Taking the plunge into raw.

[snake_lady]

I'm glad your guys are eating raw well.

I tried a couple times with Kizzy, to no luck. Tried a rodent a couple times, tried a piece of raw turkey neck.... nada. But he's a picky eater. I'm gonna keep trying.

Thanks for keeping this thread updated

I've learned alot here.

 

[missymotus]

Originally Posted by Auntie Crazy

Australia is perfectly safe (in fact, if you live in Australia, your peace of mind should be even greater - they have NEVER had a problem with trichinosis!).

My cats and most that I know eat pork at least once a week, they love it

My research also showed we'd never had problems with trich over here and that it really isn't an issue in several countries these days.

Most on the yahoo list, which is largely American feed pork too without issue.

 

[mschauer]

Originally Posted by Auntie Crazy

I hit what may be a small bump in the smooth ride, however. For breakfast, I served beef round stew pieces. The chunks were quite large, but no one had any trouble eating them. Rachel, my once thin kitty, ate more than is usual for her.... but about an hour later, threw some of it back up. Normally, because she ate so much, I'd shrug it off as a reaction to that, however, several days ago, I feed beef for dinner and then again for the evening meal - and someone threw up a very small amount after the second meal.

When I first started feeding raw, Zara took to it right away. She ate it happily for about 2 weeks. Then she started throwing up a bit. Then next time she would throw up more. It kept escalating until eventually she would throw up everything she ate. I stopped giving her raw for about 2 weeks or so then tried giving it again. She didn't throw up and has been fine with it ever since. I never did figure out what the heck was going on.

Just thought I'd mention it.

 

[auntie crazy]

Folks, just wanted to let you know Sharky apologized to me in a pm, so we're all good.

Sharky, as to your question reference feeding the canned beef, yes, in fact, I fed beef in Wellness, Evo and Nature's Variety Instinct flavors, among others, and no one ever had a problem with it.

I guess that rules out any sensitivity issues. At the least, it makes them more unlikely - thank you very much for the input!!

Beef is harder to chew than chicken and turkey, and Rachel IS the slowest of all the cats, so maybe she's being lazy and swallowing chunks that she should be cutting down?

I know too much food and food eaten too fast can cause issues, but can too-large food chunks cause stomach upsets, as well? Anyone have any experience with that?

If so, I'll be happy to cut her food down a little more while she gets used to all the chewing she needs to do now. Considering how easy this has been for me (yes, I totally recognize that I am very, very lucky), I think I can manage cutting one cat's food into bite-size pieces.

- - - -

And I'm glad to hear readers are getting something from this thread!

 

[jack31]

We hit our first bump in the road tonight and I was just beside myself. We tried raw turkey for the first time yesterday and Jack wasn't thrilled--I convinced him with crushed dry on top--very little.

Today I added turkey liver to the mix also. They both took one look and smell and walked away from the bowl. So after about 15 minutes I removed all the liver from the bowl. Still a no go. So after another 15 minutes I just took it away and put it back in the fridge. I just now offered it again and had some more success by adding some canned with it. Jack ate all his turkey meat but left the liver and Harley is still a no go--he ate the wet food out and left the raw.

Tomorrow I'm going to try mixing turkey with chicken--I know one protein source is best but they are both poultry and I feel comfortable because they are only eating about .75 of an ounce each anyway.

I've decided to start keeping a handwritten journal, mostly for days when we try new things etc. I think it will be important for things down the road--especially when it comes time to visit the vet.

We'll try beef next week, I hafta put in my order Monday at the butcher--for pick up Thursday-ish.

Leslie

 

[sharky]

Yes, too large of chunks can cause issues ... * waves hand* been there ... On the possible allergy less likely yes , but 2 of my I will eat raw crew are allergic to raw or cooked of a meat but not both ( makes life interesting

).. One of the reasons I love my butcher s doing it for me no more bite sizing

 

[auntie crazy]

Good luck, Leslie! I think keeping a journal is a great idea. Just yesterday, I actually copied and pasted all my posts in this thread into a word document so I would have a record of the transition.

 

[auntie crazy]

I've finally found a source for organ meat, the last ingredient I needed. Turns out my favorite grocery store sells both chicken and beef kidneys; I never saw them because the beef only comes in once a week and the chicken needs to be special ordered. I picked up a couple months' worth of beef kidney today and I'll order some chicken tomorrow.

I also found a butcher about 45 minutes away that sells pork kidneys and placed an order with them. I'll keep looking for other organs, but the need is no longer critical, thank goodness!

I gave the cats some beef kidney, beef heart and bison meat this afternoon as a snack, just to see if they'd eat it. Everyone chowed down with gusto. Rachel surprised me - she ate everything without any of the Whole Life treats I sometimes have to use to tempt her, especially the beef heart. So yay!

I have ascertained that Rachel was, indeed, being lazy about properly chewing her beef chunks. I've been cutting her pieces in half before offering them to her and we've had no more upset stomach issues. Problem solved.

The cats have been on raw food for three weeks and three days now, 100% raw a little over half that time. I have sources for everything I need and I've worked out the majority of the kinks in a feeding methodology that I can sustain and addresses all their needs. Oh, and I bought a lovely set of knives.

I've seen several changes in the cats: no more tuna breath (I kinda miss that, actually

), a drop in poop quantity and odor, and an increase in the softness and shine of their fur, to name a few. By far, however, the biggest change is the increase in activity level. I now have five kittens, not two! It's astonishing, actually, how much more energy and.... playfulness my cats have.

The indications are conclusive - the high-end, mostly grain- and fish-free cat foods I was feeding clearly weren't providing my furchildren with everything they need to be their happiest, healthiest selves. I am blown away at the difference in them.

I strongly recommend everyone switch their cats and dogs to a natural diet. I won't preach to you guys - who doesn't detest lectures? - but I can't not say anything at all. And I offer everything I've learned - if you have a question, pm me! I'm a research fanatic and if I can't answer your question, I promise I can direct you to someone or someplace that can.

Getting your cats on a raw food diet is worth the initial learning curve, it truly is.

 

[auntie crazy]

To bring this journey to a conclusion, here is the new feeding schedule for Auntie Crazy's Crew:

Breakfast: 9ozs to 10ozs of beef round (comes in precut stew pieces) or pork loin chunks I cut and package myself.

Lunch: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, they'll get about 11oz of something with bone in it for lunch - chicken wings, half a quail, a quarter of a Cornish Hen, or half a chicken breast with ribs.

Sunday and Thursday, lunch will be 6 ozs of either chicken or beef liver and 5oz of chicken or beef heart.

Tuesday and Saturday, lunch will be 6ozs of chicken, beef or pork kidneys and 5oz of chicken or beef heart.

Dinner: Either a chicken quarter or a turkey drumstick with the bones removed. The weight for these can range from 12oz to 18oz, but averages about 14oz. Every now and then, I'll try something different, like bison meat, just for the fun and variety of it.

I have enough weighed and packed in my freezer for nearly two months and every night, I just take out whatever they'll be eating the next day. Once or twice a month, I'll restock my freezer.

And it's as simple as that.

 

[blueandfrodo]

this thread has been highly informative and i have enjoyed reading it.

i have tried to switch my kitties to raw before and they turned up their noses. i am thinking about trying again. the first time i tried pre-made frozen food, this time i am planning on trying some chicken necks and wings and such. i feed my dog raw and we have to order from a raw food company in order to keep the cost down (chicken at my grocery store is never less than ~$10/lb!!!) i can order chicken necks from that company for $1.39/lb. i can also get ground chicken dinner for $1.99/lb. i can only hope that my experience is 1/2 as good as yours!! i hope that it keeps going well for you

 

[mschauer]

Originally Posted by Auntie Crazy

To bring this journey to a conclusion, here is the new feeding schedule for Auntie Crazy's Crew:

Breakfast: 9ozs to 10ozs of beef round (comes in precut stew pieces) or pork loin chunks I cut and package myself.

Lunch: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, they'll get about 11oz of something with bone in it for lunch - chicken wings, half a quail, a quarter of a Cornish Hen, or half a chicken breast with ribs.

Sunday and Thursday, lunch will be 6 ozs of either chicken or beef liver and 5oz of chicken or beef heart.

Tuesday and Saturday, lunch will be 6ozs of chicken, beef or pork kidneys and 5oz of chicken or beef heart.

Dinner: Either a chicken quarter or a turkey drumstick with the bones removed. The weight for these can range from 12oz to 18oz, but averages about 14oz. Every now and then, I'll try something different, like bison meat, just for the fun and variety of it.

I have enough weighed and packed in my freezer for nearly two months and every night, I just take out whatever they'll be eating the next day. Once or twice a month, I'll restock my freezer.

And it's as simple as that.

Oh, yeah! Easy!

Have you always been an overachiever?

I looks like you have a great menu planned. Your kitties are very lucky!

 

[auntie crazy]

You're funny, Mschauer!

I will admit to having an affinity for patterns, but nothing more.

To tell the truth, I'm kinda leaning back towards my ground breakfast idea. My cats are eating whatever I put in front of them, but I am having some personal trouble with the organs. Not to point to fine a point on it - it's quite thoroughly grossing me out. I feel like I constantly have my hands in blood and, holy smokes, Mschauer, have you ever smelled a beef kidney? I cut up a few pounds of it three or four days ago and I'm still fighting nausea. It had great big nasty waxy chunks of fat all through it and it STUNK.... I think I'm gonna be sick just talking about it. *gag* *cough* *washes hands for the HUNDREDTH TIME in the hopes that THIS time will get the smell out*

- - - - - - - - - - -

Anyway, I switched to frankenprey 'cause it's proponents were so insistent that, next to whole prey, frankenprey is closest to what cats eat in the wild. In reality, of course, cats don't eat one meal of meat, then another meal of organ and then more meals of mostly bone - they get it all in every single meal. And, while you'll never see a cat run down a ground-meal mouse *grin*, a ground breakfast is only one meal out of three a day; my cats will still get their chewing workout with the other two AND, their nutrition will be balanced on a daily basis rather than stretched out over a week. I, personally, think having a daily balance is better and worth the one-meal trade-off, not to mention I'll be able to have Whole Foods grind all the ingredients so I'll only need to exercise a little nausea control while I'm mixing it.

I've got too much food in the freezer to make any changes right now, so I'll feed the frankenprey for another week or so. Then, well, we'll see. *shrug* My cats are flexible either way, it's all about my own comfort level right now.

 

[blueandfrodo]

have you ever had green tripe?? BLECH!! that is gross stuff. it is supposed to be the be all end all in nutrition for raw fed dogs but oh my goodness, it is so gross! the yuckiest texture and the grossest smell EVER!! i tried it with my dog one time and i am thanking my lucky stars that iorek doens't like it!!

i could still smell it for days afterwards...

 

[snake_lady]

Originally Posted by Auntie Crazy

To bring this journey to a conclusion, here is the new feeding schedule for Auntie Crazy's Crew:

Breakfast: 9ozs to 10ozs of beef round (comes in precut stew pieces) or pork loin chunks I cut and package myself.

Lunch: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, they'll get about 11oz of something with bone in it for lunch - chicken wings, half a quail, a quarter of a Cornish Hen, or half a chicken breast with ribs.

Sunday and Thursday, lunch will be 6 ozs of either chicken or beef liver and 5oz of chicken or beef heart.

Tuesday and Saturday, lunch will be 6ozs of chicken, beef or pork kidneys and 5oz of chicken or beef heart.

Dinner: Either a chicken quarter or a turkey drumstick with the bones removed. The weight for these can range from 12oz to 18oz, but averages about 14oz. Every now and then, I'll try something different, like bison meat, just for the fun and variety of it.

I have enough weighed and packed in my freezer for nearly two months and every night, I just take out whatever they'll be eating the next day. Once or twice a month, I'll restock my freezer.

And it's as simple as that.

Couple questions on your conclusion

- I vaguely recall you trying rodents.... I don't notice them on your list of feeding. What ended up happening with that?

- I would love to see this updated in a few months with how much your kitties weigh, health, etc. (hint LOL)

- Can your kitties have a word with my kitty and tell him raw food is ok?

kthxbai.

 

[blueandfrodo]

Originally Posted by Snake_Lady

- Can your kitties have a word with my kitty and tell him raw food is ok?

kthxbai.

when they are done over there can you send them my way?

 

[auntie crazy]

Originally Posted by Snake_Lady

Couple questions on your conclusion

- I vaguely recall you trying rodents.... I don't notice them on your list of feeding. What ended up happening with that?

- I would love to see this updated in a few months with how much your kitties weigh, health, etc. (hint LOL)

- Can your kitties have a word with my kitty and tell him raw food is ok?

kthxbai.

The cats still eat the mice, but they only eat the top half.

I'm sure it's the stomach contents that are offending them, but I don't have a knife small enough to gut the mice with, so I stopped offering meecers for now. (Unfortunately, the 160 or so mice I have left take up a full quarter of my freezer.

)

I'll be happy to update ya'll in a month or so.

Allen says, "MMuummmmm, ggrrrrwwww, mmmmmmm, gggggrrrrrrrrw, yyyummmmmmm, mmmmmmmm."

Hope that helps!

 

[auntie crazy]

It's been a little over two months since I started my cats on a natural diet. It's a daily delight to watch them chowing down.

I've made only three real changes since my last post: First, I cut back on how much I feed and removed most skin from the menu. 'Though I started off at 3% body weight, I couldn't get over how small a portion that was and I kept adding here and there 'till I was feeding over 4%. All my cats are at a nice healthy weight now (two were underweight) and one is getting a bit chunky, so I'm cutting back to 3%.

Two, I still feed the liver and organ (kidney) separately, but I've added ground chicken wing back into the daily menu. I didn't notice any diarrhea when feeding bone-in meats a couple of times a week, but I did see softer stools - the kind that stuck to the fur at the back end. 8O The ground wing is less than an ounce per cat and it keeps their digestive systems on an even keel. I can order it ground fresh and pick it up the same day, so I'm happy with that.

Three, I bought a chest freezer!

 

[catmadkate]

I've always thought that raw food could be nutritious but that the cats were more likely to get worms. Has anyone had this problem?

Kate

 

[jack31]

Why would they get worms?

If they were eating wild prey--as in wild mice, that may be the case, but not in your average grocery meat.

Leslie

 

[sharky]

Originally Posted by Jack31

Why would they get worms?

If they were eating wild prey--as in wild mice, that may be the case, but not in your average grocery meat.

Leslie

many do ... as most of the meat supply has worms( we humans cook them and thus they are not a issue ) ... when raw feeding ( even commercial pre made) my very holistic vets recommend worming or fecal s ( the intensive kind) every 3-6 months/// compared to twice a year for indoor/ outdoor cats .. or seldom for just indoor ...