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Hello Everyone!
I am back, with another round of questions... this time about feeding whole pre-killed mice!
(Update on Cinder throwing up raw at end)
I've started feeding whole pre-killed mice to the kitties (well the two that will eat them so far), and they go crazy for them! I ordered a big batch from RodentPro since the ones from the local pet stores are like $2 each, which is way too expensive.
In any case, first I was wondering for those of you who feed mice, how do you keep the smell down? I have been feeding them in the bathroom, to not only keep the gore contained and on easy to clean tile, but also to keep the other cats away while one is eating/playing. It's just a half bath, so its small, but the smell after only a week is getting strong. I clean up the gore after all the kitties are done and run the fan, but there is a slight underlying smell of mouse urine that seems to linger. Just wondering if that will always be there, or if anyone has tips on deodorizing mouse stink?
Second, and more importantly, do cats eating primarily mice throw up a lot of hair balls? I've fed one of my kitties (Cinder) almost completely on the whole mice for the past week (with the remaining being other raw meat or canned). All the mice have stayed down luckily, but he has thrown up twice, both times at night about 4-5 hours after his last meal, and each time it's been a big foul smelling hair ball. I dissected each to make sure, but they were both primarily fur, and one had a mouse tail and foot left wrapped inside (both have been 3-4" long "logs"). Due to all that fur on the mice (as compared to a chunk of chicken or what not) do cats fed whole prey diets throw up hairballs frequently? Is there something that can be done to help with hairballs?
Finally, I was wondering if you need to feed more % body weight if doing whole prey, rather than frankenprey or ground raw? I was giving Cinder about 5oz of mice/meat a day, and he acted like he was starving! He's 9lbs currently at 2 years old, although he is very lean, but the vet said he was a good weight. I upped his intake to 6oz a day, but he still can't seem to get enough. It could just be his enthusiasm for mice however, as he is turning up his nose at anything non-mouse that I've tried recently - Figured I'd ask though
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Update on Cinder throwing up raw: After slowly cooking his meat less and less over a couple weeks, once it was mostly raw (about 80-90%) he would start throwing it up again. This happened with chicken, turkey and beef, while pork gave him stinky runs. He was able to handle 100% raw cornish hen (but wouldn't touch the organs), and 100% raw rabbit also stayed down. I tried some canned sardines packed in water without salt, and those were good too. I ordered some quail and pheasant, but he refused to touch either Right now, I'm keeping him off of any chicken (except the cornish), beef or pork, and I'll try turkey again later. Oh, I also tried some high quality canned food that he was fine with before, and he kept it down twice and threw it up twice. Mice are pretty much the only thing staying down 100% at this point (minus the hairballs).
I am back, with another round of questions... this time about feeding whole pre-killed mice!
(Update on Cinder throwing up raw at end)I've started feeding whole pre-killed mice to the kitties (well the two that will eat them so far), and they go crazy for them! I ordered a big batch from RodentPro since the ones from the local pet stores are like $2 each, which is way too expensive.
In any case, first I was wondering for those of you who feed mice, how do you keep the smell down? I have been feeding them in the bathroom, to not only keep the gore contained and on easy to clean tile, but also to keep the other cats away while one is eating/playing. It's just a half bath, so its small, but the smell after only a week is getting strong. I clean up the gore after all the kitties are done and run the fan, but there is a slight underlying smell of mouse urine that seems to linger. Just wondering if that will always be there, or if anyone has tips on deodorizing mouse stink?
Second, and more importantly, do cats eating primarily mice throw up a lot of hair balls? I've fed one of my kitties (Cinder) almost completely on the whole mice for the past week (with the remaining being other raw meat or canned). All the mice have stayed down luckily, but he has thrown up twice, both times at night about 4-5 hours after his last meal, and each time it's been a big foul smelling hair ball. I dissected each to make sure, but they were both primarily fur, and one had a mouse tail and foot left wrapped inside (both have been 3-4" long "logs"). Due to all that fur on the mice (as compared to a chunk of chicken or what not) do cats fed whole prey diets throw up hairballs frequently? Is there something that can be done to help with hairballs?
Finally, I was wondering if you need to feed more % body weight if doing whole prey, rather than frankenprey or ground raw? I was giving Cinder about 5oz of mice/meat a day, and he acted like he was starving! He's 9lbs currently at 2 years old, although he is very lean, but the vet said he was a good weight. I upped his intake to 6oz a day, but he still can't seem to get enough. It could just be his enthusiasm for mice however, as he is turning up his nose at anything non-mouse that I've tried recently - Figured I'd ask though
----------
Update on Cinder throwing up raw: After slowly cooking his meat less and less over a couple weeks, once it was mostly raw (about 80-90%) he would start throwing it up again. This happened with chicken, turkey and beef, while pork gave him stinky runs. He was able to handle 100% raw cornish hen (but wouldn't touch the organs), and 100% raw rabbit also stayed down. I tried some canned sardines packed in water without salt, and those were good too. I ordered some quail and pheasant, but he refused to touch either
Right now, I'm keeping him off of any chicken (except the cornish), beef or pork, and I'll try turkey again later. Oh, I also tried some high quality canned food that he was fine with before, and he kept it down twice and threw it up twice. Mice are pretty much the only thing staying down 100% at this point (minus the hairballs).
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