Choosing Cat Food - Three Tips

Your cat's nutrition is important for a happy and healthy life.  When choosing a cat food, I usually look for three basic things.  The first thing I look for are whole proteins like chicken, duck, salmon, beef or liver. The second thing I look for is to make sure the food is grain free.  The third thing I look for is the addition of vitamins, vegetables and fruits.

Merrick's Backcountry Freeze -Dried Raw Meal for Cats

This month www.chewy.com sent me a package of Merrick's Backcountry Freeze-Dried Raw Meal Mixer to try. It is chock full of protein that will provide your cat with a nutrition packed boost of raw that your cat craves. The Real Salmon recipe contains freeze-dried pieces of real salmon that not only locks in freshness but this food is easily digestible. Best of all this month www.chewy.com is offering this treat at 20% off.

I like the fact that this protein rich kibble is mixed with vegetables, fruits and vitamins making this a healthy choice.  All of Merrick's formulas are made in the U.S.A. and they are free of corn, soy, wheat and gluten. They also don't contain any by products or artificial preservatives.  The flavor of this food is sealed in with the expert freezing process used by Merrick making it a tasty treat and mixer.

Two Ways to Mix It

You can use Merrick's Backcountry Freeze-Dried Raw Meal Mixer two ways.  For a complete meal you can serve it as is or re-hydrate it by adding 1/4 cup of water per one cup of Backcountry Freeze Dried Raw.  The Merrick website actually has a feeding calculator that helps you determine the portion size for each meal!

The second way to use Merrick's Backcountry Freeze-Dried Raw Meal Mixer is to just add it to your cat's regular wet food or kibble mixture. Make sure you reduce the amount of the other food accordingly to avoid overfeeding.

The Taste Test

The real test of any food is whether your cats will eat it. All my cats seemed eager to try the raw boost -- even themaxx got into the action. As usual, my cats seem to prefer to eat this mixer as a treat and in their dry kibble food.  It is important to remember to slowly transition your cat to a new food over five to seven days.  Make sure you continually increase the amount of Merrick food while decreasing the amount of food in your cat's previous diet in order to reach a healthy balance.

Wellness and your Cat... Plus 5 things Never to do....

This month, www.chewy.com has sent me a new food by Wellness Core called Simply Shreds Grain Free Wild Salmon and Tuna in a savory broth, and this snack definitely gets two paws up. Wellness Core is crafted with carefully sourced, thoughtfully prepared ingredients in order to bring more love to mealtime and snack time. Save 10% by ordering from chewy.com

About Wellness Core Simply Shreds for Cats
These handy pouches are a grain free boost of pure protein perfect for snacking or topping. They consist of 100% natural cooked shred of fish (or poultry - it comes in several varieties). This hearty and healthy snack will satiate even the pickiest eaters...my gang of five loved the salmon and tuna. I also liked the fact that it is in a savory broth that adds water to their diet.

Product Description
The amazing thing about this nutrient dense food is that each recipe is made with four ingredients or less!  It is packaged in an easy to use 1.7 oz pouch that is sold by the case that includes twelve packets.  This food is a great snack and is intended to be fed in conjunction with a complete and healthy cat food diet. There are several ways your cat can enjoy this food; it can be used as a topper on wet or dry cat food or fed to your cat as an extra special treat, Sabu and Zoey love the extra treat factor!

Ingredients
There are only three ingredients in the Simply Shreds Wild Salmon and Tuna mix that includes: salmon. fish broth and water sufficient for processing tuna.

About Wellness
Wellness, is a family-owned company of pet parents on a mission to raise the bar in pet food, because they believe the right choice at mealtime forms the foundation of a long, happy life together. That's why they do things the right way, not the easy way—they are 100 percent focused on natural nutrition all the time, crafting their pet food and treats recipes that are carefully sourced and thoughtfully prepared. They use the finest, natural ingredients, ensure the highest quality standards, and create delicious recipes pets crave to make every mealtime count. 

TOP FIVE THINGS NEVER TO DO TO YOUR CAT

1. Never put your cat outdoors unsupervised. If your cat is an indoor cat putting them in the great outdoors can confuse or frighten them... keep kitty harnessed or leashed for your peace of mind and to reassure the cat with your presence.

2. Never leave windows open without a screen. By nature cats are curious and an open screenless window (been there... my cat knocked it out because the screen was not secure) so-- make sure your screens are secure...  if they aren't this can lead to roof climbing (they like it - you won't) or worse, a fall  depending on the roof and screen.

3. Never put off a vet visit.  Even if your cat acts healthy cats can have subtle health shifts that an annual exam can identify and treat.

4. Never hold your cat on your lap while driving- it just isn't safe or smart.  A range free cat can become a flying object if you stop quickly.

5. Deal with  hairballs, never ignore them. Cats groom constantly - if you have long hair cats, give them a hand and groom them.  This will help reduce the number of hairballs by reducing the amount of hair your cat swallows... plus brushing is a wonderful way to bond with your cat.