Hard Kibble

[lizzy7]

I've noticed my cats don't like tiny hard kibble. They like to crunch. I tried many grain-free brands (Instinct, Wellness, Merrick and more) and they all are small. There was this VIP Nature's Goodness at my grocery store at one time and they loved the texture but disappeared after a while. I looked online and it turns out to be Australian brand and not available in US...mhm. Anyway I use 4 Health since it's slightly bigger but only fish variety. And they get bored after a while anyway...Is there any other grain-free bigger crunchier (not as hard) kibble?

 

[maggiedemi]

The only grain free kibble I know of that is big is Purina Beyond.

 

[javannalynn]

i catch them swallowing the tiny pieces whole often and it worries me they will choke. I wish they made bigger pieces!!

 

[maggiedemi]

My cats like the bigger kibble too. I noticed they are making most kibble smaller these days. When I asked some manufacturers why they said that they did a study and found that cats like smaller kibble. Mine don't.

 

[EmmiTemmi]

Simply Nourish SOURCE is grain free. I've only used the non-grain free variety of the brand, but if the kibble for SOURCE looks like the kibble from their non-grain free variety, then it's larger kibble.

 

[prairiepanda]

I haven't met any cats that like the tiny kibbles either.

The Instinct Limited Ingredient varieties have a larger disc-shaped kibble that seems easy to crunch. The Simply Nourish Source ones are an okay size too. Orijen/Acana kibbles are discs similar to the Instinct LID. The other grain free foods I've tried are all tiny bits, unfortunately.

 

[himawari]

Lotus is oven-baked. It's a bit softer than kibble but still has that crunch to it. It's grain-free too. But I'm not sure if it's the size you are looking for. Orijen/Acana (at least the US version) is a bit more oval so I would consider those slightly bigger.

 

[cheesycats]

Nutros new wild frontier has large pieces. Larger than I’ve ever seen. My cats hated it though. But worth a try. My cats prefer smaller pieces. Didn’t like Orijen much either.

 

[Elfilou]

Thrive is also a fair grain-free kibble and those pieces are huge.

 

[lizzy7]

Thanks for suggestions. Thrive is made in UK, right? I couldn't find it here. Lotus and Orijen is pretty expensive and I have the whole zoo to feed. I felt Instinct and Simply Nourish kibble through the bag and it seemed small to me. I got Nutro Wild Frontier eventually and they seem to like it for now. Still the biggest grain-free kibble I've seen is 4 Health Fish. But fish all the time is not recommended.

 

[MeganLLB]

most of the "grain-free" kibble will be smaller because of the ingredients. If you find a kibble that has rice or oatmeal in it, it will be larger because those grains are larger and take up volume.

Here is an example with dog food, but same holds true for cat kibble. On the left is Beef Meal & Brown rice and on the Right is a totally grain free formula. As you can see, the one with the rice is larger.

If you want a cat food with larger kibble I suggest buying Victor's. Some formulas uses grains, but they are higher quality grains. They are better known for their dog food, but they also make a tiny bit of cat food which is decent. The cat food is free of corn, wheat, soy, and gluten, but does contain Whole Grain Brown Rice. (Which also makes the kibble larger)

 

[MeganLLB]

Here's a link to Victor if anyone is interested.
Mers Classic Feline - VICTOR Pet Food

 

[EmmiTemmi]

most of the "grain-free" kibble will be smaller because of the ingredients.

I don't think this is true. Size of kibble is mostly due to what kind of extrusion process is used. Cold extrusion wouldn't cause expansion of the kibble, and would result in a smaller, denser kibble. Hot extrusion would cause expansion due to it being under more pressure and heat, and so the water evaporates as it leaves the extrusion equipment. Like, pasta is usually cold extruded, and so is denser and not expanded, whereas puffed cereals are less dense and puffed up more. Both of those foods have grains, its just how they were processed that determines size.

 

[MeganLLB]

I don't think this is true. Size of kibble is mostly due to what kind of extrusion process is used. Cold extrusion wouldn't cause expansion of the kibble, and would result in a smaller, denser kibble. Hot extrusion would cause expansion due to it being under more pressure and heat, and so the water evaporates as it leaves the extrusion equipment. Like, pasta is usually cold extruded, and so is denser and not expanded, whereas puffed cereals are less dense and puffed up more. Both of those foods have grains, its just how they were processed that determines size.

That may also be true, but I was also told straight from the manufacturer that the rice is why one kibble is larger than the other. The same process is used for both kibble and one is large and one is not. I flat out asked him Why is one a larger size, and he said that it's because one has rice in it and it affects the size when it is cooked.

 

[EmmiTemmi]

I flat out asked him Why is one a larger size, and he said that it's because one has rice in it and it affects the size when it is cooked.

Okay, that makes sense! If they're both hot extruded then the starch gelatinization and expansion of rice would be different than that of other starches that might be in the no-grain variety. Moisture and starch content/type are the most influencing factors of expansion during extrusion at the same temperature. Possibly dependent on amylase/amylose concentrations? Not sure. Would be fun to look into though!

 

[MeganLLB]

Okay, that makes sense! If they're both hot extruded then the starch gelatinization and expansion of rice would be different than that of other starches that might be in the no-grain variety. Moisture and starch content/type are the most influencing factors of expansion during extrusion at the same temperature. Possibly dependent on amylase/amylose concentrations? Not sure. Would be fun to look into though!

He might have explained more to me but I don't really remember. I was talking to him at a Pet Expo years ago and we always stop by the Victor Pet Food to get samples. All my family feeds Victor to our dogs, and we asked about the size differences in the kibble. All I remember was it had to do with the kinds of grain used/ not used and the rice was the largest. But I don't really remember how he explained it.