This forum is great. I've been browsing for a while and it's so good to read other people's experience and tips.
I have a new 13 week kitten - a maine coon boy. I've had him 5 days and decided I wanted him to be a raw feeder. His breeder fed him a mixed diet of dry, wet and the occasional cooked fish and chicken and raw minced beef. I was going to transition him slowly but he loves raw and so far has eaten with gusto everything I put down in front of him.
So far he's had poussin breast, wings, thighs, drumsticks (all with bones in), chicken thigh meat, chicken hearts and livers, turkey mince, rabbit pieces. I'm trying him on beef kidney and beef pieces later. I started off with small pieces but he's so keen I've been giving his food to him in large "mouse sized" pieces and whole drumsticks and he's tearing and stripping away no problem and crunching most of the bones up.
I am still working on getting my proportions right but am trying to give a mix of pieces with bone in, meat chunks, heart and other organs every day.
I have a couple of issues though:
His appetite is huge! He weighs 2.3kg (5lbs) and is eating about 200g (7oz) a day. This seems an enormous amount. I was giving him less but he still seemed hungry so I was topping up and I read that kittens "self-regulate" so shouldn't overeat.. Does this seem about right?
And is what I'm giving him ok? I'm worried about getting it right, especially for a growing kitten. Particularly the taurine/calcium. I've trying to do the 80:10:10 thing.
I have left out a little dry Royal Canin kitten food as he always seemed hungry and I'm not completely confident I'm giving him all the correct nutrients he needs. He has nibbled at it but not much at all.
I know an adult maine coon may weigh between 5 - 7 kg so what he's eating seems about the right amount for an adult cat.
Any advice from other raw feeders with kittens would be appreciated
I have a new 13 week kitten - a maine coon boy. I've had him 5 days and decided I wanted him to be a raw feeder. His breeder fed him a mixed diet of dry, wet and the occasional cooked fish and chicken and raw minced beef. I was going to transition him slowly but he loves raw and so far has eaten with gusto everything I put down in front of him.
So far he's had poussin breast, wings, thighs, drumsticks (all with bones in), chicken thigh meat, chicken hearts and livers, turkey mince, rabbit pieces. I'm trying him on beef kidney and beef pieces later. I started off with small pieces but he's so keen I've been giving his food to him in large "mouse sized" pieces and whole drumsticks and he's tearing and stripping away no problem and crunching most of the bones up.
I am still working on getting my proportions right but am trying to give a mix of pieces with bone in, meat chunks, heart and other organs every day.
I have a couple of issues though:
His appetite is huge! He weighs 2.3kg (5lbs) and is eating about 200g (7oz) a day. This seems an enormous amount. I was giving him less but he still seemed hungry so I was topping up and I read that kittens "self-regulate" so shouldn't overeat.. Does this seem about right?
And is what I'm giving him ok? I'm worried about getting it right, especially for a growing kitten. Particularly the taurine/calcium. I've trying to do the 80:10:10 thing.
I have left out a little dry Royal Canin kitten food as he always seemed hungry and I'm not completely confident I'm giving him all the correct nutrients he needs. He has nibbled at it but not much at all.
I know an adult maine coon may weigh between 5 - 7 kg so what he's eating seems about the right amount for an adult cat.
Any advice from other raw feeders with kittens would be appreciated
