Is bone content something to watch out for for freeze dried, for a healthy cat?

[Babypinkweeb]

I'm contemplating replacing some expensive cans from my cat's rotation with freeze dried as I worked out cost/calories. However I remember seeing people discuss brands and having too much bone. How serious is this for a young and healthy cat to worry about? Are there any brands and flavors that's definitely a no-no? I've only tried Stella & Chewy's Duck Duck Goose freeze dried so far and my younger cat loves it. I don't feed it to my older cat as he doesn't care for it.

 

[maggie101]

S&c is very popular. Some brands have more bone than others. My guess is for a young cat s&c is a good brand but my cat at 7 yrs old got constipation from it. So add water and watch her use the litterbox!

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

I feed some S & C to my 12 year old cats, and they do get constipated from it even though I rehydrate it. I also feed them other brands of freeze dried raw to try to compensate for the high bone content in the S & C. Additionally, I give them treats of 100% muscle meat only, again to try to compensate for the high bone content.

I would say to just watch closely to determine if it causes constipation or not. Be aware that if this is all they eat, they may not poop on a daily basis, AND when they do, it may be quite hard (but smaller). So it could seem they are constipated and that not really be the case.

 

[Babypinkweeb]

I feed some S & C to my 12 year old cats, and they do get constipated from it even though I rehydrate it. I also feed them other brands of freeze dried raw to try to compensate for the high bone content in the S & C. Additionally, I give them treats of 100% muscle meat only, again to try to compensate for the high bone content.

I would say to just watch closely to determine if it causes constipation or not. Be aware that if this is all they eat, they may not poop on a daily basis, AND when they do, it may be quite hard (but smaller). So it could seem they are constipated and that not really be the case.

Thank you for the insight! I am planning to do the S&C as a supplement to their main wet food, maybe like anywhere from 70 wet/30 dried to 50/50. I also add water or broth to their wet food and the freeze dried and they lap it all up. He has soft stools sometimes so I think it might actually help with that (yes I am feeding him probiotics as well, I think he's still recovering from Giardia damage). I don't really give him treats since he likes to finish off my other cat's wet food, but if I do it's either a wet stick treat or freeze dried chicken heart.

 

[Tobermory]

Northwest Naturals has a lower bone content: about seven percent rather than 10 or higher. Mine also like S&C Duck Duck Goose, but they also like NW Naturals Turkey, and I like the ingredients better—including the bone content.

 

[Babypinkweeb]

Northwest Naturals has a lower bone content: about seven percent rather than 10 or higher. Mine also like S&C Duck Duck Goose, but they also like NW Naturals Turkey, and I like the ingredients better—including the bone content.

Yes I've seen many mention it as better, however after my extensive search I cannot find any shops within 20 miles of me that sell their cat food, only dog food. Since I just got a bunch of the S&C on sale, I'll use those up first, and when it's done I will consider buying it online. I didn't see any online retailers listed on NN's website but it's on amazon as well as a handful of online pet shops I've never used before. Kind of unsure about how fresh they are

 

[maggie101]

Yes I've seen many mention it as better, however after my extensive search I cannot find any shops within 20 miles of me that sell their cat food, only dog food. Since I just got a bunch of the S&C on sale, I'll use those up first, and when it's done I will consider buying it online. I didn't see any online retailers listed on NN's website but it's on amazon as well as a handful of online pet shops I've never used before. Kind of unsure about how fresh they are

My cats did love nw naturals. I had to buy it on amazon

 

[Babypinkweeb]

My cats did love nw naturals. I had to buy it on amazon

Good to know! I will likely try the turkey and duck for my boy when I run out of SC