Published by: Ingrid King. Last Updated on: February 1, 2023 by Crystal Uys
Three weeks ago, I introduced you to Only Natural Pet, a Colorado-based online retailer of natural pet products. While I’ve been a customer of ONP pretty much since its inception in 2004, I never actually tried any of their own products. I had a chance to select a few products for review, and today, I’d like to share my, and Allegra and Ruby’s opinion, of two of them with you.
Only Natural Pet Grain-Free EasyRaw Turkey Dehydrated Cat Food
Dehydrated raw diets are an easy way to introduce raw feeding. While dehydrated diets are still more processed than fresh or frozen raw meat diets, dehydrating helps lock in the freshness of the ingredients, resulting in very little loss of nutrients and enzymes. Only Natural Pet’s EasyRaw Turkey diet is made from fresh turkey and vegetables. To serve, you simply rehydrate with water, let it stand for a minimum of 10 minutes, and voila! Dinner is served.
Allegra and Ruby eat a combination of frozen raw and canned food. I’ve tried a number of dehydrated raw diets with them, but they’ve never really taken to this version of food, much as I would love for them to eat it. They were interested in this particular diet, but they weren’t crazy about it.
My take on this diet: it’s a great introduction to raw feeding. At 30% crude protein, this diet is a little lower in protein than the 40-45% I like to see in a dehydrated diet. I do like that it’s made by a company I trust.
Only Natural Pet Meat Bites Freeze-Dried Chicken Formula Raw Pet Treats
I’ve been feeding freeze-dried chicken treats to Allegra and Ruby for many years. Like dehydration, freeze-drying locks in nutrients, and there’s no need for artificial preservatives. You’d think that all freeze-dried chicken treats are created equal, but apparently, that’s not true. Up until now, Allegra and Ruby have been loyal to one single brand, so I was really curious how they would react to these treats.
I could barely get the bag open before they both danced around my legs! They both inhaled the treats, and by now, they’re recognizing the sound of the treat bag coming out of the fridge and come running each time I open it. Since the treats are labeled for cats and dogs, they’re a little larger than I’d like to see them, but they’re easily broken into smaller pieces. The larger pieces have an advantage, too: unlike other brands I’ve used, you don’t end up with a large amount of crumbles at the bottom of the bag.
Allegra and Ruby give these treats an enthusiastic four paws up!
For more information about Only Natural Pet, and to purchase these products, please click here.
About the author
Ingrid King is an award-winning author, former veterinary hospital manager, and veterinary journalist who is passionate about cats.
My cats didn’t take to freeze dried either except for Cashew who eats almost anything. I cannot remember what kind we tried.
This may be a slight bit off topic, but a few weeks ago I purchased some PUREBITES treats for my kitties, based on Ruby and Allegra’s recommendations. 😉 However, my kitties look at those treats like I’m trying to feed them cardboard. Do you or any of our Conscious Cat friends have any recommendations for making freeze dried treats more enticing to our cats? I assume this would also apply to the ONP products as well.
That’s really interesting, Will, because prior to getting to test the ONP treats, PureBites was the only brand Allegra and Ruby would touch. I don’t think there’s much you can do to make freeze dried treats more enticing. It seems like cats either love them or they don’t. I would try a different brand to see whether your cats like that better.
I wish they had something other than chicken and turkey, which my cats are both allergic to. I’ve been using NV’s freeze dried raw meal mixer which they love but I like to alternate once in a while. Same issue with Weruva, the article you posted – chicken or fish (the latter I won’t feed) only, their duck recipe has chicken, I think.
It seems like a very healthy way to introduce our cats to raw food. The less processed the better.
interesting, I wonder if this would be OK for Jack. with only 30% protein, I wonder about the plant based ingredients in it..