Yeah that. I think this is an area where one is better served by going to an independent pet store owner, one who feeds raw and is well educated on the various options out there.Originally Posted by sharky
SPACE and HEALTH concerns... folks are more likely NOT to be educated at a big box and just LOOK at it an take ... RAW is something that needs more knowledge ... PETCO was going to carry Natural balances raw but the $$$ to outfit I geuss the two side s couldnt figure out
Actually, I don't think there is, so the premise they should is false. PSP+ does carry Nature's Variety raw (I checked since my last post) but they sell very little. So I really don't think there's much marketing incentive for the big box stores to carry it. And has been noted they're not equipped to educate people on it either. That leaves home-made and mail order for those that want to feed raw. Having been feeding home-made raw now for close to a year, I can say it takes quite a bit of motivation as well as available time to do it. I wouldn't characterize it as easy by any means. There's the research that goes into learning how to do it right. And the preparation eats up a good two hours or more for every batch. Not to mention running around town trying to find decent organ meat. No, it's not easy; in fact, it's getting rather tiresome. But then there's my cats in the pink of health, and especially Twinkie who is prone to crystals and doesn't have to eat that crappy prescription food. Ahhhh......sigh......I guess it's worth it.Originally Posted by river
I'm sure there's a wide enough customer base for them to carry it, ...
You see? That's why I would really love to see an increase in the market for commercially prepared raw. Most people are not going to do it from scratch, it's time consuming and inconvenient for most people. And many cats have reaped great nutritional and health benefits from eating raw meat diets. So I really do appreciate the existence of companies like Feline Pride (my favorite based on what I've read about them so far) and Nature's Variety to make a recipe that is complete and balanced and sell it to customers who would like to feed their pets raw. If anything, an increase in the market for raw would increase the number of people feeding raw to their cats and dogs since it would be just as convenient for the average pet parent as opening a can or ripping open a pouch. The only difference I see is thawing out the meat from the freezer and floating the bag in warm water. How hard is that? But making it from scratch and shopping for and finding the supplements and making a complete and balanced recipe from scratch and finding the best meat sources, that's hard for most people. Plus there's the ick factor most people have about having to chop up raw chicken carcasses for grinding.Originally Posted by coaster
So I really don't think there's much marketing incentive for the big box stores to carry it. And has been noted they're not equipped to educate people on it either. That leaves home-made and mail order for those that want to feed raw. Having been feeding home-made raw now for close to a year, I can say it takes quite a bit of motivation as well as available time to do it. I wouldn't characterize it as easy by any means. There's the research that goes into learning how to do it right. And the preparation eats up a good two hours or more for every batch. Not to mention running around town trying to find decent organ meat. No, it's not easy; in fact, it's getting rather tiresome. But then there's my cats in the pink of health, and especially Twinkie who is prone to crystals and doesn't have to eat that crappy prescription food. Ahhhh......sigh......I guess it's worth it.
lmao.. I always forget to "pay" me for my time... For me Raw was cheap since my vet carries a SOLID basic raw( 5 lbs for 9 $ ) .. Homemade runs me 2-3 $ a day... LOL at complete raw that is like canned since 90% of them contain things I WOULD NOT feed plus they take away the flexability of here is what they need add what is needed for YOUR animal...JUST my little rant... since the Raw marketing is as slick as many cannedOriginally Posted by coaster
Well, there's the quite significant cost difference you're not taking into account in your comparison. If I count my time as worth nothingthen the cost of home-made raw is roughly equivalent to premium canned cat food. Prepared raw is quite a bit more expensive, and if one has to order it online, it almost goes out of sight.