Welcome to Sphynxlair! Connect with Sphynx owners & enthusiasts around the world!

Does raw diet break the bank?

Wuahful

Lairian
Joined
Mar 7, 2010
Messages
43
Points
19
I was talking to my mom about how I'd read on here that raw diet was better for cats nutritionally and it causes a less messy and less smelly litterbox, and she said that meat isn't cheap. Being a teen, I dont ever actually buy meat :Dizzy: so I didn't know that. How do you guys manage, buying meat all the time? Do you fish a lot? Raise rabbits? Chickens? What's the secret?
 

ElGatoLoco

V.I.P Lairian
V.I.P Lairian
Joined
Feb 26, 2009
Messages
1,467
Points
188
I think your mom is pulling your leg. I'm pretty sure that an all meat diet would cost maybe around $10 a week. Give or take. I think the expensive part would be the vitamins you need to add. I'm not sure on the cost of those.

Many people prefer a raw diet because it more closely resembles a cat in natures diet. I remember reading somewhere that cats in the wild rarely drink water because they get most of their water from the food they eat. I don't know if that's completely accurate. Butterball has really become finicky as he's aged so dry food is working well for him. I also throw in quite a few treats. Some cats won't eat a raw diet. Although I haven't tried raw food with him, I don't think he'd eat it.

Listen to PitRottMommy. She's very knowledgeable on a raw diet.
 

PitRottMommy

Banned
Joined
May 28, 2009
Messages
860
Points
0
I was talking to my mom about how I'd read on here that raw diet was better for cats nutritionally and it causes a less messy and less smelly litterbox, and she said that meat isn't cheap. Being a teen, I dont ever actually buy meat :Dizzy: so I didn't know that. How do you guys manage, buying meat all the time? Do you fish a lot? Raise rabbits? Chickens? What's the secret?

Ask her to look at feeding manufactured raw diet if she thinks raw meat isn't cheap. I spend $2.50 a pound on processed raw rabbit for cats (I spend less than $60 a month feeding 3 cats). When I fed high quality kibble, I (at our apex) spent $143.95 in a single month.

I would highly recommend continuing your education with raw. It's a great diet and there's barely any smell that comes from the litter box. It's cheap to feed and IS better for your cat nutritionally than kibble is (do you see any wild cats tearing apart pet stores to get to the bags of food inside?).

It's easy to find chicken (you can feed wings, gizzards and livers and have 95% of what your cat needs) at a local meat market. Feeding a single cat would run you about $10 a week, ElGatoLoco is right. Financially and nutritionally speaking, it's more cost effective than most good foods and all poor quality foods.
 

Pbinky

Banned
Joined
Jun 13, 2009
Messages
273
Points
0
i just started feeding raw to my two cats. When eating raw they definitely eat a lot less over all. And it really isn't expensive when you think about it. i just include it in my grocery bill and it basically goes unnoticed. The only two draw backs are 1) you must make sure your getting the right proportions of meat, bones , organ meat, and supplemental taurine and 2) it is so freaking gross to have to cut it all up.
I gave my boys quail today.... oh my goodness. That has to be the most disgusting bird EVER! I thought chopping up a dead bunny rabbit (head included) was disgusting but oh no, quail is so much more nasty. I almost puked this morning when i was cutting up that nasty little bird! Thank goodness cornish hen is on the menu this evening. That little tiny chicken is cute.... so i don't mind dismembering it :LOL::LOL:
 

PitRottMommy

Banned
Joined
May 28, 2009
Messages
860
Points
0
:LOL: That sentence scares me a little :Hysterical:

X

The good news is once newbies to raw have acquired a taste for it, it doesn't have to be chopped or blended. You can hand them whatever you've got and let them do the dismemberment themselves. There is, of course, a downfall to having such a small animal (cat) and feeding larger prey items (like turkey). Feeding raw to dogs is less of a chore, IME, because they can practically level anything you give to them. I still haven't found anything my 65# pitbull, Bastien, cannot EAT. You give everyone raw bones weekly to clean their teeth...most gnaw on them. Not Bastien...he eats it. Not a darn thing left in his kennel after 30 minutes. It all goes down the hatch.
 

Pbinky

Banned
Joined
Jun 13, 2009
Messages
273
Points
0
I look forward to the day my boys will chomp on the carcass themselves. I've tried a few times and they really don't know what to do with it. Pbinky won't touch raw unless i cut it in small pieces and mix it in with wet food (80 % raw 20% wet food) and Skinny loves his raw but if i put out a chicken leg drum stick all he will do is lick it a bit then bite it and run around the house with it like it was a toy :Hysterical: When i cut it in smaller pieces i think it resembles "food" as opposed to "toy". But i keep trying... some day Mummy won't have to gag every morning when preparing the kitties breakfast.:Dizzy:


The good news is once newbies to raw have acquired a taste for it, it doesn't have to be chopped or blended. You can hand them whatever you've got and let them do the dismemberment themselves. There is, of course, a downfall to having such a small animal (cat) and feeding larger prey items (like turkey). Feeding raw to dogs is less of a chore, IME, because they can practically level anything you give to them. I still haven't found anything my 65# pitbull, Bastien, cannot EAT. You give everyone raw bones weekly to clean their teeth...most gnaw on them. Not Bastien...he eats it. Not a darn thing left in his kennel after 30 minutes. It all goes down the hatch.
 

Wuahful

Lairian
Joined
Mar 7, 2010
Messages
43
Points
19
What's a manufactured raw meat diet? Are there companies that pre-make this stuff with all of the right proportions or something? If there are, where would I find them? I figured it must be cheap as kibble or cheaper, or so many people wouldn't reccomend it. Mom must've been thinking i'd have to buy wuahful steak to eat. Thanks for the replies, and sorry for all the questions, i'm a cat noob, always had dogs.
 

PitRottMommy

Banned
Joined
May 28, 2009
Messages
860
Points
0
What's a manufactured raw meat diet? Are there companies that pre-make this stuff with all of the right proportions or something? If there are, where would I find them? I figured it must be cheap as kibble or cheaper, or so many people wouldn't reccomend it. Mom must've been thinking i'd have to buy wuahful steak to eat. Thanks for the replies, and sorry for all the questions, i'm a cat noob, always had dogs.

Manufactured raw is a type of raw diet that's already been ground really fine, processed into patties and, essentially, looks like hamburger for cats. It's much more expensive $5-10/pound in many cases. It's cheaper to feed raw you've made yourself and just supplement taurine. The price I quoted you above is what I spend on doing it myself.
 

Wuahful

Lairian
Joined
Mar 7, 2010
Messages
43
Points
19
Oh, okay I see. So you guys just go to local meat markets/butcher shops and things and pick up discounted meat? Sounds easy enough to me...thanks for the info!
 

holly_savage

Banned
Joined
Mar 6, 2010
Messages
1,229
Points
0
I don't know about breaking the bank...but it sure as heck can be amusing at times!
A nice juicy piece of steak with a little fat on one side...well the fatty tissue seems to stick to her tongue!






 

Attachments

  • hib.jpg
    hib.jpg
    16.8 KB · Views: 55

Fountainrunner

Lairian
Joined
Oct 12, 2009
Messages
114
Points
26
I don't know about breaking the bank...but it sure as heck can be amusing at times!
A nice juicy piece of steak with a little fat on one side...well the fatty tissue seems to stick to her tongue!


I was onboard to feeding my kitty a raw diet until I saw that pic. I'm so grossed out now. And cutting up rabbits and cute chickens, no thanks. Plus, I don't like handling or eating meat much myself.
 

heather

V.I.P Lairian
V.I.P Lairian
Joined
Jul 25, 2009
Messages
1,242
Points
158
I still haven't given Sophie any raw meat yet- still giving her the pre-made raw. As Pbinky said, they do eat less. She eats 3 nuggets in the morning and 3 at night since she's a kitten. They recommend even less for grown cats! But with her activity level and sphynx metabolism I don't see her eating any less for a while!

Since I only have Soph I don't notice a hit in the pocketbook at all even with the pre-made raw. If/when I have more we'll see!
 

holly_savage

Banned
Joined
Mar 6, 2010
Messages
1,229
Points
0
I was onboard to feeding my kitty a raw diet until I saw that pic. I'm so grossed out now. And cutting up rabbits and cute chickens, no thanks. Plus, I don't like handling or eating meat much myself.



I didn't mean to gross people out, I just thought it was hillarious, and tonight I actually bought a turkey butt at the grocery store and cut up all the meat I could find on it with a little of the sinew and skin and fat too. The whole thing cost me $2.50 and there is enough meat there for a day and a half at least...so compared to the $1.50 per can twice a day...the cost seems pretty reasonable to me.

Well see how it goes. Tonight was a test run.
 

PitRottMommy

Banned
Joined
May 28, 2009
Messages
860
Points
0
I didn't mean to gross people out, I just thought it was hillarious, and tonight I actually bought a turkey butt at the grocery store and cut up all the meat I could find on it with a little of the sinew and skin and fat too. The whole thing cost me $2.50 and there is enough meat there for a day and a half at least...so compared to the $1.50 per can twice a day...the cost seems pretty reasonable to me.

Well see how it goes. Tonight was a test run.

I thought the picture was a very lucky shot!

Good luck, keep us posted!
 

Brooke

Banned
Joined
May 4, 2009
Messages
1,767
Points
0
I thought the pic was pretty hilarious, too! ...and it made me want to share this photo of Mandy giving me the stink eye because I got too close to her rabbit...:Wink::LOL:
 

Attachments

  • photo.jpg
    photo.jpg
    31.1 KB · Views: 60

PitRottMommy

Banned
Joined
May 28, 2009
Messages
860
Points
0
I love it Brooke! My boys growl at everyone who comes near them when eating. I've thought about growling back at them when they come to take a sniff to see if I have something yummy. :LOL:

I hissed once just to see if it would get their attention. They all gave me this "Oh, yeah?" look. LOL!
 
Back
Top