Can I feed freeze-dried food without adding water?



Kaylee &- Amelia

Snuggly Sisters!
Purred: Thu Oct 3, '13 10:43am PST 
Hi everyone, just looking for some advice. I am trying to stay away from kibble, but as we are occasionally gone for 8-9 hours, I like to leave out a measured amount of dry food for the kittens to share if they get hungry. They also get raw/canned three times a day. They are 5 1/2 months old. I am currently transitioning from NVI Chicken Raw Boost kibble to Ziwi Peak air-dried. I read a post on here that said you could leave our freeze-dried food and feed it like kibble without adding water and I wondered what you all thought of that idea? I feel like it would be okay since it is not making up much of their diet. It might also be helpful if we have to go out of town for a day or two. We usually have someone to stop by and feed canned or raw when we're out of town, but since our friend usually is only able to stop by once a day, we need something we can leave out for them.

The kittens have had Stella & Chewy's and Primal freeze-dried before, but I have always mixed it with water and fed it during a mealtime. I am not interested in getting an automatic feeder for canned food as Kaylee is a heartier eater than Amelia, and she would probably "steal" Amelia's portion.

Edited by author Thu Oct 3, '13 10:49am PST


Merlin - An Angel- Forever

Purred: Thu Oct 3, '13 5:00pm PST 
Instead of regular kibble along with the canned and raw you also feed, just feed freeze dried raw smile Dry food and raw food don't go well together in the tummy because of the different digestive rates (dry food is slow, raw/canned is fast), which may cause an upset stomach.

If the freeze dried raw will only be left out during the day, then yes it can be fed dry. Just be sure to add extra water to the canned and/or raw food to keep the cat well hydrated.


I'm the Alpha- cat!
Purred: Thu Oct 3, '13 9:10pm PST 
Did you see that new raw freeze dried-food by Feline Natural? I clicked to read the ingredients. Where are the vitamins, minerals and amino acids? Kind of expensive treat.


Ambassador at- the Kitty U.N.
Purred: Fri Oct 4, '13 4:24am PST 
Definitely don't mix raw within 12 hours of kibble. I think it'd be fine to feed freeze dry raw in small amounts, but one of the most important points to feeding canned/raw is the hydration. Honestly, I would leave out canned or even raw, even if it's all day. Any bacteria is just not an issue with their quick digestion. That's just my opinion but I've never had a problem with either type of food that has sat out for a while.

Kaylee &- Amelia

Snuggly Sisters!
Purred: Sun Oct 6, '13 6:43pm PST 
Thank you for your advice everyone. As I said, I am trying to stay away from raw, and since my kittens seem to love re-hydrated THK and freeze-dried foods such as Primal and Stella and Chewy's, I am actually considering staying away from cooked foods altogether and just feeding raw, freeze-dried raw and the air-dried Ziwi Peak.

My local specialty pet food store doesn't carry Feline Natural, they only carry the K9 one. I like the Stella and Chewy's and Primal though.

Edited by author Sun Oct 6, '13 6:50pm PST



The Black Shadow
Purred: Tue Oct 8, '13 11:09am PST 
Mixing raw and kibble is not a good idea because the two digest differently, and it kind of confuses the body about what it is digesting.

Found that out on the first day of raw food with the dog. Not fun.

I wouldn't add water to it IF you plan to feed it as the bulk of the diet because freeze-drying removes the moisture from the food, so you need to reconstitute it for it to return to it's natural form.

Kaylee &- Amelia

Snuggly Sisters!
Purred: Tue Oct 8, '13 6:43pm PST 
I no longer feed kibble whatsoever as they finished the last of it yesterday. They now receive 1/4 cup of Ziwi Peak (air-dried raw) in a bowl for them to munch on whenever they want throughout the day. I was looking to possibly replace the Ziwi Peak with freeze-dried raw without adding water to it. The freeze-dried raw without water added will NOT be the bulk of their diet, as it would only be replacing about 1/4 of their diet. The bulk of their diet is canned food, raw and freeze-dried raw mixed with water. My plan is to eventually stop feeding cans, so everything will be raw in some way, whether it is actually raw, freeze-dried or air-dried.

Edited by author Tue Oct 8, '13 6:45pm PST


Kaylee &- Amelia

Snuggly Sisters!
Purred: Tue Oct 15, '13 7:29am PST 
They are now fully transitioned to the Stella & Chewy's freeze-dried raw with no water added. In addition, they are getting canned, THK and raw with a bit of extra water added at mealtimes. They absolutely LOVE the S&C!

Thanks for the advice everyone!