Feeding frozen raw to sphynx with sensitive stomach

[whitney_j0508]

I have a 12 year old sphynx with a seriously sensitive stomach. I have tried almost every single sensitive stomach cat food on the market, but he has explosive diarrhea with all of them. He is currently eating Blue Buffalo sensitive stomach. It works somewhat. He only has diarrhea about half of the time now and even then it is not as bad as it was on other foods. I have heard that feeding a raw diet could help him with his issues. My question is...Will a pre-made frozen raw food also help him? I can't imagine that I have the time to make and feed him raw food that I prepare myself. Also, I just do not feel comfortable making it. I would be too afraid that I would do it wrong.
Either way, I am very afraid to switch. Every time I attempt to switch his food, I come home to diarrhea all over my white carpet
Any advice?

 

[Embracing-Joyx4]

Have you tried can pumpkin to his food it firms up the stool. not just plain canned pumkin try a tsp or table soon it helped our girl

 

[whitney_j0508]

I, personally, have not tried pumpkin in his food. I adopted him two years ago. I was told that he was previously given pumpkin and it did not help. However, it may be something I should try again. Thanks!

 

[assibassi]

try the Nature Variety Raw, but go with the Chicken. They have lots of different Flavors , but i would stick with the one that will be easier on his Belly. Stay away from the Fish that might upset his belly too.
You can try any frozen Raw for that matter.
If You have a specialty Petstore around, try them, mine lets you try it and if the Cat seriously Hates it, You can bring it back and they give you something else for your Money.

 

[ElvirasMum]

Actually its not as time consuming or difficult to make your own raw food for your cat, as you may think.
I can mix up 5 pounds of raw, ground turkey with Better In the Raw powder (following the package directions of course) in about 7 minutes or so. And thats from the mixing bowl to the freezer. I try to keep it frozen for a week for safety, but sometimes my cats eat more food than others so I may have to pull it a day or two early. I find its different than feeding pre made raw because some pre made raw also contains veggies and fruits. Cats don't need veggies or fruits as they are obligate carnivores. Good luck!!!

 

[whitney_j0508]

ElvirasMum, all I have to do is add that powder to raw ground turkey and that is a complete nutritious diet? I don't ever have to give him anything else? I could do that, but I am just so afraid I won't give him a nutrient he needs!

 

[ElvirasMum]

ElvirasMum, all I have to do is add that powder to raw ground turkey and that is a complete nutritious diet? I don't ever have to give him anything else? I could do that, but I am just so afraid I won't give him a nutrient he needs!

You whisk the powder and the water together, then after there are no lumps left, you add the raw meat to the powder-water mixture. BiTR is fantastically complete, you can always check Homemade Dog Food ~ Homemade Cat Food | Know Better Pet Food
Just be cautious as to the difference between U-Stew (cooked meat) and Better In the Raw for Cats. (the dog food would not help!)

 

[Cathie]

Yep, less than 10 mins to mix the BitR. start to finish. even the babies are loving the raw. I don't wait the week in the freezer. Normally I only make a week at a time. for my 2 I feed 3 lbs of meat and mix a week.

 

[lucylue]

Try some pumpkin in the food...

 

[Taraforweb]

We use Primal Freeze Dried raw. It's a bit more expensive but super easy as you don't have to thaw anything. It's a complete food all by itself.

 

[L_Grazi]

Hello,

I too have a sphynx with an incredibly sensitive digestive system. I had him tested multiple times, changed his diet more times than I can count, and also tried EVERY sensitive stomach additive and food out there! Nothing was working. He continued to go to the bathroom outside the litterbox and it was never solid. I did some research and discovered that Normand might have IBD (Irritable Bowel Disease.) I finally decided to try the Raw Diet after reading several positive things about it on here and how it helps cats that have any kind of inflamed digestive system issues. Well, I am on week 3 of the raw diet ( Rabbit, Pork, and veggies) and Normand has completely STOPPED going to the bathroom on the floor, and his stool has become COMPLETELY solid!! I can't even believe it...the raw diet really is a miracle worker! I have also noticed to that he is now more active and lively...where as before I could tell his stomach was always upset and he just wanted to sleep in his blanket. I bought Nature's Variety Raw Instinct Rabbit Formula and I feed him (2) Medallions a day. I found this to be easier than making my own food because it's frozen and then you can thaw several medallions at a time in the refrigerator. My cat is allergic to poultry so the duck formula was out of the question for me, but they have many varieties, duck, beef, venison, and rabbit/pork combo. PLEASE, I urge you to try it!! Give it at least 2 weeks... as I'm sure you know, changing your cats diet can upset their stomach in itself..so give it at least 2 weeks for him/her to adjust. Like I said, I have been at my wits end for the past 2 years trying to figure out what is wrong with him, and the raw diet is the only thing that has ever stopped his going to the bathroom on the floor and making his stool solid. If you try it, please keep me updated, I would love to know how it works out! Good luck!!

 

[Chameleon924]

Like Normand and Lauren, I too am new to Raw feeding. I have seen such great improvements with Lambie bathroom habits that I WILL NEVER GO BACK TO KIBBLE/CANNED FOOD. I even switched my two dogs to RAW. It's simple to make, and all the animals love it. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT!!!

 

[Rwalkerg]

The good thing about Better In The Raw and there is another powder that is similar called Alnutrin - they both have sample sizes. It will make about 2 weeks of food to test. Those powders are specifically designed to be concentrated with nutrients. I, too, use Better In The Raw. Takes only a few minutes to whisk it together, and I freeze on cookie sheets in individual patties.
I am currently looking into ordering samples from Alnutrin only because its a little bit cheaper. But I know my Clem loves BITR - she eats it out of the bowl as I'm slopping down patties!

Edit: One of the things I came across when I was researching all this myself, was that cats have a very short digestive system. That means unlike most, they have a very hard time digesting grains. Grains need more time to sit and break down, and they just dont have the "room" inside for that to happen.

 

[hannahspanna]

hi, i had exactly the same thing with my kitten. when i got her she was fed on a raw diet but was very loose (i think because of the move etc ) so i tried various brands of food which all made her worse. i went back to the raw (i use natures menu raw frozen chicken, its for dogs but is perfectly suitable for cats) and she's been fine since. mind you every time she gets at my siamese biscuits she has terrible diarrhoea. so i too am convinced a raw diet is very helpful with sensitive tummies.

 

[momdeeze]

Our boy Monday spent his first year with diarrhea. I tried just about every conceivable food (kibble and canned)/ pumpkin/probiotic on the market for loose stools and spent over $1000 in diagnostic tests and medication (including Vitamin B12 shots). I finally tried raw against the advice of my Vet. The Vet's next suggestion was a biopsy. I said I was going to try the raw first. Monday had no problem switching over, loved it from the start, and the next day had the first firm stool of his life. I feed him Darwin’s frozen (Darwinspet.com). I've tried various other commercial frozen raw diets, he doesn't like them as well, but his stools stay firm as long as it’s raw. I feed the rest of our cats the raw too but give them a little Royal Canine Special 33 as well, mainly because one of mine really misses the kibble. If Monday gets more than a half a mouthful of the kibble when I’m not properly policing the kibble bowl his stool is back to at least partially loose. There is definitely something in the kibble/canned food that he cannot tolerate. And like I said I tried so many of them; from the prescription high protein canned to grain free, high fiber, & specialty protein - you name it.

 

[Franksmom]

You whisk the powder and the water together, then after there are no lumps left, you add the raw meat to the powder-water mixture. BiTR is fantastically complete, you can always check Homemade Dog Food ~ Homemade Cat Food | Know Better Pet Food
Just be cautious as to the difference between U-Stew (cooked meat) and Better In the Raw for Cats. (the dog food would not help!)

The only difference between the BitR and U-stew is there are more enzymes in U stew. I ordered the BitR and I got a bag of U-stew. I called and the woman said they ran out of the bags to put BitR in so the put it in a U-stew bag. Then she told me about the difference. They add more enzymes to the U-stew because when you cook the meat it looses some of the natural enzymes. They are so nice and helpful. My cats love their food

 

[GoldHazel]

The only difference between the BitR and U-stew is there are more enzymes in U stew. I ordered the BitR and I got a bag of U-stew. I called and the woman said they ran out of the bags to put BitR in so the put it in a U-stew bag. Then she told me about the difference. They add more enzymes to the U-stew because when you cook the meat it looses some of the natural enzymes. They are so nice and helpful. My cats love their food

Denise, using the U-stew means you cook the meat for them?
Robin

 

[Taraforweb]

We use Primal freeze dried raw food. It's not cheap, but you don't have to refrigerate- which means you can leave some out when you are gone. We wet it in the morning and night though and clean the bowl right after she eats.

She loves it and rarely gets runny pooh since switching. We saw a pooh change within two days of switching.

 

[Taraforweb]

Duh... I just realized I already responded.

 

[Franksmom]

Denise, using the U-stew means you cook the meat for them?
Robin

I know but other then cooking the meat and more enzymes she said they are the same