Raw feeding or BARF in Australia - Need Some Food Advice

[silviar]

I think I have a friend who can feeds her cat, and I can give them to her. 

So, I tried offering a bone in chicken and he didn't seem interested, but I think maybe he just wasn't hungry enough. I'm going to try as his breakfast meal...do I baste it with a lil can juice if he doesn't take to it?

 

[ldg]

What part of the chicken with bones? It's usually best to start them on the two small pieces of a chicken wing. The other bones can be a bit tough for a cat to manage. When I offered my kitties those part of the wings for the first time, I had to use scissors to cut them up into smaller pieces so they could tackle them. For some they had to be bite sized pieces, for others, I just cut them into thirds.

 

[silviar]

That's what I offered him, the wingette and tip, and he looked at me like ***? I tried slicing it open, but I think I need to use scissors and cut it into pieces. I didn't even think of that. 

 Well then, this weekend's goal is to see if I can actually find some kitchen shears! Sometimes living in no man's land has disadvantages... Haha!

Since he's still technically a kitten (we're going into 4 months and he eats and grows like a freaking weed), I think I cut it into bitesized chunks. He needs a bit of extra help.

 

[ldg]

Yeah, I didn't think of it either. Someone - I think Auntie Crazy, maybe, suggested it to me. :lol3: Cutting it into bite sized pieces worked.

 

[ritz]

You could also try the bones from quail or rabbit, they are smaller  Cornish hen (a/k/a small chicken) might also work--and most probably available anywhere.

 

[silviar]

You could also try the bones from quail or rabbit, they are smaller  Cornish hen (a/k/a small chicken) might also work--and most probably available anywhere.

We're going to buy a rabbit this week and give that a go. Quail, I'm discovering, is harder to find. Actually, sourcing bird meats here is proving to me somewhat difficult. >.<

 

[silviar]

Just wanted to give an update on Fagin--he's now eating quail bones, and is quite happy with them. He usually eats wing bones and a few other bits, so I'm pleased.

He's a big chicken guy, and getting him to eat other meats has been hard. No rabbit unless cooked, so I'm giving that and then I'm going to try it barely cooked  soon. Spatchcock and duck are up next for trial foods. Beef heart is tentatively ok, but he won't eat a lot in one go, so I sneak them in with his chicken. We're trying some pork tonight too. *crosses fingers*

He won't eat liver. Or at least, Lamb's liver, which is the only easy to source liver here. I went all over town looking for liver treats as an alternative, and in the end only found some dried cat ones. Tried it, and have left the treat by his food bowl all day after trying to catch his interest --he had none. Blah. I've asked the butcher to order beef liver, and that'll be in this week, so here's hoping.

On the plus side, the quail comes with innards still inside, so I'm able to give him those, and he gobbles them up just fine. I think he may be a feathers cat, lol. I'm not sure he's getting liver in there, but at least I know he's getting a few other guts! 

Very much hoping we can stop always cutting up his food at some point--just for time's sake, but if I gotta, well, I gotta!

Question: Chicken necks. They're very easy for me to get. Do I count those as meat only? I would assume yes, but...

 

[big0rangecat]

Since BARF won't divulge its product ingredient ratios, I found this website http://www.woodhavenlabs.com/barf-myth.html that convinced me NOT to feed BARF to my cats. This article refers to BARF for dogs however the same principle would apply to their cat food.

 

[AbbysMom]

Hello and Welcome to The Cat Site!

Just a note that the last post in this thread was almost two years ago. You may also want to review the forum rules before posting:

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/240690/raw-feeding-for-cats-forum-rules-and-guidelines

I don't feed raw, but I'm sure one of our raw feeders can provide you with the results of the latest studies of the pros and cons of raw feeding.

 

[rose2015]

Hi fellow Cat siters!

I'm in Australia too and we've recently had kitty try the Big Dog for Cats Kangaroo patty as one meal (she's currently on Holistic select canned). However one of her poops turned out part normal, part pale and crumbly. Does this happen to your cats too? I' not sure if the pale part was white or just pale brown, i'll have to check properly next time.

My question is: Is there too much bone in the BARF / Big Dog for Cats patties? 

 

[chikicat]

Hi everyone! 

Thanks for sharing this info, I just found this forum and Im glad to be part of this. I was looking for food advice and I got it  

Blessings-