dry food with large kibble and Nature's Variety instinct

Most of the time,  I give my kitty wet food.  But I'd still like to have some dry food on hand as a backup.  We've tried Wellness dry and a couple of others, but she doesn't keep it down.  I don't think she even chews it.  So I've been giving her Science Diet dental food (t/d) because the kibble is bigger and she doesn't throw up.  But I'd rather not give her that.

I'm considering Orijen, Evo, or Nature's Variety dry food but before I do - is kibble size pretty standard except for dental diet kibble?  Is there any dry food that seems easier to digest?

She is on the roly-poly side and the vet would like to see her lose two pounds.  We've been working on that with her meal sizes and exercise routine and while she's not gaining, she's not losing either.  I usually feed her grain-free Wellness (the regular kind - the Core didn't agree with her).  Lately, she hasn't been too excited about it though and I think she's getting bored.  So we might try Nature's Variety Instinct and see how that goes.

Any thoughts?

Thank you!

I feed 95% NV Instinct wet - and primarily the chicken and duck.  For the dry supplement, I only have experience with the NV Instinct Chicken (on the left), Rabbit (on the right), and Rabbit Boost on the bottom.  Above the dime it is each Chicken/Rabbit side by side. 

The chicken is a little thicker/dense kibble, but no bigger size wise than the rabbit.  On the other hand, the Boost (in all flavors) can be served as a topper or meal.  I give it to our boys as a treat but as you can see .. the Boost is all bigger pieces so it might be an alternative if you are just seeking to supplement.  It is freeze dried raw so it may be more beneficial from a caloric intake as well.

You can tell both my boys are napping because you would not be able to see anything but ears

Thanks, Bluebird Gal!  

The photo is very helpful.  I appreciate your taking the time to do that.  I didn't know about the Boost variety.  I'm going to the pet food store today so I'll definitely take a look.

cranberry said:

 
Thanks, Bluebird Gal!  

The photo is very helpful.  I appreciate your taking the time to do that.  I didn't know about the Boost variety.  I'm going to the pet food store today so I'll definitely take a look.

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Sure thing cranberry!   I'm a visual kinda person so I will always try to get a pic.  LOL    NV has several varieties called Instinct Raw Boost that is the normal kibble (like above) that includes the Boost in it.  And they have the NV Daily Boost that is for dogs or cats. 

Thanks! I bought her some with the regular kibble and the boost pieces mixed together. She really likes it and eats all the boost pieces first. I just wish I could get her back to eating more canned.

cranberry said:

Thanks! I bought her some with the regular kibble and the boost pieces mixed together. She really likes it and eats all the boost pieces first. I just wish I could get her back to eating more canned.

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That's awesome that she's enjoying it with the boost too.  I know what you mean about the canned.  My older boy was a stray eating whatever and before I knew better I had turned him into a cheap kibble hound.  After much research, and brand trial and error, he's finally quite happy with the wet choices we provide.  Mainly the NV Duck or Chicken, but I do toss in a chicken fancy feast, friskies or sheba to keep it interesting.  If I do feed any fish products I use the NV salmon.

I like the NV Raw Boost as well and tried some of the Rabbit on my crew .. They really liked it. Its a bit pricey here in Canada however (almost $40.00 for a 2.5 kg). Curious to know what others are paying for this?

I'm in the States and I currently pay the following, ordering online through Chewy.com:

Nature's Variety Instinct Grain-Free Rabbit Meal Formula Dry Cat Food, 12.1lb bag - $46.65 

--(Boost is $59.99 for an 11.3lb bag)

Nature's Variety Instinct Grain-Free Chicken Meal Formula Dry Cat Food, 12.1-lb bag - $35.17

--(Boost is $41.94 for an 11.3lb bag)

On the wet -- since it has been validated by NV -- I purchase the dog food cans because the formulas are the exact same and it is a way better price per ounce for what we feed:

Nature's Variety Instinct Grain-Free Chicken Formula Canned Dog Food, 13.2-oz, case of 12 - $34.80

Nature's Variety Instinct Grain-Free Duck Formula Canned Dog Food, 13.2-oz, case of 12 - $47.52

Thanks Bluebird Gal. Those look like some good deals! .. I have been talking with other suppliers and sounds like I will be able to do a little better than I am now for NV. At the same time I am looking to start some commercial raw here pretty soon through my holistic vet, so will be doing a mix of raw and canned.

oneandahalfcats said:

 
Thanks Bluebird Gal. Those look like some good deals! .. I have been talking with other suppliers and sounds like I will be able to do a little better than I am now for NV. At the same time I am looking to start some commercial raw here pretty soon through my holistic vet, so will be doing a mix of raw and canned.

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You're welcome for the info.  I hope to get to 1/2 commercial raw 1/2 grain free wet myself. I do plan to pick up some of the NV medallions at the pet store next week to see what interest it may garner with the boys starting to put tiny amounts into their wet. 

Bluebird Gal said:

 
You're welcome for the info.  I hope to get to 1/2 commercial raw 1/2 grain free wet myself. I do plan to pick up some of the NV medallions at the pet store next week to see what interest it may garner with the boys starting to put tiny amounts into their wet. 

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Oh good! .. I was looking at the NV medallions at one point and would be interested in hearing how they get on with this.

Hi cranberry,

I am wondering why you want to keep dry food on hand? Is it simply so that there will always be food, like if you run out of wet? Wet food has a very long shelf life, so if that's the case, you might just want to keep a half dozen cans. Or if you are not opposed to raw, you can buy freeze dried raw like Stella and Chewy's. Some places will even have the Stella and Chewy's reps there on the weekends, and they give out free samples. Do make sure they accept it first before using it as your fallback, though!

Bluebird Gal said:

 
You're welcome for the info.  I hope to get to 1/2 commercial raw 1/2 grain free wet myself. I do plan to pick up some of the NV medallions at the pet store next week to see what interest it may garner with the boys starting to put tiny amounts into their wet. 

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Our cats have mixed feelings about NV medallions: one just doesn't like them much at all but the other will eat them, quite happily, if I mush them with water.

Raintyger said:

I am wondering why you want to keep dry food on hand? Is it simply so that there will always be food, like if you run out of wet? Wet food has a very long shelf life, so if that's the case, you might just want to keep a half dozen cans. Or if you are not opposed to raw, you can buy freeze dried raw like Stella and Chewy's. Some places will even have the Stella and Chewy's reps there on the weekends, and they give out free samples. Do make sure they accept it first before using it as your fallback, though!

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I feed a lot of freeze-dried raw food -- mostly two kinds of Primal but occasional Stella & Chewy's, too -- because of the convenience. The shelf life is fairly long and it's easy to mix up; it can also be stored for a few days in the refrigerator after it's been mixed. Our cats were initially resistant to freeze-dried food (reconstituted) on its own. They'll eat it that way now but I still usually blend it, in varying proportions, with some frozen raw food because our cats also demand (and I do mean demand!) variety.  

I'm now just learning about freeze-dried raw - it almost seems like dry food. Is that right? My reason for wanting to keep some dry on hand is that I can have it out for kitty if I'm going to be out longer than I expect. Like today was a holiday, so I made sure she had wet food when I left for the day, but put down some dry in case I got delayed and couldn't get someone to come over and feed her.

Would freeze dried raw fill the same purpose?

Thanks!

cranberry said:

I'm now just learning about freeze-dried raw - it almost seems like dry food. Is that right? My reason for wanting to keep some dry on hand is that I can have it out for kitty if I'm going to be out longer than I expect. Like today was a holiday, so I made sure she had wet food when I left for the day, but put down some dry in case I got delayed and couldn't get someone to come over and feed her.

Would freeze dried raw fill the same purpose?

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The two kinds I feed -- Stella & Chewy's and Primal -- are both designed to be rehydrated before feeding, though Primal's directions only "recommend" rehydration. Those are the only brands I've used and I don't know if there are others that might be more appropriate for feeding dry.

Good luck!

cranberry said:

I'm now just learning about freeze-dried raw - it almost seems like dry food. Is that right? My reason for wanting to keep some dry on hand is that I can have it out for kitty if I'm going to be out longer than I expect. Like today was a holiday, so I made sure she had wet food when I left for the day, but put down some dry in case I got delayed and couldn't get someone to come over and feed her.

Would freeze dried raw fill the same purpose?

Thanks!

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You're supposed to rehydrate freeze-dried raw. Otherwise it would cause problems with dehydration lead to medical issues like UTIs/kidney disease.

So, no, I don't think freeze-dried raw would do it for you. What I recommend for you is an automatic feeder. I've never had one, but the basic concept is that you put wet food in compartments which are kept at a certain temperature. At a certain programmed time the compartment opens and becomes accessible to kitty.