people are not going to do it from scratch, it's time consuming and inconvenient for most people. And many cats have reaped great nutritional and health benefits from eating raw meat diets. So I really do appreciate the existence of companies like Feline Pride (my favorite based on what I've read about them so far) and Nature's Variety to make a recipe that is complete and balanced and sell it to customers who would like to feed their pets raw. If anything, an increase in the market for raw would increase the number of people feeding raw to their cats and dogs since it would be just as convenient for the average pet parent as opening a can or ripping open a pouch. The only difference I see is thawing out the meat from the freezer and floating the bag in warm water. How hard is that? But making it from scratch and shopping for and finding the supplements and making a complete and balanced recipe from scratch and finding the best meat sources, that's hard for most people. Plus there's the ick factor most people have about having to chop up raw chicken carcasses for grinding.

Just as the market who makes canned and dry food uses the sales pitch of "You supply the love, we'll do the research on your pet's nutritional needs. All you have to do is buy our product and feed it." This can certainly be done with raw. And it is being done but unfortuntately not as popular among the general population because the big name manufacturers like Iams and Purina and Hill's are kings of pet food industry and have made dry kibble and canned food mainstream (especially kibble).

I don't expect to see raw available in large chain pet stores like Petco and Petsmart. It's more likely to start happening in smaller, more independent pet supply stores and perhaps health food stores. Because only individual research minded people who prefer not to follow the general pack are going to be looking for this type of food.

Well, there's the quite significant cost difference you're not taking into account in your comparison. If I count my time as worth nothing then the cost of home-made raw is roughly equivalent to premium canned cat food. Prepared raw is quite a bit more expensive, and if one has to order it online, it almost goes out of sight.

Originally Posted by coaster

Well, there's the quite significant cost difference you're not taking into account in your comparison. If I count my time as worth nothing

then the cost of home-made raw is roughly equivalent to premium canned cat food. Prepared raw is quite a bit more expensive, and if one has to order it online, it almost goes out of sight.

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lmao.. I always forget to "pay" me for my time... For me Raw was cheap since my vet carries a SOLID basic raw( 5 lbs for 9 $ ) .. Homemade runs me 2-3 $ a day... LOL at complete raw that is like canned since 90% of them contain things I WOULD NOT feed plus they take away the flexability of here is what they need add what is needed for YOUR animal...JUST my little rant... since the Raw marketing is as slick as many canned ...

Basic cat needs

70-80% muscle meat
10-15% organ
10% bone
3-5% veggie( which is often partially cooked for safety and digestion avail)

I guestimate about 90 cents per loosely-filled eight-ounce jar.