Raw Feeding Chronicles....

[catsarebetter]

LOL, I have to keep running to the store and getting it because they, as a whole, all love it. But, that being said, I tried everything I could think of, and spent months of taking her to the vet over her constipation, and just picked up a cat grass as a treat one day, and boom, accidentally the problem was solved. My reaction was something akin to... YOU MEAN TO TELL ME I"VE SPENT ALL THIS MONEY and CAT GRASS WOULD HAVE FIXED IT????? hehe, something that simple, go figure. I was dumbfounded.

and then I was like, well, i guess it makes sense... mice eat grass and plants, cats eat it whenever they get outside, so.. I just can't believe I didn't think of it before.

 

[beandip]

LOL

You know, she loves to eat. I could probably just get a harness and leash for her, take her outside, and I'd be able to throw away my lawnmower.

Once she sees it as "food", she'll be unstoppable.

 

[catsarebetter]

Sounds like Pogue. He by far eats as much as the Bengals and I think more... his little tummy is always close to "explode" range, and since he's been vet checked for everything, the only thing left is how much food he eats (and it's completely believable if you only saw how much that little twerp can eat). Goodness, he'd eat me out of house and home. He finishes off *everything* the Bengals don't eat of the raw, and then any wet food that's out, and then eats more dry. I swear he eats three times his body weight a day.

 

[white cat lover]

The one thing I wish I could afford-Prowl. I would love to try that, but I saw a larger container of it for $51 at a pet store. Way outta my price range.

 

[beandip]

Originally Posted by white cat lover

The one thing I wish I could afford-Prowl. I would love to try that, but I saw a larger container of it for $51 at a pet store. Way outta my price range.

Has your gang tried that stuff? I wrote to them for samples...they sent 12oz of the mix. The bucket is a big investment, but per ounce when it's hydrated it's about the same as Nature's Variety (.20/oz), I think.

Mine tried a tiny bit. I convinced everyone to at least try it. When I offer them more, we'll see.

 

[white cat lover]

I didn't know they would send samples, perhaps I should e-mail them to ask? It might be worth it....

 

[beandip]

Originally Posted by white cat lover

I didn't know they would send samples, perhaps I should e-mail them to ask? It might be worth it....

Yeah, I would.

They were very accommodating.

It just got here today.

 

[rone]

Originally Posted by CatsAreBetter

Beandip, did you try getting the constipated kitty a plant to chew on, like that pet grass that they sell at the petsmart? that's what fixed Joyeux's constipation.. none of the psyllium husks or other additives to the catnutrition.org recipe that they suggest fixed her. The cat grass did the trick though.

Fred defecate once every other day. I'm not sure if he strains to get them out- we own a Litter Robot and he faces outside when does his businss. I suspect he has mild constipation. Will have to try the pumpkin (canned/babyfood) some members suggested. Hubby doesn't like growing any plants in the house, will cat grass gel work just as good as the fresh ones?

 

[catsarebetter]

I honestly don't know. I have been just buying the little containers, they're.. maybe four inches by four inches in a tiny planter that the grass is already grown in. They eat that, it dies in a few days... I throw it away and get them another one.

They do have little "kits" too, where you put the seeds in the plastic packet that they come in, water them, and then it grows in a few days. This doesn't require any real growing or potting or anything, and it's disposable when the grass dies.

You might also try growing it outside, cutting off a few fresh stalks every day, and bringing it in for when they're eating. Mine will eat it that way too, but since it dies and wilts quickly, they're not as fond of it. It's really just easier to sit the little container down and let them have at it as they want.

 

[renovia]

cat grass is really a minimal plant for indoors really. i'd just ask to try it once THEN let him come up with reasons why you can't have it. especially if the cats feel better on it.

 

[rone]

Time for another update...it's been 4 weeks since I introduce raw to the kitties. They've been eating raw/wet mixture (~1 medallion with 1/8 from 3 oz wet) with no problem so last Friday I decide to give them just raw with a bit of pumpkin. They ate it without sniffing. I tried venison next day, nope wouldn't touch it. I then mix it with 1/4 wet (out of 5.5 oz), both kitties eat it with little enthusiasm. Found 2 vomit on the carpet when I came back an hour later. Okay, that didn't go down very well. Gave them 1/8 of a medallion each mix with wet and they were fine.

They have no problem with NV chicken+turkey & rabbit, I assume venison would sit well in their stomach. I was wrong to assume & just have to introduce new meat slowly.

With ~ 40-50% raw I can already see both are more 'energize'. Their first visit to the vet we were told both kitties are slightly overweight. In the 2 months of feeding wet/raw, we noticed both have loose skin but their weight went from 11 & 9 lbs to 12 & 10 lbs. Does this mean they're packing up muscle? How can I tell whether it's muscle or fat?

Originally Posted by Renovia

cat grass is really a minimal plant for indoors really. i'd just ask to try it once THEN let him come up with reasons why you can't have it.

Renovia- nope...DH still said no when I show him the grass in little containers & the kits. I don't know what his problem is since I'm the only one doing everything when it comes to the cats but that's a different topic.

 

[catsarebetter]

You could just plant it outside and then bring little cuttings in for them, or take them out on a harness and let them eat what they want themselves.

An update for me... I've been feeding the girls (and Pogue) wet/raw mix twice daily, and they're eating the mixture fairly well. I caught Noel trying to snag left over plain raw (which is all khan will eat), without any mix in it, and I was surprised.

 

[catsarebetter]

Okay, so has anyone else gotten to the point where they are using an actual grinder to grind bones? I found a good source for whole rabbits, and I'm thinking it might actually be better and more cost efficient to invest in the grinder (even though it's $200 out of pocket and I can't *really* afford it right now...I think maybe I need to do it regardless). Chicken is so much cheaper if it's not already chopped up and off the bone.

 

[coaster]

You should be able to get an excellent grinder for half that price if you're willing to stick with fryer chickens. I have a 1000 watt grinder and it works fine for chickens under about five pounds. It starts bogging down on the seven pound roasters and rabbits, and forget turkey. For that, you need to step up to the 1200 watt grinder.

But what I really wanted to mention is that before you grind bone-in rabbit, do some research. I came across a couple studies where whole rabbit was fed and there were serious problems. First of all with rabbit bones. Unless they're double-ground very, very fine, they could be a hazard to the G-I tract. Second is that rabbit meat is deficient in taurine. So rabbit always has to be supplemented and shouldn't every be the main part of the diet. I wish I could find those articles now but apparently I didn't bookmark them. I know that I decided to debone my rabbit before grinding, and if you've ever deboned rabbit, you tend to not be too enthusiastic about using it.

 

[crt]

I've been successfully feeding Kabou raw for about a month. She's been my problem kitty because of tummy issues, suspected IBD, and she has made such great progress with her vomiting, eating and lethargy. I'm almost afraid to get too excited, but so far so good. In fact, so far so great! Vomited only one time in a month, poops don't stink, and she seems so much more comfortable and satisfied. AND, she is enjoying her food for the first time in months! I'm giving her rabbit, using the catnutrition.org recipe. I do supplement with extra taurine. This is the good part...............
The bad part is the expense. She doesn't like premade and she doesn't like dark meat chicken, so I've been ordering 10 pounds of double ground from Hare Today Gone Tomorrow. The shipping is the killer. My last order cost $70.00. It will last a month at the most.

If anyone knows of another reliable source for ground rabbit that is closer to Texas, please let me know.

 

[sharky]

Originally Posted by Crt

I've been successfully feeding Kabou raw for about a month. She's been my problem kitty because of tummy issues, suspected IBD, and she has made such great progress with her vomiting, eating and lethargy. I'm almost afraid to get too excited, but so far so good. In fact, so far so great! Vomited only one time in a month, poops don't stink, and she seems so much more comfortable and satisfied. AND, she is enjoying her food for the first time in months! I'm giving her rabbit, using the catnutrition.org recipe. I do supplement with extra taurine. This is the good part...............
The bad part is the expense. She doesn't like premade and she doesn't like dark meat chicken, so I've been ordering 10 pounds of double ground from Hare Today Gone Tomorrow. The shipping is the killer. My last order cost $70.00. It will last a month at the most.

If anyone knows of another reliable source for ground rabbit that is closer to Texas, please let me know.

I am far far from texas but my local butcher has rabbit reg

 

[crt]

Sharky, that's an idea, local butchers! Did you ever have your local butcher grind the meat and bones for you or did you do it yourself?

 

[catsarebetter]

Originally Posted by coaster

You should be able to get an excellent grinder for half that price if you're willing to stick with fryer chickens. I have a 1000 watt grinder and it works fine for chickens under about five pounds. It starts bogging down on the seven pound roasters and rabbits, and forget turkey. For that, you need to step up to the 1200 watt grinder.

But what I really wanted to mention is that before you grind bone-in rabbit, do some research. I came across a couple studies where whole rabbit was fed and there were serious problems. First of all with rabbit bones. Unless they're double-ground very, very fine, they could be a hazard to the G-I tract. Second is that rabbit meat is deficient in taurine. So rabbit always has to be supplemented and shouldn't every be the main part of the diet. I wish I could find those articles now but apparently I didn't bookmark them. I know that I decided to debone my rabbit before grinding, and if you've ever deboned rabbit, you tend to not be too enthusiastic about using it.

I have five cats on it, and am feeding over 2 pounds a day (I *think* about 2.5 pounds). I was going to use the rabbit as a supplement, as a sometimes food to supplement their main chicken diet, or potentially as an add-in. I don't mind giving them double ground mush as their rabbit supplement. I think the TS-1800 (or whatever it was), has a superfine grinding plate. If you come across those articles, though, definitely let me know. It will be awhile before I start getting rabbit for them. I'll either have to figure out a balance between getting the rabbit right and using it or skip it and turn to something else. It's really going to depend on how difficult doing it right is.

Originally Posted by Crt

I've been successfully feeding Kabou raw for about a month. She's been my problem kitty because of tummy issues, suspected IBD, and she has made such great progress with her vomiting, eating and lethargy. I'm almost afraid to get too excited, but so far so good. In fact, so far so great! Vomited only one time in a month, poops don't stink, and she seems so much more comfortable and satisfied. AND, she is enjoying her food for the first time in months! I'm giving her rabbit, using the catnutrition.org recipe. I do supplement with extra taurine. This is the good part...............
The bad part is the expense. She doesn't like premade and she doesn't like dark meat chicken, so I've been ordering 10 pounds of double ground from Hare Today Gone Tomorrow. The shipping is the killer. My last order cost $70.00. It will last a month at the most.

If anyone knows of another reliable source for ground rabbit that is closer to Texas, please let me know.

I had heard that raw helps clear up a lot of IBD and stomach issues, as a lot of cats are allergic to the ingredients (not the actual ingredients but the additives and/or chemicals used to make commercial foods), and that they cause a lot of problems. I've also read on a vet's website that cats are often diagnosed with chicken or fish allergies when it's actually an allergy to the additives. Hopefully your kitty will find that this works for her. I think it's looking positive for you! Good luck!

Mine won't eat premade either. What I do with any meat they stick their noses up at is just cut up the smallest bit, and add it into what you're normal diet is. Like.. mine preferred chicken breast, so I had to start adding in just the smallest amount of thighs. Now they're eating both just fine. With beef or lamb, or anything else (with the general exception of poultry, cause they love it), I have to add in just a little bit and beef is one of those things that they just DO NOT like to eat all by itself. Sometimes they'll begrudgingly eat a plate of beef, but mostly they stick their noses up at it. They will eat it if it's mixed into the chicken, in small chunks, though.

This is a website for rabbit, where you can get it already double ground. It was listed on catinfo.org as their source for rabbit. http://www.wholefoods4pets.com/

This place was listed for east coast, but I don't know.. they may ship to Texas as well. I'm not sure what the cost on the pre-ground is... I did a cost comparison for my own benefit, when I started considering the grinder, but I don't recall how much it was. As far as I'm concerned if it's significantly cheaper, I'll end up buying the rabbit and grinding it myself. I think the blade/grinder attachments are about $18 a piece, so.. you know, I could save myself that much in a month easily, in rabbit if the price is right.

Anyway, I'm thinking a grinder is the way for me to go. The savings amount is vast, I think.

 

[crt]

CatsAreBetter, thanks for the raw rabbit site. I emailed them for a shipping quote. From reading this thread it sounds like I probably need to introduce another meat such as chicken so that Kabou is getting the right nutrients. Not rabbit all the time. I'll try adding a tiny bit of white meat chicken to the rabbit, then ease into some dark meat as you suggested. Then if she accepts and does well with chicken, I can buy a grinder and grind myself. Maybe by then I can also find a source for rabbit that is closer to me. I just can't do $70-$80 a month long term.

 

[catsarebetter]

All of the rabbit I can find around here (and they do have it at some grocery stores as a specialty meat, along with venison, duck, pheasant, buffalo and a few other things...) is so much more expensive than ordering it from that site, either ground or whole that the prices there look like a good deal to me. Although, I can't imagine having to foot the bill to feed mine that everyday! (also one of the reasons I'm glad they don't like premade, cause it's so much more expensive).

I was reading some about the rabbit on catinfo.org but I think I'm going to have to do some more investigating into more meat possibilities myself.