Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions
If you can't find the answer you are looking for here, please contact our customer services care team.

About Lily's Kitchen

  • What’s different about Lily's Kitchen pet food?

    We believe that the Lily's Kitchen range is simply the best you can feed your pet - we use healthy, nutritious, natural ingredients with carefully chosen vitamins and minerals, to help keep your pet in the best condition. Our recipes use only proper meat which is either fresh or freshly prepared, no cheap fillers and absolutely no nasties whatsoever. You can even smell the difference - our foods smell absolutely delicious!

  • Why is Lily's Kitchen pet food more expensive than other pet foods?

    Lily’s Kitchen makes proper food for pets. All full of goodness and top notch ingredients. The cost and range of these fine ingredients is reflected in the price - for example, some of the organic ingredients we use can be up to 20 times the cost of non-organic. We believe that the quality of the ingredients and the difference they make to our food is well worth it. Pets eating wholesome, nutritionally balanced meals filled with natural goodness are much more likely to be healthier and happier.

  • Where is Lily's Kitchen food made?

    We have various locations where our food is made: our dog tins and trays, as well as our dry food are made in the EU, our treats are made in different locations in the UK and EU. Our wet cat food is made in the EU and Thailand.

  • Lily's Kitchen recipes are 'vet approved'. What does vet approved mean?

    All of our recipes are formulated with the help of vets. Lily’s Kitchen food is recommended by many vets in the UK, and over 250 vet practices stock our food around the UK alone!

  • What type of nutritional research have Lily's Kitchen conducted?

    Our foods for pets are developed by trained professionals - nutritionists, product developers and vets - to determine the best nutrition possible. All our foods must be safe and go through rigorous testing. A complete food needs to meet the nutritional standards of over 30 nutrients, and each one of these nutrients is calculated as the product is developed and tested, to check it meets the required levels before launch. We take product safety very seriously, as your pet is our top priority.

  • Do Lily's Kitchen do low fat food?

    Lily’s Kitchen meals for dogs and cats are made with nutritious, naturally healthy ingredients to produce wholesome and balanced recipes. We use freshly prepared meat and offal and absolutely no cheap, fatty fillers or hard to digest meat meal.

    This means Lily’s Kitchen is a great way to feed your pet healthily, and a fantastic option to help manage their weight. Our range includes some lower fat recipes that are top picks for pets who need to help achieve and keep their ideal weight.

    In particular for dogs, look at our Lamb Dry Food, Coronation Chicken and Great British Breakfast.

    For cats, try our White Fish & Salmon Dry Food, Classic Chicken Dinner and Catch of the Day.

  • Do Lily's Kitchen send out free samples?

    Of course! We know that trying a new food can be a risk for fussy pets. All we ask is that you pick up the delivery cost. We don’t have our full menu available as samples but give our friendly Customer Care team a call on 020 7433 1863 and they will be able to recommend suitable recipes for your pets. We have wet and dry samples available and we'll send out up to 3 different recipes, so your pet can try a selection of our proper food for pets.

Our ingredients

  • What do you mean by proper meat?

    At Lily’s Kitchen, the meat and fish in our food is all carefully and responsibly sourced from our trusted producers and expert suppliers. No meat meal, no bone meal and no rendered meat. Most of the meat we use in our wet recipes is fresh and the remaining is freshly prepared. Nothing less than this will do.

    We use the term freshly prepared to describe some of the specific meats and fish when we use a blend of fresh and frozen meat or just frozen, dependent on the recipe. Seasonal fish & meat such as venison means they aren’t available to us all year round as fresh produce so we need to freeze these. We also use some exclusively sourced ingredients with provenance that unfortunately aren’t always available fresh when we need them. This is also the case for some of our organic meats that need to be collected in small quantities from local farmers, so that our producers can build up enough supply to make a proper batch. So in order to make sure your pet can always have their favourite recipe for dinner, all year round, we sometimes have to step away from chilled fresh and use frozen meat and fish instead.

    Our frozen meat and fish that we freshly prepare, is of the same high quality as all of our other fresh meat; we know that the quality and safety of our ingredients is just as important to you as it is to us. We ensure that throughout our supply chain all Freshly Prepared produce is treated the same way that you would expect your food to be treated, such as making sure it is safe and always keeping it in a constant chill chain (just like your fridge freezer at home, only a little bigger).

    We choose to include a top notch mixture of muscle meat and organ meat in our recipes. That’s because offal contains vital nutrients not found in muscle meat, is a rich source of vitamins, minerals and amino acids, and is utterly delicious to pets.

    We use a wide variety of meats and fish for healthy variety and to help provide choice for pets who may be sensitive to some of the more common animal protein sources.

    All the meat we use in our organic tray diets is certified organic.

  • What does Natural Ingredients really mean?

    All of our ingredients are natural apart from our added vitamins and minerals, which are essential to our foods to ensure our complete recipes are nutritionally balanced. Which means we will never claim 100% natural on our complete recipes. Some vitamins and minerals aren’t available as a natural form and those that are vary lots in their quality. Treats are complementary so often we can ensure that they are 100% natural, like the delicious offerings in our Truly Naturals collection.

  • What are FOS and MOS? And why are they beneficial?

    We use two different types of prebiotics here at Lily’s Kitchen and both are a bit of a mouthful to say - Fructooligosaccharides (FOS) and Mannan oligosaccarides (MOS). Prebiotics like FOS and MOS occur naturally in plants such as onion, chicory, garlic, asparagus, banana and artichoke and help keep our pet’s digestive system active and efficient.

    Just like us, our pet’s large intestine contains lots of bacteria to help break down some of the components in their foods. There are lots of good bacteria or probiotics in the colon of our pets, such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium and the MOS and FOS are used as a food source by these bacteria, allowing them to grow and reproduce and thereby stopping bad bacteria from growing.

    Bad bacteria are things like Salmonella and Clostridium which can sometimes take over, causing digestive issues and making your pet feel unwell. We use the prebiotics MOS and FOS to try to increase the number of healthy, good bacteria in your pet’s digestive system, to help reduce the number of bad bacteria.

Our ethics

  • Who has tested Lily's Kitchen pet foods?

    Our pet foods are tested thoroughly by a number of independent and accredited laboratories for food safety and nutritional value. Our recipes are then approved by a panel of animal nutritionists and vets. We do not carry out any invasive or hostile animal testing because we think this is cruel and unnecessary.

    Once we are satisfied with the above, we take the recipes to our panel of eager taste testers for feeding trials, and wait for their woofs and purrs of happiness before being given the Lily’s Kitchen Paw of Approval.

  • Is Lily's Kitchen packaging recyclable?

    We have a responsibility to our planet and everything in it. And we try to tread carefully on the planet that our pets love so much. That’s why we ensure that all of our packaging is recyclable, either as part of your kerbside council collection or as part of our partnership with Terracycle.

    Terracycle can collect and recycle almost any form of waste and we’re partnering with them to ensure that all of our packaging can be recycled and diverted away from landfill.

    For more information, please take a look at our page on 'How to Recycle our Packaging'.

Feeding your pets

  • How do I introduce my pet to Lily's Kitchen food?

    It’s important when introducing a new diet that you do it gradually over a period of approximately 5-7 days. This is so your pet’s digestive system can become accustomed to the new diet. We would recommend that you introduce Lily’s Kitchen by mixing a small quantity with your pet’s current food and then increasing the proportion until you are feeding 100% Lily’s Kitchen.

  • Can I mix the dry food and wet food for my pet?

    Yes, you can. Just refer to our feeding guidelines (listed underneath each product description) and they should help you determine how much food to give overall.

  • Do you recommend feeding wet and dry food together or choosing one on its own?

    This really depends whether your pet is a dog or a cat:

    For dogs, unless your pet has any medical requirements or strong preferences, we recommend a mixed diet of wet (tins or trays) and dry food for healthy variety.

    Both our wet and dry foods are all individually complete, however, they each have specific benefits so we recommend a mix of the two. Wet food has a high moisture content which is especially good for renal health, and dry food is great for dogs’ teeth and is also more nutritionally dense (so you don’t need to have as much of it).

    For cats, we recommend feeding a mainly wet food diet. This is because cats are not usually natural water drinkers and therefore, need to ingest moisture through their food. Having a good water intake via their diet is very important to help them maintain healthy kidney function, and this is one of the reasons why we don't recommend a diet of purely dry food for them.

    Cats do like to graze though, so our complete and balanced dry food recipes. are perfect as a snack throughout the day. And they’re a brilliant way to add some crunch to our delicious wet food.

    Always check the feeding guidelines and make sure you follow the recommended level for your dog or cat, as every pet is different.

  • Can I feed Lily's Kitchen food to my puppy or kitten?

    Our specially developed puppy and kitten recipes are designed to meet the nutritional needs of your growing puppy or kitten. Just look out for our Puppy and Kitten ranges.

    If your new pet is coming from a breeder, it’s most likely they will have been weaned before you go to collect them. Weaning occurs around 4-8 weeks and is where they start to rely less on their mother’s milk and puppy or kitten food is slowly introduced. Weaning usually ends at about eight weeks, but it is a slow process and takes time. If this isn’t the case, your puppy or kitten will need to be introduced to the kibble gradually and carefully.

    If moving on from the mum’s milk and weaning, add a few kibbles into a bowl of warm water and allow the kibble to soak up the water until they become soft and almost resemble Weetabix. Give them to your puppy or kitten to try and see if they can eat and enjoy them with ease. If they’re happily eating the food, do this little and often and space the feeding times out as they only have tiny tummies. The feeding guides on the bag will help you determine the amount to feed per day.

    When you are comfortable with their weight gain and growth at around 8-12 weeks, gradually reduce soaking the food and introduce some non-soaked kibble into their diet. Always remember to feed little and often to avoid them becoming overly hungry, causing them to eat their food too quickly, which can be dangerous for a young pet. We recommend keeping a close eye on your puppy or kitten as they feed to ensure that they’re safely chomping down their food.

  • What is your opinion on raw feeding?

    The concept of raw feeding is by far the most natural way to feed your pet, however, due to the potential risks associated with this type of feeding if done incorrectly, it can become very dangerous. You must be a dedicated raw feeder and understand what you are trying to achieve, and what your expectations are of a diet of this nature. It demands time, patience and thought to provide a raw diet for your pet that is nutritionally complete and safe.

    Our food is made with lots of natural ingredients - proper meat which is fresh or freshly prepared, vegetables, fruits and healthy herbs. Our tins and trays are filled with these raw recipes and then sealed and lightly cooked to make sure they are sterile. By using the highest quality ingredients in this way, we believe this is the safest and most nutritious way to feed your pet.

  • How much water does my dog or cat need?

    Clean, fresh water should be available to your pet at all times.

Healthy pets

  • My pet needs a hypoallergenic diet. Is Lily’s Kitchen suitable?

    Our hypoallergenic recipes are full of naturally nutritious, wholesome goodness and do not contain any common dietary allergens.

    The meat in our recipes is either fresh or freshly prepared, with no meat meal and no nasties - just the very best natural ingredients, all chosen for their high nutritional content to help keep your pet in tip top condition.

    Cutting out nasties, cheap fillers, and other unnecessary ingredients can be especially beneficial for pets with allergies and sensitivities, and may also help with hyperactivity and other related behavioural issues.

    Some pets are sensitive to the proteins found in meats and so offering them a carefully chosen single protein recipe (or a veggie recipe for dogs), can help soothe and reduce any flare ups.

  • Is Lily’s Kitchen appropriate for my elderly pet?

    Senior pets are those aged over around seven or eight years old. However, this does depend on the size and breed, with large and giant breeds having shorter life expectancies than small dogs. Elderly pets have specific dietary requirements - they have smaller appetites and require energy dense, highly digestible food.

    Lily's Kitchen food can meet a senior pet’s needs. Firstly, because our foods contain top quality ingredients and are all very low in grains, they are easier for the older animal to digest. They are low fat and low GI, so our diets can help prevent mature pets from becoming overweight in old age. Using natural ingredients - including proper meat - means better quality proteins so there is much less strain put on the body to process food.

    Our Marvellously Mature grain free dry recipe for cats supports an ageing cat’s health as it contains glucosamines to help joint health, prebiotics for tummy health, and ginkgo biloba and omega 3’s to help support the senior cat.

    And our Senior recipe for wise and wonderful dogs is packed with joint care supplements, to help support and maintain their joints.

    With both wet and dry recipes senior recipes filled with the most delicious, natural ingredients, even the fussiest oldie can enjoy staying fit as a fiddle.

  • Can I feed Lily’s Kitchen to my diabetic pet?

    If you have a diabetic pet, please discuss our recipes with your vet to find out whether they would be suitable for your pet before switching their diet.

    Diabetics need to keep their blood sugar levels as stable as possible, using complex carbohydrates as a source of soluble fibre. Regular mealtimes and routine are also crucial. Your pet therefore needs to eat his or her meals regularly and have a good appetite.

    As delicious as it is nutritious, Lily's Kitchen food can help tempt your diabetic pet into eating regularly. Our foods are made using a variety of complex carbohydrate sources, and are low GI and full of wholesome natural ingredients, so they have slow release of energy and help maintain stable blood sugar levels.

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