Cats

Choosing The Right Food For Your Cat

Nicole Groshek | March 9, 2020 | 5 minute read

Many factors come into play when choosing a food for your cat’s individual needs, including age, activity level, size, health, and more. Stella & Chewy’s diets are formulated by an animal nutritionist and thoroughly reviewed by our cooperating team of veterinarians to ensure safe, quality nutrition that is complete and balanced. All diets include appropriate levels of vitamins, minerals, and other essential nutrients – including taurine – to help your cat thrive.

We offer a wide array of products to meet the needs of all cats. First, it’s important to understand the different food options we offer:

Raw Diet

Stella & Chewy’s Frozen Raw Morsels and Freeze-Dried Raw Morsels mirror a cat’s ancestral diet with 98% responsibly sourced meat, organs, and bone. This is the most minimally processed diet as the food is kept as close to its natural state as possible while retaining important nutrients. A raw diet digests gently and efficiently and our recipes contain natural sources of fiber, like pumpkin seed and raw ground bone, and added probiotics to promote gut health and optimal digestion. Natural oils and omega fatty acids in raw diets help support skin health and a shiny coat, while natural enzymes promote dental health and ground bone acts as a mild abrasive for clean teeth and fresh breath. Raw diets contain a high moisture content of 70% or above, just like a cat’s prey in the wild.

Wet Food Diet

Wet food is typically a staple in a cat’s diet, especially as they age. Wet food is the diet highest in moisture, which is so important to your cat’s overall well-being and urinary health. We know that cats can be particular about taste and texture, which is why we offer three different 100% human-grade wet food options. Marvelous Morsels are tasty, real whole muscle meat morsels and organic fresh-cut vegetables drenched in nutrient-rich bone broth. For the loaf lover, we offer Purrfect Pate recipes packed with real whole muscle meat, organic fresh-cut vegetables, and soaked in bone broth. Lastly, Carnivore Cravings is protein-rich and offers a shredded texture with shreds of real meat in a nutritious broth.

Dry Food Diet (Kibble)

Dry cat food is the most well-known food type as it’s convenient to feed and is usually the most economical option. We offer high-quality, protein-rich kibble for cats that is carefully coated in our irresistible freeze-dried raw recipe for the power and taste of raw in every bite. Recipes include guaranteed probiotics to support gut health, along with strong levels of omega fatty acids for healthy skin and coat. Choose from Raw Coated Kibble in cage-free chicken or wild-caught salmon, or Raw Blend Kibble that contains pieces of real freeze-dried raw mixed into the poultry blend recipe.

Adult & Senior Cats

Good news! ALL Stella & Chewy’s diets are formulated to provide complete and balanced nutrition for adult and senior cats. This includes our frozen raw, freeze-dried raw, wet food, and kibble.

Kittens

All Stella & Chewy’s frozen raw and freeze-dried raw diets, as well as all kibble diets, provide complete and balanced nutrition for kittens of any age.

Cats with Urinary/Kidney Issues

Ensuring your cat is hydrated is key to keep the bladder flushed out and urine dilute to avoid issues like infections, crystals, and blockages. In the wild, a cat’s ancestors obtained the majority of their moisture intake from the prey they killed and ate. Domesticated housecats today, who are provided with their food, may be lacking in proper hydration that is key in supporting overall health. A raw diet or a wet food diet is beneficial for cats with these issues as they contain a high moisture content to support adequate hydration. Learn more about moisture-rich diet options and tips for encouraging your cat to drink water here.

Cats with Sensitive Stomachs

Frozen raw and freeze-dried raw recipes are the most minimally processed and are digested more gently and efficiently, while also offering probiotic support and natural sources of fiber. Wet food recipes contain real meat as the #1 ingredient with easily digestible, nutrient-rich bone broth as #2. Our dry food diets contain added probiotics that support gut health. We also recently introduced Stella’s Solutions Digestive Boost, a freeze-dried raw diet that can be served as a meal or mixed with the current diet, that offers natural sources of fiber, prebiotics, and probiotics to aid in intestinal health and digestion.

Cats with Skin Issues

Frozen raw and freeze-dried raw diets are minimally processed and contain natural oils that can aid in the relief of skin allergies or sensitivities. In addition to our raw diets, our high-quality wet foods are an option and kibble recipes provide strong omega fatty acids. Stella’s Solutions Skin & Coat Boost can also support these issues with ingredients like biotin, vitamin E, and linoleic acid, and can be fed as a complete meal or added as a topper to the current diet for a boost.

Overweight Cats

Our daily feeding guidelines for any diet serve as an initial recommendation and can be adjusted to your cat’s needs. Always consult with your veterinarian to form a healthy weight loss plan for your cat. Frozen raw and freeze-dried raw diets are a great option to help with weight management as they are nutrient-dense and only contain 1-2% carbs. Cats with Food Allergies/Sensitivities

We offer single source protein recipes across our cat product lines if you’re looking to avoid a certain protein your cat is sensitive to. A novel/exotic protein, like our Absolutely Rabbit recipe, can help very sensitive cats or during an elimination diet to determine allergies.

Cats Who Are Free-Fed

If your cat prefers to graze on food throughout the day, dry food is a convenient option as it can sit out the longest from a food safety perspective (we recommend no longer than 12 hours). Keep reading to learn more about how much and how often to feed your cat.