How much raw to feed in a day?

[mewlittle]

How many oz's of raw does a 6lb cat need in a day? I started Marty on it about 2 weeks ago he goes nuts for it but im not sure how many oz's he needs a aday so he dont loose weight or get to fat lol

Right now he gets cut up beef chunks its little squers things and ground turkey and beef patties for now im going to get more of a variety for him later when i go to walmart soon i know ground meat ain't the great choice but it resembles wet food in away yes im going to slowly get him to eat none ground meat later and i started to add pure pumkin puree in his beef pattie this morning to help with his pooping his pooping is starting to straightin out a little bit his weight is the same if any one can give me tips on how many oz's of food he needs a day and how many oz's of organs etc in a day that be great thanks

 

[LTS3]

How many oz's of raw does a 6lb cat need in a day? I started Marty on it about 2 weeks ago he goes nuts for it but im not sure how many oz's he needs a aday so he dont loose weight or get to fat lol

It varies

My 10 pound Aby eats 3 oz of food a day, split into two 1 oz meals and two 0.5 oz meals. He's been eating that much since he was a year old and he's 4 now. My 8 pound DMH eats just 2 oz a day, just two meals. I suggest starting with 1 oz meal servings twice a day and adjusting the amount and frequency as needed depending on your cat's appetite and overall body condition.

Are you doing frankenprey / prey model?

 

[mewlittle]

I don't know what the frankenpray etc means basicly i just take like 2-3 sqaurs of the shopped beef with some ground turkey on the plat and he eats it at night and in the morning i do a beef pattie mash it up on the plat and give it to him he eats it and in the after noon sometimes i give him some wet or some raw like beef pattie or ground turkey depeands what im doing he finishes every meal and wants more i think the beef patties are 4oz each not sure how many oz is in the beef squars or ground turkey i give him i dont have a food scale do you think about 4oz raw 3 times a day allot? He has a big appetite

 

[charlismom]

If you are just feeding plain meat as you described, you need to be adding supplements, and I emphasize "need"....it's not optional.  They need to be eating organ meats, liver, etc...

Raw fed cats need to be eating the following:   (it could be over a course of a week, but all listed below need to be eaten.)

If you are just feeding plain meat, then you need to supplement with something such as Alnutrin (check website for detailed info: knowwhatyoufeed.com)

• 80–85% meat (besides boneless muscle meat, this can and should also include things like fat, skin, sinew, tendons, cartilage and any other soft connective tissue etc.)

• 10% edible bone

• 5-10% organs (with half that amount being liver

The amount per day you can see what works best for your kitty, as you can easily just increase or decrease the amount.  You really don't have to worry about your kitty becoming "fat" when raw fed...just be sure you are feeding enough.  Kittens need a lot more than adult cats.  You say your cat is 6lbs, but I don't know if it's adult or kitten.  I have a 8 and a half month old kitten that has already eaten 6 oz of food today, and she will have another 2 oz. before bed....but she's still growing, and very active kitten, and she's of good size, she's tall, and she weighs 8.8 lbs right now.

 

[LTS3]

Frankenprey is feeding a diet that mimicks what a cat in the wild would eat - about 80% meat, 10% organs, 10% bone.

 basicly i just take like 2-3 sqaurs of the shopped beef with some ground turkey on the plat and he eats it at night and in the morning i do a beef pattie mash it up on the plat and give it to him he eats it and in the after noon sometimes i give him some wet or some raw like beef pattie or ground turkey depeands what im doing he finishes every meal and wants more i think the beef patties are 4oz each not sure how many oz is in the beef squars or ground turkey i give him i dont have a food scale do you think about 4oz raw 3 times a day allot? He has a big appetite

You're not feeding a complete balanced diet. Raw meat on it's own does not provide a cat with all the essential vitamins and minerals. You can continue feeding the raw meat but you either need to add bones and organs as well or add supplements.

Here are some good web sites to learn more about making raw food for cats:

http://catinfo.org/?link=makingcatfood

http://www.catnutrition.org/

If you don't want to use organs and bones or measure out multiple supplements, consider buying a premix such as Alnutrin or TC Feline or Better In The Raw.  The premix contains all the vitamins and minerals a cat needs. You just measure out the premix and add to raw meat along with some water.

 

[mewlittle]

I know just plain meat wont cover all nutrition thats why i still give him wet food for launch I asked my krogers earlier if they sold organ meats they don't i'm going to walmart soon to see if they have organ meats expesully hearts if so I'm going to add that into his diet i just started adding raw in his diet about 2 weeks ago im slowly adding more raw and removing wet and i know cats need hearts livers etc in there diet just didn't know by how much I'm new at feeding raw and still learning thats why im asking questions do you have to supplement once the cat is eating meat organs bones etc? If so what do you recommend? Thank you all

 

[mewlittle]

Oh and Marty looks like a 6-7 mo old kitten but he is 3years old I watched him be born his 6lbs is a good weight on him not to skinny or to fat lol if he goes down to 5 lbs he will look skinny i rarely see him at 7 or 5 lbs he manly stays at 6lbs

 

[LTS3]

I know just plain meat wont cover all nutrition thats why i still give him wet food for launch I asked my krogers earlier if they sold organ meats they don't i'm going to walmart soon to see if they have organ meats expesully hearts if so I'm going to add that into his diet i just started adding raw in his diet about 2 weeks ago im slowly adding more raw and removing wet and i know cats need hearts livers etc in there diet just didn't know by how much I'm new at feeding raw and still learning thats why im asking questions

do you have to supplement once the cat is eating meat organs bones etc? If so what do you recommend? Thank you all

Try a butcher shop or an ethnic market for organs and bones and such. I doubt WalMart has any. Sometimes a regular supermarket has chicken gizzards and livers and maybe beef liver but that's about it.

No, once you are feeding meat, organs, and bone in the right proportions you don't need to supplement with anything.

Some cats are jsut on the small side. As long as your cat is at a good weight and the vet says he's healthy, don't worry

 

[mewlittle]

I have a butcher shop close to where i live i've never been there before i can give them a try when i get a chance i have bad transportation lol and thats good i dont have to supplamint once on a good proportions and how long does on raw diet before cats pooping fully straightin out? Everyonce in awhile he will have diarrhea and sometimes close to normal poop he is a complacated case

 

[ritz]

First, thank you for wanting the best food for your cat. I urge you to do some reading while you're exploring the raw option. There are a lot of articles in this forum. Don't be dismayed by the number of links. Lts3 gave you some basics. FWIW, hearts are not organs when feeding raw, although they are an excellent source of taurine. Organs you need are liver and kidney. Liver is widely available, and kidney is relatively easy to find, especially in grocery stores that sell a lot of ethnic foods.

 

[promethus]

Most chicken companies sell gizzard and hearts its usually about 1.50 a pound.

My Bengal who is about 9 pound and 8 months old eats 8 Oz a day

His diet is 1 oz of chicken liver, 7 oz of complete chicken or steak.

Complete chicken meaning an organic chicken chopped in to pieces.

the thigh I crack the bone with a cleaver about every inch.

Chicken bones are only bad once they are cooked thats what makes them brittle.

make then chunks about 2 oz each some pieces he will play like prey flinging it up in the air etc. lol

That's ok he is imitating a kill,he will eat it after he is done playing.

Don't worry he will not eat what he cant swallow.

The gizzards serve as is.

Beef I cut into strips about 1 Inch wide trying to keep the fat equal on each piece.

All cooking will do is reduce the value of the food.

I know of the danger of Salmonella, good housekeeping solves that.

You kitty probably has Salmonella already LOL its naturally occurring but its a strain they can tolerate.

If your cat is healthy he would survive salmonella .

As a warning you should check the poop if your cat has the runs then you should consider Salmonella.

http://felineinstincts.com/dontworryaboutsalmonellawhenfeedingrawtoyourcats/

Don't worry cats like to gnaw on the food.

Don't grind up the food or buy chopped anything as it breaks it down to much.

Also there is more exposure to airborn bugs bacteria and all that icky stuff.

I have plastic containers which I weigh out his food.

5 oz in the morning and 3 oz in the evening.

In order to save space I divide the servings up by separating with some wax paper.

This way one container is 1 days food.

What he does not eat in 30 minutes I put in the fridge for his next meal.

I cut up about 1 weeks food then freeze it.

I let a container thaw for a day in the fridge.

Serve at room temperature.

You cat will probably drink the juice too.

I put out fresh water but he does not drink much as he gets his water from the food.

Don't worry about consistent feeding times in the wild they when they kill.

Walmart and most supermarket chains carry gizzards and hearts and chicken livers.

If not find a local Spanish or Chinese butcher they tend to kill their own chickens.

Sources for food

https://www.hare-today.com is one place you find a great variety of food there.

 

[mewlittle]

If he has salimalela how do i get rid of it or will it on its own?

 

[promethus]

It's not an if question he probably has it naturally.

If he gets the wrong strain, that can be a problem.

Watch the poop if it gets diarrhea like and you see blood go to the vet.

Try avoid antibiotics tho as its just not natural for the cat.

All  salmonella outbreaks are from packing plants etc. Look it up on the CDC website

Even some are from dry dog food

Poor handling is always the culprit.

I have a separate cutting board and cleaver for the cat food and I scrub it and the cleaver with bleach.

When ever you handle the cat food just wash your hands.

Also I user a steel feeding bowl as it can't get porous.

I have 2 foot square feeding mat which I wash daily.

if I had to worry feeding non meat is far greater health risk

 

[mewlittle]

So you saying he might have it from a possible tanted dry brand ? I did feed diamond a couple times could that done it?

 

[promethus]

If he has the symptoms then see a vet.

 

[maureen brad]

Please add supplements to your cats diet. If you can't then please feed canned food. Also, if you are feeding him regular ground beef etc. that isn't a great idea. Make sure it is natural no anti-biotic, hormones etc. regular ground meats sold to people are not th esafest because stores assume people will cook that meat and kill surface bacteria etc. By the way, you can buy pre-mixed nutrients t mix in food. I use Alnutrin for meals containing bone but if you do not feed bone yu an buy Alnutrin with calcium . It is so important and if he gets 2 meals a day without supplements that is really to much. Only 15% of his diet can be without needed nutrients. Good luck to you!