[Fran]

Have any of you ever heard of this company's products? "Dehydrated raw" food mix (actually low temperature-steamed / dehydrated) for use as a stand-alone meal, over raw, canned or kibble as a supplement, or as a dry sprinkle...

Grace | The Honest Kitchen

Dehydrated Raw Cat Food | Natural Cat Food | Grain Free | The Honest Kitchen

I just ordered two sample sizes of both the cat flavors - chicken and turkey. The product reviews do mention low protein-to-carbs ratio, messy etc. but other people say their kitties LOVE it either plain or with other food. I guess it is sort of a gruel or a soup, depending on how much water you add. More than one person keeps a box in their "emergency kit" since all you need is water (and maybe some canned food) to keep pets well-nourished in an emergency.

I thought that this mix might be handy for when you are using a cat-sitter - better than kibble, little more work than canned but not as hard to deal with than thawing cubes of raw food or whatever, and workable with other types of food too, such as canned or kibble.

Also, if your actually traveling with your kitty, it's a way of providing better nutrition without worrying about refrigeration etc.

I will keep everyone posted!

Fran

 

[Pixall]

Interesting. I don't like fruits and veggies in my carnivores' diets, but DANG that is a good idea for emergency food. May have to either try dehydrating my own or picking some of that up. After all, when the zombies come, I need to be able to pick up and just GO at a moment's notice.

Please do give updates!

 

[Beth_Laubenthal]

When we go on vacation, I get tubs. I put the cats raw food in there, label it with who gets it and on what day. Our friends and family know to go to the fridge and know where we keep our dinner plates. Very easy. My cats still get raw when we're gone. Now that we have fish, we're going to have to definitely figure out who will feed our fish the frozen raw food (we don't do pellet or flake here).

 

[CJinCA]

I've been using a different brand of dehydrated raw (nature's variety)..when kitties get finicky and won't eat their wet food, I sprinkle some dehydrated raw on it and somehow they end up eating the wet too! I've thought about using it as emergency 'weekend away' food also as we don't have anyone we trust who lives close enough to come feed canned multiple times a day.

 

[doodlebug]

There are several brands of freeze dried raw...In addition to Honest Kitchen there are Stella & Chewys (4 cat specific flavors), Nature's Variety (not nutritionally complete), and Grandma Lucy's. Primal is also coming out with something soon, I seem to remember a mention of something cat specific.

Nature's Variety has also just come out with two raw products called Boost of Raw. One is a powder that can be used to top kibble or canned to get some raw in a diet. The other are small patties that can be used as treats (they're more dog sized, but could easily be broken).

I've used the Stella & Chewy's as treats. Kobi likes them, Maggie & Holly were luke warm. But neither of them are thrilled about raw to begin with.

I brought home a sample of Honest Kitchen Prowl...cats went nuts when I opened it but refused to touch it once I added water. I added the amount of water the package called for and it came out really soupy, so cut it back if you want a thicker consistency.

 

[Fran]

Just following up on this - sorry it has taken so long...

I bought two sample packs of the Honest Kitchen mix - the chicken one ('Prowl') and the turkey one ('Grace'). I started Gracie on the turkey one just because I liked the product name .

She loves it! It does mix up very soupy, but if you let it sit the fridge for a while it thickens up nicely more like a pudding. I have been stirring raw chicken pieces in it, or just putting a dollop onto canned food. She is very enthusiastic, so I think it will definitely stay on the list for when we travel or have a cat-sitter...

Fran

 

[dweamgoil]

When we have a cat sitter, we just label all the ziploc bags by day and tell the cat sitter to take out the next day's bag to defrost in the fridge. This time around we did do canned for the nightly feeding, which may be the norm for when we are on vacation...not sure yet!

But...it's great it worked out for you with The Honest Kitchen. I have a friend who feeds her cat this food since she is a vegetarian and doesn't want to have to chop up meat to feed her cat. It's a nice compromise for her and her kitty.

 

[Gummers]

My guys aren't fans of the new 'Grace'. They just want the 'Prowl'.

And I say no cause it's $22 for a 4 pound box! :crying

 

[doodlebug]

A 4 lb box of Prowl makes 12 lbs of food when hydrated. That's nearly 35 5.5oz cans, which would come out to 63 cents a can...seems pretty cheap to me.

Edit to add: On second thought...where the heck are you getting a 4 lb box of Prowl for $22? I own a pet food store and that's less than my wholesale cost. Do you mean a 2lb box for $22? But even if it's the 2lb...that's $1.26 for the equivalent of a 5.5 oz can. Still not too bad...

 

[Gummers]

A 4 lb box of Prowl makes 12 lbs of food when hydrated. That's nearly 35 5.5oz cans, which would come out to 63 cents a can...seems pretty cheap to me.

Edit to add: On second thought...where the heck are you getting a 4 lb box of Prowl for $22? I own a pet food store and that's less than my wholesale cost. Do you mean a 2lb box for $22? But even if it's the 2lb...that's $1.26 for the equivalent of a 5.5 oz can. Still not too bad...

LOL oops, I meant $22 for a 2 pound box

True, it's not bad....but I am also in the fortunate position of getting raw venison for $1.50 a pound so in comparison it's pricey. I guess I shouldn't be complaining.

 

[Meredith]

Is anyone concerned about the fat content of this product?

I was looking into this - Only Natural Pet Grain-Free Freeze Dried Patties Dog & Cat Food but was worried about the fat content... the Honest Kitchen's version is even higher in fat!

 

[Gummers]

Is anyone concerned about the fat content of this product?

I was looking into this - Only Natural Pet Grain-Free Freeze Dried Patties Dog & Cat Food but was worried about the fat content... the Honest Kitchen's version is even higher in fat!

I think that's on a dry matter basis, before you add the water or something? Either way, my cats love the Prowl but not the Grace.

 

[doodlebug]

Since this is a dehydrated product, the fat is presented on a dry matter basis (or nearly dry matter since there is 8% moisture). If you calculate the fat on a dry matter basis of your raw or canned food, I think you'll find it to be in the same range.

 

[Meredith]

Since this is a dehydrated product, the fat is presented on a dry matter basis (or nearly dry matter since there is 8% moisture). If you calculate the fat on a dry matter basis of your raw or canned food, I think you'll find it to be in the same range.

That makes sense! Thank you

 

[Meredith]

Just curious if anyone could take pictures of the freeze dried food once it has been hydrated... I'm interested in seeing what it looks like. Thanks!

 

[Fran]

I can do that later, I will post a pic for you!

We tried the other flavor ('Prowl'), Gracie was equally pleased.

Fran

 

[Meredith]

I can do that later, I will post a pic for you!

We tried the other flavor ('Prowl'), Gracie was equally pleased.

Fran

Thanks!