Feline Essentials Webinar Recap: Why Fresh Food for Cats?

We recently sat down with independent pet retailers for Feline Essentials: Why Fresh Food for Cats? Our co-founder Diana Vogel and Retail Marketing Manager Nicole Erickson were joined by Tazz Latifi, a longtime cat advocate who ran an independent pet store in New York City for 17 years and put freezers in on day one.

The hour was full of the kind of advice you only get from people who have actually lived with picky cats. Here are the highlights, for cat parents and for the people who help them in the freezer aisle. Explore our Perfectly Cooked cat food.

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Where It Started: A Kitten Named Blue

Smallbatch’s cat food started with one cat. Diana’s cat Blue came to her as an undernourished feral kitten who had been put on a euthanasia list. Her first homemade recipes for him included cooked grains and powdered supplements.

Mentors from a cat rescue group pushed her in a different direction: drop the grains, and lean into organ meat, which they called “nature’s multivitamin.” Blue agreed. He picked the organ meat out of his bowl first. Over time, Diana watched his coat, eyes, muscle, and confidence change.

Those lessons still shape every Smallbatch cat recipe: organ meat matters, ground bone matters, plants stay minimal, and cooked grains stay out. As Blue got older and started to prefer cooked food, he also became the reason we made a cooked line for cats.

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Cats Are Built for Meat

Nicole walked through why cats eat the way they do. Cats are obligate carnivores, which means they need nutrients found in animal tissue. Their short digestive tract, tearing teeth, and very acidic stomach are made for meat, and they make almost none of the saliva enzyme other animals use to start breaking down starch.

That is why every Smallbatch cat diet, in every form, is 98% meat, organ, and bone, with about 2% whole-food extras like vegetables, seed, salt, and herbs. The recipes are heart-forward, since heart meat is a natural source of taurine and B vitamins, and each one uses a single animal protein. Pork is only pork. Rabbit is only rabbit.

Moisture matters too. Cats come from desert-dwelling ancestors and have a naturally low thirst drive. Our frozen raw and cooked recipes are about 65–73% moisture, so your cat gets water from their food instead of relying only on the water bowl.

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What to Look for on a Cat Food Label

A few things the panel suggested looking at more closely:

• Where the protein comes from. Pea protein and potato starch are often used in place of meat. “Grain-free” doesn’t mean starch-free.
• Thickeners and gums. Common in canned food, and not something a carnivore needs.
• The form of the meat. Whole cuts of meat and real organs are different from heavily processed meat ingredients, even inside raw or cooked food.
• Fat isn’t the enemy. Tazz pointed out that cats use fat for energy. The balance of protein to fat is what matters.

Tazz also noticed that cats on a diet that suits them often seem more satisfied with less food, while cats on high-carb food can act hungry all day.

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Diana’s Transition Trick: Layer, Don’t Mix

This is the tip Diana swears by, and Tazz has used it with cats for years. Cats can get confused by a bowl full of new smells, so instead of mixing new food in, hide it underneath:

1. Take about a quarter of a 1 oz slider.
2. Mash in about a teaspoon of hot water.
3. Put it at the bottom of the bowl and cover it completely with your cat’s current food, whether that’s kibble or canned.
4. Serve only as much food as your cat will finish in one meal.
5. Repeat every day without increasing the new food until your cat is reliably eating all the way through. Then build up slowly.

Your cat’s first bite is something familiar, and the new food comes along for the ride. As Tazz put it: “Layer, layer, layer. Don’t mix in.”

Be patient, and never starve a cat into switching. Cats that stop eating can develop serious liver problems. Taz once spent about nine months getting one cat onto fresh food, and nearly a year to get him onto raw. “If it takes three months, it takes three months, but they’ll get there.”

A few more transition tools from the panel:

• Use freeze-dried as a bridge. Crumble Freeze-Dried Meal Bites on top of your cat’s food. For cats used to kibble, the crunch feels familiar.
• Add hot water at mealtime. Taz adds about two tablespoons of hot water to the bowl. Fresh food comes out of the fridge cold, and the warmth brings the aroma up.
• Younger cats usually switch faster than middle-aged or older cats, so adjust your expectations to your cat.

For a full guide to raw feeding, see how to feed your cat a raw diet.

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Thawing, Serving, and Bowls

• Thaw ahead. Move one or two days’ worth of sliders to the fridge at a time so they’re ready when you need them.
• Serve at room temperature or slightly warm. It’s easier on digestion and much more interesting to a cat’s nose.
• Use glass or stainless steel, and wash bowls, containers, and counters after each meal.
• Go wide and shallow. Deep bowls can bother a cat’s whiskers. If a cat won’t finish a meal, Taz’s first question is what bowl it was served in.
• Skip the all-day bowl. Fresh food is served as meals, not left out. It’s an adjustment for people, not cats.

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Start Kittens With Variety

Cats tend to imprint on the foods they eat young. Many shelter kittens grow up on one chicken or fish kibble and then refuse everything else. The panel’s advice: introduce variety early.

Tazz likes to start kittens on beef, turkey, and chicken, rotating between them. Later, try another protein like pork for a month. Keep a protein or two your cat hasn’t had yet in reserve, so you have a fresh option if you ever need one.

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Our Cat Lineup, at a Glance

Line	What it is	Good for
Frozen Raw	Seven single-protein recipes in 3 lb bags of 1 oz sliders	Easy portioning. Chicken is our best seller, followed closely by rabbit.
Perfectly Cooked	98% meat, organ, and bone, gently cooked sous vide, in 2 lb bags	Cats who love canned food, older cats, and homes that prefer a cooked option
Freeze-Dried Meal Bites	Complete and balanced, 98% meat, organ, and bone	A meal on its own, a crunchy topper, puzzle feeders, and transitions

Perfectly Cooked is cooked sous vide at the lowest time and temperature that still meets our food safety standards. There are no thickeners, binders, or starchy fillers, which makes it a real upgrade from canned food.

Frozen raw and Perfectly Cooked are available at independent pet stores. Find a store near you.

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What Cat Parents Often Notice

Every cat is different, but here is what the panel said cat parents commonly notice after switching to fresh food and sticking with it:

• More energy
• Better weight, body condition, and muscle tone
• Smaller, firmer, more consistent stool
• Less litter box odor
• A softer, shinier coat

Diana said seeing those changes in Blue is what kept her going in the early days of Smallbatch. She wants every cat parent to see them too.

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A Note for Our Retail Partners

Thank you for having the freezer-aisle conversations that help cats eat better. A few takeaways from Taz and Nicole:

• Ask before you recommend. Find out the cat’s age, how long they’ve been in the home, what they eat now, and who else lives there.
• Offer options, don’t push. Customers who aren’t ready often come back when they are.
• Fresh food doesn’t have to be all or nothing. A topper or a layer in the bowl is a great first step.
• Keep cat SKUs moving. Older, freezer-burned bags can turn picky cats off. Aim for product to turn in about six weeks.

Your Smallbatch sales rep can help with training and tools for your team.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do I switch my cat to fresh food?

Use Diana’s tip: layer instead of mixing. Put a small amount of fresh food, about a quarter of a 1 oz slider mashed with a teaspoon of hot water, under your cat’s usual food. Repeat daily until your cat eats all the way through, then slowly increase.

How long does it take a cat to switch to raw food?

Some cats switch in a week. Others take months. Younger cats usually switch faster. Go at your cat’s pace and make sure they keep eating.

Is it okay to let my cat skip meals until they eat the new food?

No. Cats that stop eating can get seriously sick. If your cat hasn’t eaten in about a day, offer the food they will eat and call your veterinarian.

Should I warm my cat’s food?

Room temperature or slightly warm is best. Adding a little hot water releases the aroma, which helps cats who aren’t sure about something new.

What kind of bowl is best for cats?

A wide, shallow glass or stainless steel dish. Deep bowls can bother a cat’s whiskers, and glass and steel are easier to keep clean.

Is Perfectly Cooked a good option if my cat only eats canned food?

It’s a great place to start. Perfectly Cooked is 98% meat, organ, and bone, gently cooked sous vide, with no thickeners or starchy fillers.