Yes, let them slowly adjusted to one change and make sure they are happy and stable before proceeding to the next change. Cats have psychological needs similar to us and changing too many different things can mess with them. I saw a new side of my kittens when introducing raw, trust me raw (if not fed in isolation) will be a bigger change than switching wet/dry foods especially in a multi-cat household.
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Feeding Guidelines for kittens and an adult cat
- Thread starter anapaula0324
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I tried giving my cat just a raw egg yolk on a plate (learned a cool trick how to separate yolk with an empty plastic bottle in the process
Today i boiled the egg soft and mixed it all into some sort of scramble egg thingie with some crumbs from his freeze dried treats on top
My cat didn't particularly like raw egg yolk. But today's experiment went over rather well
So it depends on a cat, i guess.
I had some reservations before starting raw feeding, i researched, calculated and researched some more for about 2 months before committing to it. Raw diets are not for everyone, but even including a little bit of raw meats is very beneficial for the kitties
On the topic of chicken (or any meat you plan to give the kitties), make sure the sodium level DOES NOT EXCEED 100mg per serving. It's important, if has more sodium, it means it was injected with broth and what not. Some packages are easy to read and even state that broth has been added. On some you gotta look at the numbers or ask a person from the meat department about amount of sodium.
Oh, and about Sareena, have you ever thought about leash training her? So she could safely enjoy outside?
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- #23
zoop
okay so I will let them get used to the feeding schedule and then slowly introduce some raw into their diet.- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #24
kirathecat
I will try both cooked and the raw egg yolk. Do you think it's okay to mix the raw egg yolk into their wet food or should I just serve it separately ? About the sodium level with the chicken , if I buy from a butcher does that apply ? I usually buy my chicken from BJs or my local supermarket but I will be honest and say I've never looked at the sodium level. I'm not a health nut I know but I try my best. I will def keep my eyes out for sodium level when feeding my cats. I honestly do not think Sareena would even let me near her with a harness. She's sweet and has never attacked me but she has hissed at me a few times if I startle her and I just don't want to put her through that stress. I do have a terrace so maybe I could try that with her but I feel like she would totally hate me if I force the issue. Her previous owner only brought her inside full time during the winter months. And even then she still had access to the outdoors. I just can't abandon her. I know her chances of finding an understanding owner aren't high and I do love her.
From what I have learnt from getting one of my cat to eat some dry kibble (she always ate wet food only ) it is best to introduce a new element (like egg yolk) mixed with their regular food before offering them the whole egg yolk in the plate as it is a much more alien food to them at that time. Just don't mix too much so that the food entirely looks different otherwise they will refuse to eat the regular food as well. I was able to make my cat eat dry kibble by mixing a little of it in her wet food. I still haven't tried hard enough to make them eat egg yolks, I do give them Sardines so they are getting their Omega 3s from them.
Update: Also for raw egg yolks make sure your eggs are fresh, there can be some bacteria scare if feeding raw eggs that are older
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- #26
zoop
okay so I will try with their food before I attempt to just give it to them on their own. Although if sardines are an option I'm pretty sure that will go better than offering them a raw egg yolk. If anything I can try the cooked method instead.I'll make sure the eggs are fresh as well. I don't want to mess up and hurt them in any way.
Sardine is a great option to give your cats the Omega3s they need. The only thing that you need to be careful of is the addiction which is why I break the Sardines down and mix it with their food so they are not just eating a whole sardine dinner.
I can usually get a Sardines in Water (with salt) 3.75 oz can for 88 cents in the supermarket. I am trying to find a brand that doesn't have any salt. With the current brand, I wash the Sardines to get as much of the salt out before mixing it in with the food. Avoid the smoked, flavored, in oil or in tomato sauce Sardines (read the ingredients because some human flavoring agents/oils can be poisonous to cats).
Sardines smell a lot and definitely make the food more appealing for cats, once your start mixing in some cats will be a little reluctant with food that doesn't have the Sardines smell so be careful about that. It is not a big issue because they are very affordable.
Oh and 1/4th can per week per cat if you can keep it at that.
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Try soaking the sardines in milk to reduce the salt content. Chefs do this to leech salt from canned and bottled anchovy fillets before using the fish for recipes.
Thanks for the trick, I will certainly try that.
About egg yolk, Zoop gave great advice
I never thought to check on sodium level either and didn't even think that non-frozen chickens from supermarket would have anything added to them, ha-ha, i was up for a rude awakening. Not all of them are altered, at any supermarket you can find few brands that are fine for your cats' dinner
Butcher shop sounds great, though. I don't have one close by in my area, otherwise this is where i would've gone first You know your kitty better than anyone, so if you say she will be totally opposed to a harness and a leash than there's no need to stress her out. And if she's fine with being indoors than there's no real need to do anything. However, if you feel like she really wants to get outside or trying to run out the door, than maybe you could look into outdoor cat enclosures if you are feeling up to it and your living situation permits it
my cat is strictly indoor and i believe they can live happy content lives without going outside but with the cats like Sareena who has been mostly an outdoor cat it could be difficult at times. It's all just a thought, of course. - Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #31
zoop
Okay. Should I just choose one day out of the week to add the 1/4 of the can to the meals for each of them ? I'm trying out the timed feeding today. I fed all of them at 9 so I'm thinking of feeding them around 3 and then later around 8 or 9. The kittens are all actually eating their food. And today as well as most of yesterday I only gave them wet food and water. Sareena is the only one who isn't eating the wet food as soon as I put it down. She didn't touch her bowl from this morning but I feel like that had more to do with the flavor of the food so I tossed it and gave her the Sheba brand a little bit ago and she ate most of it. So I will probably feed her a little later than I will the kittens. 
thegreystalker
Thanks for the tip - Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #32
kirathecat
I have a few butcher shops around my area. I will buy from the supermarket if I can't make it to one that particular day so knowing to watch out for sodium level definitely helps. I figured a butcher shop would be good to get things I don't usually see in my local supermarket. I think it might be a little less expensive as well. The supermarket in my area tends to be pricier than other supermarkets I've been to. I feel like Sareena does miss the outdoors but she doesn't try to run for the door either. She'll spend most of her nights on the window ledge looking out but she also doesn't really venture out of her room. And the option is there for her but she prefers to stay in that one area in the house. I'm thinking of getting her a cat tree with one of those hiding places. I think she would like that. The most I can offer is the terrace as an outside source but I don't know if she would feel comfortable right now. Maybe with time she will. She's only been with me a couple of months so I'm still building trust with her.
Well I am super afraid of addiction and nobody knows how addiction works (in humans or animals) and how much is needed to make an addict, which is why I mix the Sardines in their batch for the week so that they are having a hint of it every day. Since you are feeding cans that may not be a route you can take.@Zoop Okay. Should I just choose one day out of the week to add the 1/4 of the can to the meals for each of them ? I'm trying out the timed feeding today. I fed all of them at 9 so I'm thinking of feeding them around 3 and then later around 8 or 9. The kittens are all actually eating their food. And today as well as most of yesterday I only gave them wet food and water. Sareena is the only one who isn't eating the wet food as soon as I put it down. She didn't touch her bowl from this morning but I feel like that had more to do with the flavor of the food so I tossed it and gave her the Sheba brand a little bit ago and she ate most of it. So I will probably feed her a little later than I will the kittens.
@TheGreyStalker Thanks for the tip
Most people I know will feed 1 treat of sardines a week (no mixing), this is after their regular meal (cut the meal a bit so that they have space, although I haven't heard of a cat that will not finish their sardines no matter how full they are). You can certainly try that just hope that your cats are not begging you next day (very unlikely that one feed should do that). If you feed them nothing but sardines for 3 days I will certainly say that they will stop touching the other foods on the 4th day and demand fish. This has happened to my kittens once because of Chicken Hearts.
I ordered an awesome cat tree recently (arrived yesterday) from Amazon. Really good for the price, 3 perches, and two houses. Trees with similar feature were going for $100 + in my local Petco and Walmart stores.
Blue One - https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=lp_258...1f9220e63ac06dd57c2866588&tag=&tag=thecatsite
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- #35
zoop
I think I'll go the treat route then. I definitely don't want them to get addicted to the sardines. I think Elsa would be the one to start demanding it if she got used to it enough. I'll make sure not to feed it consecutively as well.And that cat tree looks perfect for her. Thank you for the link
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- #36
zoop
kirathecat
so my little guy Quinn is having issues with diarrhea. He went twice in his litter box yesterday and both times it was pretty much just watery. I'm not sure about Harley but Elsa isn't having that issue and neither is Sareena. I feel like I made the change too quickly for him so I've decided to feed mostly wet food during the day but for the night feeding I will leave some dry food out and feed a smaller amount of wet food. He's fine , playing and doesn't seem dehydrated or anything. He's also eating normally. This is Harley and him currently after eating. 
Also I'm not sure what his poop looks like today as I had to go out.
Yeah take it a little slow with the changes. Nothing to worry about ,go 50-50 with the old and new food for a while until he adjusts as you are planning (I believe).
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- #38
Yes that is what I want to do. I think just changing them to an all wet food diet so abruptly is what has his stomach a little upset so I will continue to give them some dry food but only in the evening.
This is an absolutely adorable picture! They are so cute! I wouldn't want to leave the house if i had such cuties there
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- #40
lol I definitely have a hard time leaving. I want to be spend most of my time with them. They are so loving and they spend the majority of their time purring. Quinn is actually more loving than Harley. He loves to sleep on my bed. Harley only likes to during the day but at night she finds her own spot to sleep at. At first Harley was being a little aggressive towards Quinn but now they groom each other and play together all the time. I have kittens running across my face literally while I'm sleeping at night lol I feel bad because my abrupt change has Quinn having issues but it's my first time really owning cats and I'm learning as I go. But I'm definitely going to take my time now. I didn't mean to upset his stomach. I fed them wet food twice today and then wet food mixed with some dry as the evening meal so hopefully that helps.
