Oh yeah, they don't give it away! That's why I'm wondering if a homemade supplement mix like some of us use might be better. My cats loved the premixes, but they learned to like Dr. P's too.Ooh, I just looked up that premix and it's pretty expensive. Adds about $2 to every pound(if I'm reading their site correctly). So the meat isn't even your biggest expense. . .
I wonder if any of the other premixes might be more affordable and suit your needs just as well. I don't have a lot of experience with the different premixes but I know others have, hopefully they can help you out with that.
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Need advice on best cost-effectice ways to raw feed 8 cats
- Thread starter 8whiskers
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I'm definitely not married to the premix I'm using. I chose it to start with because A. I have a colleague who uses it for her cats and they love it, and B. my vet knows one of the owners and uses some of their products for her dogs, so I figured it was a safe bet. :-)
Like I said, I'm brand spanking new to this raw feeding thing, so I wanted to start with something easy and something that would be hard for me to screw up. ;-) I'm all for suggestions and advice on what other people use. I have a tendency to do things "backwards' even if I follow instructions VERY carefully, so something relatively foolproof is preferred! Perfect example...I once made a loaf of banana bread that came out of the oven like a brick, about 1/2 the size it should be and super dense. It wasn't until it cooled and I tasted it did I realize I'd forgotten to put in the flour - DUH!!
Like I said, I'm brand spanking new to this raw feeding thing, so I wanted to start with something easy and something that would be hard for me to screw up. ;-) I'm all for suggestions and advice on what other people use. I have a tendency to do things "backwards' even if I follow instructions VERY carefully, so something relatively foolproof is preferred! Perfect example...I once made a loaf of banana bread that came out of the oven like a brick, about 1/2 the size it should be and super dense. It wasn't until it cooled and I tasted it did I realize I'd forgotten to put in the flour - DUH!!
Honestly it seems 10x more work to me to plan out all this grinding mixing type feeding. It seems a lot start that way and then venture out so it's something to look into for the future or you could do part pmr, part ground mix as well. Prey model raw is fairly easy and there's leeway, you don't have to be exact, you are just trying to match feeding a whole animal over time. I don't supplement anything, I couldn't tell you when the last time I measured anything was and my schedule is fairly basic, feed chicken one day, than duck, rabbit, turkey, etc, couple meals with organ and heart meat.
I buy a good variety, chop it all up and bag it, ready for meals
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p231/GoingPostalphotos/Ferrets/IMG_1614_zps1c9328bf.jpg
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p231/GoingPostalphotos/Ferrets/IMG_1615_zps4b533e14.jpg
i just started but i purchased all my own supplements. i'm trying to avoid using bone in the raw mix because one of my cats is ckf/ckd. i had to purchase taurine, vitamin e, fish oil capsules, iodized lite salt, and gelatin. i used the eggshells from the egg yolks to add calcium (eggshell powder) and i used one of my hubby's b complex vitamins... which i will never be doing again because they stink and i'm going to buy jarrow b-right because they are low odor. i spent about $43 on the taurine/vit e/ fish oil - which will last me for a LOOONG time - $1 for unflavored gelatin for one batch, and $2 for the lite salt which will also last me forever. i drastically overpaid for my organic chicken - $4.50/lb, but i can get it for $2/lb now that i paid attention to shops around me - and the liver and heart cost maybe $3.
okay, not forever. but the supplements cost me about $45 and should last, by my estimation, at least 30 batches of food (i got about 5.5lbs of ground food). that's $1.50 per batch for the supplements - around 30¢ a pound. by my (admittedly shoddy) math, this first batch cost me about $22.... $4 a pound, which is 25¢ an ounce. (please feel free to check my math and tell me i'm wrong. really, i hate math.) when i cut my raw organic chicken cost in half, that cost will be... well, half. about. wellness is $1.69/5.5oz can by me (30¢/oz), nature's variety between $1.89-$2.29/5.5oz (34¢-42¢/oz). and it took me about an hour. it should take less time next time.
i can't feed raw prey model because of the bones - piglet can't have bones. i'm considering giving the other two bones as treats once in a while. if you don't feel like mixing up a batch of ground raw, like, every day or two to feed your brood of 8, prey model might be the best way for you. the other option, like others have mentioned, it to split - maybe give them raw twice a day and quality canned once a day. or vice versa. maybe then you could spread out how often you have to make raw. my recipe is good for about ten days worth of food for my three.
okay, not forever. but the supplements cost me about $45 and should last, by my estimation, at least 30 batches of food (i got about 5.5lbs of ground food). that's $1.50 per batch for the supplements - around 30¢ a pound. by my (admittedly shoddy) math, this first batch cost me about $22.... $4 a pound, which is 25¢ an ounce. (please feel free to check my math and tell me i'm wrong. really, i hate math.) when i cut my raw organic chicken cost in half, that cost will be... well, half. about. wellness is $1.69/5.5oz can by me (30¢/oz), nature's variety between $1.89-$2.29/5.5oz (34¢-42¢/oz). and it took me about an hour. it should take less time next time.
i can't feed raw prey model because of the bones - piglet can't have bones. i'm considering giving the other two bones as treats once in a while. if you don't feel like mixing up a batch of ground raw, like, every day or two to feed your brood of 8, prey model might be the best way for you. the other option, like others have mentioned, it to split - maybe give them raw twice a day and quality canned once a day. or vice versa. maybe then you could spread out how often you have to make raw. my recipe is good for about ten days worth of food for my three.
Hey, TC Feline is an EXCELLENT product and my cats loved it. Shoot, they wouldn't eat Fancy Feats but tore that mess up and looked for more. They literally opened a bag of premix and drug it all over my kitchen.
If interested, we can help you nail down the homemade supplement recipe. Using homemade supplement mix puts me at feeding 3 cats 3 meals a day for less $1/day when using chicken. That involves me buying chicken thighs at $0.99/lb.
Oh, and there are boneless PMR recipes out there. Obviously you don't use bone but MCHA or eggshell instead. That might be an option for you. Because my dummies play "musical bowls" and I often have to feed and run, it isn't a great option for me.
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- #26
Thanks, actually I would LOVE help getting a balanced and easy recipe for them! I just want them to all have something they'll eat (and so far they like the TC mixed in with wet food, but I haven't tried it on it's own yet) but some of these hard-core raw food threads intimidate me! I barely cook for myself, and I certainly don't make sure my own meals are balanced!
I have two kitties that have had bladder stone issues, a few cases of pancreatitis over the last year, along with a UTI or two. One kitty has a chronic sinus condition that we can't seem to pinpoint or solve, and I have 3 kitties with "naked belly syndrome." Those are my major health concerns, but I think all of those will either resolve or not be aggravated by a raw diet.
Any help you can give to someone who is Measuring-challenged like me is greatly appreciated!! :-)
I have two kitties that have had bladder stone issues, a few cases of pancreatitis over the last year, along with a UTI or two. One kitty has a chronic sinus condition that we can't seem to pinpoint or solve, and I have 3 kitties with "naked belly syndrome." Those are my major health concerns, but I think all of those will either resolve or not be aggravated by a raw diet.
Any help you can give to someone who is Measuring-challenged like me is greatly appreciated!! :-)
The TC mixed in with wet food...do you mean TC Feline mixed with raw or cooked meat, then add that to canned?
What are the bladder stone kitties eating? The pancreatitis kitties? This may mean more in-depth help is needed from more experienced raw feeders. I don't know what naked belly syndrome is. However, with nutrition being the foundation of health, many problems can be helped by providing a better diet.
The recipe I use is from www.catinfo.org. For the boneless meats, I use eggshell calcium.
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- #28
All 8 of them are currently getting the same thing: about 1/2 a cup of the TC mix made with real liver (not the powder) and chicken mixed with between 8.5-10 oz of Max Cat wet food. I split all that 8 ways morning and night. They're gobbling it up.
The bladder stone kitty was on strictly the s/d dry kibble for about 2 months, but now she's eating what everyone else is eating. So are the pancreatitis kitties.
"Naked Belly Syndrome" is what I'm calling what three of my kitties have. For some reason, 3 of them have licked all the fur off their bellies and/or hind legs. They've been tested for allergies, I've had the vents in my house cleaned, and it hasn't changed, so I'm assuming it's behavioral as there are no issues with their skin. Another cat, my only longhair, is pulling out her fur in great chunks. Again, she's been checked out and it's not health related or an allergy. It just upsets her mama!
They've been completely taken off dry food. If they're still hungry after they eat the wet food, I give them some of what's left of the s/d kibble as they all seem to LOVE it.
Hope that gives you a clearer picture. Thank you for offering to help me with this. It's much appreciated!!
The bladder stone kitty was on strictly the s/d dry kibble for about 2 months, but now she's eating what everyone else is eating. So are the pancreatitis kitties.
"Naked Belly Syndrome" is what I'm calling what three of my kitties have. For some reason, 3 of them have licked all the fur off their bellies and/or hind legs. They've been tested for allergies, I've had the vents in my house cleaned, and it hasn't changed, so I'm assuming it's behavioral as there are no issues with their skin. Another cat, my only longhair, is pulling out her fur in great chunks. Again, she's been checked out and it's not health related or an allergy. It just upsets her mama!
They've been completely taken off dry food. If they're still hungry after they eat the wet food, I give them some of what's left of the s/d kibble as they all seem to LOVE it.
Hope that gives you a clearer picture. Thank you for offering to help me with this. It's much appreciated!!
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- #29
I'm still exploring different options for making sure they all get enough to eat and balanced nutrition without having to take out a loan to pay for it! So far, making my own raw with the TC mix is proving to be more time consuming than I'd like, and the amount it makes isn't lasting very long. I'm still supplementing with a lot of canned food, and everyone still looks hungry!
I spoke to someone at length at Petco over the weekend, and she told me more about the Nature's Variety Instinct Raw options. I was looking at the frozen patties (for dogs and cats) and a 6lb bag is about $40. According to the feeding guidelines, each cat would eat about 1/2 a patty per day (2 1/4 patty meals). I realize that contains complete nutrition for them, but I'm concerned about how they'll do with such a small amount of food when they're used to a lot more (of course, it has more vegetable "fillers" than the patties would).
Anyone have any experience with these? Recommendations? Advice? I could really use some feedback.
Thanks!
I spoke to someone at length at Petco over the weekend, and she told me more about the Nature's Variety Instinct Raw options. I was looking at the frozen patties (for dogs and cats) and a 6lb bag is about $40. According to the feeding guidelines, each cat would eat about 1/2 a patty per day (2 1/4 patty meals). I realize that contains complete nutrition for them, but I'm concerned about how they'll do with such a small amount of food when they're used to a lot more (of course, it has more vegetable "fillers" than the patties would).
Anyone have any experience with these? Recommendations? Advice? I could really use some feedback.
Thanks!
I don't have any personal experience with Nature's Variety but I was doing lots of research on Commercial Raw recommendations and reviews and the patties have some good reviews. However the Nature's Variety Instinct Raw "BITES" had lots of negative reviews so I would probably stay away from those.
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If you have a membership to Sam's Club, they have 6lb bags of boneless skinless chicken thighs in their freezer section.. Don't remember the exact cost, but they're cheaper than the ones in the fresh cooler. I have both Sam's & Costco, but Costco doesn't carry these, only Sam's.
Where in Colorado are you??? I'm Denver and have 3 kittens I'm going to need to start making food for. Lost my senior kitty at the end of April (she was 23) and I'd been feeding her Nature's Instinct and started the kittens on that, but they've changed their formula and packaging and the "CAT" version is now only available in tiny 20 oz bags and the new "DOG only" version is no longer nutritionally complete for cats.. No way I can afford those tiny bags, my babies are growing so fast and eating so much I'd go thru 1 a day (and they're anywhere from $12 to $16 each depending on the protein.).
Where in Colorado are you??? I'm Denver and have 3 kittens I'm going to need to start making food for. Lost my senior kitty at the end of April (she was 23) and I'd been feeding her Nature's Instinct and started the kittens on that, but they've changed their formula and packaging and the "CAT" version is now only available in tiny 20 oz bags and the new "DOG only" version is no longer nutritionally complete for cats.. No way I can afford those tiny bags, my babies are growing so fast and eating so much I'd go thru 1 a day (and they're anywhere from $12 to $16 each depending on the protein.).
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