This post is sponsored by Balanced Blends
Embraced for decades by holistically oriented pet parents and holistic veterinarians, raw feeding is becoming more mainstream as pet parents look for alternatives to feeding highly processed commercial pet foods.
Balanced Blends Raw Pet Food
Last month, we introduced you to Balanced Blends, a Boulder Colorado based company. Balanced Blends uses high quality ingredients, sourced in the US, from cage free chickens and grass fed cattle. All Balanced Blends formulas
- are antibiotic free
- are USDA inspected and approved
- do not contain added hormones
- contain balanced fat with optimal omega 6 to omega 3 ratio and low linoleic acid
- contain an ideal calcium to phosphorus ratio
- do not contain produce (only the dog formulas contain produce)

How Balanced Blends keeps their food safe
Cat parents who are new to raw feeding are often concerned about the safety of raw diets. Sadly, there is a lot of misinformation about the purported risks of feeding raw in the mainstream veterinary community, and it’s not unusual for vets to tell their clients that raw feeding is dangerous. Dr. Karen Becker, a holistic veterinarian who writes extensively for Mercola Pets, dispels many of these myths in this comprehensive article.
High quality fresh ingredients
Reputable raw food manufacturers are taking multiple precautions to ensure that their diets are safe. Balanced Blends always starts with high quality fresh ingredients. Their meat comes from cage free chicken and grass fed beef, and their vitamins and minerals originate from reputable sources. All vitamins and minerals are tested to be pathogen free before they are added to their food. Balanced Blends never uses any ingredients from China.

Multiple quality assurance standards
Balanced Blends is made in a clean, refrigerated environment with multiple quality assurance standards, including
- Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP)
- Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOP)
- Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP)
Once packaged, food is sent for HPP (high pressure pasteurization) processing. The food is never re-opened after HPP for further processing (such as cutting into patties or nuggets), thus eliminating the risk of re-contamination after HPP. While some raw feeders feel that HPP processing alters the quality of the food to the point where it can no longer be considered raw, I think it’s an effective way to eliminate potential pathogens that only minimally affects the integrity of the final product. I feel that HPP provides added peace of mind, especially for those new to raw feeding.
Following HPP, the food is then immediately frozen and tested for pathogens by a 3rd party lab. Balanced Blends follows a “test & hold” protocol, which means food is only released to the market once they’ve received negative test results.
Shipping directly to pet parents eliminates mishandling during distribution
After the negative pathogen results, the frozen food is sent to Balanced Blends’ warehouse. Since they sell directly to the consumer, any mishandling between production and distribution to retailers, such as food being left out too long during shipping or inappropriate storage by retailers that could cause the food to thaw, is eliminated. Shipping directly to the consumer also greatly reduces the time between the food being made and reaching pet parents, which means the food is fresher.
Convenient Starter Pack
Balanced Blends offers a convenient starter pack for new customers to try their products with a lower initial order amount.
Cat Starter Pack (free shipping + no minimum order) *new customer only*
$14 for 2 lbs of Raw Chicken Dinner
$16 for 2 lbs of Raw Beef Dinner
This is an incredible deal! Visit http://www.balancedblends.com/products/cat-starter-pack to learn more.
Additional $5 Discount off the Starter Pack for Conscious Cat Readers!
Use code CONSCIOUSCAT for an additional $5 off the starter pack. This code is to be use instead of “STARTERPACK” found on the starter pack product page.
For more information about Balanced Blends, please visit their website.
Balanced Blends Holiday Photo Contest:
Submit a photo of your cats (or dogs) and win
5 lbs of Balanced Blends Raw Cat (or Dog) Food
FTC Disclosure: This is a sponsored post, which means that I was compensated to feature this content. Regardless of payment received, you will only see products or services featured on this site that I believe are of interest to our readers.
Decided to try. Used consciouscat and still g got charged $35.00 for shipping. If I had used starter pack I bet shipping would have been free
Unfortunately, the discount code is only good on the starter pack, Marlene.
Ingrid….I have to tell you, my little Tortie, just “gobbled” this Balanced Blend Raw Turkey without taking a breath!!!! She is such a finicky eater, I was amazed!! Do not know if I can afford it for all of her 3 meals/day, but I am sure going to work on it, for I am a raw food enthusiast!!! Love the Holistic Vet World!! Am a Critical Care R.N. with a great love for alternative medicine along with Western Medicine, so feel the same for my precious kitty!! Thx for introducing me to such a wonderful product!!!! Sharell
I’m so glad your tortie loved her Balanced Blends Turkey, Sharell! It’s quickly becoming Allegra and Ruby’s favorite, too.
Hi Ingrid,
Do you know how long a 2lb raw bag would last? I have two cats and would like to estimate a monthly cost to see if I can afford it.
Thank you!
That depends on your cat’s size. An average 10 pound cat would need to eat about 4-5 ounces a day, divided into two meals.
My older cat is 2 years and is 11lbs and my younger cat is 6 months and is 7lbs.
Thank you so much, Ingrid!
Thanks for the information. I’ve been trying to find another supplier since I’d like my kitties to have several different foods they’ll eat, but they vastly prefer Darwin’s turkey over anything else I’ve tried. We’re going to give this one a try. 🙂
I haven’t been able to get my cats to eat anything raw. I’ve been unable to wean my oldest off Fancy Feast, but my youngest will eat Weruva, so I go that route.
Just bought some! Ever since my local supplier went out of business, I’ve been looking for a trustworthy alternative.
Ingrid, is this a brand/food you’d recommend? I’ve been checking out raw feeding and this would be a good way to see if my finicky felines are up to it.
Yes, I do recommend this brand, Lynda. Let me know how your kitties like it.