Ohhh, right.
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Really stinky situation on the home front
- Thread starter purrfectlycat
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- #22
Loved the article, very informative and certainly enlightening. Really great job on that.Well, I switched to full time raw for my 8 indoor-only cats because it was cheaper than decent grain-free, low-carb food.The issue is that it is cheaper to feed cheap kibble - but that's just it. Cheap kibble causes the problems.
The feral colony (I have 7 - 12, depending on who's around) gets Friskies Pate and Fancy Feast (I buy them when they're on sale). If I can't afford wet, I feed 4Health dry (yes, some of the cat food was recalled, but I'm not feeding them any dry right now). I don't worry so much about the quality of the food of the outdoor kitties because they supplement it with hunting, so they naturally eat whole prey, the best food for them. I've seen Baloo down a mouse in about five seconds.
My indoor kitties require 14 pounds of raw rood a week, 56 pounds a month. I can totally control the cost of that by buying on sale. If I keep my overall cost of meat and organs to $4 a pound (most raw feeders are able to do it at around $2 a pound), that's $224 a month. That's $7.47 a day, or $0.93 per cat per day.
If I kept my cost to $2 per pound, divide those number in half.
Here's an article I wrote on it: http://catcentric.org/nutrition-and...y-cat-or-i-can-afford-to-feed-commercial-raw/
The focus of the article was the cost of commercial raw, but home-made is MUCH, much cheaper!
I live in an RV and have a TINY, tiny freezer. I did need to buy a chest freezer to put outside. It cost $35 on craigslist.
And yes, because cats are designed to get everything they need from raw meat/bones/organs, the volume of poop drops off the map. I spend less on litter. My cats only poop about every 2 days, and the stool volume is 1/3 of what it was. And NO smell. None. For me, the proof of how species-appropriate the diet is was in the poop, so to speak.
That must be one hell of an RV
Thank you for all your help
I feed boneless Frankerprey - same as LDG, my kitties eat chunks of meat (aside from Lucky, whose food I still need to chop into little pieces), and they eat in their little plates, without dragging anywhere. At the most, if they have an accident, they drop it onto their place mats.... But that's all..... No mess here at all :nod:
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- #24
What's your thinking on the bones? I know it would not be possible for the cats to eat certain size bones, but why not give them ones they can eat?
One of my cats, Lucky, can't digest bones period - not even tiny bones...makes her very very sick.
There is a theory that a boneless diet is easier to digest, and therefore safer to kitties with digestive or immune issues, such as IBD - I have one of those, Bugsy.
And although rare, very rare, problems with bones can occur.... Again, they are very rare..... I just prefer to avoid them 100%.
It is completely a personal choice - 100% personal choice. It works for my kitties, and my comfort level.....
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- #26
I wanted to give everyone an update on the smelly situation and hope this thread is helpful to others. After comparing Evo dry to all the other dry foods, and taking to heart all the great information you guys armed me with, I did purchase Evo dry. Oh it is pricey,I would completely disagree that more protein is the cause for the smell. Cats are carnivores after all! More protein is what is best for cats. The problem is that both foods are on the low end of protein, and what protein they do have comes from the grains/vegetables in the food, which is almost impossible for cats to digest.
What's funny is that the foods that GoldyCat recommended to you are actually a lot better! But they are exactly the opposite of what she recommended! The protein of TOTW is 42%, and Indigo Moon is 46%, both higher than either food you were feeding.
Poop is a very good indicator of what's going on inside the cat as a result of what they are eating. (Or disease, but I don't think that's what we are dealing with here.) If MORE poop is coming out, that either means they are eating more than before OR that more of the food they are eating is indigestible and therefor, inappropriate ingredients. My bet is with the second one.
I also got some of the Evo canned, because I wanted to get grains completely out of their diets. I'm fostering two mother cats with seven kittens between them and one litter is ready for solids, so I knew this would be a much better food for everyone.
Only two days on this food and already the smell is gone and the waste has greatly been reduced. I think all the cats are feeling better all ready, because their all playing like a bunch of kittens.
There is no denying that diet is extremely important for animals and humans alike. I am still going to move in the direction of feeding all raw, as I believe it will be less expensive and a healthier way to go.
You guys are so very helpful and generous too, thanks so much.
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Aw, that is GREAT news! For them and for you! And thanks for sharing!Just wanted to quickly add my two cents on the raw feeding. None of my cats run away with the food. :lol3: Sheldon does like to pull pieces of meat out of the bowl to eat, but like Carolina, I just put a placemat under his dish, and that makes clean-up quick and easy.
I don't know where you bought it or how much you paid. . .but check out online prices. EVO canned is extremely reasonably priced in the 13-ounce cans from many online retailers. Here's where I'm buying it from: http://www.doggiefood.com/evo-95-chicken-turkey-canned-cat-kitten-food.html
The dry is still expensive, no doubt, but their prices on that aren't too bad either. And with free shipping and 10% off (there's a code for 10% off for first-time customers, and once you make an account with them they e-mail you a coupon code every week) it can be a lot cheaper than buying locally.
The dry is still expensive, no doubt, but their prices on that aren't too bad either. And with free shipping and 10% off (there's a code for 10% off for first-time customers, and once you make an account with them they e-mail you a coupon code every week) it can be a lot cheaper than buying locally.
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- #29
I bought it at Pet Supermart, which is here in my neighborhood. More than I wanted to.
I wanted to get the turkey and chicken, because I read somewhere that more cats like that better than the chicken and turkey, but they didn't have any at all. One of the store clerks told me they never order enough of it and it goes fast.
Thanks for the info, will certainly check that out. Is that free shipping all the time or just with the first order? Do your cats prefer the turkey/chicken over the chicken/turkey?
It would be great not worry if the pet store is going to have it in stock when I get there and the cheaper price is even better.
It's free shipping all the time for orders over $50. The 10% off coupon code usually requires an order minimum of $75. . .but making a larger order isn't a problem for me :lol3:. And probably not for you either if you have multiple cats plus fosters. It takes about a week for shipping so order in advance.
I'm not sure what you mean by the difference between chicken/turkey and turkey/chicken? My cats only like the 95% meat chicken/turkey--they don't like the "regular" EVO canned food. I haven't tried the other flavors because my cats have a history of not liking beef and the more unusual meats cost more :anon:.
I'm not sure what you mean by the difference between chicken/turkey and turkey/chicken? My cats only like the 95% meat chicken/turkey--they don't like the "regular" EVO canned food. I haven't tried the other flavors because my cats have a history of not liking beef and the more unusual meats cost more :anon:.
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- #31
Yea, it is GREAT! We're all happy around here, thanks to you guys.Aw, that is GREAT news! For them and for you! And thanks for sharing!
Just wanted to quickly add my two cents on the raw feeding. None of my cats run away with the food.Sheldon does like to pull pieces of meat out of the bowl to eat, but like Carolina, I just put a placemat under his dish, and that makes clean-up quick and easy.
Just curious, why don't you feed bones? Caroline doesn't because her Lucky can't digest them. Is there more to this bone feeding I should be aware of?
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- #32
Okay, that's good to know and yes I will order now. I also got the 95% in chicken and turkey formula, but they also make the turkey chicken, but the pet store was out of it and doesn't order enough even though they sell out of it within a few days. I'll check doggiefood.com to see if they carry that blend. None of my cats like beef either unless its raw.It's free shipping all the time for orders over $50. The 10% off coupon code usually requires an order minimum of $75. . .but making a larger order isn't a problem for me. And probably not for you either if you have multiple cats plus fosters. It takes about a week for shipping so order in advance.
I'm not sure what you mean by the difference between chicken/turkey and turkey/chicken? My cats only like the 95% meat chicken/turkey--they don't like the "regular" EVO canned food. I haven't tried the other flavors because my cats have a history of not liking beef and the more unusual meats cost more.
Thanks again for your help
Oh, I see what you mean now! OK, it's the turkey/chicken kind my kitties DON'T like (what I call the "regular" EVO). I think because it has a lot of veggies in it. They DO like the 95% meat chicken/turkey. Anyway, who knows what your kitties will like best .
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- #34
No, I'm gonna stick to the 95% I just thought they made one with the turkey/chicken. I'll look for it when I shop on line.Oh, I see what you mean now! OK, it's the turkey/chicken kind my kitties DON'T like (what I call the "regular" EVO). I think because it has a lot of veggies in it. They DO like the 95% meat chicken/turkey. Anyway, who knows what your kitties will like best.
