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poops during the transition to raw - what to expect
- Thread starter abbyntim
- Start Date
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #42
Tim seems to have settled into a nice BM schedule where he goes mostly every 36 hours with occasional 48-hour stretches. And I am mostly comfortable with this, though I was still giving Tim a dose of psyllium if he hadn't gone in roughly 40 hours. I haven't had to do that in a week or so, as he's been pretty consistent.
We are currently holding Tim at about 65% of his calories from raw. If I need to cut more food out of his diet, it will be canned. We are still trying to get him to lose weight and finally broke down and bought a baby scale. Tim eats 100% raw for dinner (Rad Cat turkey) and 50% raw and 50% canned rabbit in the morning. Depending on how he does through the end of this month, we will gradually introduce some other proteins, maybe even chicken. Tim's chin is currently not swollen, but we are continuing to keep an eye on that and will have to play detective if it comes back.
Last week, I tried to slowly introduce raw rabbit to Abby's morning meal. I mixed in a tiny, tiny amount and she wouldn't have anything to do with it. Last night, I tried feeding her a bit of Rad Cat turkey, which she would not eat but at least sniffed at. It occurred to me that I sometimes have trouble getting Abby to eat food that doesn't smell, and Rad Cat doesn't smell. So I put a tiny bit of Rad Cat in the center of her canned turkey. I fully expected her to eat around the raw and leave it, but she cleaned her plate! So we've decided to transition her to at least partial Rad Cat turkey instead of mess around with the raw rabbit that neither cat loves. For Abby, because she is much pickier than Tim, it will be a very slow process.
I do wish Rad Cat made a rabbit formula. I think Tim loves it so much because it's just shredded meat- it's not processed and formed into nuggets or patties. If I could find rabbit like that, I bet he'd eat it enthusiastically. So far, I have found sources that I can order online, but the quantities are so large and shipping is so expensive (distance and extra warm climate packaging) that I just can't do it now. I am on the hunt for Bravo rabbit in the 2-pound chub, which I would like to try blending in or even supplementing, as it is not balanced and complete; hope I can find it locally.
We are currently holding Tim at about 65% of his calories from raw. If I need to cut more food out of his diet, it will be canned. We are still trying to get him to lose weight and finally broke down and bought a baby scale. Tim eats 100% raw for dinner (Rad Cat turkey) and 50% raw and 50% canned rabbit in the morning. Depending on how he does through the end of this month, we will gradually introduce some other proteins, maybe even chicken. Tim's chin is currently not swollen, but we are continuing to keep an eye on that and will have to play detective if it comes back.
Last week, I tried to slowly introduce raw rabbit to Abby's morning meal. I mixed in a tiny, tiny amount and she wouldn't have anything to do with it. Last night, I tried feeding her a bit of Rad Cat turkey, which she would not eat but at least sniffed at. It occurred to me that I sometimes have trouble getting Abby to eat food that doesn't smell, and Rad Cat doesn't smell. So I put a tiny bit of Rad Cat in the center of her canned turkey. I fully expected her to eat around the raw and leave it, but she cleaned her plate! So we've decided to transition her to at least partial Rad Cat turkey instead of mess around with the raw rabbit that neither cat loves. For Abby, because she is much pickier than Tim, it will be a very slow process.
I do wish Rad Cat made a rabbit formula. I think Tim loves it so much because it's just shredded meat- it's not processed and formed into nuggets or patties. If I could find rabbit like that, I bet he'd eat it enthusiastically. So far, I have found sources that I can order online, but the quantities are so large and shipping is so expensive (distance and extra warm climate packaging) that I just can't do it now. I am on the hunt for Bravo rabbit in the 2-pound chub, which I would like to try blending in or even supplementing, as it is not balanced and complete; hope I can find it locally.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #43
Here is an update on Tim. The short version: He's doing great and I couldn't be more pleased with how far he's come.
Now the longer version, with some details. Those of you who know Tim's history know he was a very sick cat a little over a year ago. He was on cisapride, which our old vet said he would need to be on for life. He had developed asthma and struvite crystals when we transitioned him from mostly dry to canned Wellness to help his constipation. He also had more digestive issues on Wellness canned: hairballs, diarrhea, vomit all increased. It was when he vomited after every meal one weekend in January 2014 that we took him to the vet and discovered all the other problems he'd never had (keep in mind, this is a cat that barfed enough that he'd had numerous workups by this time, so I know he'd never had crystals or asthma on dry). When the various medications caused other problems, my husband and I decided to stop everything but cisapride and change his diet, as I strongly believed all of his problems were due to inflammation and caused by something he was eating.
When Tim came home from his hospital stay, I had already researched foods and decided on Nature's Variety Instinct Limited Ingredient Diet. He did really well and almost all of his issues improved, though it was on this food that he first developed the swollen chin. That, and feeling very alone with dietary changes (our old vet said it was hard to change a cat's diet and good luck), caused me to find a holistic veterinarian. I wanted someone to consider Tim as an entire cat, not just focus on individual organs or body parts. She thought he looked very good considering all of his issues and we were on the right track. She did think he was an ideal candidate for raw, but we would need to get him off cisapride first.
For four months, we weaned Tim off cisapride, gradually decreasing his dose. That was super stressful for me. Tim mostly did well, but we could see he was still having digestive issues on occasion. The chin swelling would come and go. Looking back, I think he did not tolerate fat very well, and NVI LID canned foods are pretty high fat. The vet agreed, so we added NVI rabbit, as it's leaner. But then NV did something to their formula that I believe increased the fat. Right about the time we ended cisapride, Tim's chin swelled and wouldn't go down. So we all (husband, vet, and I) decided it was time to transition Tim to raw. This thread contains that journey.
----------------------------
Today, about 70% of Tim's calories come from raw food. He eats rabbit for one meal and it's still a mix of canned and raw. We alternate his original lean raw rabbit (Primal Pronto frozen) with a higher-fat raw rabbit (Stella and Chewy frozen morsels) that he is tolerating well; our holistic vet told us he might do okay with higher fat raw foods, as raw fat is easier to digest. We also replaced some of the canned rabbit with a tiny amount of *unbalanced* raw rabbit muscle and organ meats. I am considering purchasing Alnutrin to try with this brand (smallbatch rabbit blend without vegetables), as he really likes it.
Tim also eats one meal of turkey. His primary turkey is Rad Cat, which he loves. He goes crazy for this, and goes nuts when I portion out a 24 ounce container into his serving jars. If I need to leave food out in an automatic feeder, I use NVI LID turkey, which he is tolerating well. We recently added another brand of raw turkey in an effort to bump his fat just a bit: Primal Pronto frozen. I add about .25 ounce to his Rad Cat.
Tim eats a bedtime snack of canned Louts Just Juicy turkey or pork. This is a very lean food so I just started adding a tiny amount of Primal raw goat milk to increase his fat.
We make changes very slowly: We introduce one or two new things each month. Our next planned introduction is a new protein, though we haven't decided which one yet. Or maybe we will stick with the same proteins, but introduce another brand.
I am increasing the fat that both cats eat because both cats suddenly started acting hungry. I can only guess it's due to the weather cooling somewhat (it doesn't get cold here) or some instinctual thing due to the changing seasons. I weigh both cats regularly and they were not losing weight, but I thought they might feel more satiated if I shifted around the nutrients in their calories to include a higher percentage of fat. So far, it seems to be working. Tim is not pestering me for food as much and he's not gained any weight, as he still needs to lose about 0.5 pound or so.
Tim may or may not have lingering digestive issues, but I have not seen any evidence recently. Initially, he barfed if he went too long without food then ate a normal meal; we give him a freeze-dried turkey breast treat to settle his stomach if we get home later than expected in the evening. One of these times, I plan to try feeding him without the treat to see what happens, as I suspect he continues to heal. He had a weird little patch on one ear that seemed to be due to an allergy or something and that's gone. He's so full of energy, he's social, he likes to play. I think about the cat that used to hide under the bed all the time, even as a kitten, and I'm very sad that it took so long to figure this out.
Tim's box habits are very good. He mostly goes about every 36 hours, though he sometimes goes as often as every 24 hours and sometimes as long as 48 hours. They are marbled on occasion. Otherwise very nice. He's not had diarrhea or even soft stools since our initial transition. No evidence of constipation or straining or anything else.
Tim still takes a daily probiotic, as we suspect bad gut flora was involved in his issues. I also add a tiny bit of "hairball blend digestive remedy" to their bedtime snack.
My husband wants to take Tim back to our old vet just to show him off.* As far as we can tell, there is nothing wrong with Tim that a proper diet did not resolve.
* This is the same husband that used to get mad at me for "experimenting" with Tim.
Now the longer version, with some details. Those of you who know Tim's history know he was a very sick cat a little over a year ago. He was on cisapride, which our old vet said he would need to be on for life. He had developed asthma and struvite crystals when we transitioned him from mostly dry to canned Wellness to help his constipation. He also had more digestive issues on Wellness canned: hairballs, diarrhea, vomit all increased. It was when he vomited after every meal one weekend in January 2014 that we took him to the vet and discovered all the other problems he'd never had (keep in mind, this is a cat that barfed enough that he'd had numerous workups by this time, so I know he'd never had crystals or asthma on dry). When the various medications caused other problems, my husband and I decided to stop everything but cisapride and change his diet, as I strongly believed all of his problems were due to inflammation and caused by something he was eating.
When Tim came home from his hospital stay, I had already researched foods and decided on Nature's Variety Instinct Limited Ingredient Diet. He did really well and almost all of his issues improved, though it was on this food that he first developed the swollen chin. That, and feeling very alone with dietary changes (our old vet said it was hard to change a cat's diet and good luck), caused me to find a holistic veterinarian. I wanted someone to consider Tim as an entire cat, not just focus on individual organs or body parts. She thought he looked very good considering all of his issues and we were on the right track. She did think he was an ideal candidate for raw, but we would need to get him off cisapride first.
For four months, we weaned Tim off cisapride, gradually decreasing his dose. That was super stressful for me. Tim mostly did well, but we could see he was still having digestive issues on occasion. The chin swelling would come and go. Looking back, I think he did not tolerate fat very well, and NVI LID canned foods are pretty high fat. The vet agreed, so we added NVI rabbit, as it's leaner. But then NV did something to their formula that I believe increased the fat. Right about the time we ended cisapride, Tim's chin swelled and wouldn't go down. So we all (husband, vet, and I) decided it was time to transition Tim to raw. This thread contains that journey.
----------------------------
Today, about 70% of Tim's calories come from raw food. He eats rabbit for one meal and it's still a mix of canned and raw. We alternate his original lean raw rabbit (Primal Pronto frozen) with a higher-fat raw rabbit (Stella and Chewy frozen morsels) that he is tolerating well; our holistic vet told us he might do okay with higher fat raw foods, as raw fat is easier to digest. We also replaced some of the canned rabbit with a tiny amount of *unbalanced* raw rabbit muscle and organ meats. I am considering purchasing Alnutrin to try with this brand (smallbatch rabbit blend without vegetables), as he really likes it.
Tim also eats one meal of turkey. His primary turkey is Rad Cat, which he loves. He goes crazy for this, and goes nuts when I portion out a 24 ounce container into his serving jars. If I need to leave food out in an automatic feeder, I use NVI LID turkey, which he is tolerating well. We recently added another brand of raw turkey in an effort to bump his fat just a bit: Primal Pronto frozen. I add about .25 ounce to his Rad Cat.
Tim eats a bedtime snack of canned Louts Just Juicy turkey or pork. This is a very lean food so I just started adding a tiny amount of Primal raw goat milk to increase his fat.
We make changes very slowly: We introduce one or two new things each month. Our next planned introduction is a new protein, though we haven't decided which one yet. Or maybe we will stick with the same proteins, but introduce another brand.
I am increasing the fat that both cats eat because both cats suddenly started acting hungry. I can only guess it's due to the weather cooling somewhat (it doesn't get cold here) or some instinctual thing due to the changing seasons. I weigh both cats regularly and they were not losing weight, but I thought they might feel more satiated if I shifted around the nutrients in their calories to include a higher percentage of fat. So far, it seems to be working. Tim is not pestering me for food as much and he's not gained any weight, as he still needs to lose about 0.5 pound or so.
Tim may or may not have lingering digestive issues, but I have not seen any evidence recently. Initially, he barfed if he went too long without food then ate a normal meal; we give him a freeze-dried turkey breast treat to settle his stomach if we get home later than expected in the evening. One of these times, I plan to try feeding him without the treat to see what happens, as I suspect he continues to heal. He had a weird little patch on one ear that seemed to be due to an allergy or something and that's gone. He's so full of energy, he's social, he likes to play. I think about the cat that used to hide under the bed all the time, even as a kitten, and I'm very sad that it took so long to figure this out.
Tim's box habits are very good. He mostly goes about every 36 hours, though he sometimes goes as often as every 24 hours and sometimes as long as 48 hours. They are marbled on occasion. Otherwise very nice. He's not had diarrhea or even soft stools since our initial transition. No evidence of constipation or straining or anything else.
Tim still takes a daily probiotic, as we suspect bad gut flora was involved in his issues. I also add a tiny bit of "hairball blend digestive remedy" to their bedtime snack.
My husband wants to take Tim back to our old vet just to show him off.* As far as we can tell, there is nothing wrong with Tim that a proper diet did not resolve.
* This is the same husband that used to get mad at me for "experimenting" with Tim.
You've really come a long way! So glad to hear Tim is doing well!
Side note: Sebastian does not like the Lotus Just Juicy Turkey. I figured since he liked the pork so much, he'd like the turkey, too. I bought a whole case of the turkey and now it is all just sitting and collecting dust.
Side note: Sebastian does not like the Lotus Just Juicy Turkey. I figured since he liked the pork so much, he'd like the turkey, too. I bought a whole case of the turkey and now it is all just sitting and collecting dust.
I LOVE this update! 
WHAT a turnaround. Makes me smile, and I bet you and DH are beaming!!!!!!!So is there any more problems with the chin swelling? :cross:
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #46
Thank you, @GoHolistic and @LDG! We are both very happy with Tim's progress. No sign of chin swelling, no other significant issues. I am thrilled. 
Unfortunately, I learned just this morning that Tim's tummy is still very sensitive and his diet needs to be very carefully managed. I got complacent Thursday and Friday and let him eat too much canned Instinct turkey, particularly yesterday. Plus I fed his high-fat raw rabbit this morning, which probably pushed him over the edge. Poor Tim had diarrhea this morning- he was in and out of the box about every 20 minutes for a little over an hour and he was really working to get out whatever was bothering him (he'd had a very large BM earlier in the morning plus another one yesterday, so I know he's not constipated). I think he's cleared out now, hasn't been to the box in almost an hour, and I will be feeding him only Rad Cat turkey this evening and the lean raw rabbit tomorrow morning. We'll stay lean and bland until I see at least one solid poop.
So raw and a small amount of "clean" canned have worked wonders for Tim. I just see now that I will have to re-think my strategy for making sure the cats get some food via the automatic feeders with ice packs when we are away from home for long stretches of time, as we were both Thursday and Friday.
Thanks again, I am so, so, so happy.
Unfortunately, I learned just this morning that Tim's tummy is still very sensitive and his diet needs to be very carefully managed. I got complacent Thursday and Friday and let him eat too much canned Instinct turkey, particularly yesterday. Plus I fed his high-fat raw rabbit this morning, which probably pushed him over the edge. Poor Tim had diarrhea this morning- he was in and out of the box about every 20 minutes for a little over an hour and he was really working to get out whatever was bothering him (he'd had a very large BM earlier in the morning plus another one yesterday, so I know he's not constipated). I think he's cleared out now, hasn't been to the box in almost an hour, and I will be feeding him only Rad Cat turkey this evening and the lean raw rabbit tomorrow morning. We'll stay lean and bland until I see at least one solid poop.
So raw and a small amount of "clean" canned have worked wonders for Tim. I just see now that I will have to re-think my strategy for making sure the cats get some food via the automatic feeders with ice packs when we are away from home for long stretches of time, as we were both Thursday and Friday.
Thanks again, I am so, so, so happy.
Aw....so sorry about the [hopefully temporary] setback. You know, I think these guys will always be sensitive to a certain extent, and it can take a long time to find what works.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #48
I think you're right about these guys always being sensitive. Tim has improved so much. But we were talking about this today and wondering if he's just sensitive, period, or if something he ate permanently damaged him. He may improve in time, or this might be as good as it gets. He is doing really well as long as I remain strict with his food.
Part of the reason I would really like Tim to be able to handle a somewhat bigger variety of food (i.e., more canned on occasion) is because I would like to take a vacation some day and right now I don't know anyone who would be willing to feed him raw. Our new vet boards, so I need to check that out. I found a dedicated cat sitter who claims to feed anything the owner wants, but her service area does not include my city and I don't know if I could talk her into expanding her range, considering the awful traffic and congestion in southern California. As much as I hate to say this, I don't have a friend or family member that I think would prepare Tim's food the way it needs to be done, or study the litter box to make sure he's pooping. Sigh. They all think I'm crazy ("he's just a cat!")
But in the good news department, it's been about three hours since Tim ate dinner (only Rad Cat turkey) and he seems to be fine. As I mentioned, we will stay lean and bland until I see a firm poop. Considering his clean-out this morning, I don't expect to see a poop until Monday. But I am just so grateful he's not in and out of the box now like he was this morning.
Part of the reason I would really like Tim to be able to handle a somewhat bigger variety of food (i.e., more canned on occasion) is because I would like to take a vacation some day and right now I don't know anyone who would be willing to feed him raw. Our new vet boards, so I need to check that out. I found a dedicated cat sitter who claims to feed anything the owner wants, but her service area does not include my city and I don't know if I could talk her into expanding her range, considering the awful traffic and congestion in southern California. As much as I hate to say this, I don't have a friend or family member that I think would prepare Tim's food the way it needs to be done, or study the litter box to make sure he's pooping. Sigh. They all think I'm crazy ("he's just a cat!")
But in the good news department, it's been about three hours since Tim ate dinner (only Rad Cat turkey) and he seems to be fine. As I mentioned, we will stay lean and bland until I see a firm poop. Considering his clean-out this morning, I don't expect to see a poop until Monday. But I am just so grateful he's not in and out of the box now like he was this morning.
If the sitter you want declines due to distance, perhaps offer to pay the cost of gas in addition to her fee (if you can afford it). If she still declines, perhaps she could recommend someone closer to your area.
I know how you feel on the whole vacation thing. When my SO and I went away in June of this year, I had my mom come over twice a day and feed the cats and administer all their medications. The only thing she said she wouldn't do is Sebastian's sub-q fluids. She did okay with the medications, but I did have them all ready to go, labeled for each cat for each day.
But she struggled a bit with the food. I told her Sebastian needed one whole can of food per day, and more if he wanted it. When I checked in a few times, she kept saying that Sebastian wouldn't stop crying to eat. I thought that was strange. When I got home, there were unopened cans left on the counter and when I calculated how much she had given him in the week we were gone, she was basically starving him! Not intentionally obviously, but she was just completely clueless despite my instructions and she really thought she was giving him enough to eat. Looks like I won't be going away again for awhile.
Glad to hear things have settled down with Tim!
I know how you feel on the whole vacation thing. When my SO and I went away in June of this year, I had my mom come over twice a day and feed the cats and administer all their medications. The only thing she said she wouldn't do is Sebastian's sub-q fluids. She did okay with the medications, but I did have them all ready to go, labeled for each cat for each day.
Glad to hear things have settled down with Tim!
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #51
Oh, poor Sebastian! Family members mean well. I actually think my step-dad would care for the cats the best, but he and my mom live too far away to make the trip twice a day. I've thought about perhaps taking the cats to their house, but would want to take them for visits first. Tim is super shy around other people. Good thought about the sitter and will definitely keep that in mind when the time comes. My best option right now might be to inquire about boarding facilities and services at our new vet.
If the sitter you want declines due to distance, perhaps offer to pay the cost of gas in addition to her fee (if you can afford it). If she still declines, perhaps she could recommend someone closer to your area.
I know how you feel on the whole vacation thing. When my SO and I went away in June of this year, I had my mom come over twice a day and feed the cats and administer all their medications. The only thing she said she wouldn't do is Sebastian's sub-q fluids. She did okay with the medications, but I did have them all ready to go, labeled for each cat for each day.But she struggled a bit with the food. I told her Sebastian needed one whole can of food per day, and more if he wanted it. When I checked in a few times, she kept saying that Sebastian wouldn't stop crying to eat. I thought that was strange. When I got home, there were unopened cans left on the counter and when I calculated how much she had given him in the week we were gone, she was basically starving him! Not intentionally obviously, but she was just completely clueless despite my instructions and she really thought she was giving him enough to eat. Looks like I won't be going away again for awhile.
Glad to hear things have settled down with Tim!
Congrats on your first marble poop! Here's hoping for many more.
In news about Tim, he still seems a little off. I slept in this morning and fed an hour later than normal. Usually Tim is trying to wake me up at 30 minutes. This morning, he was not. When I went to the kitchen, he followed me but did not dance around and meow for food. He ate, though, and cleaned his bowl. When I got to the litter box, I noticed he did poop. It was a pretty small amount, because he cleaned out yesterday morning, and part of it was soft. So he's improved but is not completely normal yet. I can only guess this is from too much high-fat canned food, as I'd seen this before when I tried to feed him too much Instinct canned turkey after the formula changed and became more "juicy" (fat). Will continue with only Rad Cat tonight and the lean raw rabbit again tomorrow (normally we would alternate to the high fat, but will wait until he seems better, and I may have to gradually get back to where we were).
I have to say that I still like Instinct canned food, but am so disappointed that they seem to be cutting costs by increasing the fat content of the foods. This was a perfect food for Tim, but now he gets these reactions - upset stomach, swollen chin - if I feed too much. Ugh.
Oh, man.
The last time I tried to feed Sebastian the Instinct Turkey, he felt off the next day and then refused it.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #53
So I think it is something in the Stella & Chewy frozen raw rabbit. I re-introduced this food a week ago Friday, and that same day he had diarrhea. I am not sure of the timing and frequency, as I came home from work to find the aftermath in the litter boxes. Saturday I did not feed that food and he was fine. Sunday I did feed it, in a very small amount, and he had diarrhea several times that morning. This is odd, as he has been eating this brand in this amount for a couple of months. And even though the morsels in this particular bag look different, he'd consumed almost half the bag before having any trouble. I am going to keep him off this food through the remainder of 2014, then start again with small amounts and see how he does, in case his stomach was still recovering last week from something else and the S&C, being higher fat*, caused additional irritation.
*I looked at the ingredients again and noticed that olive oil is the second ingredient. That explains how this raw rabbit food is so high fat; it is the highest-fat cat food in our house. And maybe he's developed some sort of sensitivity to olive oil, but we will try again in January.
*I looked at the ingredients again and noticed that olive oil is the second ingredient. That explains how this raw rabbit food is so high fat; it is the highest-fat cat food in our house. And maybe he's developed some sort of sensitivity to olive oil, but we will try again in January.
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Hmm....I suppose olive oil could cause diarrhea and being the second ingredient and all. I would be tempted to send them an email and ask what the percentage of the food is olive oil. Do the morsels seem oily? Olive oil is a treatment noted on the felineconstipation.org site for acute constipation.
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- #55
That's the only thing I can think of now, though I suppose it could be something else. I read about olive oil being an acute constipation treatment last weekend, which is good to know if I ever need it, given Tim's history. He's been sensitive to other higher-fat foods previously, among other things.
The other possibility, and a reason for only temporarily stopping this food, is maybe he got into some bug spray we sprayed in the bathroom around the same time. We finally got rain - yay, it's been so awful and hot with no rain for about three years - and the ants somehow got into our bathroom. We sprayed and kept the door closed until we could clean up with soap and water. But Tim likes to pick up ants with his paw and eat them, and it's possible he could have ingested a small amount of spray, even though we're 99% certain we cleaned it all up with hot soapy water before we opened the door and let the cats have access.
The other possibility, and a reason for only temporarily stopping this food, is maybe he got into some bug spray we sprayed in the bathroom around the same time. We finally got rain - yay, it's been so awful and hot with no rain for about three years - and the ants somehow got into our bathroom. We sprayed and kept the door closed until we could clean up with soap and water. But Tim likes to pick up ants with his paw and eat them, and it's possible he could have ingested a small amount of spray, even though we're 99% certain we cleaned it all up with hot soapy water before we opened the door and let the cats have access.
I doubt it was from the spray if you cleaned it all up. I guess you'll know for sure when you offer the S&C again.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #57
Update on Tim: He is doing pretty well. He is still 70% raw, 30% canned because I want him to be able to eat canned for a short amount time in case I cannot find a sitter or boarding facility that will feed raw. I am not comfortable leaving him for any amount of time right now, so finding someone is a future project. And Tim will continue to eat a small amount of canned until we know one way or the other.
Tim's tummy remains sensitive, however, and we need to make changes and additions slowly. When the weather got cooler in December and both cats were carrying on about being hungry all the time, we decided to bump their calories a bit. Because we are already spending so much on cat food, I decided to try giving each cat a tiny amount of dry each morning as a cost-effective way to add some calories. I timed it so it would be less likely to interfere with Tim's raw food digestion, and it really was a small amount- a small spoonful or less. Tim's poops immediately got bigger, softer, and stinkier. We stuck with this for a couple of weeks, hoping he would adapt. When his poops got worse, I stopped the dry completely. I had really hoped this would work, and I picked what I thought would be a good dry - Nature's Variety Instinct Limited Ingredient rabbit. I don't know if it was the dry food (there are some suspect ingredients), if dry and raw don't mix well for him, even with proper timing, or what. I am going to try again with Orijen Regional Red to see what happens, as that is very clean food. Abby was completely unaffected, except her poops also got a little bigger.
The good news, though, is that we successfully added another raw to Tim's food mix. He really likes Primal frozen raw turkey, so we are working on gradually increasing the amount of that food for him. He still eats mostly Rad Cat turkey for dinner, but now also has some Primal turkey. Once we see that he can tolerate this food in a meal-size amount, we will alternate Rad Cat and Primal. Tim continues to eat half canned Instinct rabbit and half Primal frozen raw rabbit for breakfast. I add a bit of smallbatch rabbit (not complete), as he loves that. We are anxiously, but patiently, planning our next protein. I may also look into what I need to do to make the smallbatch rabbit complete, as he really likes it and it would be more cost-effective than what we are feeding now.
I continue to offer raw to Abby on occasion. Every now and then, she will intently watch Tim gobble his food. That has prompted her to beg for Rad Cat along with Tim when I am breaking it down into individual serving containers. Sometimes she eats it, sometimes not. But I found out she loves the Primal raw frozen turkey. Really loves it so much, we are transitioning her dinner meal to that. (Because Tim is so food greedy, we have to feed foods to Abby that won't upset Tim's stomach too much if he grabs a few bites. We match proteins at each meal and will probably continue this for the foreseeable future).
I've not yet tried the Stella and Chewy frozen raw rabbit again. Tim's diarrhea was so bad I don't know if I want to risk that. I noticed the rabbit is the only formula with the olive oil and I really wonder if that is the problem. I'd be willing to try this brand in other proteins, though, as the ingredients otherwise look good. I am also considering freeze-dried for a periodic change.
We've used automatic feeders a couple of times to provide food for the cats when we are away at mealtime (Tim gets very anxious if he does not eat on schedule). Initially, I was placing both feeders in the kitchen and hoping for the best. Tim is food-motivated and pushy and I suspect he was eating all of Abby's food, too. So on Christmas day, when we were gone all day, we separated the cats. It worked well: Each cat had approximately half the house, a litter box, a bowl of water, and a feeder. We shut a door between them. They weren't too traumatized when we got home. We did this again the other day, and they seemed totally fine when we got home. This seems to be a good solution and I think we might even be able to do quick overnight trips using this method, but I need to make sure Tim's raw will stay sufficiently chilled. I am experimenting with putting his food frozen in the feeder to see how long it takes to thaw and become room temp.
This ended up being longer than I expected. Overall, I am really happy with Tim's progress. I don't know if he will always be sensitive, but at least I see we can mostly manage it by really controlling what he eats. It's definitely an improvement over the cat that used to hide under the bed all the time and only came out to barf, cough up a hairball, eat, or use the litter box. I feel like we got our boy back.
Tim's tummy remains sensitive, however, and we need to make changes and additions slowly. When the weather got cooler in December and both cats were carrying on about being hungry all the time, we decided to bump their calories a bit. Because we are already spending so much on cat food, I decided to try giving each cat a tiny amount of dry each morning as a cost-effective way to add some calories. I timed it so it would be less likely to interfere with Tim's raw food digestion, and it really was a small amount- a small spoonful or less. Tim's poops immediately got bigger, softer, and stinkier. We stuck with this for a couple of weeks, hoping he would adapt. When his poops got worse, I stopped the dry completely. I had really hoped this would work, and I picked what I thought would be a good dry - Nature's Variety Instinct Limited Ingredient rabbit. I don't know if it was the dry food (there are some suspect ingredients), if dry and raw don't mix well for him, even with proper timing, or what. I am going to try again with Orijen Regional Red to see what happens, as that is very clean food. Abby was completely unaffected, except her poops also got a little bigger.
The good news, though, is that we successfully added another raw to Tim's food mix. He really likes Primal frozen raw turkey, so we are working on gradually increasing the amount of that food for him. He still eats mostly Rad Cat turkey for dinner, but now also has some Primal turkey. Once we see that he can tolerate this food in a meal-size amount, we will alternate Rad Cat and Primal. Tim continues to eat half canned Instinct rabbit and half Primal frozen raw rabbit for breakfast. I add a bit of smallbatch rabbit (not complete), as he loves that. We are anxiously, but patiently, planning our next protein. I may also look into what I need to do to make the smallbatch rabbit complete, as he really likes it and it would be more cost-effective than what we are feeding now.
I continue to offer raw to Abby on occasion. Every now and then, she will intently watch Tim gobble his food. That has prompted her to beg for Rad Cat along with Tim when I am breaking it down into individual serving containers. Sometimes she eats it, sometimes not. But I found out she loves the Primal raw frozen turkey. Really loves it so much, we are transitioning her dinner meal to that. (Because Tim is so food greedy, we have to feed foods to Abby that won't upset Tim's stomach too much if he grabs a few bites. We match proteins at each meal and will probably continue this for the foreseeable future).
I've not yet tried the Stella and Chewy frozen raw rabbit again. Tim's diarrhea was so bad I don't know if I want to risk that. I noticed the rabbit is the only formula with the olive oil and I really wonder if that is the problem. I'd be willing to try this brand in other proteins, though, as the ingredients otherwise look good. I am also considering freeze-dried for a periodic change.
We've used automatic feeders a couple of times to provide food for the cats when we are away at mealtime (Tim gets very anxious if he does not eat on schedule). Initially, I was placing both feeders in the kitchen and hoping for the best. Tim is food-motivated and pushy and I suspect he was eating all of Abby's food, too. So on Christmas day, when we were gone all day, we separated the cats. It worked well: Each cat had approximately half the house, a litter box, a bowl of water, and a feeder. We shut a door between them. They weren't too traumatized when we got home. We did this again the other day, and they seemed totally fine when we got home. This seems to be a good solution and I think we might even be able to do quick overnight trips using this method, but I need to make sure Tim's raw will stay sufficiently chilled. I am experimenting with putting his food frozen in the feeder to see how long it takes to thaw and become room temp.
This ended up being longer than I expected. Overall, I am really happy with Tim's progress. I don't know if he will always be sensitive, but at least I see we can mostly manage it by really controlling what he eats. It's definitely an improvement over the cat that used to hide under the bed all the time and only came out to barf, cough up a hairball, eat, or use the litter box. I feel like we got our boy back.
