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Hauspanther is known primarily as your source for all things cats & design, including beds, scratchers, climbing furniture, litter boxes and toys for cats, plus fun things like art, fashion and decor for cat lovers. I don’t normally write about food for cats, however, over the years, I’ve learned more and more about the best way to feed my own cats and since, ultimately, Hauspanther is about giving your cats the very best, we’re adding something new to our repertoire. Introducing a new line of freeze-dried raw treats and meal toppers for cats from Hauspanther!

What is raw food for cats?

A raw meat diet is the closest thing we can feed our cats to what they are biologically designed to eat. Cats are obligate carnivores, meaning that they must eat meat to survive, unlike humans who can survive without eating meat. This has to do with how their bodies process certain vitamins and fatty acids and how they digest (or rather cannot digest) carbohydrates. Raw diets for cats contain meat, organs and bones in a highly digestible form that mimics whole prey that a cat would eat in nature. You may hear raw food called “biologically appropriate” for cats.

Benefits of a raw diet for cats

Cooking meat degrades the nutrients and causes loss of vitamins, minerals and amino acids. Raw diets for cats contain almost no carbohydrates, which they cannot digest easily. Switching your cat to a raw diet can improve digestion, reduce stool odor and volume, reduce shedding and hairballs, promote a healthy coat, increase your cat’s energy, improve dental health, facilitate better urinary health and help your cat maintain a healthy weight.

For more information about feeding a raw diet to your cat, please visit feline-nutrition.org, a well-researched online resource for cat owners who want to learn about feeding cats a biologically appropriate diet. The Feline Nutrition Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to improving cats’ lives through better nutrition.

Types of raw food for cats

There are a few different ways to feed your cat raw food, including making fresh raw food yourself, purchasing frozen raw food, or purchasing freeze-dried raw. Most veterinarians avoid talking about raw diets since they believe that fresh and frozen raw food, if not handled properly, will lead to food-borne illness. However, with safe food handling procedures, as you would use when preparing meat for the rest of your human family, the likelihood of illness is dramatically reduced.

About freeze-dried raw for cats

Freeze-dried raw food for cats has all the same nutritional benefits as fresh or frozen in a convenient and shelf-stable form. The freeze-drying process stabilizes raw meat, retaining the flavor and nutrients while killing harmful bacteria. The resulting product is a dry form of raw meat that can be reconstituted with water to ensure the proper moisture content.

Not all freeze-dried cat food is the same. Some freeze-dried cat treats are actually cooked meat that is then freeze-dried, so these do not qualify as raw nutrition. Other freeze-dried products create a slurry with the meat, organs and bones plus added supplements that is then formed into nuggets that are freeze-dried. The Hauspanther freeze-dried products use a different method that freeze-dries whole meat, organs and bone, then for certain recipes, mixes in any necessary supplements, creating a top-quality product with a flavor and texture that cats love.

Introducing raw into your cat’s diet

It can be overwhelming to think about transitioning your cat to a completely raw diet overnight. There are some easy ways to introduce raw food into your cat’s diet so she can start to get the nutritional benefits of raw meat. One way is to switch to freeze-dried raw treats, just make sure to read the label and check to see that the meat was not cooked before freeze drying. Another way to add some raw to your cat’s regular food is with a meal topper. This will get your cat used to the flavors and textures of a raw diet while giving her a boost of biologically appropriate nutrition.

Proudly made in the USA

With recent pet food recalls from companies that make their products overseas, it was very important to me that the Hauspanther freeze-dried cat products be made in the USA with US-sourced ingredients. We are proud to source all of our meat, and the majority of our other ingredients, in the USA, with our beef and chicken coming from Texas farms. In the case of a handful of ingredients, our suppliers work with reliable companies in other countries who follow strict quality testing. We do not source any ingredients from China.

The healthiest treats you can feed your cat are single-ingredient, freeze-dried raw cat treats that don’t contain any carbohydrates, fillers, binders or other unnecessary ingredients. As much as your cat might love those carb-loaded treats, I guarantee he will love a piece of freeze-dried meat even more! Our new freeze-dried raw cat treats come in three varieties, Beef Liver, Chicken Liver and Turkey Heart, currently available in 1.5 oz bags from shop.hauspanther.com and Amazon.com.

Since your cat won’t be eating the treats as a full meal, you don’t need to reconstitute with water before feeding, but do make sure to have fresh water available for your cat at all times.

If you’re not sure which variety your cat might like the best, we have a limited number of Cat Treat Sampler Boxes, containing .5 oz of all three varieties, available exclusively from the Hauspanther online shop.

If you’d like to try adding some raw to your cat’s regular food, try one of our Freeze-dried Raw Meal Toppers for Cats. Three varieties each feature a different raw protein with an added daily support supplement. Choose from:

  • Chicken Topper with heart-supporting taurine, an essential amino acid
  • Beef Topper with omega 3 & 6 fatty acids, DHA Gold and biotin for vibrant skin & coat
  • Elk & Venison Topper with prebiotics, probiotics and enzymes for soothing digestion

The toppers are great for enticing picky eaters, plus they’re made with chelated minerals for improved nutrient absorption and bioavailability. Simply sprinkle some over your cat’s regular food at each meal. Hauspanther Meal Toppers for Cats are available now from shop.hauspanther.com and will be available soon from Amazon.com.

I’m very pleased to make the new Hauspanther freeze-dried products available to cats everywhere through my partnership with Primetime Petz as part of the Hauspanther Collection. If you own a pet product retail store and would like to carry the Hauspanther freeze-dried raw product line, please email info@primetimepetz.com for more information.

Stay tuned for more freeze-dried raw products from Hauspanther coming soon!

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*FTC Disclosure: This post contains Amazon Associate links. If you make a purchase after clicking on the links, Hauspanther will get a small commission. We are dedicated to finding the coolest products for cats and cat lovers and we never recommend anything that we don’t love.

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