How long did you have to use "toppers"?

[tamgirl99]

Hi everyone! 

It's been a long time since I posted here and I really do need to update my profile with my new kitties.   Anyways, they are both abyssinians ages 2 *Emmy) and 15 months (Allie), both female.  They have been on wet food their entire lives, but I've been transitioning them to raw since the first part of December.  Here is a quick recap of where we're currently at:

December 1st, started both cats on Stella & Chewy's freeze-dried raw for cats (chicken, turkey and duck flavors since all fish based ones contain the toxic vitamin K).  I rotated them pretty much at every meal since my two get picky easily and they ate it really well for about 3 weeks, then started to balk at it.  I pushed on until I was ready to start real raw and had recovered from the flu the first part of January. 

Early last week, I started introducing them to plain raw cuts of chicken thighs and liver as well as Rad Cat raw.  Since they've been off wet food for over a month, I just put the Rad Cat out on it's own to see how they'd do.  My youngest didn't recognize it as food, but my older one would always eat about 5 bites or so then walk away.  At that point I started putting "toppers" on them including freeze-dried chicken or turkey and even mixing it with plain Beeches meat-only baby food at times.  They have eaten it pretty well this way for several days now and are starting to eat it with more gusto than before.

My question is, how long did you have to use toppers before yours were eating the raw 100% and eating it well?

 

[ldg]

For my older cats (ranging in age from 4 or 5 to 10), I'd say I had to use toppers at most meals for the first few months for at least some of them. We're about a year into it now, and I have to use a topper for one or two of them here and there, depending on the protein I'm feeding them. At this point, it's just part of the feeding program. :lol3:

 

[tamgirl99]

Thanks LDG!  I was beginning to wonder if I will ever be able to not use a topper so I thought I should ask how other kitties handled the transition without.  I know it's only been a week on the Rad Cat, but you'd think after a few meals they would start understanding that the raw is good (and yummy!) food.  These darn silly cats!

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

I've been feeding raw since March of last year, and still use toppers too.  Sometimes they just need them to get started, sometimes they need them to finish up...just depends on the day.  And sometimes they don't need them at all.  But I ALWAYS keep them on hand, just in case.  Oh, and what they like as toppers changes too

 

.  At least with mine it does.  They are SO finnicky. 

 

[silviar]

Let me chime in - I started my kitten on raw pretty much immediately when we got him over a month ago, and I still have to use toppers once in awhile. He loves his raw food, and doesn't even eat the canned stuff--he just wants the gravy. 

 

[ldg]

I've been feeding raw since March of last year, and still use toppers too.  Sometimes they just need them to get started, sometimes they need them to finish up...just depends on the day.  And sometimes they don't need them at all.  But I ALWAYS keep them on hand, just in case.  Oh, and what they like as toppers changes too :lol3:   .  At least with mine it does.  They are SO finnicky. 

With Lazlo, what he likes as food changes. :lol3: He used to love rabbit - now he hates it. He loved pork, hated pork, and now loves chunks of pork, but not ground pork. For MONTHS he loved freeze dried chicken as a topper. Now he hates it. We've rotated between freeze dried beef liver (Etta Says) and FD chicken liver (Stewart's). Flortiflora used to be incredibly reliable if something else didn't work - now he won't eat THAT.

 

[tamgirl99]

I have the same problems as well.  Mine go through phases where they burn out on freeze dried chicken or even their favorite canned food if I give it too many times in a row.  But I guess I'd be the same way if I was offered my favorite mac & cheese for every meal.  

 

[tamgirl99]

I got a new topper yesterday that I wanted to share because the cats devoured it.  It's Bravo turkey hearts.  They're pretty big, but I just take one and break it apart into little pieces and their entire meal is gone in seconds.  This will now be in my topper rotation to help avoid the finicky cat syndrome! 

 

[otto]

I still use toppers. Mazy and Queen Eva don't like their Krill so they always get a topper if the meal has krill oil in it. Also,sometimes just to help them finish a meal, or if someone has left some calcium powder in the dish, or....just to add variety to the meal.

I don't see anything wrong with sprinkling a pinch of Vet's-Best hairball relief (the topper of choice in my house) dust on a meal, and don't see any reason to not do it, indefinitely.

 

[ldg]

I got a new topper yesterday that I wanted to share because the cats devoured it.  It's Bravo turkey hearts.  They're pretty big, but I just take one and break it apart into little pieces and their entire meal is gone in seconds.  This will now be in my topper rotation to help avoid the finicky cat syndrome! :lol3:

http://www.amazon.com/Bravo-Bonus-Bites-Freeze-2-Ounce/dp/B004YTZYOU

Thank you for sharing - that's brilliant! My kitties (except Spooky) LOVE heart. Great idea!

 

[otto]

I got a new topper yesterday that I wanted to share because the cats devoured it.  It's Bravo turkey hearts.  They're pretty big, but I just take one and break it apart into little pieces and their entire meal is gone in seconds.  This will now be in my topper rotation to help avoid the finicky cat syndrome! :lol3:

http://www.amazon.com/Bravo-Bonus-Bites-Freeze-2-Ounce/dp/B004YTZYOU

These look terrific. Are they raw or cooked? I couldn't tell by the website. It says you can carry them in your pocket, so that makes me think they are cooked first?

I'd love to get more heart into my cats. The only hearts available to me is packages of chicken gizzards and hearts, and the package never has more than 3 hearts in it.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Somebody remind me, though, is it turkey hearts, or turkey liver, that has a whole lot of Vitamin A (so that you don't want to feed too much of it?).  Sorry, I'm majorly drugged on migraine meds today, so the brain is even worse than usual

Anyhoo, i also found a new topper, although I will take a magic bullet or Vita Mix blender, I'm thinking, in order to make it into a powder.  It's freeze dried RAW tripe.  (forgive me if I have already posted this tidbit

).  Here's a link where you can find it.  http://www.lukesallnatural.com/vital-essentials-freeze-dried-beef-tripe-treats-5-oz-p-4938.html.  The pieces are very hard, and kind of big for a cat, but with the correct tool, they can be cut.  (actually, I need to use the thingy in the middle of my scissors...looks kind of like a nutcracker, to crack them so I can cut them with the scissors)  ALL my furbabies love them. 

 

[ldg]

I have four cats that will eat tripe, and none of them need a topper. :lol3:

But it's the turkey LIVER that is particularly high in vitamin A. All liver is high in vitamin A, but turkey has about 2x as much as chicken liver.

Hearts are chock full of taurine.

Hope your migraine goes away soon!!!!

 

[drubole]

Forgive my ignorance, but how do you feed tripe?  I bought some for the dog, so was wondering how you all introduce it..is it counted as meat muscle?  We buy the chicken livers and the gizzards and chunk them up, what would the tripe replace?  I have never "dealt" with tripe before...but I like the idea of variety...

 

[ldg]

It's counted as a meat, and it's already balanced between calcium and phosphorus in the proper ratio. :nod:

Tripe would replace any meat meal.

 

[tamgirl99]

I just checked the Bravo bag and it just says freeze-dried turkey hearts (100% turkey hearts).  These are pretty large, but can be broken up pretty easily.  One is usually perfect for topping off two plates of 1.5 oz raw each. One word of warning though, for some reason they are kind of greasy when broken up, so expect a lot of finger licking going on by the cats afterwards. 

  

These may also be too rich to add to something like lamb, since that is the combo I used this morning when Emmy vomited.  They go nuts for this but from now on I'll only use freeze-dried chicken on the lamb and use the turkey hearts on turkey or chicken.  

Is rabbit considered a light or heavier meat?  I saw something about it being an alternative white meat, but it sure looks red to me! 

Off to look into the tripe now!

 

[tamgirl99]

Okay, now you all have me excited about toppers so I just purchased the green trip (but I'm trying the Dr. Harvey's version since it looked like it would break up easier), chicken hearts and even leg of lamb 

.  Now I'll be able to match the proteins to the food I'm feeding, except the Hare Today rabbit.  I couldn't find any freeze-dried rabbit on Amazon, but didn't search beyond that.  I think I've bought enough for a while! 

 

[ldg]

:lol3: I'm going to order the freeze dried hearts. :lol3: It's always exciting to find a new topper.

I don't think there is freeze dried rabbit! I've never looked for it though...

According to Shelly's stomach, rabbit is a white meat. :lol3: BUT... it has fat and calories like a red meat. :dk: I know everyone thinks rabbit is lean - but that is WILD rabbit, not farmed rabbit.

 

[otto]

I ordered the hearts too. I really want my cats to have more heart.

 

[otto]

These look terrific. Are they raw or cooked? I couldn't tell by the website. It says you can carry them in your pocket, so that makes me think they are cooked first?

I'd love to get more heart into my cats. The only hearts available to me is packages of chicken gizzards and hearts, and the package never has more than 3 hearts in it.

They answered my e mail. The turkey hearts are freeze dried raw.

It's counted as a meat, and it's already balanced between calcium and phosphorus in the proper ratio. :nod:

Tripe would replace any meat meal.

So tripe can be fed as balanced, as is, no bone or organ necessary to balance?

Okay, now you all have me excited about toppers so I just purchased the green trip (but I'm trying the Dr. Harvey's version since it looked like it would break up easier), chicken hearts and even leg of lamb :lol3: .  Now I'll be able to match the proteins to the food I'm feeding, except the Hare Today rabbit.  I couldn't find any freeze-dried rabbit on Amazon, but didn't search beyond that.  I think I've bought enough for a while! :nod:

Can you share a link please?