Feeding BITR and ziwipeak?

[ArlosMom]

Hi everyone. Me again with more food questions! So sorry--but I want to make sure I start this baby off right! So, I ordered my BITR mix but they emailed and said they are waiting to get their food from the supplier and said that it hasn't shipped yet. We get our baby the 2nd weekend in March--so about two weeks or so. Anyway, I got that email, but was a bit confused because I thought I was ordering directly from the supplier--what's the deal with that? I am also worried that I won't get it in time and have enough time to mix and freeze his food. I thought it had to be frozen for a certain amount of time to kill any potential bacteria. I also read somewhere that feeding cold food to a cat can make them sick. How long will I need to defrost this food and will it be ok to feed it somewhat cold? And my LAST question is, with Ziwipeak being so expensive, but very convenient--do you all think it would be ok to feed that once in a while as well as BITR diet since Ziwipeak is considered a "raw" diet?

Thank you all, as always!! (y)

 

[MollysMom]

When he first comes home, you are going to want to keep him on the same food that the breeder was using for at least a week. They can get pretty stressed, and that way if there is any runny poop or vomiting, you will know it isn't due to a food change. So that should buy you a bit of extra time.

The actual site to order BiTR from is knowbetterpetfoods.com - is that the one that you used? You can thaw their food same as you would take meat out of the freezer for dinner - can leave it on the counter for an hour or so, and then put it in the fridge. How fast it thaws will depend on the portion size, and the type of packaging that it is in.

As far as the Ziwipeak - I would try to just switch one food at a time. To make life easier, I would feed whatever the breeder does until the BiTR is ready, and then transition him onto that. If you want to have something like the Ziwipeak on hand to give as a treat, or to feed in case of an emergency, then that is probably not a bad idea.

 

[Xandria]

I don't think there's any harm in mixing up different raw diets. I have some batches that use BitR, and others are completely home made.

If you are in the USA, you are ordering from the USA BitR rep (the original manufacturer is in Canada). It's odd that they don't have stock. You could cancel the order and go with Allnutrin.

As for thawing and feeding, this is my routine:

I have glass jars that hold half a pound of cat food. They take almost a full day to thaw in the fridge although I can scrape the edges at about half time when desperate (LOL). Max eats about .75 to 1 lb. per day. So as soon as I am about to finish one jar, I pull another out from the freezer and place in the fridge.

Never thaw on the counter or outside the fridge.

At meal time I fill a larger bowl with hot water. I dump the raw into a normal bowl and then set it on the bowl of hot water. I use a fork or spoon to swish the food around, warming it up. After a couple minutes of this (I add lysine twice a day to this mixture), I place the food down and it's gone within 10 minutes. If there any leftovers, I wrap it up, stick it in the fridge, and serve it next time.

I hope that helps.

 

[Xandria]

I agree with @MollysMom , that you should keep the same food diet the breeder had your naked on for a while. I kept Max on that same diet for a month, but 1 to 4 weeks seems good!

 

[ArlosMom]

Yes, @MollysMom that is the site I ordered from. I thought I was ordering direct from the manufacturer so that is why I thought it was very strange that they said they were waiting for stock from the manufacturer!

And she is feeding Fromm kibble.. I will keep him on that for a week or so and then start giving him the raw food.

Thank you for the info!

When he first comes home, you are going to want to keep him on the same food that the breeder was using for at least a week. They can get pretty stressed, and that way if there is any runny poop or vomiting, you will know it isn't due to a food change. So that should buy you a bit of extra time.

The actual site to order BiTR from is knowbetterpetfoods.com - is that the one that you used? You can thaw their food same as you would take meat out of the freezer for dinner - can leave it on the counter for an hour or so, and then put it in the fridge. How fast it thaws will depend on the portion size, and the type of packaging that it is in.

As far as the Ziwipeak - I would try to just switch one food at a time. To make life easier, I would feed whatever the breeder does until the BiTR is ready, and then transition him onto that. If you want to have something like the Ziwipeak on hand to give as a treat, or to feed in case of an emergency, then that is probably not a bad idea.

 

[ArlosMom]

Thanks, @Xandria . That is very helpful and a good suggestion. Did I also read somewhere that you should freeze the raw mixture for approx. two weeks or so to kill off any potential bacteria? I have read soooo much on this raw diet stuff that the information gets all mixed up in my tiny brain!

I just remembered.. when I emailed Allnutrin about feeding a kitten a raw diet made with their mix, they said it was a good idea to wait until they are older because there may not be enough calcium in the food that a young kitten needs and if you just add calcium supplements it can mess with the phosphorus ratios, etc.. That is why I then decided to go w/ Bitr--because they said it was fine to feed a kitten their mix..

Thank you!!

I don't think there's any harm in mixing up different raw diets. I have some batches that use BitR, and others are completely home made.

If you are in the USA, you are ordering from the USA BitR rep (the original manufacturer is in Canada). It's odd that they don't have stock. You could cancel the order and go with Allnutrin.

As for thawing and feeding, this is my routine:

I have glass jars that hold half a pound of cat food. They take almost a full day to thaw in the fridge although I can scrape the edges at about half time when desperate (LOL). Max eats about .75 to 1 lb. per day. So as soon as I am about to finish one jar, I pull another out from the freezer and place in the fridge.

Never thaw on the counter or outside the fridge.

At meal time I fill a larger bowl with hot water. I dump the raw into a normal bowl and then set it on the bowl of hot water. I use a fork or spoon to swish the food around, warming it up. After a couple minutes of this (I add lysine twice a day to this mixture), I place the food down and it's gone within 10 minutes. If there any leftovers, I wrap it up, stick it in the fridge, and serve it next time.

I hope that helps.

 

[Xandria]

I honestly don't know about freezing for 2 weeks.

I buy the meat which is either fresh or frozen. Grind if need be (after thawing if need be). Label and freeze. Sometimes I feed fresh made raw the same day and haven't had issues.

Meat quality is vital, and having trust in your butcher is as well.

 

[Emily0404]

I tried ziwipeak- my lot hated it!

 

[pussiette]

Ziwipeak is natural. @Emily0404 did they get the runs ???

 

[Emily0404]

Ziwipeak is natural. @Emily0404 did they get the runs ???

Nope they didn't . They just don't like the taste

 

[Calicocious]

BItR and Alnutrin are the same pretty much. If Alnutrin told you not to feed a kitten a raw diet that's their philosophy not a difference in product from BItR. I fed mine raw as kittens with no issues. You can monitor calcium levels through blood work at your vets if it's a concern.
You may be ordering the BItR direct from the manufacturer but they still purchase and order the individual ingredients from different sources. I imagine one of those items is not available so that is holding up production. But as others have said you'll want to keep him on the Fromm a couple weeks before changing so you'll have time.
The freezing of the meat for two weeks is a recommendation. It's another step to prevent possibility of contaminants. I feel it's not a worry if you've sourced your meat from a reputable butcher. Good luck with the switch.