Mixing brands of freeze-dried raw?

[terpy]

Hey guys, I just wanted to get some clarification from you all to make sure I'm not feeding my cat an unbalanced diet. She tends to get tired of meats if I feed her them all the time, so the past few weeks I've been feeding her a nugget of Primal Raw pork in the morning, some Orijen kibble throughout the day (I'm a college student so I already have some trouble affording it, so I do have to cut some corners) and  Feline Natural Chicken & lamb combo at night. Is this okay to be doing - mixing the meats up every day? Or should I only alternate day-by-day or week-by-week? She's been on this diet for about a month or so now and her poop/pee/attitude all seem to be normal, with the exception of every day or two she'll drop an atomic bomb in her litter box. Not sure what that could be from? A week or so back I did try and give her some duck instead of chicken, which she proceeded to throw up two nights in a row - thank god Pet Food Express takes returns!

Also, I've been using the Primal Raw goats milk to rehydrate the meat, she seems to prefer it over water. However, I actually just went and read some of the fine print, and it says "for intermittent use only" or something along those lines - should I only be giving her this every once-in-a-while, or is it okay to hydrate her food with it? Just earlier today I read about making chicken broth to mix it with, which I'm going to try later.

Thank you so much in advanced, sorry for the bombardment of questions!

 

[LTS3]

It's fine to mix up different brands of freeze dried raw as long as your cat's tummy can handle it. Rehdyrating the freeze dried raw in goat's milk is also fine. The freeze dried raw is a complete diet and you're also feed some dry food so a little goat's milk won't cause an unbalanced diet.

If you make chicken broth for your cat, don't use garlic and onions. Poaching a chicken in plain water is great. The chicken can be used as treats and the water turns in "broth" with all the yummy chicken flavor. Homemade chicken bone broth can also be used. Here's a TCS thread with cat-safe broth ideas: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/301643/...-make-broth-for-cats-very-simple-instructions

 

[lisahe]

We feed our cats many different kinds of food, too, even mixing three kinds of freeze-dried raw food--including the Primal pork and Feline Natural chicken/lamb!--in one meal. We vary the proportions to give them variety.

And yes to homemade chicken broth that's made with just chicken and water! (I sometimes cook this recipe for scallion-chicken noodles, which is really good... and save the water from poaching plain boneless chicken thighs to use in cat food. That makes everybody happy!) A guy at one of our pet food places also uses Primal goat's milk to rehydrate freeze-dried food: he says his cat loves it.

 

[terpy]

 
It's fine to mix up different brands of freeze dried raw as long as your cat's tummy can handle it. Rehdyrating the freeze dried raw in goat's milk is also fine. The freeze dried raw is a complete diet and you're also feed some dry food so a little goat's milk won't cause an unbalanced diet.

If you make chicken broth for your cat, don't use garlic and onions. Poaching a chicken in plain water is great. The chicken can be used as treats and the water turns in "broth" with all the yummy chicken flavor. Homemade chicken bone broth can also be used. Here's a TCS thread with cat-safe broth ideas: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/301643/...-make-broth-for-cats-very-simple-instructions

Great, thank you! I checked out that post and will probably end up making some broth this weekend, just to see if she digs it.

Most of the people there seemed to be using it as a meal for when their cat was sick, if I planned on using it to hydrate her meat every day, should I use a smaller bone-to-water ratio so she's not getting too much calcium, etc.?

 

[terpy]

 
We feed our cats many different kinds of food, too, even mixing three kinds of freeze-dried raw food--including the Primal pork and Feline Natural chicken/lamb!--in one meal. We vary the proportions to give them variety.

And yes to homemade chicken broth that's made with just chicken and water! (I sometimes cook this recipe for scallion-chicken noodles, which is really good... and save the water from poaching plain boneless chicken thighs to use in cat food. That makes everybody happy!) A guy at one of our pet food places also uses Primal goat's milk to rehydrate freeze-dried food: he says his cat loves it.

Just what I needed to hear, thank you! What is the third freeze-dried food you feed them? 

Also, thanks for the recipe, just might have to make that now!

 

[lisahe]

 
Just what I needed to hear, thank you! What is the third freeze-dried food you feed them? 

Also, thanks for the recipe, just might have to make that now!

The other brand is Northwest Naturals, turkey. I think @LTS3 cats initially liked that one but then decided they didn't. Cats!

I hope you like the recipe if you try it! (I use rice noodles, usually Tinkyada fettucini, I really love that stuff!

I also sometimes add a little spinach to the noodles, that's good, too.)