Is freeze-dried lamb cat food safe and nutritionally sound for my cat?

Try giving her another brand of wet food, such as Fancy Feast, or warm up her regular wet food. Freeze Dried is not wet food and I would be concerned about bacterial contamination. You may also want to have her teeth and mouth checked by your veterinarian.

You are so welcome! No, it does not make it safe. Nothing makes a raw diet safe except for cooking the meat lol. Raw food can be freeze dried, so read the labels. That will tell you if the food is raw. Same for dehydrated. Dehydration is taking the water out, not cooking the meat.

There is no evidence that raw food is safer or healthier for pets. A good-quality commercial cat food should be good for Litchi. As long as she isn't overweight, letting her choose wet or dry food is fine.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Lily. Raw diets are very trendy and unfortunately, there is a lot of inaccurate information available on them. First of all, there is no scientific research proving any health benefits to them. The reports you will read are anecdotal evidence. There is substantial research though showing the risks. The diets are frequently improperly balanced leading to nutritional deficiencies over time. As you mentioned, the risk of Salmonella poisoning and other pathogens is very real for both you and Lily. If you are interested in preparing her food at home though, this can be done. I use www.balanceit.com as the website is staffed by veterinary nutritionists. They will formulate a specific diet for and her individual nutritional needs. Then you can use the recipe to prepare the (cooked) food at home. I hope this information helps! Here is the AVMA (the governing body for veterinarians) position statement on raw foods: https://www.avma.org/KB/Policies/Pages/Raw-or-Undercooked-Animal-Source-Protein-in-Cat-and-Dog-Diets.aspx

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Raw diets are not safe for pets as they can contain bacteria, like salmonella, which can cause serious health problems. Your cat is not a wild cat and does not need protein only diets. They also need grains and carbohydrates in their diet to be balanced and complete. Most veterinarians recommend the top 4 brands of pet food- Hill's/Science Diet, Purina, Iams, and Royal Canin. We also recommend any diet you chose to have a statement on the bag regarding its use in AAFCO feeding trials and not just formulated according to AAFCO requirements. This means it is used for complete and balanced nutrition for a specific life stage (vs. “intermittent and supplemental feeding” which should be fed only as treat items). This means that the diet has actually been fed to a group of animals and they thrived, instead of someone simply calculating a “good diet” in a computer program. I hope this helps! Kisses to Sweetie!

Dry food labels give the amount of nutrients that are contained in the finished product. Period. Be aware that pet food marketing is a serious business. And unfortunately, buzzwords and trend diets are generally used to sway your views towards whatever product is attempting to be sold to you, and these buzzwords don't have your pet's best interest at heart. I would encourage you to explore some sites published by those who have dedicated their careers to advancing veterinary nutrition. This is a great article about raw food: http://vetnutrition.tufts.edu/2016/01/raw-diets-a-healthy-choice-or-a-raw-deal/ Scroll down to the 2nd 1/2 of the page for some common questions regarding pet foods. http://www.acvn.org/frequently-asked-questions/#choose This one is a bit long, but has some really good information: http://dels.nas.edu/resources/static-assets/banr/miscellaneous/dog_nutrition_final_fix.pdf Thank you for asking PetCoach!

No it is not enough water for your cat. Which is why you still want to leave the water bowl or fountain out and available throughout the day. Cats don't get most of their water from their food, they get it from drinking water. And I find that cats drink more adequate amounts of water when they have access to pet water fountains as opposed to standstill water in a bowl.