New Raw Feeders Chronicles

Hi I'm back again so soon! Could anyone advise me on this food? I have been looking to see whats available in the u.k and have found this but not too sure, if anyone has a bit more knowledge I would appreciate if you could advise http://www.prizechoice.co.uk/product...cken-wings.php Thanks

Originally Posted by Althekitty

I hadn't seen this thread until now!! Its great.So far I have given my kitty some fresh raw chicken breast and he wolfed it down. Wouldn't touch the bit of liver i put down. I gave him the fresh chicken breast in a little bowl on its own next to his usual wet food and a little bowl of dry. The fresh raw chicken breast was the preferred choice!! I was dancing round the kitchen with delight!!

Click to expand...

From your other posts you sound like you are prepared for the transition to take time so I hope it won't discourage you when I say that my Zara and Coco both scarf up raw chicken breast but will only nibble at raw that includes all the supplements that are needed. I think it is encouraging that they will eat the chicken breast but I'm not sure yet that it is an indication of how easy it will be to convert them to an all raw diet.

I have been doing some research somewhere and read that the commercial raw that suit both cats and dogs is not advisable?

Click to expand...

Most premade, complete raw foods over here are formulated to satisfy the nutritional needs of both cats and dogs. My understanding is that a food formulated for cats is OK for dogs but not necessarily vise versa so they formulate it for cats.

I don't think I can get anything like that in the U.K, if anyone knows if i can i would be grateful!!! It would be good to try him with something that has the whole caboodle because otherwise I will just have to dive in and do it all myself. I am quite looking forward to it though! My bf although not that interested in helping prepare the food is very much with me on the raw issue which is great. My plan is to ease him in gently and hopefully in the new year we shall have our mincer/grinder and I am already sourcing decent high grade free range non messed with chicken!! I can't wait. I love my little lad. I shall keep reading this thread, I hope it is on going so I can get some good tips and I will keep in touch with how well mine is doing. Good luck everyone

Click to expand...

You really sound like you are going into it with the right attitude. One step at at time. I believe your little fellow will be happier and healthier in the long term because of your willingness to do this for him. Jeta is my only 100% raw eater at this point but there has been a definite change in her since starting the raw. She has much more energy. She's very fun to watch because she has such a silly sense of play!

Thanks for the advise, again! I have found a stockist of this food where I live so on Friday I shall go and get some and see what he thinks, he will prob turn his nose but if i pretend I don't care he usually gives it a go Or he is the other way, as I read that cats are social eaters and sometimes if he is being mega fussy, which he can be, if i sit with him and stroke him gently then he gives it a go, not to say he will like it though!!! At least I will hopefully be able to introduce something so he is not in total shock when mummy puts down some wierd mush in the new year I suppose half of it may be weaning him off the not so good stuff that is even in the more expensive brands. Its a bit like trying to wean me off chocolate, hehehe. I don't want to stress him out, I want it to be relaxed and in his own time, like you guys. Fingers crossed that instincts will kick in. I have a pick of the rabbit that he dragged hom one day, i will post it when i get home and he likes his freshly caught mice, i always wondered why he left the gold bladder. So, hopefully he will take to it!

Originally Posted by Althekitty

Hi I'm back again so soon! Could anyone advise me on this food? I have been looking to see whats available in the u.k and have found this but not too sure, if anyone has a bit more knowledge I would appreciate if you could advise http://www.prizechoice.co.uk/product...cken-wings.php Thanks

Click to expand...

I didn't see this post before I wrote my last post.

Pre-chunked meats would be great! Chunks are better for their teeth and jaws than ground. I'd like to find a source like that to save me having to do the cutting up!

Of course they aren't a complete food. You would have to add organ meats and/or supplements.

Brilliant!!! Thanks, I have found somewhere close to home that I can get it from. I am so chuffed, I will get that on Friday.What organs would I need to get? I am looking to some starter things to see how he goes, what else would i have to add to it? Thanks again for your help.

Originally Posted by Althekitty

Brilliant!!! Thanks, I have found somewhere close to home that I can get it from. I am so chuffed, I will get that on Friday.What organs would I need to get? I am looking to some starter things to see how he goes, what else would i have to add to it? Thanks again for your help.

Click to expand...

I think it best that I refer you to www.holisticat.com. There is complete information with regards to how to ensure you feed a nutritionally complete food when feeding raw. The site owner (Sandy) is quite anal about making sure everyone understands the importance of and the how tos of this. The site also has a forum where you can ask questions of Sandy and others who have a lot of experience feeding raw. There is a $25 / year fee for full access to the forums but there is a "try it before you buy" option also.

I looked more at that site you posted about and it seems their philosophy is that if a variety of meats, bones and veggies are fed there is no need to add other supplements. I'm not comfortable with this approach myself but ... Maybe that is their version of the whole prey model.

Yes, on that site the lady who is writing on theair learnt from another lady. The lady that she learnt from actually does the whole thing, the whole carcas and the works and therefore does not add anything. Thelady who writes however does not use the whole carcass and therefore uses all of the supplements. I would def use the supplements as i do feel that they are important and i too would not be using the whole carcass. I will def go onto the holistic cat site and have just ordered my book your cat by dr hodgkins on amazon! Could you take a look at this supplier too, sorry hope i am not asking too much of you http://www.naturesmenu.co.uk/products/frozen/ as i can get this here too. I wonder if one is better than other? Of course when i do this fully i will be ordering in my own fresh meat in bulk, definately the chicken wings, the lady on that site uses 60 and 30 of them she removes the skin, alos i would use rabbit. Am still looking into other and finding good sources. These frozen ones are something to get him on the road to raw! I can't wait to do it all myself so i know exactly what he's getting. This place i have found will be good as i hope they will be well informed and might be able to guide me too Thanks again

Originally Posted by Althekitty

Could you take a look at this supplier too, sorry hope i am not asking too much of you http://www.naturesmenu.co.uk/products/frozen/ as i can get this here too. I wonder if one is better than other?

Click to expand...

They add veggies and rice both of which I strongly object to. At most cats would only consume very tiny portions of those things if eating in the wild. Only as much as might be found in the stomachs of their prey. Of the premade, complete raw foods I feed I only use ones that either have no fruits, veggies or grains or that have very little ( < 5%). According to the information on the above site, that product contains a minimum of 13% veggies and rice. I don't like at all...

Thanks for that, I shall stick to the prize choice. I thought that it had too much of the veg and i don't want any grains. You are just great!!! I really appreciate the time that you have taken to advise me and help me here, i appreciate more than you know

Originally Posted by Althekitty

Thanks for that, I shall stick to the prize choice. I thought that it had too much of the veg and i don't want any grains. You are just great!!! I really appreciate the time that you have taken to advise me and help me here, i appreciate more than you know

Click to expand...

I'm happy to help!

Well, I'm finding that Maggie is having some food allergy problems, so I'm trying to get her on an elmination diet with a novel protein. I gave her some EVO 95% duck last night and she gobbled it down and another 3 ounce serving again this morning. I'm hoping that she will continue to love duck as much as her first two meals since, like most cats, she can get tired of the same old food after a while. As such, I also want to give her variety in the raw form as well.

So, for those of you feeding raw duck, did your cats take to it easily? Is it one of the favorites or not so much? Duck is really expensive to buy but I saw some in the grocery store the other day so I'm thinking of picking one up. I just wanted to know if most took to it right away or if it's something they have to aquire a taste for.

Thanks!

Originally Posted by tamgirl99

So, for those of you feeding raw duck, did your cats take to it easily? Is it one of the favorites or not so much?

Click to expand...

Duck used to be the least favorite for our cats. Ever since I begin to mix rabbit in all batches, they gobble it down like chicken/turkey.

You may want to start slowly since ducks are more fatty. I know some raw fed kitties can't tolerate duck at all.

Originally Posted by tamgirl99

So, for those of you feeding raw duck, did your cats take to it easily? Is it one of the favorites or not so much? Duck is really expensive to buy but I saw some in the grocery store the other day so I'm thinking of picking one up. I just wanted to know if most took to it right away or if it's something they have to aquire a taste for.
Thanks!

Click to expand...

I just got some duck because Zara seems to have a problem with raw poultry. She can eat processed, canned chicken and turkey but when she eats raw chicken or turkey she throws up. *Every time*! I'm going to she if she can tolerate the duck better but what I got is fresh killed from a friend and I'm going to keep it frozen for 3 weeks before I use it. I'm told that will kill any parasites and some bacteria.

Someone else whose cats can't eat raw poultry says her cat can eat raw quail. I'm going to try that also.

Yes, I would much prefer to move her onto rabbit, but unfortunately the supply is very limited or extremely expensive to ship in. I'll give the duck a whirl and see how it goes. At least she loves the canned version.

My kitty can eat the chicken/turkey okay, but I'm afraid chicken may be giving her the problems since it has been the staple in her diet all along. Venison is also an option but she didn't take to it as well.

Thanks for both of your input!

I want to do a raw diet for my cats but it seems so daunting to me!!please bare with me, I have a few questions!

1.to intoroduce them to raw food,can I give them a peice of regular chicken( a chunk cut off) or does it have to be a pet food, or organic?

2.would the cost be equal to what we are spending now for food? we have 5 cats and spend roughly 150.00 a month on thier food?

3.how do you figure out how much to feed?

4.can cats eat the bones?do I have to grind it?

5.lastly what (if any) supplements would I have to buy and add?


thanks so much everyone....I would really love top feed raw, and I think my cats would enjoy it too

Originally Posted by proudmamiof4

I want to do a raw diet for my cats but it seems so daunting to me!!please bare with me, I have a few questions!

1.to intoroduce them to raw food,can I give them a peice of regular chicken( a chunk cut off) or does it have to be a pet food, or organic?

2.would the cost be equal to what we are spending now for food? we have 5 cats and spend roughly 150.00 a month on thier food?

3.how do you figure out how much to feed?

4.can cats eat the bones?do I have to grind it?

5.lastly what (if any) supplements would I have to buy and add?


thanks so much everyone....I would really love top feed raw, and I think my cats would enjoy it too

Click to expand...

Youre ???s are all answered by site like littlebigcat, catinfo .... and I IMHO recommend talking with a vet first

Thanks!Princess has an apt next week and I will discuss it with him then.

My cats liked duck when they first got it but after a while they didn't care for it anymore. Just after I bought a whole bunch of duck of course

Quail is a solid favorite here, and most of my friends who feed raw and tried quail said their cats liked it too. I buy their quail whole and feathered.

Pics of Flynn enjoying his quail (don't click if you don't like food photos)

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b2...g/S8309642.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b2...g/S8309639.jpg

Gosh, Flynn is loving his quail there!!! He has a gorgeous coat and looks really healthy. I might look into quail too.

Okay, I am still searching for somewhere that I can get food for kitty that I think would be best. So, a question again . So far I have been feeding dry James wellbeloved Duck and rice, this is what my bf bought, not ideal as I don't like dry but as dry food goes this isn't bad. I have not been too happy a bout a lot of wets either and my dear kitty is the fussiest cat in the world. Not that I can blame him on most accounts. Anyway, a colleague has just informed me that I can get whole raw rabbit on the local market. I can have it however I want ie unskinned, skinned, cut into chunks. What would be best? I would guess that unskinned, obviously raw and cut into chunks? Keeping all the inners and bone. Obviously I will be feeding this raw so would Ihave to put it in the freezer for a while before I fed it? Would I have to add any supplements to it or is it okay as I am feeding the whole thing? Any advise would be much appreciated. I think I might try to go for organic but if that is not available would it be okay to feed non organic rabbit?