I know, you have heard it from me a million times; cats need wet food. I often repeat myself regarding this. And I will continue to do so, because moisture is so important in a cat's diet.
Our friends at chewy.com sent Juice and Noelle a variety pack of Weruva Cats in the Kitchen pouches and I was more than happy to accepts. Because, you know, I am a fanatic about giving cats raw or wet food.
The variety pack contains 12 pouches, 2 each of 6 different flavors, all fish or poultry based, though 1 does contain beef.
What I like about these pouches:
They have a high moisture content.
They have limited, simple ingredients - water, named meats, (gluten-free) tapioca starch as a thickener, sunflower seed oil as a fat, and vitamins.
My cats love them, and eat them with gusto.
I am comfortable and confident feeding these to my girls.
One (minor) thing I didn't like is the consistency and packaging of the product made it difficult to get all of the food out of the pouch without cutting it, which isn't very convenient. I feel as though 10% or more of each pouch is wasted, because it is stuck in the pouch.
Do your cats enjoy wet food? Let us know in the comments!
Hi all! We are still here, still alive. I figure 2.5 months is a long blogging hiatus to take for the time being. I have been active on Facebook and Instagram if you want to follow us there for more updates.
I figure it's time for an update on how things are around here.
Spring is here at the farm. Even though it is has snowed at least once a week since the official beginning of Spring last month.
Squinty faces and a drool bubble during a late season snow.
Though none of them really act like it, I feel as if I run a senior pet retirement home. Both Juice and Noelle (my cats) are 12.
She really is 12 years old.
Bruce is 8.5, Neeko is 8, and Faolan is the young one at 6.5.
While Winter has seemed to last a while, there are some signs of Spring around. We have had some nice mild days, in which to enjoy hikes, mud, and the creek.
One sure sign of Spring (at least to a northern breed owner) is the annual blowing of the coat. As usual, Faolan is the first to start here, and so far the only one.
Over the course of two long brushing sessions, I completely brushed out his undercoat. I made another dog in the process, and he appears to have lost 10 lbs. I only wish Neeko were that easy.
The chickens are enjoying the new vegetation, bugs, and longer days.
One thing they are less thrilled about is the addition of 12 new chicks.
I got these babies about 7 weeks ago, and kept them inside with their Brinsea EcoGlow Warmer for the first 5 weeks here. I moved them outside into a small, enclosed coop setup near the regular coop. They can see the big girls, and the big girls can see them, but no mingling yet. I am hoping this acclimation system will work.
I am 99% certain one of these babies is a cockerel, so we will see how he turns out.
So that's what is going on with us. Nothing earth shattering, simple day to day life. But it's fun, and I like it.
Hey, we are still alive over here! Follow us on Facebook to stay more up to date.
Myself, the dogs, cats, and chickens are all well.
So our friends at Chewy.com sent the kitties some canned cat food this month. I know, I know, I am always preaching about the importance of wet food in a cat's diet.
In fact I left this comment in a Facebook group earlier today, when someone was asking whether to cut back on their cat's wet or dry food for weight loss.
That's where I stand.
As I was saying, Chewy sent the girls some Weruva Cats in the Kitchen wet food to try out, 12 cans, each weighing 3.2 ounces. The variety pack contains 4 recipes, 3 cans of each.
What I like most - all have a named broth and several named meats as the first several ingredients.
I also love the fact that my cats seem to be crazy about this food!
Unlike my dogs, they an share a plate.
Some of the formulas have a shredded meat in broth appearance, while others are more of a "pate" style. Either way, Juicekitty and Noelle are happy to eat them.
They are grain and starch-free, and can be a stand alone food.
Licking the bowl clean.
I am quite pleased with this variety pack. As stated, it provides protein and texture variety. It also provides much needed moisture, and the girls love it. It's a quality food, and I am happy to feed it.
We were provided with complimentary product. All opinions are my own.
I often preach about my love for single or limited ingredient treats for my dogs. The same holds true for my cats; the fewer ingredients, the better.
I couldn't resist the opportunity to let my girls try some cat treats with ONE INGREDIENT from our friends at Chewy.com.
Vital Essentials Freeze-Dried Minnnows contain just that - freeze-dried minnows. Nothing else. Little whole prey treats for my girls. VE does a "slow" freeze drying process, over 48 hours, and their treats are shelf stable. No refrigeration required!
Rare is the treat that they will take from my hand. These must be amazing!
They have a very faint fish smell, not overpowering at all. After a couple brief sniffs, the girls were eagerly devouring them.
I like that they are 100% meat, decent size, and don't crumble at all. They help to satisfy the kitties' carnivorous needs.
My sleek black kitty Noelle can be both elusive and finicky. It's fitting that she is a black cat. What better food to offer her than Tiki Cat After Dark, from our friends at chewy.com.
We are Chewy Influencers. I was provided with complimentary product, but all opinions are strictly my own.
I am a huge fan of wet food in a cat's diet for a variety of reasons. It provides much needed moisture, is less processed, and even the pickiest of cats seem to enjoy wet food.
We were sent the 6 flavor variety pack of Tiki Cat After Dark. From the chewy website "a selection of gourmet recipes that are carefully designed to mimic a natural prey diet." As someone who feeds her dogs a prey model raw diet, and has attempted multiple times to do the same with her cats, this makes me happy.
It contains 6 different flavors, all chicken based, with broth, meat, and organs as the primary ingredients.
It looks good enough for me to eat.
Sleek Noelle (can you believe she is almost 12?!) will sometimes attempt to cover wet foods with her paw if they do not please her. That was not the case with Tiki Cat After Dark.
I love watching her lap up the broth, and devour the food. Cats tend to not have a strong thirst drive, as they are meant to get moisture and fluids from the food they eat. So I love the broth in this food.
I love that it is grain-free. Juice kitty seems to have food allergies, and this has not aggravated them in the slightest.
I am glad to include this in my girls' wet food rotation. It is a wet food made from real ingredients, is grain-free, provides ample moisture, and they love the taste!
I'm not terribly picky when it comes to my cats' litter. My main criteria is that it clump hard, and be something my cats will willingly use. Though I have been loyal to the same litter for over a year now, and was loyal to another brand for 10 years prior to that. (Now I feel old!)
So I was perfectly fine with trying a new brand, courtesy of our friends at chewy.com. They sent the girls a box of Fresh Step Extreme to try out.
It's well known and well documented that my dogs are fans of Stella & Chewy's products. They enjoy various formulas of it for breakfast pretty frequently.
Salmon, chicken, chicken liver, and chicken gizzard are the first four ingredients. Check, check, check, check. These are all foods I would feed the kitties raw, if I could get them to eat most types of raw. But they are picky, so I get them raw in other forms.
This product is not a complete/balanced meal. It is intended as a dry food topper, or occasional wet food treat. I will always be a fan of adding moisture to a cat's diet.
I've decided I want to be a cat. A well-cared for, well-loved cat.
My cats have it made.
They are both more than 11 years old now. Juice was about 3 months old when I got her in January of 2006. Noelle was about 6 months old when I got her in June of the same year.
They are both pretty spoiled.
They get fed twice a day without fail. Good food, too. A little dry, a bunch of wet, and whatever raw I can get them to eat. If they meow enough I will give them treats. If they act really pitiful, I will offer them what I am eating if it is healthy for them.
I clean up their poop. 1-2x per day, typically. I swear they laugh at me as I am scooping their litter box.
I brush their fur. I give them mani/pedis when I cut and file their nails.
They have cat beds. They also have a couple of baskets with blankets in them, just for kitties. If those options aren't good enough, they seek out whatever piece of furniture or blanket strikes their fancy at that particular moment.
They find the perfect warm spots. It could be a modem, or a router. A sun puddle. Or me. If I have a heating pad, I can forget about enjoying it myself.
They are mellow now. Rarely do they freak out over something unseen and race through the house. They don't (intentionally) knock stuff over anymore. I can now laugh about the time one of them knocked a casserole I had just pulled out of the oven off of the counter.
They are happy, well-fed, well-loved, content and spoiled.
I feed them high quality kibble and canned (which probably costs more than a raw diet.) They will eat some raw, but it is rare, and they have to be in the mood for it.
Like dogs, cats can benefit from some form of raw, and a variety of proteins in their diet. To me it seems easier to offer dogs "exotic" proteins, whether in the form of raw, kibble, or canned.
To me, this accomplished two things - it offers the girls a form of raw, and provides them with an "exotic" protein.
These contain rabbit, pork liver, pork heart, and a variety of produce, and are designed to "mirror your cat's ideal ancestral diet."
They are freeze-dried nuggets of goodness. At first I thought they would be too big for my cats' mouths, but Juice and Noelle have had no problems chomping them down.
They are meant to be fed in addition to your cat's normal diet, but I do offer these stand alone on occasion. TIP - add warm water to them to ensure your cat stays adequately hydrated. (I know I am always pushing hydration in cats.)
My girls are definitely enjoying them. These are dual purpose in my house, as they also make wonderful training treats for the dogs!
Instinct RawBoost Mixers are a convenient way to add some raw to you kitty's diet.
I was provided with complimentary product. All opinions are my own.
I feed my girls Juice and Noelle canned food daily. I do this for a few reasons. Canned food contains much more moisture than kibble, which is so important to cats. Cats do not have much of a thirst mechanism, so need to get plenty of moisture in their food. Another reason is because canned food is generally considered less processed than kibble. If I can't feed them raw, I am going to feed them high quality.
Prior to switching my dogs to raw, Taste of the Wild was a regular in their dog food rotation. It is also a food I regularly recommend when friends are looking to feed their dogs a better food.
My kitties have little experience with Taste of the Wild. So I was excited to be able to offer them this food.
Like all Taste of the Wild products, Rocky Mountain Feline canned food is grain free. Like all canned foods, it contains a great deal of moisture, in the forms of chicken and fish broth. This is a good thing in my opinion. It's first ingredient is salmon, and it also includes chicken, chicken livers, and venison. I can talk until I am blue in the face about cats being obligate carnivores. They require meat protein in order to survive. This product contains a good deal of it.
As I previously mentioned, moisture/water is exceptionally important to kitties. I am always looking for ways to get my cats to drink more water.
One of the ways I get my cats to drink more water is to pour water over their canned/wet food. This adds more moisture, and they are more likely to drink it because it takes on the flavor of the food it was poured over.
Look at her cute little tongue.
Juice (and Noelle) are enjoying this nightly currently. No noted refusal, and they always lick the bowl or plate clean. This is a top quality food with a good deal of meat that is grain free. The kitties are happy, and I am too.
What do dogs, cats, and ferrets have in common? They are all carnivores, and love meat. Evanger's recognizes this, and makes single ingredient meaty treats for our carnivore friends.
These dehydrated treats contain just one ingredient - wild salmon. And they are made in the USA!
They easily break into smaller pieces. This along with the fact that they have a strong smell, makes them ideal training treats. My crew was willing to work for them. Before anyone asks - yes, Faolan did scent roll on them. Sadly, I did not get a video.
It took every last ounce of her self control not to snatch this treat right off of her paw.
The fact that they easily break/crumble is both good and bad. They don't hold up well in my jacket pocket. I learned this the hard way. Have you ever tried fishing fishy-smelling crumbs from the crevices of your pocket? It's not fun. But...this also means they can be crumbled over an animal's food to make something new or different more enticing to them. It also meant that I was able to break them into smaller pieces so they were of the appropriate size to offer to my kitties.
I knew Juice was enjoying them when she made her snarfing/snarling noises while eating them.
My dogs enjoy fish, and it is difficult at times for me to source raw fish to feed them. Offering them single ingredient fish treats allows them to get their fish fix. Being able to offer my dogs and cats the same treats is a bonus. And you all know how much I get a kick out of watching Faolan scent roll on things.
I was provided with complimentary product. All opinions are my own.
I have been feeding Neeko and Bruce a full raw diet for nearly six years, and Faolan has been fed exclusively raw from the moment I adopted him 4.5 years ago.
Neeko was about a year old, and Bruce 1.5 years old when I first made the transition to a raw diet for them. Faolan was about nine months old when I adopted him.
My Rotten Dogs is a brand ambassador for Stella & Chewy's. We only share information we feel is relevant to our readers.
My initial raw feeding resolution many years ago came about because of a variety of reasons. I wanted to offer my dogs the best life possible. Neeko had chronic GI issues as a puppy and young dog, unrelieved by the most expensive and desired kibbles. Bruce had bald ears and was gangly. I took the plunge, and switched my dogs to a mostly homemade raw diet, and haven't looked back or had regrets since.
Everyone, and every dog has different experiences with raw feeding. The changes I initially witnessed astounded me. Neeko, who regularly had unexplained diarrhea and couldn't keep weight, developed a healthy, iron gut, able to tolerate any food offered to her. Bruce's ears filled with fur, and he put on some needed muscle. Faolan's thin, stiff, poor coat became soft, thick, and lustrous.
Neeko has bright eyes, a lovely coat, and a solid, healthy gut.
The things I witness every day keep me feeding raw. My dogs are all healthy weights, with good, balanced energy. They don't stink. They don't shed as much. Faolan and Bruce haven't had baths in over four years. My dogs each see the vet exactly once a year, for a wellness visit. No illnesses or unexpected vet visits. Their teeth are clean and their breath doesn't have a smell at all.
Clean teeth, no doggy breath, and well-furred ears.
I feed a mostly homemade raw diet, but I love the convenience and ease of Stella & Chewy's freeze dried raw. It makes the perfect breakfast for my crew, who are fed twice daily. They are complete/balanced meals, so I don't have to worry about my meat/bone/organ ratios being correct when I feed them. Plus my dogs love the taste, and I love being able to offer them variety in their diet.
I have recently made the resolution to incorporate more raw into my cats' diets. Cats are obligate carnivores, meaning they require meat protein in order to survive. My cats are picky beasts, but are loving their Stella & Chewy's.
I always encourage others to feed raw, even as a supplement to a kibble-based diet.
Stella and Chewy's wants you to make a raw feeding resolution in 2017 for your pets! They are encouraging all to try raw or incorporate more raw into their pets' diets.Follow @stellaandchewys on Instagram for a chance to win a free bag of their food. For raw feeders share what you love most about feeding raw and encourage others to give raw a try. For those who’ve yet to try raw, share what has you most interested in giving raw a try or what your questions/concerns are. Be sure to include #RawFeedingResolution and #StellaAndChewys in your post. They will select posts from both groups of pet owners to receive a bag of their food. Contest ends on January 31, 2017.
If you feed any raw, what benefits are most important to you? If you haven't tried raw but are interested, what are your concerns?
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Stella & Chewy's. The opinions and text are all mine.
I am a huge advocate of not declawing cats. I feel it is cruel, painful, unnecessary, and a form of mutilation. Needless to say, neither of my girls are declawed.
Providing appropriate surfaces for cats to scratch not only saves your furniture, but also provides interactive engagement for the kitties.
Cats love to stretch, and the incline of this makes it perfect for a stretch and scratch. The scratch surface is double sided, so it can be flipped over/refreshed. The small cutouts give access to a dangly toy, which my girls are enjoying playing with.
Another great thing about this scratcher is that KONG includes a packet of their premium catnip with it. My girls LOVE catnip, and I always giggle watching them with it. Most cats find it enticing, which encourages the use of items for appropriate scratching.
I am tickled to have a photo of the elusive Noelle with her claws sunk into the scratcher.
My own (minor) complaint is that it is so lightweight that Juice was able to easily move it when rubbing on it. This problem could easily be solved by placing something heavy in the base via the cutouts on the side.
I find it to be a convenient, inexpensive way to allow cats to indulge harmlessly in a natural need. Cats need to scratch, and this suits that need with ease. Myself and my kitties are happy with it.
I was provided with complimentary product. All opinions are my own.
I have written before about my struggles with getting my cats to eat a raw diet. As obligate carnivores, cats REQUIRE animal protein in order to survive. I have tried several forms of raw with the girls, but they are picky, picky beasts, and will only eat a few.
I am a huge proponent of wet food in a cat's diet, because cats lack a strong natural thirst mechanism. They are meant to consume moisture in their food. My girls refuse to eat most of the raw I offer them, so I make a point of feeding them wet food every evening.
I have five pets. Each is a unique individual, with different preferences, likes, and personality. I cherish their differences, these differences make them special. I use these differences to show my pets love daily. It's the least I can do, considering how much they offer me.
This post is sponsored by Chicken Soup for The Soul Pet Food and the BlogPaws® Professional Pet Influencer Network. I am being compensated for helping create awareness around the Brand and new product launch, but My Rotten Dogs only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Chicken Soup for The Soul is not responsible for the content of this article.
I take my dogs' and cats' personalities into account when I show my love for them.
Neeko. Neeko is confident, outgoing, and sometimes stubborn. She likes to be near me, but isn't overly affectionate. I show her love by taking her on outings, car rides, and other adventures, including exploring the creek, pond, and woods on my property.
Bruce-Despite what many might think, Bruce is incredibly affectionate. He is also very food-motivated, and loves treats. Bruce doesn't enjoy adventures as much as Neeko or Faolan, preferring his backyard or leaning against me. I show him love with physical affection, treats, and one-on-one time.
Faolan-My sweet little boy LOVES meeting new people and dogs, goodies, and affection. There isn't much that doesn't make him happy. I show him love by taking him places that allow him to interact with others. And car rides. He loves car rides.
Juice-Juice is the elder pet of my crew. She is affectionate on her own terms, and loves her food. One way I show her (and Noelle) love is by feeding them high-quality grain-free pet food, including Chicken Soup for the Soul pet food. As one can tell from the top photo, she is obviously enjoying it.
Noelle-Noelle is my super sweet, shy girl. She is really affectionate, always willing to cuddle. All I have to do is get comfortable, and she quickly makes herself comfortable on me. She is also quite the huntress, so I show her love with interactive toys.
One way I love my pets everyday is by feeding them quality food. I often say (in reference to humans) "Food is love." For my dogs, it is a raw diet. For my cats, I choose natural cat food.
My girls are loving this premium pet food. It is grain-free, and meat based, which is important to me.
A philosophy of Chicken Soup for the Soul pet food is:
"Food is more than just nutrition, it’s also about comfort, love and appreciation."
A portion of the proceeds from all of their pet food sales go to The Humpty Dumpty Institute to help support organizations that feed and care for animals in shelters. Royalties from their new pet-themed books will go to the American Humane Association. The cat book is fantastic, by the way.
Their packages include shelter pets, and recently adopted pets. The stories of these pets are on the back of the packaging. I think this is so neat.
It's not too late to show Chicken Soup for the Soul that your pet is your hero! Share your story with them for a chance to be featured on TV! More information can be found HERE.
