Choosing the Best Cat Food for Optimal Health
Your cat deserves the best, especially when it comes to their diet and nutrition. Many people believe that purchasing expensive, high-quality cat food is the best choice, but that’s not always the case. Price doesn’t guarantee quality.
To ensure your cat’s health and well-being, it’s essential to find a diet that meets their nutritional needs and is easily digestible. Cats are obligate carnivores, which means their bodies are designed to efficiently digest and derive nutrients from animal tissue. In simpler terms, cats need to eat meat.
While commercial cat foods often contain protein, they also tend to have high levels of carbohydrates. Additionally, the overcooking and processing of these foods result in a lack of essential nutrition for your cat.
One of the healthiest and most biologically appropriate dietary choices for cats is a raw food diet. Raw cat food offers numerous benefits, including easy digestion, reduced waste, increased energy levels, improved coat health, and better dental hygiene. The advantages are endless!
Darwin’s Natural Pet Products: A Raw Cat Food Delivery Service
With numerous cat food brands available in the market, finding raw food options can be challenging. However, one brand worth considering is Darwin’s Natural Pet Products. They specialize in raw cat food delivery, and we believe they deserve your attention.
In this comprehensive review, we will provide you with all the necessary information about Darwin’s, helping you decide whether raw food is the right choice for your cat and whether Darwin’s is the perfect fit.
What You Need to Know About Darwin’s
The Founding Principles and Inspiration Behind Darwin’s
Darwin’s Natural Pet Products was established by Gary Tashjian, who sought to naturally address his dog’s arthritis through a healthy diet. After successfully improving his dog’s health, Tashjian aimed to replicate this experience for pet owners worldwide. The brand’s name, Darwin’s, is a tribute to Charles Darwin, reflecting their commitment to being inspired by nature and informed by science.
Extensive Raw Food Options for Dogs and Cats
Darwin’s Natural Pet Products offers a wide range of raw food options for both dogs and cats. For dogs, they have three product lines: Natural Selections, BioLogics, and Intelligent Design. When it comes to raw cat food, Darwin’s offers two of the three lines: Natural Selections and Intelligent Design.
The Natural Selections Line: Designed for Obligate Carnivores
Darwin’s Natural Selections line is tailored to meet the nutritional requirements of obligate carnivores, like cats. They emphasize the importance of a diet primarily based on animal tissue. Unlike many other cat food brands, Darwin’s Natural Selections recipes contain 100% real meat, such as chicken, turkey, or lamb, without any animal by-products or fillers.
These recipes prioritize fresh muscle meat, supplemented by organ meats, which are rich in nutrients. Additionally, raw bone is included to provide essential minerals like calcium and phosphorus.
High-Quality Ingredients for Optimal Nutrition
At Darwin’s, your pet’s nutrition is their utmost priority. They use only the finest natural ingredients to ensure the highest quality of their products. Their mission is to provide fresh, healthy, and affordable raw meals for your pet.
Darwin’s Natural Selections line sources free-range, grass-fed beef, cage-free poultry, and organic vegetables. The meats are free from hormones, steroids, and antibiotics, and the company personally visits each farm to ensure adherence to good farming and animal welfare practices. Darwin’s pet foods never contain fillers or by-products.
Affordable Pricing for Quality Raw Food
Pet food prices can vary significantly, often reflecting the quality of the product. Fresh and raw food tends to have higher price tags compared to traditional kibble.
However, Darwin’s offers surprisingly affordable options. Additionally, since cats are generally smaller than dogs, feeding your cat a raw food diet is more cost-effective.
Experts recommend feeding cats approximately 2% to 3% of their weight daily, split into two meals. For an average 10-pound cat, this translates to around 3 ounces per day, or 1.5 ounces per meal, depending on factors like sex, age, and activity level. Darwin’s packages their food in convenient 8-ounce (1 cup) patties, sold in 4-packs. Therefore, a four-pack should last about 10 days.
Based on an estimate for a 10-pound cat, Darwin’s suggests ordering 20 pounds of food every 10 weeks. The cost may vary slightly depending on the protein choices, but if you opt for chicken, turkey, and lamb, the average price for a 10-week order would be approximately $150, equating to around $15 per week.
Easy Delivery Process to Your Doorstep
Darwin’s raw pet food is not available in stores but can be conveniently delivered to your home. The company offers a subscription service that ensures you receive the perfect amount of raw cat food regularly. Subscribing is easy through their website.
Here’s a quick overview of the subscription process:
1. Click the “Try Now” button on the home page.
2. Provide your cat’s name, species, and weight.
3. Enter your delivery zip code.
4. Choose ten packages (2 pounds each) from the available recipes.
5. Complete your subscription by providing delivery and payment details.
You can modify your subscription at any time by logging into your online account. This allows you to view upcoming orders and make changes, delays, or cancellations. Darwin’s also offers free raw food consultations to assist you in making the best choices for your cat.
Recipe Spotlight: Natural Selections Chicken
Ingredients and Nutritional Composition
Darwin’s Natural Selections Chicken recipe contains the following ingredients:
– Chicken meat
– Chicken necks (including bone)
– Chicken gizzards
– Chicken livers
– Chicken hearts
– Tomato pomace
– Fish oil
– Potassium chloride
– Taurine
– Magnesium proteinate
– Cod liver oil
– Choline chloride
– Inulin
– Sea salt
– Zinc proteinate
– Vitamin E
– Iron proteinate
– Manganese proteinate
– Copper proteinate
– Thiamine mononitrate
– Vitamin B12
– Vitamin D3
– Folic acid
Calories: 1,383 kcal/kg (39 kcal/oz.)
The Natural Selections Chicken recipe consists entirely of real chicken. In addition to chicken meat, it includes chicken necks (including raw bone), chicken gizzards, chicken livers, and chicken hearts.
This recipe contains approximately 50% protein and 30% fat when calculated on a dry matter basis. These values are significantly higher than those found in typical dry cat food. The fiber content is minimal, less than 1%.
Aside from the chicken ingredients, the recipe includes tomato pomace as a source of fiber and two healthy fats: fish oil and cod liver oil. The remaining ingredients are vitamin and mineral supplements.
Darwin’s highlights the nutritional benefits of their chicken recipe, stating that chicken is rich in the trace mineral selenium, which supports thyroid health and enhances the immune system. Chicken is also high in vitamin B, aiding in glucose level control and the conversion of protein and fat into usable energy. Additionally, vitamin B6 promotes energy metabolism and cardiovascular health.
Pros and Cons of Darwin’s Raw Food
When considering switching to a raw food diet for your cat, it’s natural to have reservations. However, a raw food diet offers numerous health benefits and is safe when proper food safety procedures are followed. It aligns more closely with a cat’s natural evolutionary diet compared to kibble, improving their nutrition and protecting them from chronic diseases.
While we highly recommend Darwin’s raw cat food, the final decision is yours. To help you make an informed choice, here’s a summary of the pros and cons of the brand:
Pros of Darwin’s Raw Food
– Raw cat food made exclusively from real meat, without carbohydrates
– Recipes feature single-source animal proteins
– Formulas are complete and balanced for optimal cat nutrition
– Regular deliveries available, with the first 10 pounds priced at $14.95
Cons of Darwin’s Raw Food
– Raw pet food requires proper handling and safety measures
– Meals are not individually portioned based on specific calorie needs
– Raw food can be more expensive than kibble
– Limited protein options (chicken, turkey, lamb)
As a responsible cat owner, it’s crucial to make informed decisions about your cat’s diet. Given the importance of high-quality nutrition, we believe Darwin’s is a brand worth considering.
FAQs
#1. Does Darwin’s offer samples?
While Darwin’s does not provide samples, they offer an exclusive offer for new customers to receive their first order of 10 pounds at a discounted price of $14.95. If you’re satisfied with the food, you can continue your subscription at a monthly rate based on your chosen recipes. You have the flexibility to modify or cancel your subscription whenever necessary.
How many calories does Darwin’s raw cat food contain?
The calorie content of Darwin’s raw cat food varies depending on the recipe. The chicken recipe contains approximately 39 kcal per ounce, the turkey recipe has 36 kcal per ounce, and the lamb recipe provides 49 kcal per ounce.
Is Darwin’s suitable for cats with allergies?
Yes, Darwin’s can be a suitable option for cats with allergies, as long as they are not allergic to chicken, turkey, or lamb. Since the food consists of 100% animal ingredients with added nutrients, it is free from grains, by-products, and fillers. However, always ensure that your cat’s specific allergies are taken into account.
Has Darwin’s had any safety issues or recalls?
As raw pet food is regulated differently from dry or canned food, it’s challenging to make direct comparisons. However, Darwin’s has experienced a few recalls in the past. In some instances, raw dog food recipes were recalled due to potential salmonella contamination. It’s worth noting that raw chicken commonly contains trace amounts of salmonella, which can also be found in grocery store chicken. The recalls primarily affected dog food products, with only one recall involving Darwin’s raw cat food.
Benefits of Darwin’s raw cat food delivery
The primary benefit of Darwin’s raw cat food delivery is providing your cat with a natural and high-quality diet. Their recipes consist of 100% real meat without any fillers or artificial additives. By opting for Darwin’s, you receive fresh raw food directly to your door. The subscription can be adjusted to meet your needs, and all packages are carefully frozen to maintain freshness until you transfer them to your freezer.