Cat not eating raw!

darcyandlyla · Jan 12, 2012

Hey all! I've been stalking this forum for awhile (especially the pregnant cat forum...all the pictures of the little babies make me melt

), but I am in need of some help and advice. Both my cats are raw fed, and have been since I got them. I got Darcy, my black and white longhair girl, back in July, at 14 weeks old, and Lyla, my blue tortie shorthair, at 8 weeks old, and both have been very happy to eat B.A.R.F patties, along with chicken necks, wings, lamb necks, quail, liver and kidney,and Felidae grain free cat food The main staple, though, is the patties (this is the brand I usually buy http://www.bigdogpetfoods.com/products/barf-8/2 I usually get the kangaroo and turkey varieties). Darcy, my older girl, is about 10-11 months now, and I am struggling to get her to eat ANY of her patties. I feed half a patty to each cat in the evenings, and a raw meaty bone (usually chicken of some sort) in the mornings,and I top their dry food up each morning.Darcy,though, might eat one or two bites at the moment, then leave it.Its so frustrating! She seems healthy, is still bright, alert and active, and hasn't seemed to be losing any weight, although she's always been on the skinny side, but is very well muscled.I've been mixing the patty with some canned cat food, usually fish varieties,and she seemed a little more interested in that, but still it was the 1 or 2 bites, then not interested. I did manage to hand feed her a little more a couple of nights ago, but she wasn't having any of that over the past couple of days. She still goes NUTS when I get the treats out (I think she'd give her right paw for treats lol) and I tried sprinkling some of the chicken jerky treats...she just picked them off the top! I also tried feeding her treats with bits of raw,but that was no-go.It is driving me mad!I don't think there's anything wrong with the food, because Lyla will happily eat it(and usually finish off Darcy's portion, the little fatty!).I don't think she's ill, because she's her usual self, just refusing to eat her raw food,and she's a really nervous, skittish cat, so I don't want to make her go through a vet exam unnescarily.Oh also, I also wormed and de-flead them a couple of weeks ago, so it can't be a worm issue. If anyone has any tips or advice, it will be much appreciated!

carolina · Jan 13, 2012

darcyandlyla said:
Hey all! I've been stalking this forum for awhile (especially the pregnant cat forum...all the pictures of the little babies make me melt ), but I am in need of some help and advice. Both my cats are raw fed, and have been since I got them. I got Darcy, my black and white longhair girl, back in July, at 14 weeks old, and Lyla, my blue tortie shorthair, at 8 weeks old, and both have been very happy to eat B.A.R.F patties, along with chicken necks, wings, lamb necks, quail, liver and kidney,and Felidae grain free cat food The main staple, though, is the patties (this is the brand I usually buy http://www.bigdogpetfoods.com/products/barf-8/2 I usually get the kangaroo and turkey varieties). Darcy, my older girl, is about 10-11 months now, and I am struggling to get her to eat ANY of her patties. I feed half a patty to each cat in the evenings, and a raw meaty bone (usually chicken of some sort) in the mornings,and I top their dry food up each morning.Darcy,though, might eat one or two bites at the moment, then leave it.Its so frustrating! She seems healthy, is still bright, alert and active, and hasn't seemed to be losing any weight, although she's always been on the skinny side, but is very well muscled.I've been mixing the patty with some canned cat food, usually fish varieties,and she seemed a little more interested in that, but still it was the 1 or 2 bites, then not interested. I did manage to hand feed her a little more a couple of nights ago, but she wasn't having any of that over the past couple of days. She still goes NUTS when I get the treats out (I think she'd give her right paw for treats lol) and I tried sprinkling some of the chicken jerky treats...she just picked them off the top! I also tried feeding her treats with bits of raw,but that was no-go.It is driving me mad!I don't think there's anything wrong with the food, because Lyla will happily eat it(and usually finish off Darcy's portion, the little fatty!).I don't think she's ill, because she's her usual self, just refusing to eat her raw food,and she's a really nervous, skittish cat, so I don't want to make her go through a vet exam unnescarily.Oh also, I also wormed and de-flead them a couple of weeks ago, so it can't be a worm issue. If anyone has any tips or advice, it will be much appreciated!

Could it be that because you are feeding kibbles and canned that's what she wants to eat? It is hard competition right there.... I mean... they spray the heck out of the kibbles with animal digest for taste...canned is generally a bit more seasoned than raw as well... especially depending of what you feed....
Do they need to eat commercial (kibbles/canned/treats) at all? Have you tried to cut commercial completely for a while and see what happens? No treats, nothing.

If she has an appetite for kibbles, canned and treats, then I believe that's what's going on....

However.... if she all of the sudden lost her appetite for food - regardless.... then IMHO there could be something wrong with her, and it might be time for a vet visit.....

Not sure if it is a good idea to feed kibbles and raw at the same time - I always heard they need hours in between feeding due to the digestion time differences in between the two, BTW. So, I would not be free-feeding kibbles while feeding raw..... If you feed kibbles, make sure to do it on a schedule - in the morning for example, then raw at dinner.....

I would pull the kibbles and leave her on raw only to see what happens.... she might just gotten finicky.... or be a bit of a kibble addict.... I have one BIG TIME myself....

auntie crazy · Jan 13, 2012

Hi, Darcyandlyla! Welcome to TCS!

The first thing I'd do is remove all kibble from your cats' diet - it's just plain not good for them.

Second, I would immediately cease feeding your cats the BARF foods as well as the "raw meaty bones". BARF products are formulated with a higher bone ratio than cats need and, along with all the bone-in meals you're offering, I'd be rather surprised if your kitty isn't just a bit constipated.

I would recommend a rotation of Felidae grain-free and several different types of commercial raw cat food like Feline's Pride, Primal, Rad Cat or Nature's Variety (or even just feed several different raw foods and drop the Felidae). If you want to feed a chicken wing or two, feed it with a commercial raw food that contains no bone. You can review this thread for more commercial raw info: Questions about commercial raw.

Best regards.

AC

darcyandlyla · Jan 13, 2012

I live in Australia, so unfortunately the only commercial raw brands I've been able to find has been Big Dog B.A.R.F, which I've been feeding for ages now without issue, and Dr. B's B.A.R.F http://www.drianbillinghurst.com/products.php?pid=cat. I usually buy the rabbit variety, but I'm a bit leery of it, because it smells quite strongly of garlic, and the cats aren't huge on it,either. They'll eat it, but with nowhere near as much gusto as they have for Big Dog. I've done HOURS of searching for different brands, but haven't been able to find any. I have bought "pet mince" before, as it contained no fillers, and the people at the pet shop assured me it contained "human-grade" preservatives. That was a complete lie, as it REEKED of sulfites, so I threw it out immediately. I really wish I could get Felines Pride in Australia, but with import and customs costs and issues, I don't think its possible. I haven't had any issues with constipation in the 8 or so months Darcy has been with me,nor with Lyla, and she doesn't seem to be having any issues with the litter box (no crying, extreme straining etc), but I definitely appreciate where you're coming from. Is it possible for them to become constipated all of a sudden? They eat chicken necks and quail like it's their last meal, but chicken wings they'll play with, chew a bit, then proceed to leave around the flat...lovely surprise to step on a chicken wing in the middle of the night haha

I'm a bit broke at the moment, so I only have chicken wings as the raw meaty bone part of the diet,and don't get paid till Thursday, so my gourmet kitties will have to wait till then for their quail

And truly, I know the dry food probably isn't nessescary, but I feed it as a "covering my bases" thing. I worry so much about nutritional deficiencies (especially as I know freezing can destroy taurine) so I give it to them to make up any nutrients they may not be getting in their raw diet. And Felidae seems to be the best dry brand I can find, being a grain-free, holistic brand, and also one of the most ethical I've found,but of course its not perfect. It's just my nervousness about deficiencies that's keeping me to the kibbles. And usually they don't get canned food at all (I think this week has been the first time I've bought canned food since I got Lyla back in October, when I was switching her to raw). I've only been feeding it this week because I thought maybe the smell would make the patty meal more enticing. Aunty Crazy, when you say cut out the B.A.R.F patties, do you mean completely out of their diets, or only feed it on days when they don't get a raw meaty bone? And if that's the case, what would I be giving them for their breakfast? Would you suggest an organ meal, or maybe just plain meat? I didn't give them dry food this morning (there was a tiny amount left in their bowl, but enough to constitute anything like a meal), so I'm hoping they'll be hungry when I get home. Also, is it possible for me to make my own raw without a meat grinder or blender? Thank you in advance for the answers!

carolina · Jan 13, 2012

Auntie will chime in at any moment.....
I bet she will talk to you about frankerprey and doing a diet without a grinder - totally possible, and that's how she does it :nod:
Freezing doesn't really destroy taurine (on the contrary actually, the lower the temperature, the slower the taurine depletion) - what does is grinding the meat, as it allows a huge surface with air at higher temperatures, and promotes oxidation.... when you freeze the whole pieces of meat, or feed a diet of non-ground meat, you don't even need to worry about taurine depletion -there is enough in the meat to cover the kitty's needs.... On ground meat however, it becomes an issue.
The rest I will leave to Auntie..... she is much better suited to guide you on your diet :bigthumb:

auntie crazy · Jan 15, 2012

Originally Posted by darcyandlyla

I live in Australia, so unfortunately the only commercial raw brands I've been able to find has been Big Dog B.A.R.F, which I've been feeding for ages now without issue, and Dr. B's B.A.R.F http://www.drianbillinghurst.com/products.php?pid=cat. I usually buy the rabbit variety, but I'm a bit leery of it, because it smells quite strongly of garlic, and the cats aren't huge on it,either. They'll eat it, but with nowhere near as much gusto as they have for Big Dog. I've done HOURS of searching for different brands, but haven't been able to find any. I have bought "pet mince" before, as it contained no fillers, and the people at the pet shop assured me it contained "human-grade" preservatives. That was a complete lie, as it REEKED of sulfites, so I threw it out immediately. I really wish I could get Felines Pride in Australia, but with import and customs costs and issues, I don't think its possible. I haven't had any issues with constipation in the 8 or so months Darcy has been with me,nor with Lyla, and she doesn't seem to be having any issues with the litter box (no crying, extreme straining etc), but I definitely appreciate where you're coming from. Is it possible for them to become constipated all of a sudden? They eat chicken necks and quail like it's their last meal, but chicken wings they'll play with, chew a bit, then proceed to leave around the flat...lovely surprise to step on a chicken wing in the middle of the night haha

I'm a bit broke at the moment, so I only have chicken wings as the raw meaty bone part of the diet,and don't get paid till Thursday, so my gourmet kitties will have to wait till then for their quail And truly, I know the dry food probably isn't nessescary, but I feed it as a "covering my bases" thing. I worry so much about nutritional deficiencies (especially as I know freezing can destroy taurine) so I give it to them to make up any nutrients they may not be getting in their raw diet. And Felidae seems to be the best dry brand I can find, being a grain-free, holistic brand, and also one of the most ethical I've found,but of course its not perfect. It's just my nervousness about deficiencies that's keeping me to the kibbles. And usually they don't get canned food at all (I think this week has been the first time I've bought canned food since I got Lyla back in October, when I was switching her to raw). I've only been feeding it this week because I thought maybe the smell would make the patty meal more enticing. Aunty Crazy, when you say cut out the B.A.R.F patties, do you mean completely out of their diets, or only feed it on days when they don't get a raw meaty bone? And if that's the case, what would I be giving them for their breakfast? Would you suggest an organ meal, or maybe just plain meat? I didn't give them dry food this morning (there was a tiny amount left in their bowl, but enough to constitute anything like a meal), so I'm hoping they'll be hungry when I get home. Also, is it possible for me to make my own raw without a meat grinder or blender? Thank you in advance for the answers!

Yes, it is absolutely possible for you to prepare your cats food at home without a grinder. In fact, as Carolina mentions, I feed my cats using a frankenprey (as it's called) menu and heartily recommend it as one of the most nutritious and beneficial diets available, second only to whole prey.

Everything you want to know about frankenprey and more can be found on CatCentric.org.

As for the barf diet plus bone-in meals you're currently feeding... feline bone percentage requirements range from 5 - 10%. Because I have six cats, with their varying needs, and loose stools are safer than hard ones, I keep my cats on the low end of that percentage... and despite having been on the same diet for a couple of years now, I have two cats that will occasionally pass a slightly soft stool. This is because chicken wings and chicken breast meat with ribs (my usual bone-in meals) don't come in a perfectly uniform size, and if the cats happen to get some small chicken wings followed two days later by small chicken ribs, those two cats will not have had quite enough bone to keep their stools properly firm.

You keep your cats on the high end of that percentage, so it's entirely possible that one could get constipated at some point, due to the same variation in bone-in meals combined with the high bone percentage of those BARF patties.

If you want to keep feeding the patties, I would recommend you add a third daily meal of just plain meat (any kind of meat, as long as it hasn't been "enhanced" or "marinated" and doesn't have added spices), as there are only two varieties of patties (fish shouldn't be a regular part of a cats' diet), and that's not enough to maintain either your cat's interest or a truly balanced nutritional profile. I'd also suggest a call to the manufacturer to find out just how much of the food is bone. What you want is a total weekly diet of 80% meat, 10% bone, 5% liver and 5% some other secreting organ like kidney, thymus, etc.

You will need to find something to entice Darcy to eat if she doesn't accept the fresh meat meals right away. Do you have access to freeze-dried meat treats (like this one) or maybe fish food? Does she like Parmesan cheese or tuna juice? How about temptation treats? Sprinkle whatever she can't resist over the food to get her to eat. CatInfo.org also has tips for getting cats to eat new foods.

By the way, for kittens, you want to offer at least three meals a day; if you can swing it, four is even better.

The kibble isn't needed to assure taurine adequacy. Although you are correct that it's believed some taurine is lost through freezing, that loss is minimal and there is enough in fresh meat tissues to provide for your cats' needs. That said, taurine can also be supplemented in powder form, and it's water soluble so there is little concern for overdosing. Supplementing is a far better alternative than feeding kibble.

I hope this is helpful to you in some way! Take a look at the frankenprey info and let me know if you have any additional questions. Darcy is young and shouldn't be going hungry like this, so whatever you can do to get her eating more is good.

AC

Cat not eating raw!

darcyandlyla

TCS Member

Thread starter

carolina

TCS Member

auntie crazy

TCS Member

darcyandlyla

TCS Member

Thread starter

carolina

TCS Member

auntie crazy

TCS Member

Latest Posts

Connect with us