Questions about additions to ground commercial diet (incl. green tripe)

daisycakes

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Hello! I'm currently in the process of moving my kitten to a fully raw diet, and wanted to get some input on what I'm supplementing her ground mix with.

I buy from a local company that mainly focuses on dogs, so I'm adding powdered taurine on top of the meat/organ/bone mix(currently duck, they have several other protein sources). I also bought whole ground mackerel and green tripe patties (haven't tried the latter, adores the former).

I'm wondering what kind of ratio I should use to supplement the mix with the mackerel/tripe. She also gets a whole gizzard per day to gnaw on, which she loves. Right now I put down a 1/4 of ground mackerel to her 50/50 duck/canned mix for one meal out of four daily. Does this sound good? And if she likes the tripe, once a day as well?

Any input 8s much appreciated. [emoji]9786[/emoji]
 

missmimz

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Can you tell us what organs are added to the mixes you're buying? Do you know the bone percentage of the mixes? Typically mixes made for dogs are much higher in bone than what cats need and typically need to be diluted. The general rule is that any ground raw needs to be supplemented. 
 
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daisycakes

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The manufacturer says they're suitable for cats with added taurine(I'll call them tomorrow and ask about specific %; I do know their store cat eats like that, plus meaty bones).  The duck grind I'm currently using is duck muscle meat, duck organs, added chicken liver, and bone.   I chose duck because it's a higher calorie count and I know she likes it.   The mackerel has about twice the amount of omega 3 as salmon.

Guaranteed Analysis: Crude Protein (min) 15.1% | Crude fat (min) 12% | Crude fibre (max) 1.7% | Moisture (max) 68% | Calorie Content (##Kcal/kg) 1680
 

missmimz

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The manufacturer says they're suitable for cats with added taurine(I'll call them tomorrow and ask about specific %; I do know their store cat eats like that, plus meaty bones).  The duck grind I'm currently using is duck muscle meat, duck organs, added chicken liver, and bone.   I chose duck because it's a higher calorie count and I know she likes it.   The mackerel has about twice the amount of omega 3 as salmon.

Guaranteed Analysis: Crude Protein (min) 15.1% | Crude fat (min) 12% | Crude fibre (max) 1.7% | Moisture (max) 68% | Calorie Content (##Kcal/kg) 1680
It helps to know exactly what organs are in the mix because some organs are considered muscle meat and some are secreting. Lots of manufactures say their foods are appropriate for cats, yet they contain way more bone than is actually appropriate. I'd supplement any ground meats, personally, with more than just taurine, but what I'd add would depend on what organs they're using. What's the name of the brand you're using? 
 
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daisycakes

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Totally Raw Pet Food. It's a small company local to my area.  I started with Primal, but it is just way too pricey if I want to stay 100% raw(home made isn't an option atm).
 

missmimz

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Totally Raw Pet Food. It's a small company local to my area.  I started with Primal, but it is just way too pricey if I want to stay 100% raw(home made isn't an option atm).
Okay I just looked it up. I don't see anything that says its for cats too (although that doesn't mean you can't use it for cats), so I'd def get more info from them about what organs they add and the bone content. Unless they're using a lot of heart you def need to keep adding the taurine, since cats have different nutritional needs than dogs. 

I don't really have an opinion on the mackerel or tripe. Tripe is typically less well liked by cats, and most of us don't feed fish regularly. I know it's good omegas so you'd probably want to limit it to once a week for just the omegas. 
 
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daisycakes

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The cat appropriate stuff was on their FB business page, along with the recommendation to add taurine.  I'll give them a ring tomorrow and get some more specific details.  Thanks for taking the time to reply!
 
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