Going raw but how do I do it?

[mozartkitty]

I want to start Mozart on a raw diet. He is 11 yrs now and he doesn't have many teeth. He has always loved raw steak and if he doesn't steal it off your plate. He will eat whatever I giv him. But my question is what mixture do I give him and what should I feed first? I was hoping to just grind up meat and feed it to him just like that starting with chicken which I think would be easier on his tummy. Do I feed bones? Do I grind up bones with other meats? Not sure how to do this and can really use some help. Thankyou

 

[assibassi]

yes if you make your own you have to put bones in it and vitamins and also liver/innards for taurine . There is a specific mix you have to go by, there are links in the Raw section i belive.

I dont want to do all the calculating, so I buy a mix that i mix with meat and water and freeze it in 3 to 4 oz packages for mine and thaw out as needed. With one cat you can do 2 oz packages, depending on how big your kitty is , probably a half a cup a day split in two servings is fine if you use the "betterintheraw" stuff. ( like me )

There is nuggets you can buy and they have all nutrients in it too. Primal is one source and Natures Variety is another... there is many. Go to the Health section there should be all kinds of things on raw.

 

[zoinks]

To start you might want to go with pre made raw . This is the easiest then you could expand into making your own . When you make it yourself you need to be so careful to make sure it's balanced or it can cause your cats health issues.

Just feeding chicken muscle meat ground on its own is definitely not enough, they need the organ and bone or the right supplements

Some pre made brands are bravo balance, primal pet foods, natures variety, rad cat.

If you want to make your own I would find a recipe online and follow it very thoroughly.

Also check out premade mixes like better in the raw and alnutrin

If you go with making your own you could see if there is a butcher/online service near you that does ground meat/organ/bone

 

[MollysMom]

I grind my own and use the Better in the Raw powder mix with it... A couple things to consider are:

Cost - how much are you willing to spend, what type of food is going to give you the best value?

Time - are you able to commit the time to making raw? Or is it easier to buy it pre made?

Dietary needs - are there any allergies that your cat has? Any things that cause an upset stomach?

Catinfo.org is a great site with info and recipes by a vet. It is where I got a great deal of my information when I first started feeding raw.

Good luck and let us know what you decide!

 

[mozartkitty]

Thank you for your suggestions. I want to save money but I also don't want to spend a huge amount of time preparing. I like that idea of the added supplement powder better in the raw. I'll have to check out the cost of that. Thank you.

 

[MollysMom]

If you get the powder and it works for your cat, you can do it in a giant batch and freeze it. I order the largest bag of powder and do it all at once. Just made a 100 lb batch yesterday, and it took me about 3.5 hours, including grinding the meat. Then just portion it in bags and freeze.

 

[Baby Blu]

Mollysmom where do you purchase the big bag of powder? Will I be able to add it to fancy feast kitten food?

 

[MollysMom]

The big bag of powder (or any size) is available on the "Know Better Pet Foods" web site. It is NOT suitable to add to anything except raw muscle meat and water.