Anyone living on the MS gulf coast that feeds raw?

[mscatmom]

Hello,

I have been doing lots of reading about raw diets and really want to transition my kids. Been looking online and making phone calls, but so far I can't find a retail source on the MS gulf coast. Closest would be in Mobile, AL or in New Orleans. That is do-able, as if I can get my kids to go for it I would make a monthly trip or something, no big deal. However, I was wondering if there was anyone else on this site that lives near me that may know of a "secret source", as I have found sometimes places don't get listed online. Thanks.

 

[LTS3]

Do you have a Petco nearby? You can buy Nature's Variety Instinct frozen raw food there. Independent pet stores usually have raw food as well.

Making your own raw food may be an option if you can't find a store that sells commercial raw pet food.

 

[Kat0121]

Hello,

I have been doing lots of reading about raw diets and really want to transition my kids. Been looking online and making phone calls, but so far I can't find a retail source on the MS gulf coast. Closest would be in Mobile, AL or in New Orleans. That is do-able, as if I can get my kids to go for it I would make a monthly trip or something, no big deal. However, I was wondering if there was anyone else on this site that lives near me that may know of a "secret source", as I have found sometimes places don't get listed online. Thanks.

I live in Florida so  I don't know your area but do you have any independent pet stores that would order the food you want for you? I feed my cats some raw and the one they like the best is Rad Cat. I have an independent pet store in town that orders it for me. You can also order raw foods online just be prepared for the sticker shock when it comes to shipping from some of them. I wanted to get some locally so they could try it before I considered buying it online. I tried the Primal and Stella and Chewy's raw and freeze dried that I ordered from Pet Food Direct and the shipping was scary. They liked those but not as much as the Rad Cat. I found an online retailer of RC that has reasonable shipping and I had a pop up box come up just now on their site that offers 15% off and free shipping on your first order. Not bad. If you have Ebates (you should. Everyone who shops online should if it's available to them), you get 5% cash back if you order from this site

http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/products/Rad-Cat-Raw-Cat-Food-Diet/537000.aspx

 

[abby2932]

I live in New Orleans and have a hard time finding pet boutiques that carry frozen commercial raw pet food too. The only one I found is in Covington (about an hour or so away). I do drive there to pick up some Rad Cat every couple of weeks since that is 1/3 of my cats diet.

For the rest of their raw, I order from Hare Today. The shipping is not bad at all. I usually pay about $25-$30 for 30-40 pounds of raw food. That is enough to last me 20 weeks for 2 cats, so a little over $1 a week in shipping. I know you probably won't want to make such a large purchase at first in case your cats don't like what you order. What I did for my first order was only ordered 10 pounds (the minimum order weight). You will pay about $20 or so in shipping but after you get the first order out of the way, you will have a feel for what your cats like to eat and can purchase larger quantities going forward, making the shipping per pound much lower (as long as you have the freezer space). By the way, I only have a regular refrigerator with the freezer at the top and that holds all my cats food for about 20 weeks. Although I only have the door of the freezer my human frozen food since the body of the freezer is full of cat food.

My first order, I ordered 5lbs of fine ground rabbit (many cats like rabbit), 3lbs of fine ground cavies and 2 pounds of fine ground beef. I also added a package of Alnutrin for Meat, Bones and Organs to supplement the meals. Both of my cats loved the rabbit, they also eat the cavies with no problem and I gave all the beef to my girl cat since my boy vomited it (he must have a beef intolerance). 

After that first order, I get a variety of new proteins to try, such as quail, goat, turkey, etc but I always  make sure to have enough rabbit because that is definitely a favorite. And if one cat doesn't like something, the other cat will always eat it. (Kali is not in love with cavies because it is too hairy for her so I only get that for Malibu). I've never had to throw anything away.

 

[mscatmom]

Thank you for your reply! Yes we have both a PetCo and PetSmart nearby but neither carry the frozen raw for cats. I finally found an independent store in Slidell, LA that said they would order it for me. She said she could get either Nature's Variety or Stella & Chewy. This place is actually a bakery for dog treats, but I took a shot at it and lucked out. I think. The big challenge will be trying to get my kids to appreciate it. 

It's funny, but where I live seems like much more of a dog area (versus cat). When I go to my vets office (which has been a lot lately) I only see dogs. I think I've seen a cat in there once! However, both vets are cat parents so they have an interest. But still.....

I am really anxious to try to make this conversion, as I'm dealing with IBS and some other stuff I'm hoping will go away with a healthier diet.

Appreciate your suggestions! 

 

[mscatmom]

Hi Abby,

Thanks for your informative reply!

I am about 60 miles from NOLA  (Gulfport, MS) and finally I found a place in Slidell that carries the Nature's Variety for dogs and will order me some for cats - but it has to be a given quantity. The store is called "Cafe' Du Bone" , and is basically a specialty store for doggie treats. The gal I spoke with was very pleasant and helpful, and suggested I try some of the dog raw - just to try - before committing to a larger order. I'm driving over there on Tuesday (they are closed Mondays) as it's only a 40 minute drive. 

Also, I appreciate what you all said about the Hare Today site and what you get from them. I am going to bookmark your message so I can refer to it if I go that route. My cats are a bit older (but don't always act like it) so I suspect converting them is going to be a challenge. 

 

[mscatmom]

Thanks Kat, I did find an independent pet food store in Slidell, LA (about a 40 minute drive) that will order it for me. They carry the Nature's Variety dog raw, so she suggested I try a bit of that (just to "try") before committing to a quantity of the cat variety. She also would be able to get Stella and Chewy, but not Rad. I have heard wonderful things about all so I am anxious to see if my kids will go for it. 

 

[Kat0121]

 
Thanks Kat, I did find an independent pet food store in Slidell, LA (about a 40 minute drive) that will order it for me. They carry the Nature's Variety dog raw, so she suggested I try a bit of that (just to "try") before committing to a quantity of the cat variety. She also would be able to get Stella and Chewy, but not Rad. I have heard wonderful things about all so I am anxious to see if my kids will go for it. 

My cats rejected the Nature's Variety raw. They like the Stella and Chewy's raw and they tolerate the Primal raw. The Rad Cat is by far the favorite.  I have picky eaters. 

 

[lisahe]

Our

My cats rejected the Nature's Variety raw. They like the Stella and Chewy's raw and they tolerate the Primal raw. The Rad Cat is by far the favorite.  I have picky eaters. 

Our cats are similar: they also rejected Nature's Variety but love Rad Cat. They'll tolerate Stella & Chewy's frozen but love it freeze-dried. They also love Primal... but only freeze-dried, not frozen. Cats! :lol3: All of which to say it's definitely a good idea to try a little before buying a lot. That reminds me: some Cat Site members have written to Primal to ask for freeze-dried samples.

Good luck!

 

[mscatmom]

Oh dear, I sure hope mine go for the Nature's Variety. They are both picky eaters as well, and getting worse as they get older. Opposite of me. 

What's up with the "freeze dried" stuff  - do you simply add water, or how do you serve it?

Thank you! 

 

[LTS3]

 
What's up with the "freeze dried" stuff  - do you simply add water, or how do you serve it?

Thank you! 

Freeze dried raw foods are supposed to be rehydrated in water before serving. But they can be fed dry.

Air dried raw foods are fed as is - that is, dry like kibble.

Dehdyrated raw foods are basically powder so you have to rehdyrated it in water for a couple minutes before seving. Eating dry powder is difficult and messy.

 

[lisahe]

 
Oh dear, I sure hope mine go for the Nature's Variety. They are both picky eaters as well, and getting worse as they get older. Opposite of me. 

What's up with the "freeze dried" stuff  - do you simply add water, or how do you serve it?

Thank you! 

Yes, it's odd, isn't it, how cats get pickier!? Don't despair if the cats don't like Nature's Variety (or any raw food, for that matter) on the first try: it can take some time to get cats to eat them and you may need to try various methods of serving it. One of our cats would eat one flavor of Nature's Variety, very grudgingly, if I mushed it with water the right way. But then she stopped. Some cats love Nature's Variety, though. I hope yours do!

As for freeze-dried foods, Primal comes in loaf-like nuggets that can be rehydrated in larger or smaller pieces, depending on cat preference and human level of patience. They can be rehydrated in the refrigerator overnight or just before serving. (One of our cats prefers larger pieces, the other will eat it any way.) Stella & Chewy's comes in much smaller pieces. I usually crumble one Stella & Chewy's piece onto the top of our cats' Primal. The great advantage of freeze-dried (beyond that the cats prefer it over the frozen versions of the same foods, go figure) is that they can be stored at room temperature.

Let us know how your cats do with the food when you get it!