Darwin started RAW today / questions

[live2flythesky]

After hearing so much about raw here and then doing a TON of research (and reading practically every thread on the subject here ), I decided to switch Darwin over.

While I would love to make my own, I just can't do it. I've been a vegetarian for 25 years and I just don't think I can handle all that meat, bone, and organ. Because of that's, I decided to go with the Nature's Variety Instinct frozen raw and started with the organic chicken medallions.

I used to leave a bit of Instinct kibble out for him between his meals of canned By Nature Organics and overnight. I stopped leaving it out two days ago and only gave him the canned up to this morning. For dinner tonight, I gave him two medallions (each medallion is 3 oz) of the raw. He LOVED it!

Darwin hasn't finished his food straight away since he pretty much slowed or stopped growing. He tended to pick at it and then come back to it a few more times before finishing it. Not tonight

I didn't mix any canned with it, but rather want for a straight switch as most of what I have read said you can do with raw if they will eat it immediately. He had no problem keeping it down and cried for more after he finished. I'm hoping for a repeat performance in the AM!

While he has never really had any poop problems (blessed), they have been quite stinky (which literally stinks being in a 720 sq ft loft). I am so anxious to see how his poop smells on the raw. Wow, that is a sentence I NEVER thought I would say.

My main concern is how much to feed him. NV has a recommend feeding chart, but it goes by weight ranges and even then the recommended feeding amount for each range is a range itself. Also, I know Sphynx have higher metabolism than other cats. I found one reference on here to someone feeding 3 medallions a day. Does anyone else here feed Instinct Raw and if so, how much per day?

Another question would be this: if he does well on the organic chicken kind for awhile, I would like to add other kinds of the Instinct Raw into his diet. What are the best protein sources for cats and what should I stay away from? This is the one area where I seem to find the most conflicting information.

Finally, should I only give him raw treats now? The only treats he currently gets are Greenies. I'm thinking that because you shouldn't mix raw and kibble, the same would apply to this type of treat. What are some food raw treats ?

Thank you in advance for any additional info!

 

[SealySphynx]

I can't answer the brand specific questions because I feed prey model raw - not the pre-made stuff, but when feeding like I do if they're hungry I'd feed more. If they put on weight (or are too chunk to begin with), I'd feed a little less, just see how it goes. I don't know how many times you feed Darwin, but you want to aim for at least twice btw.

As for treats, you're probably not going to like this suggestion but for my crew I make my own raw treats. If you cut lean meat into small chunks (think the size of your fingernail) and lay them in a single layer on a plate, cookie sheet, whatever and then put them in the fridge uncovered they turn into dried out jerky looking treats but they're still completely raw. No blood or gooeyness, but still not cooked. It takes about 3-4 days depending on the size of the chunks. If you're looking for a pre-made suggestion, you could give the freeze dried kitty treats. I used to get the brand called Pure Bites. There aren't any extra ingredients in them just chicken or shrimp or whatever flavor you pick. If Darwin really loves his greenies, you could still give them occasionally as long as you don't overdo it. If he's sort of like they're good but not that good I'd look at something else.

As far as the proteins go, there does seem to be a conflict. I personally feed as many different proteins as possible focusing on red and dark meats because that is where the most taurine is found naturally. Since you are feeding a pre-made ground product, that doesn't apply to you. I will say that I do feed beef, pork, goat, deer, whatever I can find and my cats do great. No if my house cat was in the wild, he or she wouldn't be hunting cows and large animals but if you compare them to their ancestors like lions and tigers etc they would be eating those large animals. Some people prefer to stick with what their small cat could catch in the wild like all kinds of poultry and small animals. In the end, it's really up to you. I'd say try all the flavors you can get. A word of warning, I've heard that some cats don't do well on beef in the beginning and some cats don't do well on beef period. If it were me, later on when you're ready I'd get the smallest pack they have of the beef and let him try it and see.

Congrats on the switch to raw!

 

[kristininn]

Yay raw!
I feed Winston a combo of NV and Primal. When just getting NV he eats 3oz in the morning and 2oz at night. Due to his prior weight issues (weighed 12.5 pounds, now is around 11), I actually feed him by calories and aim for 320 daily. This works well as NV has 65 calories an ounce, primal chicken/salmon has 47, and he also gets chicken parts (wings and necks) and various organ meat on occasion (and I can figure out the calories in that and keep him consistent).

That said, Winston has to be regulated on his intake, but many cats do not. I know Susi used to feed her adult cats about 7oz a day - but that was homemade. Also, age of Darwin is important. If he's under a year, he needs to eat more.

In terms of proteins, NV has rabbit as well as duck ( can be too rich for those new to raw). Primal has the chicken/salmon I use as well as turkey which is a good one.

Hope that helps!

 

[andreanar]

Congrats on the switch! May u be blessed with unsmelly, infrequent poops and good smelling breath! Haha. I noticed a change in my cats after 3 days of raw.

 

[susi794]

I would highly suggest rabbit. And Sealysphynx is right--many cats vomit the beef until they get more used to raw, but some will never be able to tolerate it. I did the homemade raw for a long time but then went to whole ground carcasses with My Pet Carnivore. I fed: chicken, goat, goose, lamb, beaver, turkey, ostrich, white fish, and rabbit. I stayed away from pork, and beef and duck and I only fed fish once a week. I gave chicken necks as treats, although my cats didn't particularly love them. I allowed my cats to eat their fill in the beginning--I would put down the food for no longer than about 20 min. to a half hour, then picked it up and put it in the fridge. To feed for the second feeding. I did go for about 7 oz. a day. Kits need more. I would suggest you to monitor his weight. And they do cry for more some in the beginning as they are used to eating more volume. They adjust to the lower volume later as it makes them more satisfied, but they have to get used to it. I wouldn't do the prey type because if they find a live mouse in the house I don't want them eating it. As it could have been poisoned or carry some kind of disease/parasite I don't want my cats eating. I had to stop raw feeding because I often have neonate kits that can't handle the normal bacteria that raw contains. I feel sad about it because my cats did well with raw--but mamas carry bacteria back to new born nests from the litterbox and the bacteria can cause diarreah which can kill a kit very quickly. The older kits and the adults have an immune system that can fight off these bacteria, so it's ok for them.
Good luck with the raw. Feed as many protein types as you can--that way if you can't get something it won't be the ONLY thing he will eat.

 

[kristininn]

Quick adjustment to what I said earlier:
I just got back from the vet with Winston, poor guy has an upper respiratory infection, and he's down to 9 pounds 5 ounces. While this is good, I need to start feeding him more so he will maintain his weight. My vet recommend going up to around 360-380, which would translate in to roughly 6 oz of NV. Thought I'd let you know as you were wanting to know quantity.

 

[susi794]

Quick adjustment to what I said earlier:
I just got back from the vet with Winston, poor guy has an upper respiratory infection, and he's down to 9 pounds 5 ounces. While this is good, I need to start feeding him more so he will maintain his weight. My vet recommend going up to around 360-380, which would translate in to roughly 6 oz of NV. Thought I'd let you know as you were wanting to know quantity.

Get well soon, Winnie!

 

[live2flythesky]

Thank you everyone! I hope Winston is feeling better after he got some meds.

So, Darwin really seems to like the chicken NV. He ended up throwing up after his morning feeding yesterday and I got worried. Gave him a medallion for lunch and he ate it really slowly but it stayed down. For dinner, I started with one and he scarfed it down and then cried for more ( which I gave him and he quickly finished). So, yesterday, he was given 5 oz, but threw up 2.

I had heard him get up and go check out his eating area where I used to keep his dry at least twice the night before. I'm thinking that he threw up breakfast because he was probably just so hungry and ate too fast. The only other thing I can think of is that it was too cold (which I heard can cause vomiting). It had had time to thaw from frozen, but was still colder than the temp of my fridge. I have learned the medallions take longer to thaw to fridge temp than the time listed on the package and adjusted my running food taking them out.

I'm about to feed him now. If everything is good, I will give him 2 more oz in the afternoon and 2 in the evening. Tomorrow, because I work, I will have to go with 3 oz in the AM and 3oz in the evening and this will become his regular schedule.

I am also going to go to the pet store today and get some of the rabbit NV. I know that protein sources shouldn't really be mixed in one meal, but what about one day? Is a different one ok for AM and PM meals or should he be given only one source per day?

If everything goes well today and tomorrow with the chicken, should I try the rabbit tomorrow or wait a bit?

 

[susi794]

I fed different proteins on the same day--and sometimes if I was running low on one thing--I would offer two different proteins in the same meal.
The vomiting sometimes happens because they aren't used to a food....just keep feeding it and that should all stop. Not sure it has anything to do with the temperature. So, I would feed the rabbit whenever you want to.
Hugs,
Susi

 

[werecatrising]

I often feed multiple protein sources in one meal and have never had issues.

 

[live2flythesky]

The store was out of rabbit yesterday so I got lamb and gave it to him for breakfast this morning. He loved it!

I did notice that yesterday he would only eat about an ounce and a half at a time. I ended up throwing away about half an ounce at each of his three meals. So, he ate about 4.5 oz total for the day. And, he kept everything down...yay!

This morning, he ate about an ounce and a half of the lamb quickly, but there is still about a half oz in his bowl that I will need to take up soon. Should I be concerned that he isn't eating enough?

 

[Flowergirl]

Somewhere else on here it's been said that the cat should be eating about 2-3% of body weight per day.
For example, for a 10 pound cat that would be between 3.2 and 4.8 ounces per day.

So, I don't know how much yours weighs but it sounds like it's in line!

 

[live2flythesky]

I'm not sure how much he weighs as I know he has grown since the last time we were at the vet 6 months ago. His yearly exam will be next month. I'm almost positive though that he doesn't weigh more than 10 lbs. If I had to guess, I'd say 8.5 to 9.

Thank you for this info! It is reassuring

 

[Flowergirl]

You're so very welcome!

I just started raw too so I'm learning as I go. I think if he wasn't getting enough to eat he would finish the whole plate.

Mine unfortunately prefers to graze, which isn't well suited for raw meat! Still trying to figure that little problem out!

 

[Taraforweb]

for treats... consider dried bonito flakes. They come in large ziplock bags. Neeners LOVES them. It's just dried fish shavings. You get them in asian food stores and sometimes regular grocery stores. Check, though to make sure their are no added salts etc.

 

[live2flythesky]

for treats... consider dried bonito flakes. They come in large ziplock bags. Neeners LOVES them. It's just dried fish shavings. You get them in asian food stores and sometimes regular grocery stores. Check, though to make sure their are no added salts etc.

Unfortunately, Darwin won't touch them. A friend gave me a bunch after her cats didn't particularly like them. Darwin seemed to think that they were a toy instead of food

I even broke them up and sprinkled them on his food to show him they were edible, but he ate around them.

I would have LOVED for him to have taken to them, but it was not to be

 

[Flowergirl]

James doesn't like the bonito flakes either. Oh well.

 

[Flowergirl]

Also- it occurred to me today while I was chopping up a boatload of meat parts:
Chopped chicken stomachs dried out would make great kitty treats! They'd be perfectly sized and chewy. They're not bloody or anything so they wouldn't get soggy. And James loves them!