Tilted Barn vs Fare Game Raw Cat Food (2026): Grind Texture, Bone Content and Thawed Portions per Day

Verdict: which raw cat food wins, and for whom

Verdict: Tilted Barn is the stronger pick for the owner who wants a farm-sourced, conventional-protein raw diet with a consistent fine grind that fussy cats accept quickly. Fare Game is the stronger pick for the cat who needs novel or wild proteins — think rabbit, venison and game birds — usually because chicken and beef have already been ruled out. The single biggest deciding factor isn't price or packaging; it's protein novelty versus protein familiarity. Everything else, including grind texture and bone ratio, is a secondary adjustment you can manage at the bowl. You can see both brands alongside the rest of our raw cat food collection, and compare them against our broader cat food range before committing to a case.

Where Tilted Barn wins

Tilted Barn's advantage is predictability: an Ontario-sourced, conventionally farmed protein base in a fine, uniform grind that most cats accept inside the first week of a transition. For a 4.5 kg (10 lb) adult cat eating roughly 2.5% of body weight daily, that's about 113 g of thawed food split across two meals — a portion that scoops cleanly out of a soft-thawed patty without crumbling.

Texture matters more with cats than with dogs. Cats imprint on mouthfeel early, and a fine grind sits closer to the texture of pâté-style wet cat food that most Toronto kittens are raised on. Our team at Ashario Pets recommends starting here when a cat has eaten nothing but canned pâté for years, because the sensory jump is smaller.

Protein, fat and the guaranteed analysis

Read the guaranteed analysis panel on the carton rather than trusting a category average. Raw cat patties are roughly 65–72% moisture, so an "as-fed" protein content of 14% can translate to well over 45% on a dry-matter basis. AAFCO nutrient profiles set a minimum of 26% protein on a dry-matter basis for adult maintenance and 30% for growth and reproduction, and a complete raw diet should clear both comfortably.

Two other numbers deserve attention. Fat content drives palatability and kcal density — most raw cat formats land near 1.3–1.7 kcal per gram, so that 113 g daily portion delivers roughly 150–190 kcal. And taurine, which cats cannot synthesize in adequate amounts, must be present at a minimum of 0.10% dry matter in dry formats and 0.20% in wet-style diets under AAFCO standards. Heart muscle and supplemented taurine both count; grinding and freezing don't destroy it, but prolonged water contact can leach it, which is one reason you never rinse a thawed patty.

Sourcing and the "made in Ontario" question

Short supply chains matter for raw. A protein that travels from an Ontario farm to a provincially inspected processor to a freezer spends less time in transit than imported inputs, which reduces handling steps where temperature can slip. If local sourcing is part of your buying criteria, it's worth browsing our made in Canada pet products page alongside the raw freezer.

Where Fare Game wins

Fare Game earns its place when familiar proteins have already failed. Rabbit, venison and game-bird formulas give you genuinely novel protein options, which is the practical foundation of a limited ingredient elimination trial — a process the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association and most veterinary dermatologists recommend running for 8 to 12 weeks under supervision before drawing conclusions.

The grind is the other differentiator. A coarser, whole-prey-style texture with visible ground bone and organ gives the jaw something to work against. Pet owners tell us their cats slow down noticeably on chunkier raw, which helps the chronic gulpers who bring meals back up three minutes later.

How much bone should be in a raw cat patty?

Whole-prey-modelled cat diets typically run 8–12% ground bone by weight, which supplies calcium at roughly 1.2–1.8% of the formula and keeps the calcium-to-phosphorus ratio near the 1.1:1 to 1.4:1 window AAFCO profiles target. Below about 6% bone, calcium runs short; above roughly 15%, stools turn chalky, dry and hard to pass.

You can read bone content without a lab. A correctly balanced patty thaws into a slightly tacky, cohesive mass — not gritty, not soupy. Stool is the better gauge: firm, small, light-brown and easy to pass means the ratio suits your cat. White, crumbly stool after four or five days points to too much bone, and the fix is usually mixing in a boneless topper rather than switching brands. Loose stool across a full week is a different conversation, and one for your veterinarian.

Omega-3 and the organ fraction

Game proteins tend to carry a leaner fat profile than farmed poultry, which changes your omega-3 and omega-6 balance. Wild-type meats generally sit at a lower omega-6 to omega-3 ratio than grain-finished livestock, though in practice most raw cat diets still benefit from added marine oil for EPA and DHA. If your cat has a dull coat or flaky skin after 6 weeks on raw, a fish-oil addition from our cat health and wellness range is the usual first adjustment — confirm dosing with your vet, since typical feline EPA+DHA targets run in the 25–100 mg per kg of body weight range depending on the goal.

Which should you pick?

Match the brand to your cat's history, not to the marketing on the box. Here are the three scenarios we see most often at the freezer door.

• The pâté-raised indoor cat who's never seen raw. Start with Tilted Barn. The fine grind and familiar protein base cut refusal rates during the 7–14 day transition, and you can begin by replacing just 10% of the current meal and stepping up every third day.
• The itchy cat on a vet-guided elimination trial. Go with Fare Game. A single novel protein such as rabbit or venison is the point of the exercise, and a game-based formula lets you hold one protein for the full 8–12 weeks without accidental cross-contamination from treats.
• The multi-cat household feeding 3+ bowls. Run Tilted Barn as the base diet for cost and consistency, and keep a few Fare Game portions frozen for the one cat with a sensitive gut. Rotating proteins monthly across the household is reasonable for healthy adults; just don't rotate during a diagnostic trial.

Customers often ask whether they can run raw for one meal and kibble for the other. You can, and plenty of GTA owners do — a frozen patty at breakfast and dry cat food at night works, provided you count total daily kcal rather than feeding full portions of both. Split feeding also softens the February reality of a condo freezer that's already full; raw takes real space, and a 2 kg case of patties will claim a shelf.

Thawing raw cat food safely

Move frozen patties to the refrigerator and thaw at 4°C or below for 12–24 hours, never on the counter. Keep thawed raw covered, use it within 48–72 hours, and discard anything left in the bowl after 30 minutes. The FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine advises washing hands, bowls and prep surfaces with hot soapy water after every handling.

Pathogen research catalogued through NCBI's PubMed has consistently flagged Salmonella and Listeria in commercial raw pet diets, which is why handling protocol — not brand loyalty — is the real safety variable. Households with infants, seniors or immunocompromised members should discuss raw feeding with their veterinarian first. A 20-minute fridge-to-counter rest before serving takes the chill off without entering the temperature danger zone; most cats refuse food served below about 10°C.

At a glance: Tilted Barn suits first-time raw feeders with its finer grind and farm-sourced conventional proteins, while Fare Game suits cats needing novel game proteins in a coarser whole-prey texture. Feed roughly 2–3% of body weight daily — about 90–135 g for a 4.5 kg cat — with 8–12% ground bone, and thaw only in the fridge at 4°C.

We're at 1111A Finch Ave W, Unit 2, North York, ON M3J 2P7, open 7 AM to 11 PM daily, and we deliver around the GTA via Instacart and other services. Our freezer staff can walk you through portion math for your cat's exact weight before you buy a case.

Common questions about Ontario raw cat food brands

How much raw cat food should I feed per day?

Feed an adult cat 2–3% of ideal body weight in raw food daily, split into two meals. A 4.5 kg (10 lb) cat needs roughly 90–135 g per day, or about 45–68 g per meal. Kittens need 5–8% of current weight across three or four meals. Adjust every two weeks using body condition score.

Is a coarse grind or a fine grind better for cats?

Neither is nutritionally superior — the difference is acceptance and eating speed. Fine grinds win with pâté-raised cats and seniors with dental disease, since the texture is closer to canned food. Coarse, whole-prey-style grinds slow down gulpers and give the jaw more work. Cats with missing teeth almost always do better on fine.

Can I mix raw cat food with kibble in the same bowl?

Yes. The old claim that raw and kibble digest at incompatible rates isn't supported by the evidence reviewed by groups like the American Veterinary Medical Association. The real risk is overfeeding, so count combined kcal against your cat's daily target. Many owners find freeze-dried cat food an easier topper than frozen raw.

What if my cat refuses raw food entirely?

Go slower rather than hungrier. Add a teaspoon of raw to the existing meal for a week, then double it weekly over 4–6 weeks. Serving at room temperature and crumbling a freeze-dried treat on top both raise acceptance. Never starve a cat into a new diet — more than 48 hours without eating risks hepatic lipidosis, so call your veterinarian. For more guidance, see our cat wellness needs page or our cat blog.