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Raw Diet questions

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I would like to start a thread here to help owners understand Raw diet, how to do it, where to get it, prepare it, how much or how often to feed it etc. All of your help would be appreciated and surly help the community, so dig in and throw in your two cents!

thanks in advanced!:ThumbsUp:
 
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admin

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Re: Raw diet and Sphynx cats

Would everyone please try their best to answer these common questions?

Where do I buy raw?

What's it cost approximately weekly or monthly for raw?

Can I make larger batches and sore/ freeze it?

What about raw bones, what kind and how do I add them to her diet.

What brands have worked well for you?

How much should I feed an adult sphynx?

How much should I feed a sphynx kitten?

Do I need to add supplements to my raw, if so what type of supplements and where do I get those?

My cat is not taking a liking to the raw, she won't eat it, how do I entice her?

Can I produce my own raw or can I buy it pre-made, ready to go out of the box? Where do I purchase it?

 
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tiliquajeff

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Re: Raw diet and Sphynx cats

I can't help because I have only had my sphynx kitten for two days, but I just wanted to say that I think this is a great topic and I can't wait to hear what people have to say. I was given a local store where I can buy raw from my breeder, and I will be picking some up tomorrow. I may eventually end up making my own, so I am really interested to hear what people have to say.
 

Monchchichi

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Re: Raw diet and Sphynx cats

Would everyone please try their best to answer these common questions?

Where do I buy raw?

What's it cost approximately weekly or monthly for raw?

What brands have worked well for you?

How much should i feed an adult sphynx?

How much should i feed a sphynx kitten?

Do i need to add supplements to my raw, if so what type of supplements and where do I get those?

My cat is not taking a liking to the raw, she won't eat it, how do I entice her?
Can I produce my own raw or can i buy it pre-made, ready to go out of the box?


I buy my RAW pre-packaged for now from Global Pet Foods, or The Bone and Biscuit. Until I can stomach making it myself as I am vegetarian.

I pay about $160 for a 2 month supply for Hudson. Thats not including his chicken necks, or freeze dried treats.

Nature's variety Instinct RAW is what I started him on, however it gets very expensive fast as 48 Medallions only last 8 days, and a bag costs 25.99+tax. I've recently ordered a new brand from BC called Red Dog Blue Kat.

Hudson eats 8 oz of raw a day, plus his freeze dried treats, and chicken necks twice a week.

I was adding Kittybloom, however Im looking for a new supplement at the moment. I ordered Kittybloom off the internet.

Hudson ate it no problem, but i've heard of others adding a bit of Parmesan Cheese or tuna juice on the food..

You can do either or. Buy pre-packaged or make your own.
 

susi794

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Re: Raw diet and Sphynx cats

There are lots of places you can buy commercially prepared raw--you can buy online and have it shipped to you from any number of sources, or can buy it frozen from many pet stores. It comes in patties and medallions with the feeding amounts listed on the packages. One of these is called Nature's Variety I believe. Pros: It's easy for you--just take out the desired frozen amount then thaw and feed. It isn't messy. Cons: Expensive and my cats refused to eat it.

You can buy dry mixes that you add to ground meat and water. This was the first kind of raw my cats would eat--and they LOVED it! I ordered "My Natural Cat" from a place called feline instincts out of Texas. I bought the powder which contained all the vitamins, minerals, etc. my cats needed, then added that to water and ground meat of my choosing--I either had to add raw liver or buy the liver powder already added to the mix, and also a small amount of salmon oil to every recipe, which I could also order directly from feline instincts. I used ground turkey and it was not too bad as far as cost went, but then they raised their prices and I got more cats, so it felt cost prohibitive to me, so I stopped. The only con for me with this was the cost. It was easy to prepare, took only about ten minutes to make a two or three week supply and I froze it into individual servings in flattened freezer baggies in my freezer, so it didn't take much room.

Then I visited a site called Mystre Bengals and they had a recipe for raw with some great videos on how to prepare it and gave the recipe. They use meats they buy right from Wal-Mart, so I wasn't having to import all kinds of hard to find meat. I bought the grinder, the meat cleaver, the cutting board, a gazillion baggies, all the meat and sat down to make my first batch. I had about ten whole chickens, several packs of leg quarters, heaarts, gizzards, liver, tripe, etc. etc. and got started chopping and grinding. Chopping whole chickens and leg quarter for hours at a time is extemely painful after awhile if you're not used to it--I had ground raw meat in my hair, on my ceiling and walls, all over the floor--from stem to stern. But, by gosh, I had a freezer full of individual packs of raw meals. This recipe called for beef to be added, and didn't say that many cats can't eat beef until they are quite used to raw...so mine immediately gobbled up the food and then promptly vomited it all over my house! After awhile, they didn't want to eat it. I contacted the guy on the bengal site and he told me to try making a smaller batch without the beef and try them again...this time it was better, and this method was way cheaper. But the labor of it was just too intense for me. This old body of mine ached for a week after I chopped all those chickens and the mess was not good. I have subsequently read that you should buy a meat hammer and smash the bones before you grind them and that makes the whole process so much easier than trying to hack through them with a meat cleaver like I did. To this mixture I added a vitamin/mineral supplement called Kitty Bloom which took care of the taurine and vitamin requirements my cats needed.

Fast forward to now: I stopped feeding raw altogether for awhile, but decided to go back to it. I use a service called "My Pet Carnivore" that offers many kinds of whole animal proteins already ground or chopped. With this, I can approximate what would be a natural cat diet in the wild. I buy the rabbit, chicken, turkey, goose, whiting, and am going to try some of the pork this time. The meat is already ground or chunked and the animal has been ground whole--so the organs and bone to muscle ratio is as nature intended it to be. They bring the meats packeaged in deli containers to various drop off points around a several state radius and then I pick it up at the drop off points--the cost for the delivery is $10. I buy about 50-70 lbs. a month. But I have 8 cats. I add Kitty Bloom to this also--just to make sure I have all my bases covered. This is by far the easiest way for me, is most healthy, and believe it or not, more economical than kibble and canned. I have eight cats, and am presently feeding 10-12 cans of wet food a day plus at least 20 lbs. of kibble a month. Even if I use the cheap kind of wet food--at 50 cents a can, that's $6 a day for the wet food alone--that's $180. a month right there. Add to that the $40 I spend on the dry food, that's $220. a month. I just made out my order for this month--51 pounds of meat and the cost will be $148.63 including delivery fee to the pick up place. That is a saving of $80 a month for me this month and my cats will be the healthier for it.

I will post another post to answer the other questions as best I can, as this one is getting long.
 
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Monchchichi

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Re: Raw diet and Sphynx cats

There are lots of places you can buy commercially prepared raw--you can buy online and have it shipped to you from any number of sources, or can buy it frozen from many pet stores. It comes in patties and medallions with the feeding amounts listed on the packages. One of these is called Nature's Variety I believe. Pros: It's easy for you--just take out the desired frozen amount then thaw and feed. It isn't messy. Cons: Expensive and my cats refused to eat it.

You can buy dry mixes that you add to ground meat and water. This was the first kind of raw my cats would eat--and they LOVED it! I ordered "My Natural Cat" from a place called feline instincts out of Texas. I bought the powder which contained all the vitamins, minerals, etc. my cats needed, then added that to water and ground meat of my choosing--I either had to add raw liver or buy the liver powder already added to the mix, and also a small amount of salmon oil to every recipe, which I could also order directly from feline instincts. I used ground turkey and it was not too bad as far as cost went, but then they raised their prices and I got more cats, so it felt cost prohibitive to me, so I stopped. The only con for me with this was the cost. It was easy to prepare, took only about ten minutes to make a two or three week supply and I froze it into individual servings in flattened freezer baggies in my freezer, so it didn't take much room.

Then I visited a site called Mystere Bengals and they had a recipe for raw with some great videos on how to prepare it and gave the recipe. They use meats they buy right from Wal-Mart, so I wasn't having to import all kinds of hard to find meat. I bought the grinder, the meat cleaver, the cutting board, a gazillion baggies, all the meat and sat down to make my first batch. I had about ten whole chickens, several packs of leg quarters, heaarts, gizzards, liver, tripe, etc. etc. and got started chopping and grinding. Chopping whole chickens and leg quarter for hours at a time is extemely painful after awhile if you're not used to it--I had ground raw meat in my hair, on my ceiling and walls, all over the floor--from stem to stern. But, by gosh, I had a freezer full of individual packs of raw meals. This recipe called for beef to be added, and didn't say that many cats can't eat beef until they are quite used to raw...so mine immediately gobbled up the food and then promptly vomited it all over my house! After awhile, they didn't want to eat it. I contacted the guy on the bengal site and he told me to try making a smaller batch without the beef and try them again...this time it was better, and this method was way cheaper. But the labor of it was just too intense for me. This old body of mine ached for a week after I chopped all those chickens and the mess was not good. I have subsequently read that you should buy a meat hammer and smash the bones before you grind them and that makes the whole process so much easier than trying to hack through them with a meat cleaver like I did. To this mixture I added a vitamin/mineral supplement called Kitty Bloom which took care of the taurine and vitamin requirements my cats needed.

Fast forward to now: I stopped feeding raw altogether for awhile, but decided to go back to it. I use a service called "My Pet Carnivore" that offers many kinds of whole animal proteins already ground or chopped. With this, I can approximate what would be a natural cat diet in the wild. I buy the rabbit, chicken, turkey, goose, whiting, and am going to try some of the pork this time. The meat is already ground or chunked and the animal has been ground whole--so the organs and bone to muscle ratio is as nature intended it to be. They bring the meats packeaged in deli containers to various drop off points around a several state radius and then I pick it up at the drop off points--the cost for the delivery is $10. I buy about 50-70 lbs. a month. But I have 8 cats. I add Kitty Bloom to this also--just to make sure I have all my bases covered. This is by far the easiest way for me, is most healthy, and believe it or not, more economical than kibble and canned. I have eight cats, and am presently feeding 10-12 cans of wet food a day plus at least 20 lbs. of kibble a month. Even if I use the cheap kind of wet food--at 50 cents a can, that's $6 a day for the wet food alone--that's $180. a month right there. Add to that the $40 I spend on the dry food, that's $220. a month. I just made out my order for this month--51 pounds of meat and the cost will be $148.63 including delivery fee to the pick up place. That is a saving of $80 a month for me this month and my cats will be the healthier for it.

I will post another post to answer the other questions as best I can, as this one is getting long.

Susi, I have something to input on this..I noticed you said you can buy your meat right from walmart? With all the research i've done on raw feeding this is the worst thing you can do. Everything says never to buy Supermarket meat as it has added preservatives etc.
 

susi794

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Re: Raw diet and Sphynx cats

I got away with only ordering 51 lbs. this time because I still had some left over from my last order. So, I am still trying to figure out how much is the right amount to order.

How to entice your cat to eat it? You can warm the baggie up in a cup of hot water for a bit before you serve it, but do not zap it in the microwave if there is any bone in it at all. Bones MUST be completely raw.You can add chicken broth, or tuna juice or gravy or parmesan cheese or bonito flakes. You can start off by adding it to their canned food and then gradullay cutting down on the amount of canned until you're feeding all raw. You can try grinding it or chopping it or chunking it--some cats like different textures. But to gain the full benefit from raw feeding --it cleans their teeth if done poperly--is to feed as big of chunks as your cat will take--the chewing the chunks is what cleans their teeth....but cats that have never eaten this way need to build up the stamina for eating like this, so start with small chunks then build up to ideally, you could put the whole chicken leg or the whole animal down and your cat could consume it.

Which reminds me that whole prey is another version of raw--there are many sites online from where you can order and have delivered to your door, whole prey--mice, rats, guinea pigs, chicks, ducklings, rabbits, adult chickens and ducks, quail, and this type of feeding is easy, great for your cat, and I think it's pretty cost effective. The animals are humanely euthanized and individually frozen, so if you can tolerate the idea of it, it is a great way to feed just as nature intended.

Lots of recipes call for eggs, yoghurt, baby food squash, pumpkin, veggies, and they are ok to use--raw egg whites if I am not mistaken are not good, but the yolks are, or you can cook the entire egg and use it. The squash and pumpkin and veggies are mostly for fiber, and are ok in small amounts, as the cat would normally consume the entire animal and the stomach contents of any animal a cat would naturally eat, will be filled with some vegetable matter, so that's ok too, but I wouldn't use much. As for the yoghurt, they are using that for the bacterial cultures in the yoghurt--dairy products are not usually good for cats as most cats are lactose intolerant.

If you decide to feed raw, you should take the kibble away completely--it is like kitty crack and your cats are addicted to it and will cry and beg for it---sorta like I cry and beg for potato chips. LOL...I think I need them, but I don't and it is better for me not to have them. If you insist on feeding your cat the kibble, please at least feed it as far apart from the raw as you can--do not free feed it. Raw and kibble digest at vastly different rates, and feeding them together causes painful digestion issues for your cat.

Vomiting is common with some cats in the beginning---feed small amounts often if possible until they get used to raw. Try to offer as many different kinds of proteins as you can--try to offer things they would encounter in the wild. Many cats can't tolerate beef or pork and I would especially never feed raw meat that wasn't frozen first--to reduce the risk of flukes or anything else that might harm my cat. The reason for the varied types of protein, is that cats become very stuck in their ways--if they fixate on only one kind of meat and you for some reason can't get it, you're in trouble.

Good sources of meat are butchers, farmers, ethnic grocery stores often carry different meats, we have several organic farmers around here that offer ground meats for pet food, but are mostly just grinding backs and necks--which isn't nutritionally ideal--they need more muscle meat and they need the dark meat for the fat--some skin and fat is ok to grind in as well.

As to the amounts to feed: the rule of thumb for kittens is to let them eat as much as they want and monitor their weight. Kittens are so active and usually require more food than adults. I feed my adults 2-4 oz. a feeding twice a dayonce we get in the swing of raw--a little more in the beginning. I would normally feed 1 can each per feeding, and a can is 3.5 oz., so that would be 7 oz. a day for adults. They may want more than that, or leave some on the plate. I pick up the plate after no longer than 30 min. If they tease me for more, I give it to them. My cats are not fat, so I feed the amount they will eat, and then I monitor their weight and adjust my feeding accordingly.

They will poop much less and the poop isn't as stinky. You do have to monitor their pooping in the beginning to make sure they aren't constipated. Cats on raw normally drink quite alot and urinate more often than cats on canned and kibble. So don't worry if your cat does this.

I will try to add another post with some recipes and final thoughts on raw. I am not an expert by any means--Khaleesi, Doctor Spock, and many others here are raw feeders and I'm sure they all have some great insights to share as well.
 
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Hansolospet

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Where do I buy raw? I buy the meat at the butchers and the suppliments from my local health food store. One of my Butchers will grind it up for me so i just have to add the suppliements at home, one wont so I have a meat grinder and do it myself, even though i am a vegan...

What's it cost approximately weekly or monthly for raw?
the meat is £5 a week, supplements on top but they go a long way and the jars i have, have lasted 3 months. I paid £30.00 for all of them.

What brands have worked well for you?
Im not really into brands

How much should i feed an adult sphynx?
I go on sight so cannot help there

How much should i feed a sphynx kitten?
-

Do i need to add supplements to my raw, if so what type of supplements and where do I get those?
I use the catinfo.org recipe and my local store or online
per 3 pounds of raw meat/bones/skin.1 cup water (or, preferably, more if your cat will eat it with more water)2 eggs - use the yolk raw but lightly cook the white (see update below)2000 mg (minimum) wild salmon or fish oil (a good source of essential fatty acids - I often use 4,000 - 6,000 mg)400 IU (268 mg) Vitamin E (powdered E in capsules is the easiest to use)50 mg Vitamin B-complex (capsules or tablets)2,000 mg taurine (use powdered - either in capsules or loose)3/4 tsp Morton Lite salt with iodine when using chicken parts - see below** (Contains potassium and sodium. Make sure that it contains iodine.)

Liver - If using ground rabbit (which includes liver) from wholefoods4pets.com, do not add additional liver. If using chicken legs, thighs or a whole chicken carcass minus the organs, add 4 ounces of chicken livers per 3 lb of meat/bones/skin.


My cat is not taking a liking to the raw, she won't eat it, how do I entice her?
Parmesan cheese really helped with Solo, but he loves raw meat anyway and is not a picky eater. He is on the the seefood diet, he would eat anything if I let him..

Can I produce my own raw or can i buy it pre-made, ready to go out of the box?
In england pre made raw is very hard to come by..I would buy some if I could find.

Read more: http://www.sphynxlair.com/f73/raw-diet-questions-9990/#ixzz1afhl98KO
 

susi794

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Re: Raw diet and Sphynx cats

Here's a link ot the bengal site with the recipe, great pics and grinder and kitty bloom recommendations there are videos too: Mystre's Bengals - Contact information The link is not contact information as it says--it is the making raw food page.
This link goes to a recipe and videos plus pics of what the poop should look like, talks about the supplements added, shows pics of what the finished product should look like--this one is a great source of information! Written by a vet too. Making Cat Food by Lisa A. Pierson, DVM :: homemade cat food, cat food recipes

If you don't like any of this information, just google feline raw diets and you can read to your heart's content!

Good luck and good health--when making the decision on whether to go raw or not, please factor in everything--no periodontal disease--so no costly dentals--most raw fed cats have pearly whites!, less stinky poop--so no more buying air fresheners, litter additives, plug ins, scented candles, all the stuff we all use to mask the odors, and best of all--less frequent vet bills--raw fed cats are healthy cats! Many people have reported their cats are totally different as well--more active, more affectionate, less negative behaviors.

Please post your experiences if you decide to go raw!

Hugs,
Susi and the gang
 
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susi794

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Re: Raw diet and Sphynx cats

Susi, I have something to input on this..I noticed you said you can buy your meat right from walmart? With all the research i've done on raw feeding this is the worst thing you can do. Everything says never to buy Supermarket meat as it has added preservatives etc.

I am only repeating what the Bengals site guy uses....he has used the WalMart meats for years and his cats are very healthy. If I had a choice, I would prefer to buy direct from the farmer or from an organic source. I think the second site I gave links to from the vet, addresses the commercially available meat from supermarkets issue as well. It isn't the ideal, obviously, but raw from supermarket would still exceed the quality of what goes into pet food that is canned or commercially available.
So, was just repeating what the site said they used.
 
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Re: Raw diet and Sphynx cats

Hey there! Thanks for posting this. My replies below in this color I hope you will post all the results of responses in Poll format. Please! If you need help with polling, I'm happy to help.

Regarding the original questions posted, I'm new at the Raw Diet, and just now trying it after the Vet recommended food has been giving my kittie, Sophie, the runs, and she has become even more skinny than before her last check up. She's 14, all skin and bones. I adopted her last June. Vet said she is "prone to" (but doesn't actually have) heart condition. So, I'm planning on mixing in a tablespoon a week of different raw foods (watching how she reacts with each tablespoon over a week - or more, depending on how she reacts).

I just found this fabulous web site that sells raw cat food online and ships it! Only Natural Pet Store - Dogs Cats Holistic Supplies Products Food Treats Vitamins Medicine Supplements
Check it out! search "Raw" and it gives you options to choose cat, dog, type of meat, etc.


Anyway, here are my replies to your questions:

Where do I buy raw? http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/default.aspx


What's it cost approximately weekly or monthly for raw? I spend approx $US70-80.00 per month on food. The $$ is high because I typically do mail order, so that price includes shipping. WIthout shipping it would be approx $15-20.00 less or $55-65.00 per month

What brands have worked well for you? Sophie LOVES Prescription Diet G/D Manufactured by Hills, and prescribed by her vet. But recently it has been giving her the runs. The Prescription deit G/D includes veggies (NOT good for kitties' digestive systems), so I'm testing raw foods, very gradually, to see how she does. I just ordered from the above noted web site the following:
131073.2
Nature's Variety Raw Rabbit Medallions
537001
Rad Cat Raw Cat Food Diet Turkey
537004
Rad Cat Raw Cat Food Diet Chicken
537007
Rad Cat Raw Cat Food Diet Lamb

I'll be testing gradually over the next few months to see what Sophie likes and how her system reacts.


How much should i feed an adult sphynx? Sophie is a PIG. I know this is because of Sphynx's high metabolism, and keeping their furless bodies warm, but Sophie will eat three cans of wet food a day if I let her. But then she poops like there's no tomorow. So I limit her to two cans a day Maximum.

How much should i feed a sphynx kitten? I don't have a sphynx kitten, and never have, so I don't know.

Do i need to add supplements to my raw, if so what type of supplements and where do I get those? Suppliments are included in the Prescription G/D diet I curently feed, per Vet. So I don't add supplements. Though, if I switch from Prescription Diet to all raw, I would love, and need, to know what others do; particularly for healthy heart, older Sphynx cats.

My cat is not taking a liking to the raw, she won't eat it, how do I entice her? I don't know. Just starting raw now. I'll keep you posted.

Can I produce my own raw or can i buy it pre-made, ready to go out of the box? Ugh. I have No time to do my own raw. Thankfully I found this site (also noted above) Only Natural Pet Store - Dogs Cats Holistic Supplies Products Food Treats Vitamins Medicine Supplements for raw foods. Not cheap, but worth the price, for me, compared to the time it takes to prepare raw.

[/QUOTE]
 

susi794

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You can cook a little of the meat if your cat prefers it that way, as long as the meat DOESN"T CONTAIN BONE. Bone can't be cooked or even heated slightly in the microwave as it can cause the bones to change and become brittle--injuring your cat. Raw should contain bone, so if you want to take the edge off the cold, put it in a baggy and let it soak a little in warm water. If you are making your own and want to slightly cook the meat before adding bone, that is ok. I will occasionally give my cats some cooked chicken--boneless of course. A raw diet can also include some cooked egg.
 

NiceGirlsFakeIt

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I have a question for Susi!

You mentioned that you shouldn't feed the raw with the kibble, so would I just do her regular feedings of kibble at her regular feeding times and then do a small amount of the raw at a different time of the day? Ming doesn't eat canned cat food, so I couldn't mix the two.

Also, how long should I take to make the transition? And once we do, how much should she be eating a day? I know this varies depending on the cat, but ballpark, how much should she be getting?
 
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Re: Raw diet and Sphynx cats

There are lots of places you can buy commercially prepared raw--you can buy online and have it shipped to you from any number of sources, or can buy it frozen from many pet stores. It comes in patties and medallions with the feeding amounts listed on the packages. One of these is called Nature's Variety I believe. Pros: It's easy for you--just take out the desired frozen amount then thaw and feed. It isn't messy. Cons: Expensive and my cats refused to eat it.

You can buy dry mixes that you add to ground meat and water. This was the first kind of raw my cats would eat--and they LOVED it! I ordered "My Natural Cat" from a place called feline instincts out of Texas. I bought the powder which contained all the vitamins, minerals, etc. my cats needed, then added that to water and ground meat of my choosing--I either had to add raw liver or buy the liver powder already added to the mix, and also a small amount of salmon oil to every recipe, which I could also order directly from feline instincts. I used ground turkey and it was not too bad as far as cost went, but then they raised their prices and I got more cats, so it felt cost prohibitive to me, so I stopped. The only con for me with this was the cost. It was easy to prepare, took only about ten minutes to make a two or three week supply and I froze it into individual servings in flattened freezer baggies in my freezer, so it didn't take much room.

Then I visited a site called Mystre Bengals and they had a recipe for raw with some great videos on how to prepare it and gave the recipe. They use meats they buy right from Wal-Mart, so I wasn't having to import all kinds of hard to find meat. I bought the grinder, the meat cleaver, the cutting board, a gazillion baggies, all the meat and sat down to make my first batch. I had about ten whole chickens, several packs of leg quarters, heaarts, gizzards, liver, tripe, etc. etc. and got started chopping and grinding. Chopping whole chickens and leg quarter for hours at a time is extemely painful after awhile if you're not used to it--I had ground raw meat in my hair, on my ceiling and walls, all over the floor--from stem to stern. But, by gosh, I had a freezer full of individual packs of raw meals. This recipe called for beef to be added, and didn't say that many cats can't eat beef until they are quite used to raw...so mine immediately gobbled up the food and then promptly vomited it all over my house! After awhile, they didn't want to eat it. I contacted the guy on the bengal site and he told me to try making a smaller batch without the beef and try them again...this time it was better, and this method was way cheaper. But the labor of it was just too intense for me. This old body of mine ached for a week after I chopped all those chickens and the mess was not good. I have subsequently read that you should buy a meat hammer and smash the bones before you grind them and that makes the whole process so much easier than trying to hack through them with a meat cleaver like I did. To this mixture I added a vitamin/mineral supplement called Kitty Bloom which took care of the taurine and vitamin requirements my cats needed.

Fast forward to now: I stopped feeding raw altogether for awhile, but decided to go back to it. I use a service called "My Pet Carnivore" that offers many kinds of whole animal proteins already ground or chopped. With this, I can approximate what would be a natural cat diet in the wild. I buy the rabbit, chicken, turkey, goose, whiting, and am going to try some of the pork this time. The meat is already ground or chunked and the animal has been ground whole--so the organs and bone to muscle ratio is as nature intended it to be. They bring the meats packeaged in deli containers to various drop off points around a several state radius and then I pick it up at the drop off points--the cost for the delivery is $10. I buy about 50-70 lbs. a month. But I have 8 cats. I add Kitty Bloom to this also--just to make sure I have all my bases covered. This is by far the easiest way for me, is most healthy, and believe it or not, more economical than kibble and canned. I have eight cats, and am presently feeding 10-12 cans of wet food a day plus at least 20 lbs. of kibble a month. Even if I use the cheap kind of wet food--at 50 cents a can, that's $6 a day for the wet food alone--that's $180. a month right there. Add to that the $40 I spend on the dry food, that's $220. a month. I just made out my order for this month--51 pounds of meat and the cost will be $148.63 including delivery fee to the pick up place. That is a saving of $80 a month for me this month and my cats will be the healthier for it.

I will post another post to answer the other questions as best I can, as this one is getting long.

Suzi,
OMGosh, I am laughing so hard reading your description of grinding up your own raw meat.

I just got my "Georgie" 3 weeks ago, and the breeder did send me home with enough raw meat for a week. I then tried to make some of my own, knowing that since i was using a food processor that the bones would not be included. I tried stripping the chicken off the bone, and using the skins too. Have you ever seen how chicken skin shreads in a food processor?? It doesn't cut up easily, and came out in long, thin stringy mess. Then, I included the Chicken & Beef Livers. I couldn't find any beef hearts, and then I added some ground beef. It was a total mess.
I called the local butcher shops, and a few grocery stores with butcher shops, and no one would grind up the meat for me, even if I purchased it all and just asked them to grind it.
For a week my cat was eating various good quality canned food. The next weekend I broke down and ordered his food from My Pet Carnivore.
I'm in Eastern Ohio, and they don't have a pickup location, so I paid for shipping.
Next time I will plan on driving to Columbus to pick up my meat.

I am very pleased with the quality of the meat. It arrived still frozen even after 2 days in shipment. I mixed the chicken & beef together, which is what Georgie was used to.

Sharon & Georgie
 

susi794

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Re: Raw diet and Sphynx cats

I love My Pet Carnivore--I am just not the pioneer type--it was too labor intensive for me to chop and grind my own. I occasionally use the My Natural Cat with Liver Powder premix from Feline Instincts also--you just mix it with a couple of pounds of ground turkey you get from the grocery. It only takes a minute and has all the stuff they need in the right ratios. I keep some on hand in case I run out of raw from My Pet Carnivore.
 

bthomas

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I love My Pet Carnivore--I am just not the pioneer type--it was too labor intensive for me to chop and grind my own. I occasionally use the My Natural Cat with Liver Powder premix from Feline Instincts also--you just mix it with a couple of pounds of ground turkey you get from the grocery. It only takes a minute and has all the stuff they need in the right ratios. I keep some on hand in case I run out of raw from My Pet Carnivore.

I am still wanting to try MPC because they have such a great selection, I'm just not sure if/when they can ship to me.
We recently switched our dogs to the same raw food we buy for Elvis, and now my brother wants to get a grinder and do it at home- I keep telling him to give it a shot, but I don't think it's worth it.
 
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I am still wanting to try MPC because they have such a great selection, I'm just not sure if/when they can ship to me.
We recently switched our dogs to the same raw food we buy for Elvis, and now my brother wants to get a grinder and do it at home- I keep telling him to give it a shot, but I don't think it's worth it.

I had my meat shipped. It ships out in Sunday, and I got it on Tuesday, and it was still frozen.
 

magber

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Re: Raw diet and Sphynx cats

Quoting Susi794
"You can buy dry mixes that you add to ground meat and water. This was the first kind of raw my cats would eat--and they LOVED it! I ordered "My Natural Cat" from a place called feline instincts out of Texas. I bought the powder which contained all the vitamins, minerals, etc. my cats needed, then added that to water and ground meat of my choosing--I either had to add raw liver or buy the liver powder already added to the mix, and also a small amount of salmon oil to every recipe, which I could also order directly from feline instincts. I used ground turkey and it was not too bad as far as cost went, but then they raised their prices and I got more cats, so it felt cost prohibitive to me, so I stopped. The only con for me with this was the cost. It was easy to prepare, took only about ten minutes to make a two or three week supply and I froze it into individual servings in flattened freezer baggies in my freezer, so it didn't take much room.

Then I visited a site called Mystre Bengals and they had a recipe for raw with some great videos on how to prepare it and gave the recipe. They use meats they buy right from Wal-Mart, so I wasn't having to import all kinds of hard to find meat. I bought the grinder, the meat cleaver, the cutting board, a gazillion baggies, all the meat and sat down to make my first batch. I had about ten whole chickens, several packs of leg quarters, heaarts, gizzards, liver, tripe, etc. etc. and got started chopping and grinding. Chopping whole chickens and leg quarter for hours at a time is extemely painful after awhile if you're not used to it--I had ground raw meat in my hair, on my ceiling and walls, all over the floor--from stem to stern. But, by gosh, I had a freezer full of individual packs of raw meals. This recipe called for beef to be added, and didn't say that many cats can't eat beef until they are quite used to raw...so mine immediately gobbled up the food and then promptly vomited it all over my house! After awhile, they didn't want to eat it. I contacted the guy on the bengal site and he told me to try making a smaller batch without the beef and try them again...this time it was better, and this method was way cheaper. But the labor of it was just too intense for me. This old body of mine ached for a week after I chopped all those chickens and the mess was not good. I have subsequently read that you should buy a meat hammer and smash the bones before you grind them and that makes the whole process so much easier than trying to hack through them with a meat cleaver like I did. To this mixture I added a vitamin/mineral supplement called Kitty Bloom which took care of the taurine and vitamin requirements my cats needed."

I am seriously thinking about raw diet. Here what I quote on Susie is what it seems I would be doing. Susie, are you still doing raw diet? I have 2 adult cats and Zelda should be home soon. She is about 14 weeks. Should I wait a little after she is home so I dont add to the stress that they all will be dealing with?
 
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susi794

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Re: Raw diet and Sphynx cats

I don't raw feed anymore because the coccidium (parasites) that are in raw poultry can give cats coccidia--which makes for stinky diarreah. Cats with a fairly good immune system can fight it off all by themselves without meds....but I am a breeder and I have tiny kits that can easily catch coccidia from mama going potty and carrying the germs back into the nest on her feet. While it's no big deal for more grown kitties, new babies can easily die from a single bout of diarreah. While I was raw feeding, I sold two litters of kittens and one of the people emailed me back and said the vet told him the kitten had coccidia....and I know if one has it they most likely all had it. So I contacted everybody and paid for the treatment for the entire two litters. And some of them went to really pricey vets! I took stool samples to my vet and he just about had a hissy fit about the raw--told me they got the coccidium from the chicken I was feeding them from a raw pet food distributor. I had to treat my entire cattery....not because the adults were sick--but because I have new babies periodically and I just can't take the chance on losing them. I was livid about having to contact all my buyers and tell them that they needed to check their kits due to a coccidia contaminated shipment of food from my distributor and I told the distributor that. They were really kind about it and refunded me the cost of every pound of chicken I had purchased from them since we didn't know which batch had given them the coccidia. I would never knowingly sell a sick kitty--and the kits weren't sick, but they had the coccidium in their stool, so I felt responsible for paying for it since people have the right to expect my kits are leaving my house in a healthy state. That being said, if I only had 3 month old and above cats, I would go back to raw in a heartbeat. I think it's the best food for them.
 

magber

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Re: Raw diet and Sphynx cats

I don't raw feed anymore because the coccidium (parasites) that are in raw poultry can give cats coccidia--which makes for stinky diarreah. Cats with a fairly good immune system can fight it off all by themselves without meds....but I am a breeder and I have tiny kits that can easily catch coccidia from mama going potty and carrying the germs back into the nest on her feet. While it's no big deal for more grown kitties, new babies can easily die from a single bout of diarreah. While I was raw feeding, I sold two litters of kittens and one of the people emailed me back and said the vet told him the kitten had coccidia....and I know if one has it they most likely all had it. So I contacted everybody and paid for the treatment for the entire two litters. And some of them went to really pricey vets! I took stool samples to my vet and he just about had a hissy fit about the raw--told me they got the coccidium from the chicken I was feeding them from a raw pet food distributor. I had to treat my entire cattery....not because the adults were sick--but because I have new babies periodically and I just can't take the chance on losing them. I was livid about having to contact all my buyers and tell them that they needed to check their kits due to a coccidia contaminated shipment of food from my distributor and I told the distributor that. They were really kind about it and refunded me the cost of every pound of chicken I had purchased from them since we didn't know which batch had given them the coccidia. I would never knowingly sell a sick kitty--and the kits weren't sick, but they had the coccidium in their stool, so I felt responsible for paying for it since people have the right to expect my kits are leaving my house in a healthy state. That being said, if I only had 3 month old and above cats, I would go back to raw in a heartbeat. I think it's the best food for them.

So, by what I understand, Zelda is over 3 months old and will be able to join the other 2 cats with the raw diet. I think I will wait a little until we are not so stress and then give it a try :)
 

magber

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I also want to get my dogs into raw. I think it will be easier for me, that way I can make everybody's meals together.

For the dogs I could make the base and the add other gains or vegetables.
 

SealySphynx

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just wanted to add in that dogs really shouldnt be fed only raw meats. Dogs, unlike cats, are omnivores and should eat meat AND veggies. I wanted to get some raw from my pet carnivore but im in texas and im afraid it would take too long to ship here.

This actually isn't true, their teeth are pointed for ripping and tearing meat, and crushing bones. Their teeth are not flat to grind vegetables. That's why people say you have to cook and purée vegetables do that your dog (or cat) can get nutrients from them, they aren't supposed to be digesting vegetables that's why! If you're interested, I can PM you a couple raw feeding Facebook and yahoo groups and one Yahoo group for feeding raw to cats specifically.

Cats and dogs are carnivores, they should only be eating meat, bones, and organs. Dogs should be getting 80% muscle meat (meat, heart, tongue, gizzards, etc), 10% edible bone (from smaller mammals like chickens, turkey, rabbits, or pigs - never the bones from large animals like elk or buffalo), and 10% organs (5% liver and 5% kidney, spleen, and other secreting organs). Cats should get the same thing except they don't need quite as much bone 5-7% and in its place a little more muscle meat.

Dogs and cats shouldn't eat just meat - they should be eating ONLY meat, bones, and organs in the above mentioned ratios.
 
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