please can I have some general advice for my kittens

[gizmoandluna]

so i re homed 2 kittens 2 weeks ago they are now about 10 wees old

they are currently fed natures menu raw food in the morning and then have a bowl of pets at home holistic blend (we bought it as it was the best in stock at the time and it hasnt bin eaten yet but plan to replace with taste of the wild) kibble to pick at if they so desire

I also have 2 dogs that i attempted raw feeding but they just wernt having any of it and it all felt pretty over my head

I just want some idiots guide advice regarding having a sucesfull raw journey with my 2 kittens

I like the natures menu stuff as it seems well balanced and its ok financially now but as they get bigger and eat more i have bin wondering if it might be more cost effective to make my own food (however I am vegetarian so dont fancy gutting mice or anything to that effect lol)

was just hoping some with lots of expierence could give me some advice

i already notice the difference in there poo as i did when my dogs were raw fed , my kittens poo twice a day (my last non raw fed cats pooed soooo much in comparison) although there poo dose stink to high heaven when they do it and they seem to time it with just when ive sat down to eat lol, not sure if this is the extra kibble they are munching, they already ahve the RDA of natures menu in the morning, i give it all in 1 go as it isant a great deal and they eat it all in 1 go if they left some id do it as 2 feed, i also know raw fed animals tend to eat less becuase the foods better and drink less because of water in food just wodnering what else i could give in replacement of a snacky bowl of kibble as they are still little so dont want to deprive them of acess to food but also I dont want to be actively over feeding them buy giving them anotehr raw feed of the same amount in the evening, i weigh them ocne a week to adjust there raw food acordingly

any advice would be great please as the last cats i had were kittens when i was 10 lol and they were fed on wiskers eugh lol xxx

 

[Columbine]

I think the problem you're running into with the nature's menu is that the feeding guidelines on the pack are for adult cats. Nature's Menu raw is fine to give to kittens, but they just need more of it. Here's their kitten feeding guide http://www.naturesmenu.co.uk/Kitten-Feeding-Guide.aspx

In addition to that, I've always read that kittens on a raw diet should be fed to appetite (ie, as much as they want).

I'd stop with the kibble altogether if you can afford to. It's a myth that cats and kittens need 24/7 access to food. The best thing is to feed several meals a day - probably at least 3-4 for kittens, and 2 for adults. I give mine 6-8 mini meals a day as I work at home. I know that isn't viable for everyone though.

For what it's worth, I use nature's menu pouches and other similar quality wet foods alongside nature's menu freeze dried raw cat treats (which are a complete food once rehydrated). I feed to appetite, not to what the packs say. I go by how the cats look and act. Cats rarely overeat so long as they are fed a biologically appropriate diet. (That's exactly what you're feeding btw :nod: )

As far as I'm aware, the problems come when cats are, or have previously been, fed the higher carb lower meat diets - particularly a lot of the kibbles on the market when fed in isolation (ie 100% dry diet).

If you want to look at making your own food, there are loads of companies that sell frozen pre ground meat (with or without bone) for homemade raw feeding. Nature's Menu do plain minces, as well as chunks and meaty bones. Here are just a few others to get you started :-
http://naturalpetfoodshop.co.uk/
http://rawtogo.co.uk/
https://www.kiezebrink.co.uk/manufacturer/kiezebrink-international
http://www.berriewoodwholesale.co.uk/
http://www.naturalpetfood.uk.com
http://www.nurturingbynature.co.uk/

 

[gizmoandluna]

Thank you ever so much for your reply I will have a look at the links you previded,

I would prefer to either buy a pre made mix like natures menu or ones i can mix together, i found it quite confusing and stressfull worrying about my dogs getting the right amount of everything when i was trying to raw feed them esp when they wer so picky !

thank you also for the kitten feeding guide i had looked at it a few times but think i got confused bc i was feeding as u say off the back of the packet which between them the numbers were the same as on  the kitten chart eg they had this morning 8 nugets each so just needed a few more ,

I am not sure of how to best aproach the numerous meals things, Im a SAHM any way so always around i would just feel bad splitting say 13 nuggets in to 4 meals  as they already wolf the 8 this morning down in 1 go, they know when food time is and they get so excited abou it :-) 

 

[Columbine]

It really is better for their digestion to feed more, smaller meals. Remember that cats hunt small prey in the wild. A good rule of thumb is 'mouse sized meals' if you're home to do it, as you are. When I feed the nature's menu raw, Asha gets 4-5 nuggets for a meal - and she's 3.6kg and 11-12 months (we rescued her, so aren't certain about age). It really is ok to give less at a time, so long as they get enough over the day.

If you're interested in other ready made raw foods, here are some more links
http://www.purrform.co.uk
http://www.naturalinstinct.com
http://www.nutriment.co.uk
http://www.finerbynature.co.uk (due to supply Oma's Pride freeze dried cat food rebranded as 'Purr'. They're going through the final stages of DEFRA aproval at the moment)

My next favourite (in principle) to nature's menu is purrform - simply because they do boxes of 70g pouches that are easy to use. All other brands come in tubs, so you have to defrost, portion and refreeze. I just find it easier not to deal with all that, and defrosting and re freezing, whilst perfectly fine if done correctly, carries a slightly increased risk of bacterial growth.

 

[gizmoandluna]

thanks hun ill check out all those other links

i like the look of this stuff http://naturalpetfoodshop.co.uk/?product=nutriment-chicken-formula-for-cats&add-to-cart=1562

i did the math and 1 tub would do 12.5  meals (at 2% body weight) for both my kittens at 1kg of weight so that is damn good value much better than natures menu which dose 5 meals total out of a 400g pouch for a 1kh kitten ,

that stuff they only need 20g a day where as natures menu says 80g a day , need to look in to it all a bit further , one website said 35g of food per kg of raw food , so confusing lol

it would mean defrostign and freesing in an icecube tray which im sure i could handle least it woule take up less freezer room that way :-) even the nuggets of natures menu i give atm i defrost a 400g box and keep it in my fridge

 

[gizmoandluna]

ok totally got it wrong just called a few of the companys you have recomended me and they all say for a kitten its 5-6% of their current weight recomending 6% till 6 months thn 5% till a year

so naturalinstinct  at 6% of 1kg would be £13.50 for 3 of the 2x500g packs of there food which would do 30 days (3kg)

nutriment would be £14.10 for a 1kg cat for 30 days of food (3kg)

natures menu to there own RDA would be £29.40 for 30 days (4kg 800g)

kiezebrink at 6% would do 55 days buying there bulk box which is £21.13 (5kg,500g)

so provided ive done my maths right this time kiezebrink seems the best or naturalinstinct

dose this seem right ? xxx

 

[Columbine]

That seems right to me I might be tempted not to get the 5kg for your first order though - its a lot of food to waste if the little darlings decide they don't like it I am used to fussy eaters though, so I may be worrying unduly :lol3:

 

[gizmoandluna]

if in doubt i have dogs that will eat anything haha

think im gonna go for the natural insticnt brand i like all the added extra bits it has :-)

 

[Columbine]

Cool Hope they like it as much as nature's menu.

 

[gizmoandluna]

:-) i ordered a laod this morning thank you for telling me aboput them, it should be here tomorrow :-) im very excited

 

[gizmoandluna]

Cool

Hope they like it as much as nature's menu.

 just wanted to say thank you hun for putting me on to their new food they are loving it and getting so big now :-)

 

[Columbine]

That's great news Glad I was able to help.