Want to start feeding raw.. how to start

[peacefulchaos]

Alright. I have two male kittens who are on a strict wet food diet. There is little to no kibble.

However, I want to start feeding raw but I don't know where to start. Here's a list of questions:

1. What's a good brand? I know of Rad Cat but it isn't sold where I live sadly.
2. Freeze dried or frozen? Is it OK to feed both? (Not at the same time, just rotation)
3. Should the raw food have bone in it? I've read that cats with kidney problems and constipation shouldn't have ground bone. I have two male cats and as such I always worry about the risk of crystals. They don't have problems as of now though.
4. How slow should the transition be? One raw meal a day? One raw meal every 3 days?
5. I'd like to do half canned half raw diet and rotate brands/flavors.

That's all for now. What brands do you feed?

 

[lisahe]

1. What's a good brand? I know of Rad Cat but it isn't sold where I live sadly.

Good luck!

 

[missmimz]

I started out with Rad Cat and then moved into making my own with meat from Hare Today. I basically feed a variety now to keep everyone interested. I still feed some RC, a combination of meat/bone/organs from HT with alnutrin, boneless meats with alnutrin with eggshell calcium, boneless meats with EZcomplete, a few canned options (Weruva, Tikicat, Merrick LID) and some kibble for snacking (Orijen and Ziwipeak). 

Transition at the rate that works for your cats. Some move slower than others. My cats don't really like FD as a meal but I do use Primal as a topper. Good luck!

 

[peacefulchaos]

What exactly would I have to do to get food from Hare Today?  Like, how would I prepare it?  

To be honest, the canned costs are skyrocketing, and I feel like I'm paying for a can.  Unfortunately cats cannot eat metal.  I'm also giving Stella and Chewy's and Primal raw now, but it just feels like I'm just paying for metal when I don't feed those.

 

[LTS3]

 
What exactly would I have to do to get food from Hare Today?  Like, how would I prepare it?  

 

You don't need to do anything with the meat itself. You just use it as the meat portion of any good recipie, such as the one at Catinfo.org Just be sure to follow the recipie instructions. If it says to use boneless meat, then use that kind of meat not the kind that has bones and organs included. Recipies that call for boneless meat include supplemention to provide calcium and vitamins so if you use a ground meat that has bones and organs included, you risk your getting getting too much calcium which can result in constipation or too much of a particular vitamin which can cause health issues (such as too much vitamin A which can be toxic)

You can also use Hare Today meats with a pre-mix such as Alnutrin or TC Feline. This is what I do. You basically put the meat into a bowl, add in the right amount of pre-mix, add the recommended amount of water, and stir eveything together. Then portion the mixture into serving sizes and freeze. Some pre-mixes are for boneless meat only and others are for meat with bone and organs. Be sure to use the correct pre-mix for the type of meat you will be using.

There are links to various raw recipies here: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/264154/raw-feeding-resources