[kim]

Hi -
I am new here, and will introduce myself later. I know a few of you, but this is my first cat forum (normally frequent rats and dogs!).

Anyway - I am looking for some opinoins on feeding. I am adopting a cat once I head back to school (in about 2-3 weeks). Right now she is staying at work until I can take her. I am offering her some high quality foods, but she is fairly picky and isn't eating much! Of course the stress of the shelter isn't doing her any extra good, but still...

Once she is with me I will be transitioning her to raw- my dog is raw fed for over 1.5 years and I plan on having the cat on raw if at all possible. I am a tad worried, I admit, that she will be hard to switch over since she apparently DOESN't have that large an appetite (unlike her kitten, who ate everything, including the chicken neck, ground lamb, and half a chicken I offered him after my dog didn't finish it! - dont worry, he only nibbled!)

I have her on Solid Cold dry food right now at the shelter (instead of feeding science diet), and she is getting a random assortment of canned food, from Sold Gold, Wellness, Wysong, to Merrick. However, except for the Solid GOld Tuna, few of them peak her interest enough to have her finish a plate of it right then and there. She nibbles at the dry, that is about it. She is about a year old, spayed last month, and weighs in at between 6-7 lbs. Not underweight, certainly not overweight, but not well muscled either. Again, still in a cage at the shelter though. I am sure her appetite will go up once she has more exercise.

So - the main point - how many people on here feed raw and have successfully switched their cats over? What are you feeding (are you using RMBs?).

In terms of canned food - any suggestions on foods that are as "whole" as possible - the solid gold tuna is whole chunks of fish, and she loves that. I would prefer "chunky" food rather than the gruel-like consistency of many cat foods.

Thanks in advance for any help!

=Kim and Bowie (and that cat, currently called Frankie)

 

[Sol]

It took me two seconds to switch my younger cats to a raw diet and a month for the the oldest. I offered her home made food five times a day and I only served her half the amount dry food she usually ate. It worked because like any cat who only gets half the amount it needs, she got hungry and startetd to eat the home made food. Just a little bit for starters and then she ate more an more for every day. Today all my cats have been eating home made food for 9 months and they all eat with good appetite.

When I make cat food I use muscle meat, heart, liver and yolks. That's the main ingredients. I also add about ½ tablespoon boiled vegetables. And of course supplements.

At http://www.catfood.catnutrition.org/CatFoodRecipe.pdf you can find recipes with bones as well as without bones.

 

[kim]

thanks for the recipes - in terms of what to feed, i mostly follow the prey model with my dog so that will be what the cat is modeled after. I have found EVERYONE is more happy starting out on ground meat, so that is what I will focus on for the kitty I think -(I am going to start trying some at the shelter now). I'm not sure I will feed any veggies at all to the cat...

Just curious which RMBs I can tempt the little beast with. Beyond poultry that is - necks, wings, backs, cornish game hens I can use, but I don't want to focus too much on poultry and prefer a lot of variety - beef, lamb, pork, goat, duck, turkey, chicken.

 

[Sol]

Just remember that dogs and cats have very different nutrition requirements. Cats need lots of protein and fat, as little carbs as possible while dogs need protein, fat AND some carbs. Cats also need taurine which the dog doesn't.

When it comes to RMBs I don't have any tips since I don't feed my cats that.

 

[queen of the nile]

I would recommend reading several different books on making home-made food. That way you can get the broadest view of what to feed your cat. I certainly wouldn't remove *all* vegetables from the diet, because cats in the wild do obtain some grains and veggies from the intestinal tract of their prey.

drjean said:

I definitely recommend a homemade diet, cooked or raw, depending on how you feel about it. Raw definitely has risks, but they are manageable. However, as others have mentioned, it takes a serious commitment. Most homemade diets go wrong when people run out of a supplement, then forget to get more, or they get lazy and starting leaving things out, etc. It is imperative to follow the diet exactly, all the way, all the time, to prevent serious nutritional problems.

For more info check these sites:
http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.php?action=library&act=show&item=014
http://www.blakkatz.com/natural.html
http://www.felinefuture.com
http://www.catnutrition.org

It's worth investing in 2 or 3 good books on the subject, too. My article lists several good ones.

 

[drjean]

I don't recommend RMBs any more. I've heard too many horror stories of gut perforations, impactions, and fractured teeth. If you are really dedicated, get a meat grinder and grind the meat and bones (i.e., a whole chicken or rabbit carcass) yourself.

Michele Bernard's book is another really great resource (www.blakkatz.com); thanks for reminding me to update my list!

I used to steam and puree massive amounts of veggies, then freeze in little tuppers, but then I discovered organic baby food! I use about a jar of squash or sweet potatoes or veggie medley to a pound of meat. It really does simply the process!

Cheers,
Dr. Jean