[avalyn]

Hello there! I'm new on the forum. My name's Melissa and I'm the minion of 7 kitties - all rescue cases who were either abandoned, sick, etc. They're hale and hearty now, thankfully! I'm also a kitty caregiver to a number of stray cats in my neighbourhood.

Hope to meet likeminded folks here, especially those into raw feeding!

 

[Penguin_Dreams]

Hi there! It's good to see another raw feeder. There's a few of us around and new blood is always welcome.

 

[avalyn]

Thanks I'm still learning though - it's been less than a year with the 7 furkids on raw, and at times, they stage li'l protests by refusing to eat! I'm using a pre-mix called Better in the Raw at the moment, but am hoping to transition them to frankenprey style feeding. (I'm only hesitant because the few times I'd tried offering wee bones to them, they've been resistant...)

 

[Penguin_Dreams]

Well, you're further along than me then. I've been at it for about 2 months and my guys do the hunger strike thing too. I was kind of hoping it got better eventually... you're not encouraging me here. ^_~

 

[avalyn]

Don't fret too much about it, Penguin_Dreams! Cats are picky eaters by nature, and the sporadic hunger strikes never last over a day or so. So don't be disheartened if your kitties get bratty like mine do - often!

 

[Penguin_Dreams]

I switch it up a bit and that seems to keep them interested. I'm feeling optimistic tonight because I just picked up something entirely new that my store hadn't carried before and they love it! At least for the next day or two. They're so finicky!

I'm reluctant to let them go more than 12 hours without food though, especially with my girl who really needs to put on some weight anyway. I don't worry about the boy so much until it starts getting close to the danger zone, but he likes to eat and by then I have to give him whatever the girl is getting or I'd have a cat mutiny on my hands.

 

[avalyn]

Try feeding meats with skin on or li'l bits of fat for the weeny lass? I do that for my previously anorexic cat Mimi - yep, she was anorexic... until she was switched to a raw diet, would you believe it? I also feed pork, which she loves, and which does help to bulk her up a wee bit if you choose shoulder instead of, say, loin.

 

[LakotaWolf]

In regards to Frankenprey - small critters are an excellent place to start (as opposed to diving into the world of chicken necks and wings.)

If you're willing to do this (and I can understand how hard it can be), you might consider looking into buying some day-old chicks, day-old quail, or pinky mice. You can sometimes get pinky mice from reptile stores or pet stores, though I've always bought mine online. They are adorable, and I feel like a heartless scumbag whenever I take one out of the freezer. >_>;

Now, because it'll be hard to get kitties to try the prey "whole", you might try chopping them into little bits (or in half, in the case of the pinky mice). This is best done when they're still frozen. Because they're so small, they chop easily, but will start to thaw out quickly, so you have to be fast.

I have to actually "skin" the quail and chick bits for my cat so far, as she won't touch them if there's any fuzz/fluff.

She loves the pinky mice, as long as I dice them.

I haven't had any luck getting her to actually chow down on chicken necks or wings, though.