Raw Feeding Chronicles....

[beandip]

Originally Posted by white cat lover

I blended one medallion nin my Magic Bullet this am for Damita. She wouldn't touch it. So I belended that medallion, one spoonful "Kitty crack", 2 drops salmon oil, & a spponful tuna juice. Then she ate it.

Dory peed on a plain medallion again.

So I drizzled an unpeed on one with tuna juice & he licked all the juice of. Mixed the medallion up with tuna juice & he ate some.

Poor baby Pixel...have you tried giving her some plain canned pumpkin for the squirts?

ETA: With ground meats, what are the drawbacks? The only thing I can remember hearing about ground meat is that you have to use it within one day of thawing...are there any other issues?

Do you feel like you get away with more 'tampering' because Damita cannot see? Whenever I've pulled food away from my guys to mess with it...then I put it back down and they're like, "Come on, we saw you do that, it's still the same stuff!!" Either way, that's great that you at least have a "formula" for success. It's progress!

I'll have to try some of that Pro Pac Beef. It can't hurt.

I can't believe Dory peed on another medallion. That's quite a statement he makes.

I should go to the store and get something for Pixel. She only had one 'episode' and I think that got it all out of her system, but she's still not feeling quite right as she skipped breakfast and lunch. That was probably a wise move on her part, though. Hopefully she'll come around for dinner, or their "second" dinner. Man, they eat better than I do.

I can't remember the drawbacks of ground meat, except for what you mentioned. One other thing I might have read somewhere was that chewing up "chunks" was good for their teeth and gums. ?? That may or may not be true, I'm not sure.

 

[white cat lover]

Yes, I do think I get away with more tampering because Damita can't see me do it. I also think it's harder for me to be switching her because she can't see the food to eat it. 8 months ago, I would've had no problem as she had a lot more eyesight then. Now, she only sees movement.

I don't know what it is with Damita & her Pro Pac Beef, but she is so addicted to it!

It's hilarious...when I open cans of food, she never comes running. But when I open a can of Pro Pac Beef...wham! She's at my feet!

What got me to wondering about the ground meat is that at this stage I am basically blending all her meat anyways, I might be able to feed her ground meat instead or added into her mixes. Sheesh...I should just make a recipe book for this cat!

 

[white cat lover]

I got 4 bags of NVP Beef Medallions today. I hope she likes them. None are thawed yet, so I plan on testing them out for breakfast tomorrow! Wish me luck.

 

[renovia]

good luck!!!!

 

[sharky]

I hope it is BEEF she wants for DINEER..lol..

 

[white cat lover]

Originally Posted by sharky

I hope it is BEEF she wants for DINEER..lol..

Tonight for supper, she had one little flake of tuna(people) & one spoonful of tuna juice added to one medallion & she ate it. That was her 4th medallion for the day. She was begging so I gave her a 5th medallion for 2nd supper. And....I expect her to ask for more food before I go to bed yet tonight, so I think I'm only going to offer her a plain medallion & see if she eats it. 5 oz of raw medallions should be plenty, plus she has gotten canned food & oatmeal in with that.

I seriously need to get a scale to weigh her...she can't weigh more than 8 lbs even!

 

[sharky]

Just keep feeding her ... my dog ate like 12 oz a day when she went raw

... she is only 13 lbs

 

[white cat lover]

Originally Posted by sharky

Just keep feeding her ... my dog ate like 12 oz a day when she went raw

... she is only 13 lbs

Keep feeding her the raw? As much as she wants? Sheesh...maybe I should've gotten more than 4 more bags...

I went through 7 medallions today & I only fed Dory & Ophelia one! I have one left thawed!

 

[sharky]

Yeah feed her what shell eat ... trust me she will slow down to 3-5 a day

 

[white cat lover]

Apparently Beef is NOT what's for dinner.

I mixed up one beef, one venison, some canned food, salmon oil, lysine, hairball meds, & a little tuna juice & she ate her "mush".

Is there anything wrong with her eating blended raw for a long time? If I put the medallion in the magic bullter with a few drops of salmon oil on it, it gets a "shredded" texture & she will 99% of the time eat the medallion like that.

 

[beandip]

Hmm so she liked the Beef by itself and then changed her mind? Or you still had to mix the Beef from the start? I wasn't sure.

I would say as long as she's eating the blend, keeping it down, and gaining weight (hopefully soon)...then those are all good things. Of course it would be so much easier for you if she would just eat it 'unadulterated'.

We're still stuck on chicken/turkey here. Beandip and I had a slight setback (bladder-wise) but things are looking up today.

The pet store was out of the chick/turk medallions, I had to get the huge patties...which will be less convenient, but he's hooked on that stuff. He looks at the kibble like it's poisoned.

Friday night I went out for Pro Pac (couldn't hurt!!) but didn't find any. I ended up mixing 1 oz Beef/Chicken Nutro Nat. Choice Kitten + 1 lamb medallion + as you say 2 "globs"

of cooked oatmeal. I had some definite interest but there were some leftovers, even with 8 pigs available for taste testing. The oatmeal seemed to be the attraction.

I had a rabbit medallion on it's last safe day in the fridge...offered it to miss Fluffy Feral outside and she just swatted at it.

Is rabbit really bland or something??

How is Dory doing?

 

[white cat lover]

I didn't give Mr. "I Pee on Medallions" any raw this am. He got some canned pheasant instead.

The can was almost dead, already opened in the fridge. We'll try raw Beef medallion for supper on him.

I just got the Beef Medallions yesterday & they had to thaw. She wouldn't touch it when I just set it on her plate. So I had to "fix it up" for her.

I have been feeding Venison. She doesn't seem to care what flavor, they are all ucky just plain!

Figured out costs...its like $.80 a day for 3 medallions & like $1.50-$2.00 to feed her canned food. Definately cheaper for the raw! Not to mention she acts like she feels good....doens't seem as itchy, either.

 

[sharky]

Yes rabbit is a bland meat without alot of smell .... I use blood to dress rabbit ...

 

[white cat lover]

Damita, Dory, & Ophelia all got Damita's mix for supper & ate it. Wouldn't eat a raw medallion at all.

 

[renovia]

how are the chronicles coming?

Luxor LOVES Raw but is still only getting it mixed with venison and pea.

his allergies seem much better and he seems SOOOOOOOOOOO much happier.

 

[sharky]

Originally Posted by Renovia

how are the chronicles coming?

Luxor LOVES Raw but is still only getting it mixed with venison and pea.

his allergies seem much better and he seems SOOOOOOOOOOO much happier.

Glad he is doing better...

 

[white cat lover]

I'm glad Luxor is doing better!!! Dory still insists on either peeing or pooping on a raw medallion.

Damita isn't very enthusiastic about canned food, but much prefers her canned/raw mix!

Still won't eat a plain raw medallion, but we're working on that. Dory & Ophelia get a canned/raw mix of their own, too! I cannot believe how fast I go through medallions!

 

[beandip]

It's a rollercoaster here.

For a couple weeks, Beandip was eating the medallions pretty reliably, with enthusiasm...and without any bladder trouble (a constant worry w/him). Then he went into somewhat of a bladder episode and wasn't eating very well. I've seen it dozens of times and I usually can tell the difference between an emergency and non-emergency. Well he kept going up and down with his issues...then he scared me Monday - trying to pee but not peeing. Turns out his bladder was empty.

After 24 hours at the vet waiting for a sample, he finally went - and it was totally clean...no crystals, no blood, no bacteria. NADA.

Very interesting considering I had NEVER been wrong when I took him in. 18 months of c/d and his UA tests always turned up some sort of problem. Not this time.

I was a little OT there, sorry...the whole thing just made me more confident of the raw and how he would do on it, despite the mysterious episode.

He's back to eating better, he polished off 2 medallions by himself tonight...and now Pixel is interested in them too.

So now I have 4 complete raw converts in my crew.

They still aren't too thrilled with Lamb or Rabbit...although I did have some luck pouring baby food "gravy" on some lamb the other night.

I still can't believe Dory's antics. What a rascal.

 

[white cat lover]

Originally Posted by beandip

I still can't believe Dory's antics. What a rascal.

I don't call him my Dorky Fish for nothing!

I've got Beef. They much prefer beef over venison. I have half a bag of venison left & I'm feeding it to the outside kitties as these guys don't really like it.

Nothing wrong with his urine? How did he not pee for 24 hours?

Was the vet concerned about the lack of pee?

 

[beandip]

Originally Posted by white cat lover

I don't call him my Dorky Fish for nothing!

I've got Beef. They much prefer beef over venison. I have half a bag of venison left & I'm feeding it to the outside kitties as these guys don't really like it.

Nothing wrong with his urine? How did he not pee for 24 hours?

Was the vet concerned about the lack of pee?

Well, he went in with an empty "tank"...she confirmed that when he arrived. And he wouldn't eat (or really drink much) for them...the time frame was about par for the course for him. She's always found *something*, every time. He could have passed a small 'plug' of some sort (at home, earlier), although that's unlikely given the clean sample following his odd behavior. Based on what the vet said and what I observed, I tend to think he was having some sort of spasms down there, giving him the feeling he needed to go even though he had an empty bladder. Confirmed he didn't pee in the carrier on the way, either.

Even under stress, and waiting forever to go, his pH was up just a bit, 7.0...but that was it.

I was in shock when I heard that. I almost fed the rest of the c/d to the birds when I heard that.

I'm still iffy on whether he needs any extra acidifier with the raw or not. I'm just keeping an eye on him for now. He seems to be all back to normal now.

I'll have to try that beef next...sounds like it could be a winner.

Mine act like the lamb is too rich and the rabbit is too bland. Chicken/Turkey is still a hit, though.

My outside kitties have been dining on chicken livers and they seem to be really appreciative...unlike their indoor counterparts.