Starting the boys on RAW...

[dtbmnec]

Yep I'm doing it...I'm taking the plunge thing and having the boys eat RAW YAY!

Well I've started off with some chicken breasts (boneless/skinless...need to go out and buy other kinds) and a bit of beef. Cool They haven't really taken to it, well Leo has he's gobbled down the food like no tomorrow! Leo's taken to it like no tomorrow

Dart still sorta picky and is getting all his shots and things now . Becky got her first paycheck today and bought meat mmmm Meat! Dart eats it without issues unless the pieces are too big...Yay!

Pawz is gonna be a stubborn one...I had to put a bit of tuna juice and tuna on top of the meat in order to have him take a second look at it...*shakes fist* he's really gonna be stubborn! He's simply trying to lick it all instead of using his MOUTH...silly cat!

I'm so happy though!

Except for this....one of the cats (not sure which one) puked a bit of the food up...and we're not sure which one! Is that normal or not? I mean none of the cats in the house have thrown up before! The only thing that has changed would be the diet...

Megan

[jiorji]

i know there's been some raw threads going on, and while many people have many good arguments about the cons with raw, I personally would leave my cats on cat food. WHy?? because meat has no other products in it, no other vitamins like wheat and all those other things that are blended in cat food.
and you complain about money, buying raw meat will be more expensive than buying cat food. Have you thought about that?

if a cat throws up after a meal, that's not a good sign. Not all animals are cut for a raw diet. One of them most likely can't digest it, in which case it could result in some problems, either diarrhea or resisting to eat.

so...umm.....good luck with that

[dtbmnec]

Well the problem with Pawz is that I think he's allergic to something in the cat food and would probably do better on the raw food. If I'm switching one guy I might as well switch both of them.

*sigh* I just don't know what to do with Pawz....vet wants him on the vet food but that's not good....I dunno...

Megan

[Prin]

Originally Posted by jiorji

because meat has no other products in it, no other vitamins like wheat and all those other things that are blended in cat food.

Cat food might have good things in it, but wheat isn't one of them.

[jiorji]

grains. i meant grains
and a bunch of vitamins that i can't pronounce and other stuff...
(i'm looking at the label right now )

might want to try different foods still. My friend's cat is allergic to all cat foods except this one spcial one the vet orders specially for her. What if the same cat that was allergic to the cat food is allergic to the raw??I hope not because then that would be even harder to feed it

[Prin]

Grains don't really have as many nutrients as you think... It's more about fiber when it comes to grains...

[Scott_B]

Cats are carnivores plain and simple. They dont need grains. Feeding a cat a raw diet is probably cheaper then feeding kibble as well with the proper sources. And Meat has lots of what cats need, and none of the junk that the kibble contains, such as wheat, corn and by products.

[technodoll]

scott is right. cats are obligate carnivores (no meat, they will die). grains and vegetables are completely unnecessary in a cat's diet (sorry jiorji). here are a few great sites on feeding cats a raw diet, hopefully they will be a good resource for you! oh and remember to feed edible bones too, and organ meats

http://www.holisticat.com/rawdiet.html

http://www.catnutrition.org/foodmaking.html

www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/sampleraw.htm

[dtbmnec]

Originally Posted by technodoll

scott is right. cats are obligate carnivores (no meat, they will die). grains and vegetables are completely unnecessary in a cat's diet (sorry jiorji). here are a few great sites on feeding cats a raw diet, hopefully they will be a good resource for you! oh and remember to feed edible bones too, and organ meats

http://www.holisticat.com/rawdiet.html

http://www.catnutrition.org/foodmaking.html

www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/sampleraw.htm

I'm trying but Pawz keeps puking it all back up! I'm not sure whether its the chicken or whether it was the tuna I"d mixed in with the chicken or what....he ate ground beef a few times without any issues at all too So confused! So I think I'm going to try a bit of the raw beef meat that I've got and see if that is kept down.

I've got some liver and such things for the boys to eat as organs (still have to get more but working on it ) and the bones and calcium are going to come soon too...just gotta get around to making myself some eggs...I suppose right now they're in the "taste-testing" phase of it all...I"ll have to go get some more wet food n the mean time though.

I didn't come up with that other site (shirley's) so I'll check in there. I'll update on Pawz' "condition" after the beef to see what's going on

Megan

Minor update: Pawz all but attacked the beef that I put down whereas he would only really lick the chicken I'm so happy! All three of the boys are mowing down on the beef I'm so happy! Now I just have to make sure he doesn't puke it up...

[meb999]

It might just be a problem with chicken. Maybe Pawz is allergic?
I would try other meats for a while (beef, porc, lamb, etc)...

scott is right. cats are obligate carnivores (no meat, they will die).

Yeah, when I researching RAW for Buster, I realised that a raw diet is even more recommended for cats than for dogs. Also, you'll notice that cat food usually has alot more meat than dog food.

[dtbmnec]

YAY!!!!! It's been several hours now and NO sign of puke!!! *happy dance* SO I can only assume it WAS the chicken!

Oh I am so happy-like!

All three boys love the food though It's great

Megan

[technodoll]

congratulations! cats are notoriously picky eaters and harder to "convert" to raw than dogs, so you have alot to be proud of! now just wait until they get into the raw fishies, LOL!

[dtbmnec]

Originally Posted by technodoll

congratulations! cats are notoriously picky eaters and harder to "convert" to raw than dogs, so you have alot to be proud of! now just wait until they get into the raw fishies, LOL!

O.o fishies?! Hmmm so I have to give them food with faces now?

Megan

[technodoll]

oh yes, definitely! "it's a cat's life"

[dtbmnec]

Hmmm it seems the boys are still hungry after three servings of the meat! Hungry little guys aren't they? Should I be following a "guideline" as kittens or not so much? The different websites say either 2-3% of their ideal adult weight or to feed them until they're full/don't want any more and if they get pudgy to let up on the food...

I know they're still hungry because that's the only time they get up on the counters!

what do you guys do?

Megan

[technodoll]

i would let a growing puppy/kitten eat as much as they want until they're adults, and only cut back if a) overfeeding causes loose stools or b) baby is getting pudgy. no two pets metabolize energy in the same way, for example one kitten might need twice the food as its sibling to end up the same adult weight... body just burns food faster.

[dtbmnec]

Well more updates...went out and bought foodage for the beasts...

Pork: Wasn't touched...in fact they all looked at me like I was trying to poison them!

Veal: Leo gobbled down like no tomorrow...Pawz sniffed at it...Dart couldn't care less!

Turkey: Leo looked in disdain to me....Pawz looked like he thought I was trying to kill him...Dart pounded it back into his tummy!

Salmon: All three cats ate some but grew tired of it That's ok cuz they only need a bit each day anyway right?

Beef: The hoover vaccum couldn't have cleared it faster

OF COURSE I also found out something new...PAWZ is a little demon! You see I'd broken out the canned tuna while cutting up the meat and PAWZ could smell it...so he didn't touch ANYTHING until I put that down...little *)&#*&#(*$*#$(@_#($&*. *cough* Anyways, so now I know not to do that again...hmph if he thinks he's gonna get canned tuna every meal he's wrong!

Otherwise all is good...I suppose I gotta crack open an egg tomorrow and give the shell to the boys....I get to smash things yay! Bones and bigger chunks will come later

BTW, how fast did you "upgrade" the chunk size? I mean was it like a week or so before you felt they could have larger pieces? Or what?

Megan

[technodoll]

teehee, what an adventure! so apart from the beef, there is no consensus among the kitties eh? figures! you might be stuck feeding two or more meats per meal and let each cat do its own thing...

BTW, how fast did you "upgrade" the chunk size?

from the get-go! lots of cats love crunching on chicken wings, necks, smaller chunks of tougher meat... good luck!

[dtbmnec]

Originally Posted by technodoll

teehee, what an adventure! so apart from the beef, there is no consensus among the kitties eh? figures! you might be stuck feeding two or more meats per meal and let each cat do its own thing...



from the get-go! lots of cats love crunching on chicken wings, necks, smaller chunks of tougher meat... good luck!

Well they seem to still be having issues with the smaller chunks of meat...I dont want them to end up playing with the meat (like Dart was the other day when I gave them huge chunks)...I want them to eat it...lol

Oh and random question...pet safe cleaner for floors! I don't know any and all I have is stuff that definately isn't! I need to wash the floors desperately!

Megan

[technodoll]

fill a spray-bottle (from the dollar-store) with a solution of 1/3 white vinegar, 1/3 rubbing alcohol and 1/3 water. spritz whereever you need cleaning & disinfecting, wipe with paper towel.

[dtbmnec]

Originally Posted by technodoll

fill a spray-bottle (from the dollar-store) with a solution of 1/3 white vinegar, 1/3 rubbing alcohol and 1/3 water. spritz whereever you need cleaning & disinfecting, wipe with paper towel.

You are a lifesaver! Thank you! Cuz my floors are ewwy and gross....

It won't damage hardwood would it?

Megan

[technodoll]

it's been nice to my wood floors, however the vinegar's acid gradually rusted the bottom of their metal crate, as i never bothered to rinse with water afterwards.... no biggie.

if you prefer to only use a 50/50 mixture of white vinegar and water, that,s fine too! i just like the rubbing alcohol for extra cleanliness.

[dtbmnec]

There really isn't much metal in the house on the ground so I think I"ll be ok...its mostly for the kitchen anyway...ugh hasn't been cleaned since we moved in....like I said rather gross!

Megan

[technodoll]

i've ALWAYS washed my wood floors with hot water & vinegar mix (more water than vinegar), it dries with no streaks and leaves a beautiful shine. no need to wipe, either. works well on linoleum & ceramic tiles too! bucket, mop... let's go!

[dtbmnec]

Originally Posted by technodoll

i've ALWAYS washed my wood floors with hot water & vinegar mix (more water than vinegar), it dries with no streaks and leaves a beautiful shine. no need to wipe, either. works well on linoleum & ceramic tiles too! bucket, mop... let's go!

Hmm I'm still having issues with the bucket...lol I haven't got one! I've had to use the bathtub...you know I really should look into getting a bucket ROFL

Do your cats "chew" on the side of their mouths? I've not seen any cats eat Raw before so I"m just wondering if its a wierd thing for my guys or what...

Megan

[technodoll]

Do your cats "chew" on the side of their mouths? I've not seen any cats eat Raw before so I"m just wondering if its a wierd thing for my guys or what...

i only have two doggies (no cats) so i haven't experienced that first-hand, no... if they had chewed on bones, i would have guess that *maybe* a fragment of something was stuck between two teeth but... since they've had only soft meat, i don't know what it could be

since i know you like forums ( ), i suggest you join the raw feeding one to ask cat-specific questions, many folks there have "raw cats"... and they're a great bunch of VERY knowledgeable folks! hey they trained me, LOL! http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/rawfeeding/

[Scott_B]

I know my cats do with their kibble or when i give them fish.

[phoenix]

Cats cannot bite things into pieces with the front of their mouths like we can. They do use the sides of their jaws (haven't seen em eat a mouse before?)
Even dogs will gnaw using the sides of their jaws to get through something tough (that's how Sam got out of his seatbelt!)

[dtbmnec]

Originally Posted by phoenix

Cats cannot bite things into pieces with the front of their mouths like we can. They do use the sides of their jaws (haven't seen em eat a mouse before?)
Even dogs will gnaw using the sides of their jaws to get through something tough (that's how Sam got out of his seatbelt!)

Ahhhhhh see that explains it...and no I haven't seen any cat eat anything but kibble and wetfood...lol I haven't got a car so I don't have to worry about chewed seatbelt....only chewed leash! lol

techno: I've joined the raw cats one It's alright but they still approve my messages so it takes forever to get any response...hence why I frequent here much more often Added to which I've got you

I will update more on food "likes" later tonight when I put down a ton of food and hope they eat it! lol

UPDATE: Well ummm...they didn't much like the eggshells...in fact they ate AROUND them...so ummm yeah...*sigh*

Megan