Adding calories while feeding Weruva

[xthoroughbred]

I have an older kitty who I'm trying to figure out food for. We had the SDMA test performed on him and it came back showing some early signs of kidney issues, so I'm trying to be very aware of what I'm feeding him. He currently eats Wellness Healthy Indulgence Shreds, which isn't terrible but I know we can be doing better. I know the Morsels are better but he vomits when he eats those.

I really like the Weruva brand from what I've seen, but I'm concerned about the cost vs. the calorie count. My cat also has hyperthyroidism that's being treated, but we haven't really gotten his levels to steady out over the last 3 years. My vet always compliments my ability to keep weight on him and I've been able to do that by supplementing dry food. Obviously that's not an option anymore.

So if I move forward with Weruva, how do I keep the calorie count up without feeding an insane amount of cans each day? Should I find another brand that's also great for CRF kitties and mix it in? At that point, is it even worth feeding Weruva at all?

 

[SpecterOhPossum]

I have an older kitty who I'm trying to figure out food for. We had the SDMA test performed on him and it came back showing some early signs of kidney issues, so I'm trying to be very aware of what I'm feeding him. He currently eats Wellness Healthy Indulgence Shreds, which isn't terrible but I know we can be doing better. I know the Morsels are better but he vomits when he eats those.

I really like the Weruva brand from what I've seen, but I'm concerned about the cost vs. the calorie count. My cat also has hyperthyroidism that's being treated, but we haven't really gotten his levels to steady out over the last 3 years. My vet always compliments my ability to keep weight on him and I've been able to do that by supplementing dry food. Obviously that's not an option anymore.

Personally I feed tiki cat after dark; which is high quality but low cal (120 cals) so I've taken up making home cooked portions with U-STEW to round it out.
All you need is a small kitchen scale (heres the one we have) and then you just boil/cook any meat of your choice; and add the powder to it and mix. then portion it out; then freeze those portions.

For example if you were to want to cook 6oz of meat , you would use 13 g of powder; add the powder to the meat's broth or normal water, add the meat to that, and stir. then portion it out using the scale to make 1oz portions; freeze them, and thaw accordingly to supplement the main food. The company is very responsive as well and will help with portions and stuff.

At that point, is it even worth feeding Weruva at all?

I ask myself that often. Specs old food was tiki cat after dark + miko + boiled chicken daily. this rounded out to be 170$ monthly.
now that she is on tiki cat and home cooked, it's about 80$ - 70$ monthly. Without the tiki cat, it would be even lower.
If you switch to home made, using a premix like what i suggested or any of the other ones on the home made forum here (or doing the the vitamins/minerals/etc yourself with the proper research) It inevitably will save you money, time, and you won't be sacrificing quality to save a buck; rather boosting the quality (after all, you know exactly what goes into the food, you can customize it, you can portion it perfectly, and you KNOW it is fresh) and you'll be saving a buck (or lots of bucks) at the same time.

IMO: Weruva is pretty questionable and I personally wouldn't feed it.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

When you have a kidney cat, even one in the very early stages, it's a quandry, that's for certain. AND, since he also has hyperthyroidism, that just adds more to the mix. I've had three kidney cats, and it was always difficult making sure they got enough calories without feeding them too much phosphorus. Here's a website that might prove helpful: http://www.felinecrf.org/diet_and_nutrition.htm

That website has all kinds of useful information, including associated diseases such as hyperthyroidism, so be sure to take a look around it. AND, if you decide to make your own food, be sure to check what you are using for your calcium source. Try not to use bones, as they usually have too much phosphorus for kidney cats.. For instance, U-Stew uses Calcium Lactate for their calcium, EZ-Complete uses egg shells for their calcium, and others may use something completely different. Honestly, I'm not sure what Calcium Lactate is, but I'm sure you could discuss that with the company and find out. We do have a forum on home cooked food if you want more information. It's here: Raw & Home-Cooked Cat Food

 

[HPeters]

Look into high calorie pastes, not sure if thats something youd be willing to feed, but its worth a look. Theyre often used on cats that are anorexic to give them some sort of energy

 

[Amryta]

Personally I feed tiki cat after dark; which is high quality but low cal (120 cals) so I've taken up making home cooked portions with U-STEW to round it out.
All you need is a small kitchen scale (heres the one we have) and then you just boil/cook any meat of your choice; and add the powder to it and mix. then portion it out; then freeze those portions.

For example if you were to want to cook 6oz of meat , you would use 13 g of powder; add the powder to the meat's broth or normal water, add the meat to that, and stir. then portion it out using the scale to make 1oz portions; freeze them, and thaw accordingly to supplement the main food. The company is very responsive as well and will help with portions and stuff.

I ask myself that often. Specs old food was tiki cat after dark + miko + boiled chicken daily. this rounded out to be 170$ monthly.
now that she is on tiki cat and home cooked, it's about 80$ - 70$ monthly. Without the tiki cat, it would be even lower.
If you switch to home made, using a premix like what i suggested or any of the other ones on the home made forum here (or doing the the vitamins/minerals/etc yourself with the proper research) It inevitably will save you money, time, and you won't be sacrificing quality to save a buck; rather boosting the quality (after all, you know exactly what goes into the food, you can customize it, you can portion it perfectly, and you KNOW it is fresh) and you'll be saving a buck (or lots of bucks) at the same time.

IMO: Weruva is pretty questionable and I personally wouldn't feed it.

Hi, I have just started transitioning my cat from Royal Canin to Weruva, I would like to understand more about Weruva as a brand, and why do you think it is questionable, so that I can, if required transition her to a better brand than Weruva.

 

[SpecterOhPossum]

Hi, I have just started transitioning my cat from Royal Canin to Weruva, I would like to understand more about Weruva as a brand, and why do you think it is questionable, so that I can, if required transition her to a better brand than Weruva.

I'm not familiar with their entire line or anything crazy but from what I've seen; the majority of their foods contain one or more of.. "Sunflower Oil, Xanthan Gum, Locust Bean Gum,"
The cat community seems to like gums and blah blah blah; because a few people said it's OK. Whatever; I'm not here to play into such nonsense. Cat's are obligate carnivores and unless they have a digestion issue; they don't need fillers; gums, or thickeners. Cats in the wild eat grasses casually; that's as close as you're going to get for a omni diet in felines.

"Weruva cat food has never been recalled, but the company’s B.F.F. brand was recalled in 2017 due to low thiamine levels. Insufficient levels of Vitamin B1 (thiamine) were linked to hundreds of cases of illness and several deaths. The recall involved an Australia-exclusive product line only. The affected products were manufactured in a single facility that doesn’t handle any other Weruva products. " -allaboutcats

Lastly it is extremely overpriced for how lackluster and to be frank; lame quality it is.
The ONLY commercial food I can recommend is Tiki cat after dark. It doesn't have veggies/thickeners/ any nonsense and is decently priced. You can buy the flavors separate and in bigger cans as well! I don't like weruva and I don't like any company besides Tiki and KnowBetterPetFood.

 

[Amryta]

I'm not familiar with their entire line or anything crazy but from what I've seen; the majority of their foods contain one or more of.. "Sunflower Oil, Xanthan Gum, Locust Bean Gum,"
The cat community seems to like gums and blah blah blah; because a few people said it's OK. Whatever; I'm not here to play into such nonsense. Cat's are obligate carnivores and unless they have a digestion issue; they don't need fillers; gums, or thickeners. Cats in the wild eat grasses casually; that's as close as you're going to get for a omni diet in felines.

"Weruva cat food has never been recalled, but the company’s B.F.F. brand was recalled in 2017 due to low thiamine levels. Insufficient levels of Vitamin B1 (thiamine) were linked to hundreds of cases of illness and several deaths. The recall involved an Australia-exclusive product line only. The affected products were manufactured in a single facility that doesn’t handle any other Weruva products. " -allaboutcats

Lastly it is extremely overpriced for how lackluster and to be frank; lame quality it is.
The ONLY commercial food I can recommend is Tiki cat after dark. It doesn't have veggies/thickeners/ any nonsense and is decently priced. You can buy the flavors separate and in bigger cans as well! I don't like weruva and I don't like any company besides Tiki and KnowBetterPetFood.

I agree Tiki cat after dark is good. The only problem for me is my cat is allergic to chicken (and tuna) and their after dark range is all chicken based . Struggling to find a good grain free carrageenan free commercial canned food for her, that's chicken and tuna free.

 

[SpecterOhPossum]

I agree Tiki cat after dark is good. The only problem for me is my cat is allergic to chicken (and tuna) and their after dark range is all chicken based . Struggling to find a good grain free carrageenan free commercial canned food for her, that's chicken and tuna free.

Why do you need it to be commercial? You could get a premix from the homemade/raw forum here and use cooked meat of your choice with a already formulated powder to make it he same as commercial, nutritionally