raw diet?

[mwallace056]

i am really unsure, i will probably stick to feeding 70% of canned and 30% of dry food

 

[LTS3]

i am really unsure, i will probably stick to feeding 70% of canned and 30% of dry food

Don't feel bad if you can't do a raw diet

Feed your cats whatever they're happy eating.

 

[mwallace056]

could i use raw as treats?

 

[Kat0121]

 
could i use raw as treats?

Have you tried freeze dried as treats to see how they do?

 

[mwallace056]

nope

 

[lisahe]

 
could i use raw as treats?

As long as you don't mix raw and dry, you should be fine! I started our cats on just small amounts of raw food every day, then gradually increased it. Before I found a cheaper source of RadCat, I gave that to them in pretty small amounts, like treats. There are lots of great candidates for treats... our cats love it when I drop parts of Stella & Chewy's nuggets.

Just as an FYI, we feed our cats about 60% commercial raw, 40% canned and it works really well for us and the cats. As @LTS3 said, you shouldn't feel bad if you can't or dont' want to feed raw! It does take a commitment, even at the level we do it, and not all cats will eat it. I think we're lucky that ours happen to like it.

Good luck!

 

[Kat0121]

 
nope

I would do that. Try a bag of Pure Bites freeze dried chicken. A lot of people (myself included) have had success with these.My Lilith is so incredibly fussy and she adores these things. I crush them onto her food to encourage her to eat but she likes them as is. They can be expensive but they are just chicken breast. You can get them from Amazon cheaper than the pet stores.The best deal is to get the bag for dogs. The treats are the same, just bigger but they can be broken easily.  I tried them to see how they'd transition to commercial raw. They also liked the freeze dried Stella and Chewy's turkey

 

[mwallace056]

ok i will try it

 

[Kat0121]

 
As long as you don't mix raw and dry, you should be fine! I started our cats on just small amounts of raw food every day, then gradually increased it. Before I found a cheaper source of RadCat, I gave that to them in pretty small amounts, like treats. There are lots of great candidates for treats... our cats love it when I drop parts of Stella & Chewy's nuggets.

Just as an FYI, we feed our cats about 60% commercial raw, 40% canned and it works really well for us and the cats. As @LTS3 said, you shouldn't feel bad if you can't or dont' want to feed raw! It does take a commitment, even at the level we do it, and not all cats will eat it. I think we're lucky that ours happen to like it.

Good luck!

Where do you get the Rad Cat? I can't find it near me. Do you buy it online?

 

[detmut]

 
Where do you get the Rad Cat? I can't find it near me. Do you buy it online?

http://www.radfood.com/where_to_buy

 

[Kat0121]

 
http://www.radfood.com/where_to_buy

Thanks. I had checked that already. They have one pet store in my area that is supposed to sell it. I called them on this past Saturday. They do not sell raw foods of any kind. Canned and dry only. I wanted to find some locally before I ordered online.

 

[lisahe]

 
Where do you get the Rad Cat? I can't find it near me. Do you buy it online?

I buy it from local stores. There are a few that sell it and one just started carrying it because I'd mentioned feeding RadCat. I think it's pretty easy for a store to order... if, that is, a store is open to orders!

Just as an FYI. I pay $12.99 for the large containers: some stores charge two or three dollars more for that size so it's worth shopping around and/or asking a store how much they'd sell it for if they order it.

Good luck!

 

[mwallace056]

what other products i should try?

 

[2bcat]

FWIW:  Our two cats had little to no interest in freeze dried treats like Pure Bites, but they have mostly enjoyed their meals of rehydrated freeze dried raw, particularly the Stella & Chewys chicken.  (They've also eaten Primal turkey in the past but didn't like it as much.)  At the moment they are eating 100% S&C, but I expect to throw in some cans in rotation still from time to time.

Next up I think I might take the plunge and try some Rad Cat.  My nearby store is on the where to buy list now which didn't used to be the case.  I haven't tried any other frozen foods yet.  Well, I had a Primal sample pack once but that didn't really go anywhere.

 

[mwallace056]

can i mix raw chicken with dry food?

 

[lisamarie12]

 
can i mix raw chicken with dry food?

It would not be advisable to feed raw mixed in with kibble. Cats digest raw at a much quicker speed than kibble, the latter takes the longest to digest. You don't want a situation where e.g., the raw chicken is trying to digest but kibble is slowing it down, that might create a bacterial infection.

 

[mwallace056]

 
It would not be advisable to feed raw mixed in with kibble. Cats digest raw at a much quicker speed than kibble, the latter takes the longest to digest. You don't want a situation where e.g., the raw chicken is trying to digest but kibble is slowing it down, that might create a bacterial infection.

can i mix raw with wet food? what if i feed the raw as treats couple or few times a weeks? or feed it at night and dry in the morning?

 

[ldg]

can i mix raw with wet food? what if i feed the raw as treats couple or few times a weeks? or feed it at night and dry in the morning?

You can feed as much or as little raw as you like whenever you want. This kibble-raw thing is a myth that gets repeated over and over so many times we all come to believe it. I know plenty of people that switched direct-to-raw from kibble and never had any issues, not even stomach upset. ANY raw added to a diet will provide benefit. Think of it like this - a human eats dry cereal. They add canned stew to the diet, and feel better. Of course - it has less processed ingredients and MOISTURE. And then they add some fruit. WOW! Feels SO much better! Of course - it includes some fresh, living food now! Same thing for our kitties. ANY raw or home cooked will provide benefit. And this is how many start. They see the difference, and feed more and more of it, until they're feeding only that, because the difference is THAT noticeable. :rub:

 

[ldg]

Oh - if you limit it to 15% or less of the total diet, you don't even need to worry about buying commercial products or balancing the food. The AAFCO minimums are intentionally oversupplemented to the tune of 25% due to assumed issues with bioavailability of ingredients or impaired nutrient absorption in cats and dogs (have to address the weakest link in the chain, so to speak).

 

[mwallace056]

how do i figure out how much raw to feed them?