FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

1. What is Brothers Blend?
2. What makes it good for my cat?
3. How much should I feed my cat?
4. How should I serve it?
5. My cat seems hungry.  Am I feeding it correctly?
6. My cats don't like it.  What do I do?
7. If it contains raw meat, is it safe?
8. What about sanitation?
9. How long will it last in my freezer?
10. What about urinary tract health?
11. Should I feed my cat treats?
12. It seems expensive.  Is it worth it?
13. I've seen the frozen bars with 6 chunks.  What's up with that?
14. What's in it?
     

What is Brothers Blend?

Brothers Blend is a new cat food made of choice fresh muscle beef along with other great ingredients.  It's vacuum-sealed and frozen in daily-serving pouches to be thawed and served fresh.  For your cat, it's the next best thing to hunting for a fresh dinner.

What makes it good for my cat?

Cats are genetically the same as they have been for thousands of years.  They are carnivores.  PERIOD.  They hunt and kill their food.  Usually small rodents (mice, etc.) and birds.  They're not meant to eat mostly corn meal.  Brothers Blend contains raw muscle beef along with minimally-processed vegetables and grains that might be found in the stomach of a cat's natural prey.  We grind and mix these ingredients and freeze them into convenient daily serving pouches.  You thaw the pouch and serve your cat an "artificial mouse" at every meal.

How much should I feed my cat?

That depends on its size.  Brothers Blend comes in 3 oz. (85 g) vacuum-sealed pouches.  We've found this to be optimal for adult cats 12-15 lbs.  Kittens and young cats need less.  The frozen bar of food is divided into 6 - 0.5 oz. (14 g) chunks.  3 for breakfast, 3 for dinner for an adult cat.  A weaned kitten (6 weeks or older) might need just one chunk a day.  Increase the amount as they grow.   Of course, if you have a 20-lb. (9 kg) Maine Coon cat with paws the size of baseball gloves, one pouch per day probably won't be enough.  He may need close to 2!  As formulated, about 1.2-1.5% of the cat's body weight is needed per day.  Or, one 0.5 oz. (14 g) chunk per every 2.5 lb. (1.1 kg) of cat.  This all depends on your cat's metabolism, activity level and other factors. So, the above advice is a rule of thumb, not gospel.  Feed your cat as much as they need and want.  

How should I serve it?

This is how we do it.  We feed this food twice a day.  PERIOD.  We feed a meal near our breakfast time and one near our dinner time.  This gets them into a rhythm of fasting (although slight) and feasting, like wild animals have.  No more kibbles in a bowl that sit around for grazing any time.  That encourages (and almost guarantees)  overeating and obesity.  Any food that is left after 30-60 minutes, is disposed of and the dishes are removed and washed thoroughly.  The food comes frozen in a pouch.  The night before, take a pouch out of the freezer.  Break off the chunks in the pouch and put it in the refrigerator to thaw.  In the morning, cut the pouch and take out what's needed for breakfast.  Mush it on a plate for your cat and let them enjoy.  Yes, use a PLATE.  The curvature of a bowl can interfere with their whiskers causing over stimulation and confusion.  A plate will allow them to better enjoy their meal.  Fold over the rest of the pouch for the next meal.  Photos available here.

My cat seems hungry.  Am I feeding it correctly?

If your cat is TRULY hungry an hour after its meal, maybe you should consider increasing the amount you feed.  However, if they're obese and this new food is part of a plan to reduce your cat's weight, then don't be too hasty.  Brothers Blend is packed with nutrition and your cat is probably "hungry" because they're bored and accustomed to eating too much.  That isn't hunger.  They're probably getting as much they need, just not as much as they want.  C'est la vie!  Increase the amount you feed if it becomes clear they're getting too thin.  Follow our serving suggestions (elsewhere on this FAQ page) and you will be able to tune it up just right for your fur friend.

My cats don't like it.  What do I do?

We assume you're talking about their initial introduction to it.  That's OK.  The truth is, most commercial cat food is formulated and prepared so that it has a very strong smell and flavor so that cats will be attracted to it.  Brothers Blend doesn't add flavors and cooked fats and other things, so many cats will initially think it's bland and won't "like" it.  They will like it once they get used to what real food should smell like.  And the goal here is to feed them what's better for them in the long run.  We suggest two alternatives. 

1. Take them off their old food, "cold turkey".  In other words, completely stop the using old food and exclusively switch to Brothers Blend.  Feed them Brothers Blend twice daily as suggested.  Remove and discard what isn't eaten after 30 minutes (even if that means all of it!)  Wash the plates.  In a day or two (at most) they'll get hungry enough to eat it.  With gusto!  Then there will be no turning back.
2. Mix in Brothers Blend with their current food and over time increase the Brothers Blend while decreasing the current stuff.  DO remove what isn't eaten in 30 minutes and clean the plates.  This presumably lets them enjoy their current food while they become accustomed to the new stuff.

Method 1 may seem cruel, like "starving" them, but that's silly.  A domesticated cat eats far more often than he would in the wild.  A complete and disciplined introduction of Brothers Blend and its removal after a set mealtime helps get them into a fasting and feasting rhythm like they would have if they had to hunt for their food.  If they miss a few meals because they're being picky, it WON'T kill them.  In fact, they'll learn to appreciate their food that much more.  Method 1 worked for us.

If it contains raw meat, is it safe?

We've all heard about bacterial scares such as E. Coli with ground meat.  This IS always a possibility.  However, we use large cuts of muscle beef and grind them on the spot in our facility.  Our production standards dictate that each production batch have microbiological testing from an outside laboratory to spot-check bacteria levels and other cleanliness issues.  Also, keep in mind that a cat's digestive system is typically more acidic than a human's.  This tends to kill bacteria that would be so often found in wild unclean prey.  So, the likelihood of a cat getting seriously sick from this type of food is lower than advocates of highly-processed pet food would have you believe.  It IS important to handle the food carefully and practice good sanitation procedures with dishes and utensils to not contaminate your kitchen areas.

What about sanitation?

Using Brothers Blend is no different than you handling raw meat in preparing your own dinner.  Always wash your hands before and after handling.  Use clean plates and serving utensils and wash them with an antibacterial dish soap.  As with washing human dishes, a dishwasher with a hot-air cycle is best of all.  It's almost like medical sterilization.  Using good kitchen practices will minimize any risk of contamination or poisoning.

How long will it last in my freezer?

Vacuum-packed pouches like the ones we use to deliver Brothers Blend to you are generally said to provide 2-3 YEARS of protection against freezer burn.  We'll be a little more cautious and say that Brothers Blend will remain perfect for serving up to 1 year from the date of manufacture.  For mail order (or web) customers who have our product shipped to them, we like to sell it in 3 month supplies, to minimize shipping costs.  Just keep it frozen solid and thaw it out the night before you want to use it.

What about urinary tract health?

For many years there has been controversy about what causes the crystallization of urine in a cat's urinary tract.  We're not veterinarians or microbiologists or scientists that can make definitive statements about that.  What we do know is, urinary tract crystallization and related problems are very painful and are eventually life threatening.  The surgery required to "correct" this problem is expensive ($1000 or more) and not a lot of fun for the cat.  Such problems occur most often in neutered males.  We believe these problems are a direct result of poor diet.  Feral (wild) cats don't suffer from these kinds of problems.  We believe that serving your cat the right food will save you money in the long run and your cat will be a lot healthier and happier.

Should I feed my cat treats?

Small amounts are fine.  We suggest commercial crunchy ones.  Or, even a few nuggets of the dry stuff you used to feed them.  Just make the amounts small and random enough to keep them depending on their regular meals (of Brothers Blend!) for their nutrition.

It seems expensive.  Is it worth it?

It's true, Brothers Blend is priced higher than most commercial cat food.  On a by-weight and by-serving basis.  In some cases, much higher.  But, we think that the quality of the nutrition your cat receives outweighs the price.  We can't and won't make claims that Brothers Blend will be a miracle for your pet.  We can state that our experience has been that we have "old" cats that still play like kittens (the orange one still tries to catch that tail of his after nearly 13 years), have never had urinary tract difficulties, have great fur, and generally are well and affectionate.  Other users of the same feeding techniques report similar health and well being amongst their feline friends.  We believe that if your cat eats this food regularly and consistently their outlook will be improved; in both their immediate health and their overall lifespan.  And they'll be happier!  It may be "expensive" but we think it's cheaper than medication and surgery. Read Shabba and Tinga's story. Also see what our customers are saying about the benefits of Brothers Blend for their cats.

I've seen the frozen bars with 6 chunks.  What's up with that?

The frozen bars of Brothers Blend are divided into six 0.5 oz. (14 g) chunks.  This is for portion control.  One 3 oz. bar of Brothers Blend is intended to be a day's worth of nutrition for an adult cat (12-15 lbs or 5-7 kg).  3 in the morning and 3 in the evening.  For smaller cats you simply use fewer chunks and the stuff goes further.

What's in it?

Brothers Blend's main ingredient is USDA choice grade muscle beef.  That with chicken necks, vegetables and whole rice, it provides great "live" food for your cat.  Our label tells the story.  Click this link to see the actual ingredients we put in a week's worth of Brothers Blend Cat Food.  Ask other manufacturers to show you what they put in their product and see what they say.