Putting my cats on raw.. (Oh no, not another thread!)

[Draco]

OK, the Feeding Resource Thread convinced me to go on raw for my kitties. In the long run, I want healthier kitties and more money in my bank.

and LDG has been AWESOME in helping me out (She deserves a treat!). While it still seems like brain surgery to me, I think I figured out what needs to be done, with LDG's help for the transitioning.

I bought Nature's Variety medallions to start with. Beef flavor and Chicken flavor.. the only ones they had in a sample size.

I've decided this is going to be the routine. Since they're used to being fed twice a day, I am going to continue twice a day and see how it goes on their tummies. Please offer suggestions if my feedings seems off or if you have another idea.

• AM Feeding: 2-3 oz NV Raw per cat (recommended feeding on bag is 3-6 oz in their weight range)

• PM Feeding: 2-3 oz Deboned meat (beef, chicken, turkey, lamb, whatever they get) and/or heart per cat

• Twice a week, two pieces of boned chicken wings per cat either as a lunch or dinner for calcium supplement.

And if I go away for the nigh (which I usually spend every other weekend or so at my parents:

Saturday morning before I leave and when I come home sunday:

• 2-3 pieces of boned chicken wing per cat with some Buffalo Blue Wilderness kibbles.

• Twice weekly: 1 egg yolk, canned sardines (no water) and salmon oil for each cat.

I am going to be weening them off their wet food (Soulistic and Trader Joes) and on to the NV and Meat. Cassie will be the challenger since she LOVES her canned food. She's a total addict! So far, she's refusing the NV Patties alone. I have to mix it with her canned.

Wednesday to experiment, I gave Monet a full patty. He ate it after he realized it was food. Cassie had no idea what to do with it. Monet ate her's.

Yesterday morning:

Cassie: 1/2 a patty mixed with 1/2 canned of Soulistic. She ate slower, knowing something was different about the food. She'd pause and sniff, but she did eat it all. I've never seen her eat this slow!

Monet: 1 patty mixed with about 1/4 of canned. He ate it all at normal speed.

Yesterday evening:

Cassie: 1/4 canned of Soulistic mixed with diced raw chicken. She ate it quickly.. probably because the chicken didn't smell much and taste off. She walked away when I offered the chicken plain.

Monet: 1/4 canned of Soulistic mixed with diced raw chicken. He also had plain raw chicken without the canned. He loved it!  Monet looked like he killed the meat himself after eating the raw chicken! He purred and that's a rarity for him! 

This AM:

Cassie: 1 patty mixed with 1/4 Soulistic. She ate it so slowly and was very unsure about the meal. She kept going to Monet's dish and back to her's. I think I may need to add more canned since it might've been too much for her, but she did eat it.

Monet: 2 patties with very little Soulistic (mostly to finish off the can and give him some juice). He ate it, and he seemed happy he didn't have to fight for his food with Cassie!

So far, no tummy issues or litterbox issues, but it's still early too. No puke anywhere (that I can find!)

Again, please offer suggestions and advice. It's still confusing to me, but I believe i am getting the hang of it and understanding more.

ETA: I found about 20-25 canned food in my closet that I forgot about. I am wondering if I can toss in a can or two here and there while they're on this raw diet? I am not sure if that will mess up they're system. At least until I am finished with them? I doubt I am going to get much back if I return to Petco without the receipt.

 

[ldg]

The only real issue with mixing raw and non-raw stuff is grains/carbs. So if it's grain free canned, should be fine! And if Cassie isn't sure about that amount of raw, you can definitely take it slower. Sally and Lauren are months into it, and some of their kitties are still not eating 100% raw. No need to force it!

As to the number of bone-in meals. We already discussed this, but just to make sure it's clear for others reading the thread, the NV commercial raw targets 15% bone, which makes most kitties constipated. So the plain meat meal will help dilute that. But 50% NV and 50% raw meat MAY be too little calcium.

So just pay attention to the litter box. Constipated? More plain meat. Diarrhea or loose stools? More bone.

And Monet knows he's a carnivore!

 

[Draco]

The only real issue with mixing raw and non-raw stuff is grains/carbs. So if it's grain free canned, should be fine! 

Yep, Soulistic and Trade Joes are both grain free. I would think once or twice a week or something with the canned until it's all gone.

Litterbox this morning seemed a little empty, but the poo that was in it looked normal to me. I will look again tonight.

 

[barbb]

Thanks for posting this Draco, it helps me get a sense of how to transition my kitties as well. I have not gone all out yet bc Toby is still undergoing chemotherapy, but I like the way you are slowly putting it into their food and I am going to do that too. And I like the egg yolk. sardine, salmon oil concoction. :-)

 

[ldg]

Oh! The poop! The more raw they eat, the less poop there will be. :nod: I was feeding grain-free canned, and I'd say that raw-fed poop is 1/2 or 1/3 of the volume of other poop. It also has no smell, is firmer, and lighter (unless you're feeding red meats). If you scoop it when it isn't immediately fresh, it will be a little crumbly. It's just completely different. And most of my kitties are pooping about every 2 days. You will see them "push" a little more than you're used to seeing. This doesn't mean they're constipated, it's normal. You'll be able to tell if they're ... frustrated... trying to poop. But that little more effort with raw poop is normal.

 

[ldg]

FYI, I don't mix the egg yolks, sardines, or salmon oil.

I feed them egg yolks twice a week as a treat. They love it. Same with the sardines - I give them a whole sardine once a week (in water, no salt) once a week.

The salmon oil, I pierce a 1000mg capsule, and put 3-4 drops on the smaller kitty's food at each meal, and 5-6 drops on the bigger kitty's food at each meal. The amount I adapted from Dr. Pierson's ground food recipe - but it happens to match the recommendation by Mercola for the absolute amount of omega 3 for cats and dogs per pound. And it brought the O6:O3 (omega 6 to Omega 3) ratio down to about 4:1 given the mix of meat (and egg yolk and sardine) I'm feeding. In the wild, cats eat O6:O3 at a ratio of about 2:1. Our canned and kibble foods have an O6:O3 ratio of about 20:1, according to PetEducation (and you want below 5:1 if possible).

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Congratulations on both of them already eating the raw.  I'm so jealous I can hardly stand it

 

[Draco]

Oh! The poop! The more raw they eat, the less poop there will be.

I was feeding grain-free canned, and I'd say that raw-fed poop is 1/2 or 1/3 of the volume of other poop. It also has no smell, is firmer, and lighter (unless you're feeding red meats). If you scoop it when it isn't immediately fresh, it will be a little crumbly. It's just completely different. And most of my kitties are pooping about every 2 days. You will see them "push" a little more than you're used to seeing. This doesn't mean they're constipated, it's normal. You'll be able to tell if they're ... frustrated... trying to poop. But that little more effort with raw poop is normal.

So much information... 

  Don't know what's sadder, the fact you seem excited to share that much information or the fact you gave that much info, LOL! Thanks, i think

 

[ldg]

SORRY! So many people turn to feeding raw because they've been dealing with .... let's just say "not normal poop," that at this point it feels kind of natural to get excited about normal raw poop. :anon:

But also didn't want you to get worried if there's less volume, or the first time you see raw poop, because it is different. Just answering the question before it gets asked. :lol3:

 

[carolina]

Lol, should seen the post I put a picture of Bugsy's nice, formed raw poop on.... Would loved that!
Congrats on your decision to transition your kids to raw :bigthumb:

 

[Draco]

Please spare me the picture, LOL. I am sure I will discover my cats pooping routines and figure out the balance by their umm.. texture? lol

 

[feralvr]

Please spare me the picture, LOL. I am sure I will discover my cats pooping routines and figure out the balance by their umm.. texture? lol

AWW Come on.... let Carolina post Bugsy's poop We DO tons of Poop talk - OH MY GOODNESS - We even had a Poop-o-meter going for many weeks at one time or another. :lol3:

Welcome to the Raw Camps!!! We are all on this same journey together. Some get their faster than others and I just want to :smshfrk: them !!!!!!!! We DO try to have some laughs too. Sounds like you are already on your way to two happy raw carnies.... so you might not get super crazy like some of us. :spin: :rotate:

 

[carolina]

I have that picture on a beautiful golden frame just like my first dollar bill :spit:

 

[Draco]

lol. you guys are nuts

QUESTION!!!

I went to HMart, an organic aisan supermarket. They had Ground Bison. It says Raised without Antibiotics and no added Hormones, no artifical ingredients and minimally processed.

I picked up a pack, just to try it for a variety. 

But, I cant find on package or web.. what exactly is in here? Organs too? just the meat? any ideas?

 

[carolina]

Uh oh, as a rule of thumb, no ground meat from the market you only get full cuts from the market, rinse, then grind it yourself at home, or feed commercial pet food, ground. Too Much risk of bacteria....

 

[Draco]

Ah, missed that rule! I didn't open it. I can return it tomorrow thanks!

 

[Willowy]

Make burgers for yourself! Bison is yummy (and lower-fat than beef). Usually when you buy ground meat from the store it's just muscle meat, no organs unless it says so on the package.

 

[Draco]

Is lambchop leg OK? I found two small pieces at the supermarket last night. if its OK, I'll defrost for tonight

 

[feralvr]

I have that picture on a beautiful golden frame just like my first dollar bill :spit:

OH you are TOO much

 

[ldg]

Any meat and/or organs are ok. Just make sure the meat isn't enhanced (which can be a problem in poultry, not so much other meats). And the ground from the supermarket is a problem for two reasons: 1) the taurine oxidizes because of more surface space, and 2) it increases the risk of salmonella, because of the additional "processing." That's the main issue.

Most kitties LOVE lamb. :lol3: