OK, I can hear you raw feeders out there all the way over here. Why on earth would I want to can my raw food, you are asking. There are actually a few reasons why canning raw pet food is not a bad idea. I’m not suggesting you can all the raw food you make, but to have some canned on hand for emergencies is actually a good idea.
Last September, when the Butte fire broke out, I was just getting ready to make a batch of raw when the power went out. We got our generators set up and I was going to make it the next day but, before I could, we were evacuated. I’m bad about waiting until the last minute to make the next batch and I had NONE in the freezer.
I had the cats’ things all ready to go except for food! I couldn’t even buy more at our local store because their power was out too and they were closed. In all the chaos, I didn’t think about stopping to buy some when we were down the hill evacuating the horses. Thankfully, (I think the cats were more thankful than I was) I had a big bag of treats and that’s what they had for dinner that night and breakfast the next morning.
That second day, I was able to go down the hill to the pet store in Jackson to buy food. Oh my gosh. I read and agonized over labels for what seemed like hours. I started feeding raw because Christy has chronic diarrhea on canned commercial cat food and I hadn’t really looked at labels in years. I am still looking for a commercial food she can eat for times like this but it hasn’t happened yet.
My friend Kelly’s relatives were kind enough to offer us a place to stay while we were evacuated but they had dogs and there was not a good place for the cats. I have an SUV and decided the best place for them was in the car. I really didn’t want Christy to have an issue with diarrhea in my car so it was especially difficult to decide what to feed them.
As much as I am against feeding dry food to cats, I decided she would be less likely to get diarrhea from it and I hoped it would only be for a short time. So, I settled on what seemed to be a high-quality dry food and that is what they ate for the next few days. If I had a supply of canned raw food on hand, it would have been easy to grab and put in their go boxes and I would have been much less stressed.
Recently, I went to a pet blogging conference and took Christy with me. I knew taking frozen raw food on the trip would be very impractical so I decided to try canning some of her food to take along. I made it a couple of weeks ahead of time to have time to try it out on her. I wanted to be sure she would eat it and she loved it!
Benefits of Canning Raw Pet Food
- You know exactly what is in it
- It is the same food your pets are used to eating
- It’s convenient to have on hand
- It is safe for human consumption in a pinch
If you want to try this, check out my instructions for canning raw pet food coming next week.
I would definitely love to try it. It’s a good idea, I’ve been raw feeding for years and this is the first time I knew this. There are always new stuffs to learn!
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So very interesting! Never thought about canning raw!
I am thinking about starting raw soon, so this post was very useful to me! Canning seems like a great idea, especially for emergencies or situations where you can’t bring frozen raw.
This is so interesting. I don’t feed raw myself but it would probably never occur to me to can raw food. Thanks for sharing this info. What an ordeal that must have been to have to evacuate and not have portable pet food to take along!
Love & Biscuits,
Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them
I don’t know much about canning (anything), but this certainly makes sense. I’m surprised I haven’t read anything about it before now, frankly. I’m curious about how you do it!
I don’t know anything about raw feeding, especially for cats, but that seems like a great idea!
Who knew this was even possible? I would never have thought that it would keep safely!! You make a good point that it’s helpful to have on hand for emergency situations!
Very interesting, I didn’t know this was possible – I’d love to see how it’s done!
Interesting idea if you are feeding raw. I’m not feeding raw at this time and don’t have plans in the near future, but one never knows.
I think this is a great idea for raw feeders! It is really important to have something you can do in an emergency or when typical raw feeding isn’t going to work out. I’m glad that you and your family made it through the fire unscathed. That was really scary!
I don’t feed full raw to Kilo the Pug, just freeze dried boosts or snacks but interested to know how you preserve and for how long?
This is a good idea. We purchase our raw food in frozen patties but this could make life easier for travel.
Wow, what a great idea! Looking forward to reading your instructions next week! I had also wondered what Christy at while at BlogPaws. Glad you found a wonderful solution that works!!
This is a great idea to can your own pet food. We have some really bad winters here and it’s not unusual to be snowed in for a few days. Thanks for sharing this information.
Mommy was also wondering what Christy ate at the conference. This was a great idea for her.
I don’t feed raw, but I do realize the importance of storing the food that your pet is used to when travel and emergencies warrant.
Brilliant idea and going to read more about it as at the moment I cook for Layla on a weekly basis
This is a terrific idea especially in the event of an emergency. I have some “just add water” raw food and keep some on hand just in case. I’ll be back to learn more. ☺
I imagine there’s some heating up involved in canning raw? Wouldn’t that really make it into canned homemade food but not really raw? I can still see the benefits. Like you said, it’s your cat’s regular diet and it is something you can take on the road with you. I just wonder if it needs more (or different) supplementation due to the processing involved.
Looking forward to reading your next post. I don’t feed raw but it’s interesting to learn about how others feed their kitties. Thanks for sharing!
This is an interesting idea – I never thought about it for pet food. I’m not a raw fan, and my cat did eat dry food because that’s primarily all she would eat. Now I only have a dog. He’s picky about everything.
What kind of horses do you have?
My mom was a big canner – not of dog food, but everything else. I never really picked it up – I think for time reasons. I know there are many benefits and maybe I will eventually try it when I have some extra time.
Interesting. How does it affect the nutrients? How long does the canned food last for?
As I was reading your post, I was thinking — what did Christy eat while at the conference? Now I know! This makes perfect sense to have some canned raw food on hand. I look forward to reading how you did it.
So interesting! I wouldn’t have thought to do it but it makes perfect sense.
Interesting. I wouldn’t have thought about canning raw. It certainly makes sense to do so!