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raw feeding w/o breaking the household

post #1 of 4
5/7/11 at 4:14pm
Thread Starter 
we've been raw feeding our three adult cats for about two and a half years now, and everybody's pretty happy with it... they're happy and healthy, and that makes us happy too..... but we've recently (and suddenly) doubled our cat population by way of a stray we took in who had kittens, two of which didn't get adopted..... we've pretty much decided that yes, we're keeping them, so we want to start transitioning them to raw (which shouldn't be hard, since the kittens and their momma have been stealing chicken legs since pretty much the first time we let them out into the general population lmao) BUT we're already having a hard time affording meats for the three we're already raw feeding.... we're pretty much only able to get them chicken legs and thighs on a regular basis, and occasionally we can find chicken necks or gizzards cheap enough to pick some up, supplemented once or twice a week with trader joe's 'tuna for cats' (i HATE that i can't give them more variety than this, too >_<). i've been feeding the momma and her babies via canned foods bought in bulk with a gazillion coupons matched with uber-low sales prices..... how do y'all manage to feed your cats a good balanced variety of raw meats in this economy??? we live in a very suburban area, and we don't hunt or know anyone that does, and my fishing skills aren't good enough to supply them even an occasional snack lol (not that fish is that great a food source for them anyway...) i want so badly to get everyone off of canned food (they've been off kibble for a couple weeks now, fortunately), but i just don't know how i'm gonna provide a rounded raw diet for six cats on our tiny income!!!!
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post #2 of 4
5/7/11 at 4:52pm
Okay, here is a long list of idea's of how to get meat for cheap or free. I hope this helps, I'll post some other things that I do, later. Right now I have to go feed calves!

Quote:
If you belong to other groups, you might have already seen this posted as "The
Lis List".

Perhaps not all of the ideas will work for you, but whether you live in the city
or in a rural area, there are possibilities you may be able to use.

And if your goal is not to save money, but is instead to find the best quality
meat sources, this list may still give you some ideas of places to look.

You can use the ideas on this list for getting top quality meat, wild meat, free
meat, discounted meat, meat directly from the source - it all depends on how YOU
use it. By no means do you have to try all the ideas, but some may be very
useful to you.

If you have the space, get yourself a freezer, so you can take advantage of the
savings when you find them.
There are often freezers for free (or cheap) on Freecycle, Craigslist, and
Kijiji.

Finding Cheaper / Free Sources of Meat (For Raw Feeding):

1) look up meat and poultry packers, plants, and
distributors in the yellow pages (or online). You may
be able to get great prices from them if you order in
bulk, and/or they may have a discount outlet that is
open to the public.

2) *****I get many of my best deals in Asian/Oriental
markets. I've also heard that Hispanic and Caribbean
markets have great variety and prices too. But not all
ethnic markets are the same - some are much cheaper
than others - you must visit a few and compare.

3) you may be able to join a barter group.

4) google breeders (i.e. rabbit, goat, lamb, etc.) who
are in your geographic area. They may have culls they
want to get rid of, or stillborns, or lower prices overall.
Don't forget 4-H breeders.

5) try bulk buying - Look up bulk suppliers and frozen
bulk foods in your yellow pages (or online).

6) if you have a Chinatown nearby, definitely make a
visit.

7) let your friends, relatives, and neighbors know you
want any freezer burnt or old meat when they clean out
their freezers, and tell them to pass the word along.
Freezer-burnt meat may be dried out on the edges but is
perfectly safe for pets as long as it has been frozen
all this time.

8) if you belong to a church or social group, tell those
members to mention it to their friends and relatives as
well. You may be allowed to put a notice on the
bulletin board or in the newsletter.

9) see if there are any co-ops or meat buying groups
near you. Check on Yahoo, or Google to see.
Searching for co-ops or meat buying groups is a bit
easier if you use “raw†and “BARF†as keywords,
and also use names or acronyms of your
town/city/county/state/region.
http://groups.yahoo.com/
9b) and here’s a website that lists a number of raw food
co-ops and groups:
http://www.dogaware.com/diet/rawgroups.html

10) try a free ad website, like Craigslist or Kijiji - it's
amazing what you can get for free or cheap. Here are
the most popular ones:
http://www.craigslist.org/about/sites.html
http://www.kijiji.com/
http://www.backpage.com/
http://www.usfreeads.com/
http://www.oodle.com/

11) *****and I get meat, poultry, and fish all the
time (for free) through Freecycle. Join multiple lists
if you live or work close to the boundary of another list.
And join some of the other variations too:
http://www.freecycle.org/
http://www.freesharing.org/
http://www.sharingisgiving.org/
http://www.reuseitnetwork.org/
http://www.freesharing.org/sites_like_us.php

12) some Walmarts and some Costcos and some Sams
Clubs have good deals, but you may want to make sure
it's not seasoned meat you're buying (most of the time
that is what they have, and some pets have difficulty
with it).

13) definitely watch the store flyers, and you can
usually see the rest of the flyers online (the ones that
don't get delivered to your home, but are only a short
drive away).

14) ***** hands down, the bulk of my best deals have
been marked down meat at regular grocery stores. They
reduce it the day before it is going to expire, and I go
as early as I can in the morning to get it before it is gone.

15) tell friends and relatives who hunt and fish that
you want first dibs on any body parts they don't want.
You can probably get at least the organs and maybe the
head. Also ask them to put you in touch with their
other friends who hunt and fish.

16) a great tip I learned a while back – some restaurants
and caterers throw out things they don't use, like the
organs that come inside whole poultry, or raw meat
that falls on the floor. See if they'll save them for you.
Find somebody who knows somebody who works in a
restaurant or knows a caterer.

17) farmer's markets are great, but pick and choose
carefully for the best bargains. And sometimes at the
end of the day some vendors will reduce their prices,
cause they don't want to take it back with them.

18) some people contact taxidermists, who have no use
for the meat.

19) join the RawFeeding Yahoo Group and find people
on that list from your vicinity, and ask them where
they get their meat deals.
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/rawfeeding/
Join other raw feeding lists or other pet or breeder
related lists (there are many, some may even be
local to you), and ask if there are other raw feeders in
your area.
And there is also a Facebook rawfeeding group:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=261761471359

20) tell your butcher you want the meat that they
would normally throw out, that is almost out of date,
that people ordered and didn't pick up, stuff that was
dropped on the floor, their freezer clean-outs, and
parts that don't sell (like trachea, lungs, spleen,
etc.). Some butchers will save their trim for you (once
they get to know you). Build a relationship with them
first. Many butchers will give you these things for
free, once they know you (and especially if you are a
regular customer who buys meat for yourself).

21) yes, roadkill works too (where it is legal). In
some places you can get your name on the list and get
called when they have large roadkill (like deer). You
may be able to move to the top of the list if you say
you don't mind getting called at night or for kill more
than a couple of hours old.

22) you can raise your own meat/poultry if you have
the space.

23) post a message in CarnivoreFeed-Supplier if you
are in the U.S. or
CFS-Canada if you are in Canada, or
CFS-Australia if you are in Australia.
All of these groups specialize in matching up meat
suppliers with raw feeders:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/C...Feed-Supplier/
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/CFS-Canada/
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/CFS-Australia/
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gi...&v=wall&ref=ts

24) speak to local farmers. Also, you may also be
able to get their injured or old stock at very reduced
prices.

25) you can look for heart, tongue, and gizzards which
count as meat (as opposed to organ) in the world of
raw feeding, but are often cheaper than other muscle
meats.

26) find somebody who knows somebody who works at
the grocery store. They can introduce you to the meat guy,
who may become more willing to save stuff for you or
reduce items about to expire, once they know you.

27) check the internet. Some suppliers have affordable
prices, even after shipping costs are calculated.

28) double-whammy: if a meat is on special this week
at the grocery, go in and check the expiry date on the
packages. Then go back to get it when reduced again
(reduction on the reduction) the day of or day before
expiry (depending on their policy).

29) somebody had a great source a while back: some
schools (colleges) that teach butchering sell the meat
really cheap, that the students have worked on.

30) check out the meat processing plants and/or slaughter
houses – they process the animals for farmers or hunters
(amongst others). You can often get the left over pieces
for free. If you have the stomach for it, you can ask to go
through the gut barrels and trim barrels yourself.

31) ask a few of your local grocery stores and butchers
what it would cost to order things for you by the case.
Compare prices.

32) someone mentioned that depending on where you
live you may be able to attend livestock auctions and then
get the animal butchered.

33) if you know any apartment building managers, ask
them about the frozen meat people leave behind when
they move out.

34) you may be able to order from restaurant suppliers.

35) find more hunters (and their unwanted meat) by
posting a notice on bulletin boards where they may
congregate (like feed, tractor, country supply, sports,
army supply, or gun stores), or at hunter check points,
and by posting in online hunter's forums. Hunters also
need to get rid of last year's catch to make room for this
year's.

36) if you live close to the waterfront, you may be able
to buy some of the day's catch as it comes in. if you are
close to a lake or river, also speak to people who may be
fishing for sport and have no interest in eating their catch.

37) find people who will be moving (and may not want to
lug all their freezer contents with them) by watching for
"sold" signs on front lawns in your neighborhood and
popping a note in their mailbox.

38) find a raw feeding buddy, maybe an hour's drive
away. When you each find a good deal in your own area,
buy twice as much. Then split what you find with your
buddy, once or twice a month.

39) viral e-mail – create a friendly e-mail, introducing
yourself and asking for old, freezer-burnt, and wild
meat and send it to everyone you know in your geographic
area. AND ask that each person receiving the e-mail
forwards it to everyone they know in your geographic
area. And so on.

40) put a “Wanted†ad in the Classifieds section of your
local newspaper. Using a headline with bold lettering, like
“ATTENTION: Homemakers/Hunters†may improve your
results.

41) I recently saw a Craigslist ad where someone offered
to butcher road kill moose or deer (for free) so they could
keep half for themselves and give half to the person who
found the road kill.

42) start a freezer cleaning/clean-out service
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post #3 of 4
5/7/11 at 8:48pm
Thread Starter 
wow..... that was a pretty extensive list..... thanks!!!!
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post #4 of 4
6/4/11 at 11:32pm
It's interesting that you're feeding canned and feeling strapped on feeding raw... have you done a comparison of the canned to raw prices, ounce for ounce? In my case, I actually cut my cat food bill in half (not kidding) when I switched my cats to raw. Even when I order "pricey" rabbit online, the per ounce cost is lower than canned (http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...t=online+order Post #1 and #12).

Hope this helps! Sorry if you've already made this comparison!

AC
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