Should I switch to raw or get better quality canned?

[ankitty]

I didn't realize they took requests. I'll look into that. Thanks!

I don't know if every store does, but when I asked Primal about which stores carry chubs, this is their response.

"Just so you know, most Primal retailers (particularly small boutiques), even those which do not typically carry the Grinds, are capable of placing special orders for any Primal item you seek, which usually takes just about a week to make it to you or less. Most stores will be amenable to placing special orders (even recurring ones) because they would rather take that business than give it to a competitor who is willing to do so. Lastly, most retailers will only stock items that they know they can move, so don’t be discouraged if your retailer typically only stocks a scant few items! I highly recommend making sure that you speak to the management or ownership of the location when making such an arrangement, particularly if it’s going to be a recurring order, as those employees are typically the best equipped to set up such a dynamic."

 

[pinkeed]

I don't know if every store does, but when I asked Primal about which stores carry chubs, this is their response.

"Just so you know, most Primal retailers (particularly small boutiques), even those which do not typically carry the Grinds, are capable of placing special orders for any Primal item you seek, which usually takes just about a week to make it to you or less. Most stores will be amenable to placing special orders (even recurring ones) because they would rather take that business than give it to a competitor who is willing to do so. Lastly, most retailers will only stock items that they know they can move, so don’t be discouraged if your retailer typically only stocks a scant few items! I highly recommend making sure that you speak to the management or ownership of the location when making such an arrangement, particularly if it’s going to be a recurring order, as those employees are typically the best equipped to set up such a dynamic."

Still sounds promising. The problem I've been running into at the pet stores is that they only sell frozen stuff for dogs. I have been shopping here:
http://www.krisers.com/
Since they are the only ones that I know of so far that carry a wide variety of cat food, even their selection I sometimes find lacking.

 

[lisahe]

Still sounds promising. The problem I've been running into at the pet stores is that they only sell frozen stuff for dogs. I have been shopping here:
http://www.krisers.com/
Since they are the only ones that I know of so far that carry a wide variety of cat food, even their selection I sometimes find lacking.

The situation is similar where I live, in Maine: there's a lot more for dogs than cats. I bought Primal freeze-dried from the same store for over a year but they just stopped carrying it. As they said, "people haven't caught that train yet." They'll keep selling frozen, though. It's odd: I've been told in several stores that people buy lots of raw food for dogs but not much at all for cats.

On the positive side, as @ankitty noted, just about any store will order just about any food for me. And one says they'll start carrying Primal freeze-dried for me; they added the cats' favorite Weruva Cats in the Kitchen cans, too. It's the closest store to my house and they have a strong dog bias -- that's true of most of the independents around me -- so I'm glad they're finally starting to get more for cats.

 

[LTS3]

So far with shipping charges added, it looks like I am better off with commercial (used hare today and pet food direct for chubs). Unless, I can find a local source. Do any chain stores carry raw meat that's antibiotic free, etc.? Maybe whole foods?

I can get Hare Today at a local independent pet store. I am not aware of other stores that sell Hare Toady and there is no information on the Hare Today web site about pet stores that carry their products. But you can contact Hare Today and ask.

Independent pet stores and specialty storres often carry raw pet food and can oftentimes special order products for you.

 

[maureen brad]

Pinkeed- Hare Today is in PA. I live in Northern CA . What I have found is that ordering a large amount is the way to save money when getting HT.Otherwise it is to costly. I ordered last week and I am  using 4 day ground delivery. In the past I have used 3 day air. I still save money doing that. Chicken and Turkey thighs in my area sell at about $6.99 a lbs. HT is far below that. Just order a couple months worth of food if you have the freezer space. I ended up buying a 4.3 cubic foot freezer so making 2 months of food at one time saves me a lot over what I had been spending on premium canned.I think you should do whatever you are comfortable with.

 

[pinkeed]

Thanks again for the helpful advice!

Are the primal grinds and/or mixes the same for dogs and cats? What about Bravo Baiscs? I'm just thinking if they are the same and I have so many dog stores around me maybe I can get it that way and then try adding a pre-mix for cats as a start.

Also price wise, what is reasonable?

 

[ankitty]

Primal meat/bone/organ grinds are the same for dogs and cats. Bravo lists one for dogs and one for cats, but they look identical. You can contact them to make sure. 

I think reasonable price is something similar to buying organic meat from your local grocery store. For me $4/LB for chicken or turkey grind is very good price, because organic boneless chicken thighs from Costco cost about $4 to $5 per pound here. 

 

[maureen brad]

I think pricing is particular to what area you live in. I have found that Whole Foods is considerably more expensive than ordering HT and having it shipped across country.Last month when HT was not accepting orders due to Christmas I bought some organic chicken thighs from Costco. With tax it came to about $17 for just under three lbs. I can get 4 lbs from HT at about $15 plus shipping. Having a spare freezer makes ordering HT in large amounts very money saving.

 Pinkeed- I may have already said this ( to lazy to check) if you have a Pet Food Express in your area you can save a bundle on raw commercial. They have a buy 3 get one free program. You could get 3 different brands or all the same. I go every couple of months and get Stella and Chewy's Freeze dried and a bag of Primal ( usually Pheasant) and save about $25 a pop.

 

[sophie1]

Pet  food in general can get insanely expensive.  Quick summary of the lowest cost raw or near-raw options that I'm aware of (from my point of view here in NYC) - defined for me as $5/lb or less. 

- Prey Model raw - see Auntie Crazy's story, distilled from posts on this site, on feline-nutrition.org website.  You could even just feed this part time (as I do) for the many advantages.

- Homemade per Dr. Lisa Pierson's recipe - depending on the price of poultry near you, this can work out to be cheaper than all but the cruddiest dry food.

- Buy Primal or Bravo basic grinds and mix yourself.  You have the advantage of high pressure pasteurization and/or pathogen testing, and the 5 lb chubs are $3.50/lb or under in my local pet store.  Note:  Premixes like Alnutrin are wonderful but expensive.  You can buy a few supplements (per Dr. Lisa Pierson's recipe) and save yourself $.50 - $1/lb.

- Order meat/bone/organ or plain meat + organ grinds from Hare Today or My Pet Carnivore and mix yourself.  Depending on the meat this typically runs me an average of ~$5/lb of finished food.  My cats recommend the "rabbit, fur and all" and the small rabbit chunks from Hare Today, but I also like the variety which I believe is important for nutrition purposes.

- Honest Kitchen.  It's got the pumpkin you're already feeding.  If you buy the 4 lb box it works out to around $4.50/lb after rehydration.  I don't care for the carbohydrate content (> 20%) but it's a great food for backup meals and may be useful for transitioning.

- Nature Variety chicken/turkey 5 lb raw frozen chubs.  Partially defrost, cut into chunks and refreeze.  If you're lucky enough to find locally it costs only about $4/lb.  Technically this is for dogs but the company sez it's ok to feed to cats.

Foods that are excellent but crazy expensive:

- Rad Cat - $10/lb for chicken.  REALLY????

- Stella and Chewy's freeze dried.  My cats love this stuff and I like it too, but it would cost ~$100/month/cat to feed full time.  No thanks.

- the new Bravo for cats & dogs, Primal frozen, Nature Variety medallions - these all run $6-8 for chicken, and more for other proteins.  Also lots of problems with freezer burn, supply interruptions etc.

Given your cats' GI issues, I would suggest (if you can) going straight to one of the above food options instead of messing around with canned, with all the questionable/mystery ingredients.  It makes sense to start with boneless options like Rad Cat or Honest Kitchen.  You may also want to stick with pathogen tested, high pressure pasteurized, or dehydrated/steamed for a while since their ability to tolerate high bacterial loads may be compromised.  This wasn't an issue for some people who transitioned cats with GI issues, but it's just something to consider.

 

[maureen brad]

Wow- the price differences in different areas blow my mind. Here the Primal chubs are $8.99 for Sardine, $9.99 for Chicken & Turkey and $12.99 for Lamb - two pound chubs. Yikes. I have to move.

 

[ankitty]

 
Wow- the price differences in different areas blow my mind. Here the Primal chubs are $8.99 for Sardine, $9.99 for Chicken & Turkey and $12.99 for Lamb - two pound chubs. Yikes. I have to move.

You live in one of the most expensive cities in the U.S. 

http://www.kiplinger.com/slideshow/...st-expensive-u-s-cities-to-live-in/index.html

 

[sophie1]

 
Wow- the price differences in different areas blow my mind. Here the Primal chubs are $8.99 for Sardine, $9.99 for Chicken & Turkey and $12.99 for Lamb - two pound chubs. Yikes. I have to move.

That is just WRONG!  Unless, are you sure they're not the Nature Variety 2 lb chubs?  The NV chicken/turkey mix is $9.99, although apparently those are now impossible to get.  The Primal chicken or turkey grinds are not a complete food, thus cheaper.   My local pet store (in Manhattan, which is generally assumed to be pretty expensive :-) sells these for $6.99 for 2 lb chubs, $15 for 5 lb.  

Why don't you see if your friendly neighborhood pet store would match these prices, at least for the 5 lb chubs if they'd order those for you?  They're such a spectacular option for low cost feeding. 

 

[maureen brad]

Sophie- No, it is Primal. I don't buy NV. Everything is more expensive here. I guess they can charge more because it costs more to do business here. I know that is why and it makes sense but sometimes when I read the prices in other areas I clench my jaw.

 Anyway, prices like that is why I do save money on Hare Today even though it is shipped to me. I could not buy quality meat here for what HT charges.

 My pet store will not do that.

 I have to say that even though the chubs cost more here the store runs a buy three get one free program. That saves a lot when you buy commercial raw. I don't buy the chubs anymore because I order from HT but I do like to keep Stella and Chewy's freeze dried on hand and some Primal Pheasant nuggets. I don't even want to guess what they cost there.

 

[sophie1]

Well, 25% off that inflated price for the Primal chubs is definitely an improvement (equivalent of $7.50 per chub).  But, yes I can see where Hare Today can give you a better price.  Have you tried My Pet Carnivore?  Their meats are lovely and shipping might work out cheaper for you, given the distance.  And I suspect there are tons of raw pet food coops in your area, maybe ask around or check out one of the Yahoo groups?

Stella and chewy's freeze dried raw:  I got a couple bags for $18-19 on Amazon, but now the price has zoomed up to near $30, if it's available at all.  Primal nuggets aren't bad, but they don't qualify as low cost (and am I correct in my assumption that minimizing cost is high on your list?)

My "model" is to make the staple foods (chicken/turkey) as cheap as possible, so that I can splurge on pricier meats like rabbit, venison, and mutton which I know my cats love, and that gives them some variety.  Still, most people think I spend too much on my cats!