Ziwipeak canned vs Nature's Variety raw?

katherinel345

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Good evening,

When I switched my cat from dry to canned food, I tried a lot of different brands of canned food. (He had a granuloma on his upper lip and the vet said to try staying away from chicken, since it is the most common food allergy and likely the cause of his bump.)  The only one he liked at all was Ziwipeak - of course the most expensive.  He loved it and continues to eat it immediately.  

I have been feeding him a can and a half of Ziwipeak per day (he is 10 pounds).  I  priced it out and realized that Nature's Variety raw is a lot cheaper than Ziwipeak.  So is it also a lot better for him just because the meat is not cooked?  Also, could I cut my cat down to one can of Ziwipeak?  (That would put him at just under 200 calories.)

Thanks so much,

Katie
 

ldg

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Interesting. When I was feeding canned, my cats ate about one can a day, so the calories they were getting ranged from 180 to 225 per day (about). I fed a mix of various things, but Ziwipeak was among them. Of course, they were mostly 8 - 9 years old, and not overly active. How long has he been eating this, and has his weight remained steady?

You can certainly try some of the NV raw! You don't need to switch to 100% raw if you don't want to. But there's no reason not to include it in his rotation. :)

I used Nature's Variety to transition my cats to raw. I started with the rabbit - they loved it! But I have an FIV+ kitty with allergies and sensitivities. He used to have rodent ulcers. Since switching to raw, he's off all meds and can eat any protein. :)
 

ldg

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Oh - my kitties range in size from 11 pounds to 13 pounds (mostly. :lol3: I have 8 cats, and a few outliers - both less than that and more than that). On raw, my small kitties eat 3 ounces of raw food a day (one ounce per meal, three meals a day). My bigger kitties (11 - 13 pounds) eat 4.5 ounces of raw food a day (1.5 ounces per meal). Others find their kitties of similar size eat about 5 ounces a day (they're probably more active than mine).
 
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katherinel345

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Thanks for your reply.  He has been eating Ziwipeak and been at 10 pounds for several months now.  He loves it, but it is so expensive.  I'm pretty sure the raw is better for him anyway.  It is about $120 a month for Ziwipeak but would only be $55 for the NV raw!
 
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katherinel345

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Thank you!  He seems to like it ok so far - we have to mix in a little of the Ziwipeak canned food to get him to eat it.  One more question - is Nature's Variety raw as good as you can get before going "full" raw (i.e., buying your own meats from a butcher)?
 
 

emilymaywilcha

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Is Ziwipeak so expensive because it comes from New Zealand? The company seems to be proud of that fact because they brag about it on their website.

When I read the ingredient list, I immediately said no to Nature's Variety. It looks like a raw version of what Blue Buffalo and similar companies do with the long list of fruits, vegetables, and herbs.
 

ldg

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Thank you!  He seems to like it ok so far - we have to mix in a little of the Ziwipeak canned food to get him to eat it.  One more question - is Nature's Variety raw as good as you can get before going "full" raw (i.e., buying your own meats from a butcher)?

When I read the ingredient list, I immediately said no to Nature's Variety. It looks like a raw version of what Blue Buffalo and similar companies do with the long list of fruits, vegetables, and herbs.
Well, that "long list" is limited to 5% of the food, and unlike Blue Buffalo, the rest is raw USDA-facility sourced food. The company uses those to mee the AAFCO "complete and balanced" claim. The cats get what they need from the meat, organs, and bone, and that little bit of fruits and veggies don't seem to detract much from the benefit of feeding raw, in my experience.

Nature's Variety is a very high quality product. :nod: BUT... it targets 15% bone, which is sometimes too much for some kitties. When feeding whole prey model, the guideline is 80% meat, 10% bone, 5% liver, and 5% other secreting organ. Too much calcium can cause constipation, and too little will cause diarrhea. Five of my 8 cats had no problem eating almost all Nature's Variety; two became a little constipated, and one became very constipated. I just started adding a meal of cut up meat to "thin out" the total bone content they were getting. If it's an issue, just plain raw meat can be added to the food - I fed it as a separate meal. Either way.

There are several commercial raw foods that contain no fruits/veggies. These is the freeze dried food for cats made by Stella & Chewy's (meant for rehydration; freeze drying retains the nutritional content of the food), Rad Cat, Nature's Menu, Vital Essentials, and Feline's Pride. Our local pet store was able to order in Vital Essentials, but nothing else.

Feline's Pride, I think can only be ordered from their website. Their shipping is ridiculous.

Rad Cat, if it can't be ordered in locally, is sold online by http://www.onlynaturalpet.com. Shipping isn't outrageous, but it does add quite a bit to the cost.

Nature's Menu http://www.naturesmenu.com is reasonably priced, and shipping isn't an arm and a leg. If you call up to place the order, and explain you're new to feeding raw, they usually include some extra freebies. :)

The Stella & Chewy's freeze dried raw cat food is meant to be rehydrated, but makes a great treat dry. I used it as a topper when I transitioned to home made raw, and it was always a reliable meal when someone was finnicky. But it's expensive to use as a regular food. :nod:
 

emilymaywilcha

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I can buy Rad Cat locally at the same store that sells Weruva (Earth Pet Organics). So I plan to start with that one - if I can get Patricia to eat liver!
 
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