Freeze Dried Foods for Healthier Cats

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Serve freeze-dried foods for healthier cats, reduce your vet bills, and have happier pets.

Eat ancestral, biologically appropriate foods by choosing the foods one evolved to eat no matter whether you are a human or a pet.

Freeze-dried cat food costs more per serving but can change your cat’s life. Don’t let your pets suffer from kidney failure, UTIs, obesity, or scruffy coats.

I am not a vet or a doctor, but have had a Clinical Nutrition health practice since 1985. Enjoy my articles and podcasts on a variety of topics, and my Online Store – for humans.

What Should Cats Eat

Cats are “obligate carnivores”. They evolved to eat meat, organs, and bones from lizards, birds, mice, and rabbits. Why feed them corn, “poultry by-products”, colors, additives, and chemicals?

The principles of the Paleo/Ancestral Diet, whether it’s for people or animals, is to eat what we ate long ago, not what we’ve eaten since we began agriculture.

The best food for cats is freeze-dried raw meat, organs, and bones with extra vitamins added. Add water and you’re done. Some people use homemade raw food but that can be tricky and you don’t want to gamble on a mineral deficiency.

I also feed my cats pre-prepared raw food made from ground-up organs, bones, and muscles. I get this from my rancher selling pastured meat.

The Leading Cause of Cat Death

Kidney failure is the leading cause of non-accidental cat death. My belief is that this is caused by eating dry kibble. Even “good quality” grain-free kibble will dehydrate a cat and can cause stones, infections, and toxic kidneys.

Most cats prefer to get fluids from prey. Cats don’t drink much water and can easily be dehydrated.

The majority of senior cats die from kidney failure, obesity or cancer.

Freeze-dried raw cat food can change cat lives, fur, weight and happiness.

Steps to Switch to Healthier Cat Food

Stop Grain-Based Kibble

Stop feeding your cat cheap kibble full of corn and “by-products”. Cats don’t eat corn, rice, or wheat in the wild.

Transition to Canned (Wet) Cat Food

If you can’t afford freeze-dried yet, switch to a canned, grain-free food.

• Study labels. If the ingredients include chemicals, corn, soy, and by-products, keep looking. Foods sold in many vet offices, in my opinion, are a terrible option. Vets, like most doctors, have not studied nutrition. Zookeepers understand the concept of species-appropriate diets much better.
• Canned grain-free dog food is generally the same as canned grain-free cat food, but much cheaper. Compare labels and see.
• Start by adding 1/3 or 1/2 wet food mixed with the kibble.

Transition to Freeze-Dried Foods for Healthier Cats

Many cats transition straight from kibble to rehydrated dried food without going to canned foods first. Mix the food with a little water (I use Reverse Osmosis water) and mix with half kibble. Once accepted, and if you can afford it, switch to only freeze-dried food.

With freeze-dried foods, buy food specifically for cats, not dogs. They are formulated differently.

Fewer Vet Bills for Cats

Better health means fewer vet bills. Good food pays for itself! And the cats are happier.

Do Cats Need Added Taurine with Freeze-Dried Food

Cats on a meat-based diet do not need taurine.

Cats only need taurine when fed corn, wheat, rice, sugars, beaks, feathers (poultry by-products), and other non-feline foods. These “foods” are low in digestible nutrients such as the amino acid, taurine. Meat and fish have taurine in abundance.

Buying Freeze-Dried Foods for Healthier Cats

There are more brands on the market every year! Invest in small bags of several choices and note how your cat likes them. Give them time to make the change. They won’t starve if they get picky for a few days.

Brands I’ve used include:

• Primal Freeze Dried – Chicken & Salmon is my cat’s favorite flavor, while Turkey is a close second!
• Stella and Chewy’s – pay attention to the prices per ounce when compared to other brands.
• Ziwi Peak
• Northwest Naturals
• Feline Natural – this one is more expensive than others but has a wide variety of flavors.

Remember to get cat food, not dog food, and ensure it’s raw and freeze-dried. All are easy to mix with a bit of liquid and serve to healthier cats!

Want more info?

This article has more details on grain-free foods for your cat. This article has tips for natural pet care for dogs and cats, as well as more food ideas.