Cats are finally eating 100% commercial raw alone....

[mzalisakay]

I have two male cats - orange one who is approx 6 lbs. And a dark gray one at 8 lbs.

Since Thanksgiving, I've switched my cats over from dry kibble to 100% wet canned in a matter of days. No problems except my orange cat was iffy for the first couple of days, but we're good now.

About 2-3 weeks ago, we bought our first package of commercial raw. It was the Stella & Chewy's frozen morsels, rabbit flavor.  

As of last night, they CAN eat 100% raw without needing to mix it in with the wet food like I was previously doing. They don't FINISH it though so I do, in the end, sprinkle some treats on top so they can continue to eat some more. They do eat a good amount; just not as much as they usually eat or as much as I'd like them too.

That was the last of the raw food. So, of course, this morning I went on a spending spree, lol. Got myself a 1lb bag of NVI Raw Boost Kibble (with the coupon I found here ) chicken flavor. I also found a local raw pet food place here. They make their own raw pet food and sell it and it's a whole lot more affordable for me than other commercial raw by 50%! 

I had my kids with me so I couldn't take my time and ask questions and etc. So since I'm a newbie (and I'm just reading tons of info everywhere and everything is just mush inside my brain now), I'm wondering, how should I prepare this raw food? It's currently in the fridge to thaw. It's just ground meat (it says complete balance so they added all the supplements and etc) in a 1lb big paper cup with lid ... do I thaw the whole thing and then spoon estimated amount of one feeding into a baggie or baby jars or something? I did buy some bonita flakes too just in case they get picky or hesitant. 

Also, I read somewhere but can't find the specific forum now, about plain raw frozen anchovy or sardines - not salted or seasoned or anything - from the Asian market being okay for treats. This person does Frankenprey though. Can I still give my cats some as treats? Like 1 or 2 a week. 

I looked like a crazy person taking pics of all the types of livers, hearts and etc. they had at the Asian market. I'm hoping to do 50% commercial raw and 50% homemade raw one day so .. getting prices on the meats and organs, lol.

And switching flavors and meats and types of raw food shouldn't be a big deal, correct? Not like it is when it's dry kibble...?

Thanks

 

[maureen brad]

It is no problem at all switching the proteins you feed your cats. It is , in fact, ideal. You can certainly feed your cats treat whether or not you do franken - prey. It is good for the cats to have chewy food as well as ground food. Great for their teeth and jaws. I would be sparing with the fishy treats as the are hyper allergenic and cats can be addicted to them. I feed to fish at ll.

 As far as the store made ground, you have to add supplements, taurine etc. If you don't it is not a complete meal and actually is dangerous to health if more than 15% of what you feed does not contain supplements. When buying commercial raw look at the bag to make sure it reads 'complete and balanced' if it does not, it is not.

I add pre-mixed supplements to the grind. I buy Alnutrin from the Hare Today site. you can study and eventually buys the supplements individually and mix your own which does save some money. The Alnutrin is easy for me as I just add the appropriate amount per pound of meat. Good for you for doing this for your cats. You will enjoy watching them thrive and feel so good about making the change.

 

[maureen brad]

Sorry, that should read ' I feed no fish at all'.

 

[lisahe]

I had my kids with me so I couldn't take my time and ask questions and etc. So since I'm a newbie (and I'm just reading tons of info everywhere and everything is just mush inside my brain now), I'm wondering, how should I prepare this raw food? It's currently in the fridge to thaw. It's just ground meat (it says complete balance so they added all the supplements and etc) in a 1lb big paper cup with lid ... do I thaw the whole thing and then spoon estimated amount of one feeding into a baggie or baby jars or something?

And switching flavors and meats and types of raw food shouldn't be a big deal, correct? Not like it is when it's dry kibble...?

I find that the easiest way to handle frozen food is to defrost as little as possible and then put it, partially frozen, into small plastic containers. I have some Glad containers from the grocery store and some baby food containers, too. I've also used plastic bags: they're best for food that's more frozen when portioned out. I usually refreeze in batches that are enough for two days.

We switch out lots of meats and types of raw food, along with some canned, and that works well for the people and the cats! The cats get freeze-dried and frozen raw, all commercial, and they love it. Like your cats, they transitioned quickly, which made things easy.

 

[furmonster mom]

Congrats on the switch! 

You may find that your cats actually eat less of the raw than even commercial wet food.  For instance, when I fed wet, they got about 6-ish oz per day; however, on raw, they're getting 4.25 oz per day. So if you're feeding the same amount of raw as you were wet, I'm not surprised that they may leave a bit on their plates.

 

[mzalisakay]

 
It is no problem at all switching the proteins you feed your cats. It is , in fact, ideal. You can certainly feed your cats treat whether or not you do franken - prey. It is good for the cats to have chewy food as well as ground food. Great for their teeth and jaws. I would be sparing with the fishy treats as the are hyper allergenic and cats can be addicted to them. I feed to fish at ll.

 As far as the store made ground, you have to add supplements, taurine etc. If you don't it is not a complete meal and actually is dangerous to health if more than 15% of what you feed does not contain supplements. When buying commercial raw look at the bag to make sure it reads 'complete and balanced' if it does not, it is not.

I add pre-mixed supplements to the grind. I buy Alnutrin from the Hare Today site. you can study and eventually buys the supplements individually and mix your own which does save some money. The Alnutrin is easy for me as I just add the appropriate amount per pound of meat. Good for you for doing this for your cats. You will enjoy watching them thrive and feel so good about making the change.

Thanks! It does say complete and balanced meal on the tub I bought the one that's finished with the supplements so it's easy and ready to go.

I find that the easiest way to handle frozen food is to defrost as little as possible and then put it, partially frozen, into small plastic containers. I have some Glad containers from the grocery store and some baby food containers, too. I've also used plastic bags: they're best for food that's more frozen when portioned out. I usually refreeze in batches that are enough for two days.

We switch out lots of meats and types of raw food, along with some canned, and that works well for the people and the cats! The cats get freeze-dried and frozen raw, all commercial, and they love it. Like your cats, they transitioned quickly, which made things easy.

Ahh, thanks! I just went ahead and left it in fridge to thaw and will be portioning them out tonight into baggies. I need to get some single serving sized containers. I bought 2 lbs of raw food so I'm just worried that it will start browning so it's not as fresh before I can remember to freeze or feed. Then I'm worried if I leave in freezer, I will forget to take out ahead of time and then will have to resort to canned since they would be starving and not willing to wait. I'm not a very... well prepared person, lol.

But I LOVE that I have more options in switching out texture (pate, frankenprey, ground, etc) and proteins and even switching between canned, freeze dried, commercial and homemade. SO much happier now that my cats are off kibble. 

 
Congrats on the switch! 

You may find that your cats actually eat less of the raw than even commercial wet food.  For instance, when I fed wet, they got about 6-ish oz per day; however, on raw, they're getting 4.25 oz per day. So if you're feeding the same amount of raw as you were wet, I'm not surprised that they may leave a bit on their plates.

THANK YOU! I was trying to find information on that. I feed about 6 oz of canned per day for each and I would say I give out 3 oz per raw feeding but I split it in half for each. So 1.5 oz x 3 ...is about 4.5 per day. They are better at finishing it now. I know I'm not supposed to leave it out for long, but I find that ... they'll sniff and ignore to come bug me for canned food. But I ignore them and they eventually go back and finish the raw food. 

 

[lisahe]

It's funny, @mzalisakay: I went to buy more Rad Cat today and someone who works in the store started asking me questions about how to portion it out because she's just starting to feed it! So I was more prepared than ever because of your questions. I definitely think it's best to re-freeze the stuff as quickly as you can and not let it sit too long in the refrigerator when you thaw it out again.

Freeze-dried raw foods are a good option for if (or when, ha!) you forget to thaw something. We feed our cats a lot of freeze-dried Primal and Stella & Chewy's -- they love them. Rad Cat, though, is their very favorite. And I often forget to defrost some. Oh, the glares!

I'm with @Furmonster Mom about portion size: even a small serving (it's around 1.5 oz) of Rad Cat holds our hungry kitties for hours.

 

[mzalisakay]

Okay so.. buy the tub of raw, thaw in fridge, portion it, then refreeze. Take out next day's portions, thaw in fridge and before feeding.... ?

When I thaw things before preparing it for that day, I tend to thaw in room temperature and not the fridge (because I pull it out the same day I need it lol). When I'm about to feed them, I pull it out (I had the NV Instinct Raw Bites and Stella & Chewy's frozen morsels in the freezer so I pull out a handful and put it in a baggy) and then leave it on the counter for a while to thaw. Sometimes I leave under warm water.  Is that a no-no? Since it's about 3 oz. in a baggy, it thaws quickly so I didn't think it's a big deal.

Should I only thaw in fridge overnight, then when I'm about to feed them, run the baggy under warm water to get it at least to room temperature and give it asap? I'm not quite sure if they prefer cold, room temp, or a little warmer than room temp. I've been feeding their canned food with a little warm water added so I figured it would be best to stay at the same temp. at least.  

Like I said, I'm not very well prepared. My family is lucky if I know what we're having for dinner more than 2 hours BEFORE I start making dinner that day, lol.

And I didn't think of freeze dried! Good point. I will certainly pick that up rather than resorting to canned food. Right now, I feel that if I even ATTEMPT to open canned food, the chubbier one will rejoice and both will be fussy the next time I put out raw "non-smelly and so healthy" food.

Now I gotta make plans to call around and see what prices are for local made raw food vs commercial raw food like Primal and Rad Cat... and find out if the local made's ingredients lists are good. Geez, good thing I like researching things. The effort put into this... I don't even mind whatever they're feeding my children at public school, LOL. 

 

[lisahe]

 
Should I only thaw in fridge overnight, then when I'm about to feed them, run the baggy under warm water to get it at least to room temperature and give it asap? I'm not quite sure if they prefer cold, room temp, or a little warmer than room temp. I've been feeding their canned food with a little warm water added so I figured it would be best to stay at the same temp. at least. 

I think fridge thawing is best. As for timing, a lot depends on how much you freeze in each packet and how cold your refrigerator is: our refrigerator is pretty cold and each container is pretty solid so it usually takes a long overnight to thaw the food. One of the benefits of baggies is that you can make flatter packets of food that thaw faster. I never leave the food out of the refrigerator (my mother was a dietitian and is big on food safety!) but I do sometimes add a little tepid water. Of course the food that's treated to kill the bacteria is probably safer but still...

I've been trying to form habits for the cats' food: taking out a new container after I finish one and checking at night before bed that there's something waiting for the next day. But of course I still sometimes forget... and then it's the Stella & Chewy's frozen morsels to the rescue because they defrost faster!

 
Now I gotta make plans to call around and see what prices are for local made raw food vs commercial raw food like Primal and Rad Cat... and find out if the local made's ingredients lists are good. Geez, good thing I like researching things. The effort put into this... I don't even mind whatever they're feeding my children at public school, LOL. 

I've found huge price differences on Rad Cat in my area... When I realized I could buy it for $2-3 less per large tub, I started feeding them more of it. Unfortunately, my store with Primal just stopped selling the freeze-dried food, though a closer store just started selling their frozen so I'm asking them to order it for me. I still put in an interim Chewy order, though their prices are higher than what I'd been paying. This can all be so complicated! I also put a lot of effort into cat food research: it seems a little odd sometimes but at least they eat well! They're Siamese mixes, so prone to digestive issues, so it's been extra-important to find healthy foods that they like!

Good luck!

 

[joleca]

FYI, NVI Raw Boost Kibble is dry kibble with raw freeze dried bites added to it.. Still basically just dry kibble.. So you probably don't want to feed this.

That was the last of the raw food. So, of course, this morning I went on a spending spree, lol. Got myself a 1lb bag of NVI Raw Boost Kibble (with the coupon I found here ) chicken flavor. I also found a local raw pet food place here. They make their own raw pet food and sell it and it's a whole lot more affordable for me than other commercial raw by 50%! 

 

[mzalisakay]

 
I think fridge thawing is best. As for timing, a lot depends on how much you freeze in each packet and how cold your refrigerator is: our refrigerator is pretty cold and each container is pretty solid so it usually takes a long overnight to thaw the food. One of the benefits of baggies is that you can make flatter packets of food that thaw faster. I never leave the food out of the refrigerator (my mother was a dietitian and is big on food safety!) but I do sometimes add a little tepid water. Of course the food that's treated to kill the bacteria is probably safer but still...

Do you feed it straight from the fridge so it's a little cold then? I always pull it out because I need it to be warmer before feeding. I think that's where I'm going wrong. I don't know how to get it warm without pulling it out 30 min before feeding time.

I've found huge price differences on Rad Cat in my area... When I realized I could buy it for $2-3 less per large tub, I started feeding them more of it. Unfortunately, my store with Primal just stopped selling the freeze-dried food, though a closer store just started selling their frozen so I'm asking them to order it for me. I still put in an interim Chewy order, though their prices are higher than what I'd been paying. This can all be so complicated! I also put a lot of effort into cat food research: it seems a little odd sometimes but at least they eat well! They're Siamese mixes, so prone to digestive issues, so it's been extra-important to find healthy foods that they like!

Good luck!

I'm hoping the local made raw ones (still commercial, but locally made by companies here in my area) are just as good because I can get them for so much less. 1lb of NV Instinct Chicken flavor is $10.49. Same with Stella & Chewy's. Not sure about Rad Cat or other brands' prices yet. However, If I got one of the local made: 1lb tub of chicken, it's $3.39, free range chicken would be $3.99. HUGE difference. I can get lamb at $6.99, duck at $4.69 and cornish hen at $4.89. Again, all complete and balanced meals, 1 lb of raw meat in a tub. So.. I'm ecstatic lol. It's not a far drive so still saving with gas prices and of course no dealing with shipping charges.

Thanks so much for your help lately though

FYI, NVI Raw Boost Kibble is dry kibble with raw freeze dried bites added to it.. Still basically just dry kibble.. So you probably don't want to feed this.

I'm new to everything so I am a bit confused now. I have the NVI raw bites, so it's not the freeze dried package. It's frozen and just like the Stella & Chewy's frozen morsels, you just thaw and serve. No adding water like with freeze dried. Also, I thought with the freeze dried, you just add water and it is not the same as dry kibble. It's still raw and a lot better than dry kibble. Is it something to do with NVI itself that they add dry kibble plus raw freeze dried in it... or freeze dried foods in general? 

 

[mzalisakay]

Ah. Finally did some reading at http://fnae.org/raw.html on thawing, serving and warming raw food so NOW I feel like I'm doing good with this whole raw diet deal, lol. 

Now I'm trying to read up on all this DMB, carbs, proteins, and calories deal. 

  I understand how to get DMB.. I think. For what purpose though? To find out how much protein the food really has, correct? It has to be high in proteins and low in carbs. What else? I never paid attention to the calories. I figured if your cat is eating between 4 to 6 oz and it's at a good, healthy weight, then that's good...?

 

[lisahe]

 
Do you feed it straight from the fridge so it's a little cold then? I always pull it out because I need it to be warmer before feeding. I think that's where I'm going wrong. I don't know how to get it warm without pulling it out 30 min before feeding time.

Yes, they are more than happy to eat it right out of the fridge, as long as it's not still icy, in which case I add a little water. I've gotten so used to just doing that I've forgotten that some cats prefer the food a little warmer, at "mouse temperature"! I found an old Cat Site thread that addresses that: it might be especially useful for you because people mention cat preferences and specific ways they warm the food. Here it is. I think all my mother's lessons about food safety have seeped deeper into my brain than I thought they did. It doesn't help that I find a lot of the raw food safety recommendations confusing and contradictory.

As for your question about dry matter numbers. If find them most useful for making sure foods don't have high carbs. Even some commercial raw foods, like Honest Kitchen, have pretty high carbs. I don't look at calories, either, though I've noticed that a lot of Cat Site members do. I'm like you: if the cats don't seem hungry and aren't overweight, I figure everybody's happy!

I also have to say that you are very lucky to have a source of locally made raw food! And so many meats!

 

[lisamarie12]

Mzaliskay:
Congratulations on the transition to raw. NV's raw boost that you purchased is dry kibble, while NV coats the kibble with raw, it's kibble and goes through the same extensive heat processing as kibble in general. The raw boost bites mixed in with the kibble can actually be purchased separately, NV's freeze dried meal mixer (available for cats in chicken, rabbit and lamb, small bags only; the meal mixer for dogs comes in larger bags and are the same ingredients as the MM's for cats - more cost effective but not available in rabbit). The MM can be reconstituted with water.

 

[joleca]

The Raw Bites are different from the "Raw Boost Kibble".. The Bites are frozen and 100% raw.. The kibble is a grain free dry kibble with some freeze dried raw bites added to it.. Its still basically Dry Kibble.. As long as you stick to the frozen bites you're doing good. True freeze-dried (not the kibble) is still raw, but you do need to re-constitute it before you'd want to feed it.

Nature's Variety Instinct does come in multiple types.. I'd stick to the frozen (you can use the "dog" version if you add supplemental taurine). They used to just have one frozen variety which was nutritionally complete for both dogs and cats.. then they took out the taurine and started making a cat only version in much smaller (and much more expensive) bags.. and only 3 proteins for the cat version. Their actual freeze-dried cat version is the same 3 proteins and also in very tiny bags (also very expensive).. I wouldn't feed it, but if you wanted to get as "treats", its ok to feed as is, a few pieces at a time.

Hope I haven't confused you even further...

I'm new to everything so I am a bit confused now. I have the NVI raw bites, so it's not the freeze dried package. It's frozen and just like the Stella & Chewy's frozen morsels, you just thaw and serve. No adding water like with freeze dried. Also, I thought with the freeze dried, you just add water and it is not the same as dry kibble. It's still raw and a lot better than dry kibble. Is it something to do with NVI itself that they add dry kibble plus raw freeze dried in it... or freeze dried foods in general? 

 

[mzalisakay]

Mzaliskay:
Congratulations on the transition to raw. NV's raw boost that you purchased is dry kibble, while NV coats the kibble with raw, it's kibble and goes through the same extensive heat processing as kibble in general. The raw boost bites mixed in with the kibble can actually be purchased separately, NV's freeze dried meal mixer (available for cats in chicken, rabbit and lamb, small bags only; the meal mixer for dogs comes in larger bags and are the same ingredients as the MM's for cats - more cost effective but not available in rabbit). The MM can be reconstituted with water.

The Raw Bites are different from the "Raw Boost Kibble".. The Bites are frozen and 100% raw.. The kibble is a grain free dry kibble with some freeze dried raw bites added to it.. Its still basically Dry Kibble.. As long as you stick to the frozen bites you're doing good. True freeze-dried (not the kibble) is still raw, but you do need to re-constitute it before you'd want to feed it.

Nature's Variety Instinct does come in multiple types.. I'd stick to the frozen (you can use the "dog" version if you add supplemental taurine). They used to just have one frozen variety which was nutritionally complete for both dogs and cats.. then they took out the taurine and started making a cat only version in much smaller (and much more expensive) bags.. and only 3 proteins for the cat version. Their actual freeze-dried cat version is the same 3 proteins and also in very tiny bags (also very expensive).. I wouldn't feed it, but if you wanted to get as "treats", its ok to feed as is, a few pieces at a time.

Hope I haven't confused you even further...

Thanks for clearing that up! I assumed it was like true freeze-dried where you just have to re-constitute. I didn't read much of the package information. Again, thanks! I would've felt like that was a step back had I purchased some. 

 
Yes, they are more than happy to eat it right out of the fridge, as long as it's not still icy, in which case I add a little water. I've gotten so used to just doing that I've forgotten that some cats prefer the food a little warmer, at "mouse temperature"! I found an old Cat Site thread that addresses that: it might be especially useful for you because people mention cat preferences and specific ways they warm the food. Here it is. I think all my mother's lessons about food safety have seeped deeper into my brain than I thought they did. It doesn't help that I find a lot of the raw food safety recommendations confusing and contradictory.

As for your question about dry matter numbers. If find them most useful for making sure foods don't have high carbs. Even some commercial raw foods, like Honest Kitchen, have pretty high carbs. I don't look at calories, either, though I've noticed that a lot of Cat Site members do. I'm like you: if the cats don't seem hungry and aren't overweight, I figure everybody's happy!

I also have to say that you are very lucky to have a source of locally made raw food! And so many meats!

Thanks! My mom was awful with food safety. Seems I may have picked up some of her methods of thawing. I pulled a 4 oz bag out of the fridge and just put it in warm water for a few minutes and fed them. They don't seem to mind too much so hopefully that works from now. 

I guess I will have to add figuring out DMBs to my list of "what to research" because if I go by the guaranteed analysis for my local made commercial raw, they add up to 0 or -2% carbs.... ? I'm not sure if I'm doing it right, but I double checked with a couple of sites. Well, they ARE duck and cornish hens so that's correct. 

Does anyone have opinions on type of meat they prefer? I have read some that say hoofed animals aren't "natural" prey therefore shouldn't be in the diet? I ask because I can get beef, pork, elk, red deer, lamb, and bison as well, but figured maybe having choices of turkey, chicken, rabbit, quail, pheasant, duck and cornish hens is enough. 

 

[furmonster mom]

You've got quite a nice selection of small prey meats there, but there is nothing wrong with a bit of the large animal meats once in a while.  In fact, half of my rotation is pork, beef, lamb, and goat.  

 

[mzalisakay]

Well that's good to know! Thank you

I feel quite lucky that I have a local resource that provides quite a selection and all at an affordable price! At least I can take advantage of the selection now that I know it's not "bad" to have large animal meats once in a while. 

I guess the last thing I'm wondering about (for now) is meats or snacks that would be best for brushing their teeth? I'm going to look for the little toothbrush and paste at the pet stores this weekend, but I think I would have better luck rolling some chicken feet around in food or crunchy snacks/cat nip instead. Would that suffice? I haven't picked up any freeze dried yet so I don't know what the consistency is like before reconstituting it; I know some choose to feed these as snacks, but I'm not sure if that would be enough to clean teeth? I was thinking of getting something like gizzards and just cutting small chunks to hide in their raw food also. 

 

[mzalisakay]

Oh, and another question. I really do appreciate all the help

Eggs. When people say raw eggs, naturally I think of the eggs my family and I eat. That's fine, right? Doesn't have to be organic or something else like quail eggs?

I was going to try to give them some anchovies, but they don't like it and the anchovies I got weren't whole. They're plain, but I don't think there are any bones and definitely no heads or skin so they've been cut and cleaned. I'm not sure what if that's still a good choice for snacks? If I should chunk it into their food and it would help with the brushing of teeth. I was thinking of using them for additional omega 3's in diets and quite frankly, I'm not sure what else.... 

So since that idea has been scrapped for now (unless I should chunk them up into the raw food?), I was thinking of adding salmon oil for omega 3's and then raw eggs to the diet.

Is it too soon for me to try the eggs?

How much should I try mixing into their diets?

Can cats have too much omega 3's or salmon oil?

One of my cats over-grooms and is turning into a Sphynx. We're limiting his diet and trying to add things to relieve his itchiness, dry skin, flakes, etc., etc. 

If it helps, their main diets right now is NVI raw bites, and a mix of the local commercial raw of cornish hen and duck:

Spoiler: Ingredients

DUCK

Duck with ground bones and organs, wild arctic salmon oil, organic safflower oil, organic sunflower oil, organic kelp, organic alfalfa powder, organic dulse powder, vitamins and minerals (tricalcium phosphate, soidium bicarbonate, potassium chloride, powdered cellulose, choline bitartrate, potassium citrate, taurine, magnesium ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, niacin, manganese sulfate, copper sulfate, calcium panthothenate, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin A acetate, rriboflavin, biotin, sodium selenite, vitamin b12 supplement, menadione sodium biosulfate complex, pyridoxine hydrochloride, ethylenediamine dihydrochloride, folic acid, and cholecalciferol).

% Crude Protein not less than    16%

% Crude Fat not less than             12%

% Crude Fiber not more than     1%

% Moisture not more than          70%

% Crude Ash not more than        1%

Kcal/cup                                               376

CORNISH HEN

Cornish hen with ground bones and organs, wild arctic salmon oil, organic safflower oil, organic sunflower oil, organic kelp, organic alfalfa powder, organic dulse powder, vitamins and minerals (tricalcium phosphate, sodium bicarbonate, potassium chloride, powdered cellulose, choline bitartrate, potassium citrate, taurine, magnesium sulfate, calcium carbonate, L-cystine, DL-methionine, d-alpa tocopherol acetate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, niacin, manganese sulfate, copper sulfate, calcium selenite, vitamin b12 supplement, mendaione sodium bisulfate complex, pyridoxine hydrochloride, ethylenediamine dihydrochloride, folic acid, and cholecalciferol).

% Crude Protein not less than    15%

% Crude Fat not less than             20%       

% Crude Fiber not more than     1%

% Moisture not more than          64%       

% Crude Ash not more than        2%         

Kcal/cup                                               510

 

[furmonster mom]

Personally, I like chicken necks for "brushing teeth", though gizzards are a nice tough meaty snack for the same purpose.  I'm too lazy to try and get them used to a toothbrush at this point in the game. lol   When they go in for dentals (about once every 3-5 years), my vet always comments on how easy they were to clean and how relatively little tartar was on them.

As for eggs, yes, regular ol' eggs are fine.  There are some who will extol the virtues of organic, or farm fresh eggs, which is fine if they are available to you.  But I use the same eggs we eat ourselves.  I've found that my cats are not keen on egg whites, but love the yolks.  I would go slow at first, since they are very rich.  Egg yolks are great for coat improvement.

Didja know that both whites and yolks can be frozen?  They do need to be separated, and the yolks actually change in texture, but it's completely do-able.  I take the yolks, add a little teaspoon or less of water, and freeze them in ice cube trays.  When they thaw, they are kinda thick and slightly gelatinous, but the cats still love 'em.  They get a teaspoon with a meal every couple/few days.

I go easy on the fish oil, mainly because the human sized doses are pretty intense for little kitty bodies.  Mine get fish oil about once or twice a week.

Remember, cats are as individual as people.  Everyone ends up futzing for a while until they find something that works for their cats.