Hmmm

[Silke]

So the shop up the road actually stocks frozen raw food. I picked some up, thawed it in the fridge, and offered it today.
Pixie looked at me as if I'm feeding her own poop to her.
It was a resounding "Hell no."
It's been there a while, she hasn't touched it. Hasn't eaten any of it.
Should I just keep it out until she eats? (Replacing with fresh tomorrow) Or not bother?

 

[Xandria]

Not all raw is created equal (meaning that not all cats will eat all types of raw). Max refused one batch of raw, which I suspected was not as fresh as the butcher lead me to believe. Max refused another batch (it was an emergency purchase) because it had a bit of fruit and veg in it (even though it was for cats). And even though Max is a carnivore to the max, he is fussy about his proteins.

If you are starting a transition to raw, patience is required.

Here's a segment from my Raw Feeding document:

Transitioning to Raw

Age to Start Raw
A raw or homemade cat food diet can be fed to kittens and cats from almost any age. If you have adopted a kitten, consider maintaining the same diet for the kitten as the breeder had been feeding. This will ease the transition of the kitten into your household and provide some familiarity. After approximately one month, THEN consider beginning a raw diet.

Enticement and Transition
Before you invest a considerable amount of money in equipment and ingredients, try small batches of food first. Do not be discouraged if your cat immediately refuses raw or homemade cat food. Poultry meats do not have much scent, and therefore may not be as appealing to your cat.

To entice your cat to eat the raw, try adding a quarter packet of FortiFlora on top of the food, or add a little bit of the wet food your cat was previously eating. Some individuals have had success with adding a little bit of tuna oil from a can of tuna.

If you have had to add FortiFlora or wet cat food, make notes of the amount required to entice your cat, and very slowly diminish the amount over the span of weeks or even a month.

If you wish to be particularly firm, skipping a meal or two in a row will not cause undue stress to your cat. But do not repeatedly deny your cat food or for more than a 12 hour period.

Intolerances and Allergies
Specific protein intolerances and allergies are not entirely uncommon (poultry is a surprisingly common intolerance). Intolerances typically manifest themselves via diarrhea and/or vomiting. Allergies reveal themselves by way of skin reactions (e.g., hives, bumps).

Cats will often favour certain proteins over others. It may take some time to discover the proteins that your cat enjoys. Try to find at least a few different proteins that you can rotate your feline companion through.

Above all, have patience, and be willing to adapt and try different things.

 

[Silke]

Thanks. Will keep trying. If she doesn't like it, then so be it. At least it's worth a try.

 

[KitKat26]

It also helps if you let it warm up a little bit. Piper won't touch her raw unless it's at least room temperature.

 

[assibassi]

when I first tried Raw with mine they loved it.
One time I thought I try something else and got some raw kibble and it was rabbit. Oh they sniffed it and walked away, even my Monster that eats everything would NOT touch it.. well I don't buy that one anymore.

 

[Toa and Ross]

My boys didn't want to eat the raw food the first time. They sniffed, looked at me and yelled "we're not going to eat it". I put some raw food on my fingers and touched their nose with it. Of course they licked their nose (and did give the stinky eye). When they tasted the raw food they suddenly loved it and started eating. For my boys the first months the raw food needed to be a little warmed up (room temperature). They like rabbit and they love beef.
A few weeks ago I tried to give them duck and no way they wanted to eat that. The nose trick didn't work this time.

With some cats adding pure pumpkin helps to let them eat.

Good luck!

 

[naomi]

When I first fed Frida raw she was about 1 year old and had been used to a diet of caned wet food. She was super hungry but when I put the plate down she sniffed it and then started to beg for food again. She just didn't realize that it was food. All I had to do was to wipe a small amount of her old food on top of the raw and now that she knows what it is about she loves her raw diet.
Frida eats a mostly chicken diet but on occasion I get her rabbit or duck. She didn't eat the rabbit the first time it was offered to her but is now adjusted and eats it no problem. Sometimes it is worth it to offer a food on more than one occasion. For instance maybe you always offer raw at breakfast and feed regular food at night in the portion of a regular meal. If your kitty doesn't eat the first day they will most likely have greater motivation to try it the second day. Also if your kitty is begging offer the raw again. Be strong but do make sure your cat gets at least one meal per day. This will prevent fatty liver disease which occurs in cats when the fats begin to break down too quickly in their system. It can occur if they go more than 48 hours without food (or potentially beyond 24 hours for an overweight cat). The heavier your cat the greater the risk of developing this condition. Missing a single meal however is not a problem and is actually quite a natural thing for a cat. There are very few things that Frida won't eat after using this system. Also I have found that if I can get her to eat something once she never refuses it again ( but maybe I'm just lucky)
So good luck to you too!

 

[Jenna Meow]

It takes consistency to change a stubborn cat's diet. But its always possible. Never leave raw food out for more than 30 minutes. If they don't eat it take it away and offer it later. Continue to offer it at each meal time. I agree with Naomi above, never starve your cat, but you can use hunger to help you. Your cat will see no reason to try the new strange food if she has a large supply elsewhere or knows she will immediately get something else.