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Raw or naw?

Victoria D

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I have a sphynx who is stinking up the litter box to the point I can't stand it. I try to keep it clean, but the smell is running me out of my house! Okay, maybe not that bad.... but pretty bad!

Anyway, I have read where a RAW diet may help and at this point I'll try just about anything. So, my questions are...
1. Is this true? Has anyone else noticed any improvement in the poo smell when feeding RAW? If so, was it a huge significance, or just a small improvement?

2. What is the best premade RAW food and where do you buy it? Also, do you mix with kibble and how much do you feed / does it cost monthly?

Any other advice / info would be appreciated!
 

admin

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I have a sphynx who is stinking up the litter box to the point I can't stand it. I try to keep it clean, but the smell is running me out of my house! Okay, maybe not that bad.... but pretty bad!

Anyway, I have read where a RAW diet may help and at this point I'll try just about anything. So, my questions are...
1. Is this true? Has anyone else noticed any improvement in the poo smell when feeding RAW? If so, was it a huge significance, or just a small improvement?

2. What is the best premade RAW food and where do you buy it? Also, do you mix with kibble and how much do you feed / does it cost monthly?

Any other advice / info would be appreciated!
We are not raw feeders but there are multiple threads here on just that- Sphynx Cats & Raw Diet :)
 

Kate

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I switched to raw a few years ago - best decision ever! The smell is drastically reduced, and the amount of poo in the box is so small. I use BiTR mix and ground turkey. I can't remember the exact cost off the top of my head, but I did compare against commercial wet food (a high quality one) and it was cheaper overall. I feed mine about a 1/4 cup twice a day. I also leave out a bowl of kibble called Rawz (it's a freeze dried raw kibble) just for them to snack on. Seems to be a good balance, and I've had no litter box issues.
 

Victoria D

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Thank you both so much!
I didn't realize there were mixes that you could use with ground turkey, that seems much easier! I am definitely going to try it out and hope it works as well for mine as it has yours! I love all of the information you can find on sphynxlair, I'd be lost without it.
 

Kate

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You can actually use any meat you want, I've just had lots of success with the turkey. Lots of sphynx seem to be sensitive to chicken.
 

naomi

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I feed raw too and have been doing so for the past 3 and a half years. Frida used to have the smelliest poops and now doesn’t smell at all. She is also less oily and is more muscular and lean than before. Raw is the best. You will have a healthy cat for life!
247b753c0b5576e7a7062ba0a51245c4.jpg
 

Victoria D

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She's beautiful! I just purchased better in the raw online and am anxiously waiting for it to get her so I can switch her over! I've been researching a lot and I definitely think RAW is the way to go!

I feed raw too and have been doing so for the past 3 and a half years. Frida used to have the smelliest poops and now doesn’t smell at all. She is also less oily and is more muscular and lean than before. Raw is the best. You will have a healthy cat for life!
247b753c0b5576e7a7062ba0a51245c4.jpg
 

naomi

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She's beautiful! I just purchased better in the raw online and am anxiously waiting for it to get her so I can switch her over! I've been researching a lot and I definitely think RAW is the way to go!

Thanks! I think so too, but I’m also her incredibly bias food slave...so you know.
I’m glad to hear you are giving it a go. I think you and your kitty will be very happy with the raw diet!
 

Anita Eccleston

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Hi there my Cleo eats dry and wet food but we do give her bits of raw like bits of minced meat , chicken or beef all raw and she likes them ,
she will eat cooked fish but not fresh cook tuna lol and she likes a bit of mackerel in sunflower oil ( only small amounts )
I do think I am lucky with Cleo and her tummy
Hugs
Anita & Cleo xxx❤️❤️❤️
 

Silke

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One of mine will eat raw, the other two won't.
Pixie won't even eat most wet food varieties, nor any human food. She likes her kibble. When I first got her...good God she stank! It was poison gas attacks and it was terrible.
I switched her to RC Sphynx and the smell was gone. (Switched at the recommendation of her previous owner, who'd run out and fed a supermarket brand until the delivery arrived)
She does only like Fish wet food, and not all of it either. (She likes her Purina Gourmet Broth though.)
The other two tend to be okay with anything in a bowl.
I think the best person to talk to about raw is @Xandria :)
 

Schrodinger

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I use Rad Cat Raw Diet, which I like a lot. It comes in 8, 16 and 24 oz tubs and they offer chicken, turkey, beef, lamb, pork and venison. What I most appreciate is that all the same-sized tubs are the same price, regardless of which meat you choose. 24oz is $17 whether it's chicken or venison.

I also feed ZiwiPeak freeze dried raw "kibble" for Dmitri to munch on during the day, but I'm considering no longer doing that and just feeding larger Rad Cat meals, instead. The original idea was that he'd have something to nibble throughout the day, if he felt hungry. But in reality, I set the ZiwiPeak out and he just hoovers it up immediately after breakfast, so he effectively gets 2 morning meals and still has nothing to eat until evening.

He usually poops 1-2 times day (most commonly just once). They're small, well-formed, and don't really have any obvious odor.
 

Sheldon13

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We feed raw here and I can say I don’t even know that my cat has pooped until I look in the litter box. I can’t smell it at all in the other room.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Xandria

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All of the above. Raw is great for poops (less smelly and smaller), great for healthy urination (they tend to get more water this way), overall health, as well as skin and muscle tone. They also have tonnes of energy.

I use Better in the Raw as well. I add a little more water than called for by the recipe just to make sure they get lots of fluids.

Let us know how it goes!

Here are Min (left) and blurry Max (right). Half siblings.
maximillian_von_strange_27575000_1908115376166103_5552528888430592000_n.jpg
 

JojoCatMama

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My cats eat a combo of wet canned food and rehydrated raw pellets. The poop does still stink, but never room-clearing stink.

We have never had any digestive problems (except when we fed them dry food once! Big mistake!!)

The brand I use is Primal freeze-dried nuggets. Chicken+salmon, turkey, and duck are our favorite flavors.



I have a sphynx who is stinking up the litter box to the point I can't stand it. I try to keep it clean, but the smell is running me out of my house! Okay, maybe not that bad.... but pretty bad!

Anyway, I have read where a RAW diet may help and at this point I'll try just about anything. So, my questions are...
1. Is this true? Has anyone else noticed any improvement in the poo smell when feeding RAW? If so, was it a huge significance, or just a small improvement?

2. What is the best premade RAW food and where do you buy it? Also, do you mix with kibble and how much do you feed / does it cost monthly?

Any other advice / info would be appreciated!
 

Victoria D

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**update**
My cat won't touch her Raw food I switched my dog to Raw and she can't get enough, but the cat is totally uninterested (I am feeding them better in the raw- I purchased both the feline and k9 version and am mixing with ground beef). Anyone have any suggestions on how to get her to take to it?
 

naomi

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Have you tried adding a little of the old food on top?
When I stared Frida on raw I had to do that, as she didn’t seem to know it was food. Worked like a charm. Now she can’t get enough!
 

Condo commando

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You can also buy a bag of Temptations Cat Treats. Take some of the pieces and crush them, and then sprinkle it over the raw food.

Another thing is if you have some powdered or grated cheese, you sprinkle that on the raw food.

You don't have to mix it in, just sprinkle some on top so they can smell it.
 

Ollie

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For my Ollie switching to raw made a HUGE difference. The gas, the litter box ugh it was unbearable when we first got him. He had horrible soft poops too. Clear the house smell. Within 2 days of starting raw all his (and our) troubles were solved! We feed Primal frozen blocks, all different meats. Turkey, Chicken and Salmon, Beef, Pork. He won’t eat Pheasant and isn’t a Rabbit fan which is good as they are more expensive. I have tried other company’s but prefer the convienence of Primal blocks. We also feed Orijen freeze dried raw treats. I buy the dog ones as the formula is same for cat and dog but dog is cheaper. Recently I bought some Orijen kibble. It looked high quality, primarily meat just for a little treat and....that smell was coming back to the litter box. With the raw food, poops are small and no smell. With the introduction of other foods that changes. He might be more sensitivity than some but I do not think you will regret trying raw. I feed twice a day with a few treats throughout the day. Good luck!
 

TheZu

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I switched to raw a few years ago - best decision ever! The smell is drastically reduced, and the amount of poo in the box is so small. I use BiTR mix and ground turkey. I can't remember the exact cost off the top of my head, but I did compare against commercial wet food (a high quality one) and it was cheaper overall. I feed mine about a 1/4 cup twice a day. I also leave out a bowl of kibble called Rawz (it's a freeze dried raw kibble) just for them to snack on. Seems to be a good balance, and I've had no litter box issues.

As someone looking into raw feeding our future cat, do you mind me asking what BiTR mix is and where you get it? I keep seeing it around these forums but I'm not certain what it is. I tried googling it but didn't get any results related to cat food. Is it just a supplement that is mixed with raw food to cover nutritional balance? Is it a brand or just short hand for a home made mix?

I apologize if this is a silly question that's been answered already!

@Xandria , suggestions advice to add :)
 
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Bailey21

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As someone looking into raw feeding our future cat, do you mind me asking what BiTR mix is and where you get it? I keep seeing it around these forums but I'm not certain what it is. I tried googling it but didn't get any results related to cat food. Is it just a supplement that is mixed with raw food to cover nutritional balance? Is it a brand or just short hand for a home made mix?

I apologize if this is a silly question that's been answered already!

@Xandria , suggestions advice to add :)

Since you're also located in Canada, if you're considering purchasing a commercially made rather than making it yourself, I purchase all my raw from Big Country Raw and my little man I love it! Lots of great protein choices, treats, supplements, ect, and they deliver right to your door :)
 

RoseEllen

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**update**
My cat won't touch her Raw food I switched my dog to Raw and she can't get enough, but the cat is totally uninterested (I am feeding them better in the raw- I purchased both the feline and k9 version and am mixing with ground beef). Anyone have any suggestions on how to get her to take to it?

If she’s picky try mixing literally a teaspoon of the raw with her regular food and very slowly increase the amount. it may take a month of these slow increments... she will get used to the taste and eventually will probably prefer it. Raw food compared to commercial stuff is more bland and doesn’t have that smell which will sometimes be alluring to cats. Keep at it and don’t get discouraged! Also it may take a little trial and error to find a meat she will tolerate. Mine prefers chicken over rabbit. He likes beef but is allergic to it and will develop little bumps on his skin so we stay away from that. Good luck!!!
 

TheZu

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Thanks to everyone for the suggestions and info that replied to my questions!

I checked out Big Country Raw and have to admit I really liked their product! The only issue I was having was getting the deliver aspect sorted. After looking at the BITR mix, I really liked it because it gives me lots of control in what meat will be in her diet. The dollar conversion and shipping was bringing up the price though, which was less ideal. I found the raw fed document made here and they had list of other raw mix products. I've decided to try and go with a Canadian company for their premix, TCFeline, as the shipping and cost are more economic to me. I think I'm going to start with ground turkey, and I'm going to be making my own dehydrated chicken breast cat treats with the dehydrator I bought in January (testing this weekend!).

Originally I was going to feed the same raw food the breeder does and slowly transition if needed, but the local raw food brand she was using no longer makes their own, so even she is using a different mix and looking I believe! I'll touch base with the breeder when there is a set kitten for us and a gotcha date and maybe reevaluate if I'll need to transition the kitten from the breeders raw food mix to the TCFeline mix I plan on using.

My prep for our kitty is rapidly finishing. Now all I need is the Sphynx!
 

Condo commando

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@TheZu The supplement you use depends on the kind of meat.

For example, BITR is for muscle meat only. Thus, BITR has a lot of stuff in it to make up for the fact that you are only using muscle meat.

I prefer to use as much of the real thing as possible so I put organs and bones in, I add some raw fish for omega 3's, I leave some rabbit fur for fiber ...you get the idea. I have to use a different supplement that has just a few other things.

Finally, if I wanted to I could buy the vitamins and minerals individually and not use any premade supplement.

The main thing is to figure out what meat you will be able to source, and then pick the supplement that should go with it. The more work you are willing to put in, the lower the price. It's whatever works for you.
 
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