Considering making my own food due to food allergies

[sheeshshe]

I have a 4 year old male cat, and also 2 kittens about 8 months old.  The two kittens seem to have some food allergies going on, and I am thinking about making my own food for them.  I have access to purchasing chicken from a wholesale distributor at at a good price, but I don't think I can find a meat grinder to grind the meat and bones that is within budget.  I think I am reading that I can buy boneless meat but add powdered egg shell?  I would assume though that using the bones would add additional minerals to the diet that egg shells can't completely replicate.  I need to keep the cost as low as possible, as I live very frugally and am on a tight budget.  My thoughts are that the bone-in option would be the cheapest option, but I am not sure what a reasonable grinder in the USA would be, for the best possible price, any ideas on that one?  So, my questions and thoughts are sort of all over the place, and I am sorry.  I am just not sure which route is the best to go and all the information is a bit overwhelming to go though and figure out.

 

[missmimz]

I make my own raw using boneless meat from Hare Today and then add Alnutrin with eggshell calcium. There are arguments that using real bone is better, but my cats prefer meat without bone, so that's the route I went. I don't/didn't want to invest in a grinder, either. If you can get boneless meat (from a trusted butcher only, NOT pre-ground meat from the grocery store) Alnutrin is relatively cheap so it keeps costs low, you could also look into ordering from Hare Today, if you live on the east cost shipping is reasonable.

Have you fed your cats any raw before? You might want to try a commercial raw food before you jump into making your own, as there are some cats that don't like raw.

 

[sheeshshe]

I'm pretty sure both the kittens will like it, as both were rescues... one was a feral and the other was a kitten of an abandoned cat... so both were used to eating raw food when they were younger.  my 4 year old cat will probably pass on the idea, but it is the younger ones who I feel have the allergies.

 

[silverpersian]

I alternate between boneless meat + eggshell and supplements and ground bone-in chicken + supplements. I buy the supplements (taurine, B-complex, vitamin E, fish oil caps, manganese) instead of using Alnutrin to keep the cost lower.

My grinder is the Tasin TS-108. It is currently available for $150 + shipping. I bought this grinder for a friend, and it seems identical to the Tasin, at less than half the price ($63):

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2000W-2-6-H...495498?hash=item5b1d1d7c0a:g:GIQAAOSwu4BV17jv  

 

[sheeshshe]

does your friend use thigh bones in it at all?  I wonder how it handles those.  

Has anyone tried the method where you take the bones and you boil them until they're completely mush and then send it through the food processor, then use the broth and blended bones in your mix?  it seems like more work, but I like the idea of it.  I read that as long as the bones are cooked until all that is left is the collagen part of the bone, so there is no splintering etc when you send it through the processor.  you have to use the liquid as it has all the nutrients left in it.

 

[silverpersian]

Yes. She buys bone-in thighs, and it has been handling them well for over a year now.

 
does your friend use thigh bones in it at all?  I wonder how it handles those.  

 

[nora1]

Or you can feed the meat with bone in. I feed meats with bone in and my cat just crunches right through them! Great for their teeth, and way easier and cheaper. I use chicken wings as my bone source as they are thin and easy for cats to get through. All other meat I just cut into chunks! No grinder needed

If it's allergies, take it slow when introducing new meats and keep a journal! I rescued my cat, and she has a lot of allergies that I didn't know about. Start with all chicken recipes, then turkey, then beef.....etc etc.

My cats allergies are why I switched to 100% raw

 

[kittymomma1122]

I do not know where you live, but a local butcher may be willing to grind your fresh batches for you. I live in farm country so we have 3 butcher shops.