made a mistake/confused/guidence with food

First, the "Weruva is too low in fat" might have come from me. I need to stop putting it like that. What I really mean is that it is lower in fat than I prefer. I can't even say why I don't like it being so low. I'm sure it is just fine to feed. Or did you read someplace else that Weruva is too low in fat? If so, I'd be interested in a link to that information.

Didn't you say you got some by Nature also? The mix of Weruva and by Nature has been a hit at my house. Mickey likes, but he likes anything, but the 2 of my 4 that I have given some to also loved it. If it isn't clear, I actually mix the 2 together. 

As for the raw, only one of my cats was on any kind of probiotic or digestive enzyme before switching to raw and that was because she had been getting it since long before the switch. I didn't put the other 3 on any supplement before switching them. I can see how some cats may benefit from it but I don't think it should be considered a requirement. If they get loose stools from raw then maybe you might think about such a supplement. 

It can be so frustrating! I think the key is to keep careful track of what you feed and be consistent and persistent.

You can do it! 

To be honest, before finding this site I was reading things from everywhere.  Now since I've found this site it's much easier to ask specific questions and get answers from knowledgeable people who've been there and done that.  having said that, I don't remember where I read the low fat comment about Weruva.  After I read it, I thought to myself, "I eat a very low fat diet and it's okay for me," but then I remembered that I am a human and cats are different. 

They love the By Nature.  I was getting all messed up with the amounts I was feeding them. I couldn't just split the can between them because that was too many calories for one feeding.  I think you said you used a kitchen scale - I do not have one so I was eyeing it all up and I KNOW I wasn't being accurate.  Perhaps I should just go buy a kitchen scale to get my head on straight.  I also bought a few small cans of Merrick and something else that I can't remember off the top of my head just to see if they liked it, but really it just made matters worse as far as keeping it all straight.  I'm going to stick with just two brands after I finish all the other stuff up and get my babies in order :-)  I did start a sheet to keep track of what I'm giving them. I just started this so we'll see how that works. 

You mix the foods together in one feeding?

So the enzymes and whatnot aren't necessary unless you see some runny poo.  The bag for the primal suggested the use of a digestive enzyme but I know how packages are sometimes.  I did get the probiotic and i've been giving them a very small dose to see if it's cool with them/

I agree with the "suggestion" to use a digestive enzyme or something. I just don't think it should be considered *required". Coco, the one cat that was on a supplement before the switch, was on a prebiotic/probiotic/digestive enzyme supplement because without it she had runny poo with commercial processed foods.  Besides the other 3 of my cats not needing it Mickey has eaten quite a bit of raw with no poo problems. As long as you already have it you might as well use it though.

It does get confusing if you use a variety of foods if they don't all contain the same number of calories. That is one reason I stopped giving Mickey raw; it added too much of a complication calorie wise.

Yes, I mix a can of Weruva with a can of by Nature then divide the resulting mix up into meals. One "batch" is good for about 7 meals (I feed him 4x a day) with some left over for mine to scarf up.

mschauer said:

I can see how some cats may benefit from it but I don't think it should be considered a requirement. If they get loose stools from raw then maybe you might think about such a supplement. 

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And the using a probiotic before or with raw feeding probably came from me :lol3: because I'm a big proponent. But it really isn't necessary. It's just that with a switch to a high protein diet (as in raw), it often sends the gut flora out of whack. Using a probiotic can help avoid this - but some kitties on probiotics have the problem anyway, and some kitties not on probiotics don't have any problems either way. :lol3:

Personally I'd be too curious just to see if they even like the Rad Cat without prompting. Let's face it - given the cost, it's an investment in their health. :lol3:

Wait, so you mix the cans together, divide them in meals, and put it in the fridge?

wolcar said:

Wait, so you mix the cans together, divide them in meals, and put it in the fridge?

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Yes, but I freeze a few meals also. I use the frozen ones in the timed feeder I use. He gets his meals at 6A, noon, 6P  and midnight. 

And, yes, I do use a kitchen scale to make sure each meal is the right size.

Well that is brilliant.  That will make the idea of a kitchen scale a bit less annoying as I thought. If I can weigh out a few meals accurately and then freeze them that would be great.  Do you put them in containers or baggies? And when you thaw do you just thaw in the fridge?  I know these seem like extremely basic questions but I am useless in the kitchen and just recently figured out how to properly freeze bananas. lol

I like the idea of putting them in containers rather than baggies.

I know my Ulysses isn't HUGE but I'm dedicated to getting him to the correct weight!

Some use small containers, some use baggies. Use whatever you prefer! And yes, you can dethaw in the fridge. But in meal-sized amounts, they dethaw pretty quickly in a bowl of cool water, if something isn't ready at meal time/when you need it.

I use ziplock baggies, just because it takes less space, and provides more surface for a quicker dethaw in a bowl of water when necessary. :lol3:

wolcar said:

Well that is brilliant.  That will make the idea of a kitchen scale a bit less annoying as I thought. If I can weigh out a few meals accurately and then freeze them that would be great.  Do you put them in containers or baggies? And when you thaw do you just thaw in the fridge?  I know these seem like extremely basic questions but I am useless in the kitchen and just recently figured out how to properly freeze bananas. lol

I like the idea of putting them in containers rather than baggies.

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No worries. No one knows anything until they learn!

I don't thaw the frozen ones. They go into the timed feeder frozen. I put one in before I go to work and set the timer to open at noon. The food thaws inside the feeder. I do the same thing at night before I go to bed except set the timer to open at midnight.

The meals that go into the freezer I just put on a piece of plastic wrap then fold and roll it up.

The meals that go into the fridge I put into little glass bowls I have and cover them with plastic wrap.

On a less frustrating and more positive note, my Ulysses  weighed in today at 16lbs even.  He was holding steady at 16.4 for about 2 weeks. The other day he weighed in at 16.5 but maybe he was holding onto some unwanted waste. lol  I've been weighing him every 2-3 days so I will make sure he doesn't lose too much in the next few days.

I'm excited for him!  

Yea!  

Good job! Isn't it gratifying to see results from the changes?

Heck yea!  I screamed "YAY" real loud and scared the bejeezus out of him. 

I'll just keep it going.  I'm guessing at some point I will have to reasses his calories to keep him losing the weight. 15lbs even is our goal for the yearly vet exam in November, at least in the 15.?? range :-) 

I'm so happy about this today!

From what I have experienced with one of my cats is while she has lost the needed weight over the years, she seems to be stuck now at 14lbs, still needs to loose a bit more.

She was 20lbs back in 2007. I feed an all wet diet to her, my other cat, wet and Raw. The foods that I feed go from Wellness, Merricks, Weruva, Evo, and Felidae (all grain free).

I have now figured out that she will not loose the weight on this food unless I switch to a food that has less fat in it. Most all these foods have a really high fat content.

Merricks ( cowboy cookout) while I dont really like all the fruit and vegies in this one, it does seem to have higher protein with less fat. It is closer to the ratios that a mouse would be.

So I have started to add this into the rotation to see if it helps. We dont have alot of choices here where I live.  If only she would eat Raw, I'd be happy, still working on it though.

wolcar said:

On a less frustrating and more positive note, my Ulysses  weighed in today at 16lbs even.  He was holding steady at 16.4 for about 2 weeks. The other day he weighed in at 16.5 but maybe he was holding onto some unwanted waste. lol  I've been weighing him every 2-3 days so I will make sure he doesn't lose too much in the next few days.

I'm excited for him!  

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That's GREAT! Good job, momma!!!!

Wilson said:

From what I have experienced with one of my cats is while she has lost the needed weight over the years, she seems to be stuck now at 14lbs, still needs to loose a bit more.
She was 20lbs back in 2007. I feed an all wet diet to her, my other cat, wet and Raw. The foods that I feed go from Wellness, Merricks, Weruva, Evo, and Felidae (all grain free).
I have now figured out that she will not loose the weight on this food unless I switch to a food that has less fat in it. Most all these foods have a really high fat content.
Merricks ( cowboy cookout) while I dont really like all the fruit and vegies in this one, it does seem to have higher protein with less fat. It is closer to the ratios that a mouse would be.
So I have started to add this into the rotation to see if it helps. We dont have alot of choices here where I live.  If only she would eat Raw, I'd be happy, still working on it though.

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Actually, mschauer did an analysis. It's discussed in this thread: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/245993/high-quality-canned-high-fat And she has a link to a spreadsheet with the analysis.

You might want to consider the By Nature 95% foods.

LDG said:

Actually, mschauer did an analysis. It's discussed in this thread: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/245993/high-quality-canned-high-fat And she has a link to a spreadsheet with the analysis.
You might want to consider the By Nature 95% foods.

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thanks LDG Im new on this forum, still looking around.  I cannot get the By Nature food any more here. They used to sell it at Petsmart, but no longer.  I did try it a few times when they did sell it but my cats would throw it up, I think it had to do with the flax seed it used to contain. I will check that thread for more info.  I would like to find a food with no carageenan too, but that is almost impossible.