How Many Raw Feeders Out There?

[booktigger]

i am too paranoid about getting it wrong, and dislike handling meat, so they get high meat content wet food. I do occasionally give them bits of raw meat, but think only one of the current cats likes it (not tried the new fosters yet, but the last two longtermers loved raw meat)

 

[amberthe bobcat]

I feed raw to my bobcats and cougar, but my domestics do not, except for the occasional raw treat now and then.

 

[cc12]

Originally Posted by laureen227

if a premade was carried locally, i'd certainly give it a try. but it's not - the pet stores hereabouts don't even have a refrigerated section.

I happen to live in a very pro raw feeding city so I have loads of resources.
It does help to have support but if you can get the premade mix all you need is the meat and livers. I use the Feline Future sometimes and 5 out of 6 gobble it up. Pampered Prince Cleo only likes one brand of raw food.
Even if a person were able to give one raw meal a day it could go a long way.

My foster kitty is on dry and canned but I gave her a raw food snack and she scarfed it up. Sometimes it is a matter of finding the right mixture and the right meat. Some cats LOVE beef. Mary goes bananas over it. Lucia loves anything. Seldon loves everything but if it is chicken or turkey he is even happier. Saffron and Sachi will only eat my homemade food.

I know it is hard to find support in some places and it seems scary-RAW

-but once I saw the benefits I was hooked and never looked back. The litterboxes that don't stink will keep me doing if nothing else. My foster's box reeks in comparison and I find myself cleaning it 3 times a day. Raw food eaters have fewer poops and less odorous ones.

 

[tamgirl99]

I voted "no" but am about to start my venture into raw feeding. I ordered the Feline Future supplement to start out with and will also plan to supplement these meals with some meaty bones (i.e. chicken thighs) for dental health. I have been feeding my 9-month old pieces of raw chicken breast for a week now as that is the only thing I had on hand when I decided to give this a whirl. She eats these up and seems to really love chewing on them.

I started trying the raw plain chicken since her diarrhea has persisted, even after trying several treatments. My holistic vet had told me that if her diarrhea continued after this last treatment, that we needed to move her to a one meat-only diet. That's when I thought I'd start adding the raw chicken pieces. It seems that with the raw chicken and certain canned foods (Wellness, Avoderm and Natural Balance) her diarrhea has stopped. She does occassionally eat some of the dry Max Cat Adult Chicken that I have out for my older kitty, but that doesn't seem to affect her at all.

My plans are to move her to raw completely if I can keep up with it and if not she will get the healthier canned foods with raw as often as I can keep up with it. I'm thinking a 50% raw is the lowest I'd be willing to go. I'm also going to try different meats to see if I can get my older kitty interested. She has a lot of health problems and I think moving her to a healthy raw diet will really help her a lot.

 

[maxcat08]

I'm transitioning my kitties right now. I did buy alot of good quality canned food..Wellness, Wuerva, etc..so I don't want to throw it out. I bought the Nature's Variety chunks...so at every meal...they get 1/2 canned, 1/2 raw.

The two kittens...3 mos and 6 mos took to it right away...didn't even notice....and surprisingly...so did my 12-yr old....in fact, I sometimes just feed her the raw...since she doesn't eat as much as the kittens....and she just licks the bowl to the last 'crumb'.

I will give the kittens a chicken wing once in a while. So far, the 6 mos old will eat the meat, but not chew on the bone. The 3 mos old just plays with it and licks it a bit. He mainly watches the older kitten eat it. I do want them to start crunching the bones..so I will have to work on that aspect of the eating.

I have a grinder on order...and will grind my own food. But I still intend to buy the premade food too. I don't want to spend all my time in the kitchen.

I feel that the current and future health benefits to my cats is going to be so good by feeding them the raw. I also have to get them off the dry food. I am using up some that I bought..it was Orijen and Taste of the Wild. They do seem to like it alot. I just hope that the raw food keeps their tummies full and they won't miss the dry food.

 

[crt]

I've been feeding one of my cats raw for about two years. It cleared up her IBS and now I'm afraid to switch her back to commercial food! I used to make my own from raw rabbit but the shipping expense and hassle was too much. I presently use a product from Feline Instincts where I just have to add ground meat, liver, water, and fish oil. Here is a link to their site:

http://www.felineinstincts.com/

 

[pee-cleaner]

My Feline Instincts order came today!!!

I will start them on it tomorrow. My cats will be getting dry, grain free in the morning and raw in the evening.

I also have 2 dogs. So far just giving them a chicken neck with dinner. They sure love those. Not sure if I'll do raw with them as they are medium sized girls and eat a lot more than cats. I'd probably be out looking for road kill (yes, some people do it!) if I had all of mine on raw all the time!

 

[tamgirl99]

My InstinctsTC arrived today as well! I'm planning to make my first batch tonight to see how my 9-month old likes it. So far she has eaten a lot of raw chicken breast (chunks) and part of a thigh. I had tried to slip a tiny bit of bone in some of the chunks but she kept spitting it back out. That may take some time to transition. She also hates the liver so hopefully she'll do okay with it in the overall mix.

My older kitty has shown no interest in the raw breast or thigh. I tried cooking her up some homemade chicken baby food as the Feline Future website suggested, but she doesn't want anything to do with it either. Hopefully she'll show an interest in the InstinctsTC mix but I doubt it. I may have to cook a batch to see if that peaks her interest and work it down to raw. She's going through one of her not wanting to eat phases so I have to be really careful with her.

MAXCAT08 and pee-cleaner: Please keep us updated on how your kitties do. It helps me if someone else is going through this at the same time so we can share tips and such.

 

[pee-cleaner]

I'm starting a new thread: New Raw Feeders Chronicles: http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...74#post2403974

 

[monaxlisa]

I feed Munchkin raw breakfast. I make my own, and while its pretty messy until you get the hang of it, its not too difficult to make. If you'd like to PM me about it feel free : ) I was reallly nervous starting it too but its worked great for me.