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Raw vs. can & smelly poop

Embracing-Joyx4

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I see that a number of folks feed raw iam curious about this. I would like feedback on why you feed raw and what benefits you see, also why is it that those that feed raw say that kitties poop doesn't smell?

I feed a good brand of wet food that doesn't break the bank and their poops are formed/ firm. But they do smell pretty bad! The litter is doing it's job once it's covered it is just the initial dropping it in the box that is like oh my goodness horrible.

My breeder says chicken makes them smell worse but I don't know why that is?
Hope to get some more feedback.
Thanks
 

zoinks

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Haven't heard about chicken making the smell worse before .

We feed raw and yes the poop does not smell at all (even though dippy doesn't cover sometimes) and is well formed which is a huge plus.

They get a lot of moisture from the food so no worrying about whether they are drinking enough - I have only seen them drinking from the fountain a few times since we switched over.

They are also lean and muscular and my vet is always complimenting how healthy and fit the boys look.

It is harder to pick out any other noticable benefits but I just like the feeling of feeding them something that is very close to a natural diet and you are completely aware of the ingredients when you make it yourself.

I believe if you have the money and the time why not provide what you believe to be the best food possible for these pets which are very special to us.
 

Embracing-Joyx4

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Haven't heard about chicken making the smell worse before .

We feed raw and yes the poop does not smell at all (even though dippy doesn't cover sometimes) and is well formed which is a huge plus.

They get a lot of moisture from the food so no worrying about whether they are drinking enough - I have only seen them drinking from the fountain a few times since we switched over.

They are also lean and muscular and my vet is always complimenting how healthy and fit the boys look.

It is harder to pick out any other noticable benefits but I just like the feeling of feeding them something that is very close to a natural diet and you are completely aware of the ingredients when you make it yourself.

I believe if you have the money and the time why not provide what you believe to be the best food possible for these pets which are very special to us.
Yes I agree I here raw is quite time consuming and expensive. I'm not sure I sometimes don't have enough time to cook 5 days a week with my work and sleep schedule. Please tell me more about what you do to make raw for your kitties I'm very interested.
 

andreanar

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I used to feed whole prey raw. My guys only pooped once a day, if that and made very little no smell poops.

Their skin seemed cleaner, their breath was fresh and their teeth very white.

My dogs were the same, their fur shiny, breath great.
 

Embracing-Joyx4

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I a
Haven't heard about chicken making the smell worse before .

We feed raw and yes the poop does not smell at all (even though dippy doesn't cover sometimes) and is well formed which is a huge plus.

They get a lot of moisture from the food so no worrying about whether they are drinking enough - I have only seen them drinking from the fountain a few times since we switched over.

They are also lean and muscular and my vet is always complimenting how healthy and fit the boys look.

It is harder to pick out any other noticable benefits but I just like the feeling of feeding them something that is very close to a natural diet and you are completely aware of the ingredients when you make it yourself.

I believe if you have the money and the time why not provide what you believe to be the best food possible for these pets which are very special to us.
l also in general don't like even touching meat of any kind that's why I decided on can food.
 

Embracing-Joyx4

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I used to feed whole prey raw. My guys only pooped once a day, if that and made very little no smell poops.

Their skin seemed cleaner, their breath was fresh and their teeth very white.

My dogs were the same, their fur shiny, breath great.
What does it cost to feed raw and and why does it keep their breath fresher and teeth whiter? I just have this thing about meat it was a adjustment even feeding wet.
 

zoinks

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Yes I agree I here raw is quite time consuming and expensive. I'm not sure I sometimes don't have enough time to cook 5 days a week with my work and sleep schedule. Please tell me more about what you do to make raw for your kitties I'm very interested.

At the moment I buy beef in bulk, a big bag of better in the raw powder and make a big batch of cubed beef mixed with the better in the raw powder and water. I then portion it out so I have 2 days worth in the fridge and the rest goes in the freezer in a Tupperware.

Kinda feels like making a stew rather than anything gross.

It works out pretty cheap this way but you can also get pre made raw if you don't have the time to make your own for a little more $$$ that doesn't even look like raw meat sometimes . If you shop about you can get some good deals on that.

Agree with Andreanar on the breath thing too, our boys breath does not smell.
 

andreanar

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I think the good breath was a combo of gnawing bones and tough muscle meat scraped off and kept nastiness from building up. I also think that the diet was so good for their systems, they just seemed clean from the inside out.

I used to have trouble cutting up meat too, but actually after doing it only a few times,I liked it! It was fun to see what kinds of weird new things I could find to chop up! Lol
 

MollysMom

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I feed mine raw for overall health... I am a big believer that they have fewer health problems in the long run because of it. Time will tell. But all of the reading that I have done about them being obligate carnivores, not needing much besides bone organ and meat, etc
 

Calicocious

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I noticed a difference within a couple days of switching to raw. They were leaner, more fit looking. And their poop really does have no smell, and I mean none! The tarter build up on my older cat went away too. Saves me from having to take him in to the vet for a cleaning.

Price for raw can vary depending on where you are. The better in the raw powder is a good deal. Just need to buy ground meat to add to it. For me it's cheaper and more convenient to buy commercially prepared raw. I like Bravo complete. I buy it from a local specialty pet food shop for $12.99 for a 5 lb tube of it that's frozen. Lasts me a week for my three. I thaw it just enough to cut it in half. Half in the fridge and rest back in the freezer. I put it in a big Tupperware and scoop out what I need for each meal. Very easy! Check out the raw diet section of the lair. Lots of tips and pictures of people preparing better in the raw. Think of it like making meatloaf lol.
 

Embracing-Joyx4

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I think the good breath was a combo of gnawing bones and tough muscle meat scraped off and kept nastiness from building up. I also think that the diet was so good for their systems, they just seemed clean from the inside out.

I used to have trouble cutting up meat too, but actually after doing it only a few times,I liked it! It was fun to see what kinds of weird new things I could find to chop up! Lol
I was wondering if meat from the market is good for them because of hormones in beef & chicken? Also can I just supplement with regular meats like
Ground turkey (we eat a lot of that)
Ground beef
( we don't eat much of any more)
Roasted chicken or ground chicken
Roasted turkey and beef?
What is the powder added vitamins?
I'm trying to find the thread mention on preparing raw that has pictures.
 

Embracing-Joyx4

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I think the good breath was a combo of gnawing bones and tough muscle meat scraped off and kept nastiness from building up. I also think that the diet was so good for their systems, they just seemed clean from the inside out.

I used to have trouble cutting up meat too, but actually after doing it only a few times,I liked it! It was fun to see what kinds of weird new things I could find to chop up! Lol
So do you go to a butcher? I was with you right up until you said about chopping meat up, I'm just so turned off by touching meat I don't know if I can handle bone and stuff LOL! Aren't you Afraid of
Them choking on a piece or internal damage if something gets stuck ?
 

Embracing-Joyx4

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My kitties are lean very,
Especially
Apollo and Anastazia.
Sincere is going to be a big kitty like his dad I think he came to me nice and plump and Amirah isn't so lean like my other two but I prefer the way she looks and the way Sincere looks.

Right before Apollo turned a year he stop wanting to eat wet food everyday. He kinda is moody about it.
We feed all then nakeds away from other kitties. They get fed on the platform parts of the cat tree there are spots for everyone. A month or so before he turned one last month he stopped eating with the others and gravitated towards the place the furs eat they only like dry. I fed the same brand dry adult and dry kitten and wet. He was almost a year so we moved his bowl down to the floor with them. We offered him his wet and more often than not he would not eat it and Sincere and Anastazia would gobble it up when they finish theirs on the cat tree.

So really I just want to get Apollo eating wet again so I was thinking about raw May be the way to go.
Plus the stinky poop thing is not fun. Does anyone have any advise or idea why Apollo just stop eating wet on a daily basis. He will eat it when
He feels like it.
 

Embracing-Joyx4

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I used to feed whole prey raw. My guys only pooped once a day, if that and made very little no smell poops.

Their skin seemed cleaner, their breath was fresh and their teeth very white.

My dogs were the same, their fur shiny, breath great.
Why do they poop less? Meat is meat for the most part?
 

andreanar

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Why do they poop less? Meat is meat for the most part?
They poop less because everything they are eating their body is using, there isn't much waste. With whole prey raw, you don't need to add any vitamins or powders, as long as they are eating a good ratio of meat, organ, bone. There is a ratio of what they need of each depending on weight.

I didn't feed ground meats. I tried to buy organic, hormone free and grass feed as much as I could. I also ordered rabbits and quail from Hare Today. I also got stuff from hunters. I was never worried about them choking or anything getting stuck. I only fed the softer bones, chicken wings, bird necks etc.

It is easier to feed better in the raw as you only need to add ground meat, the powder and water. My guys wouldn't eat it, I don't know why. There are a lot of raw options out there where you don't need to cut up any meat.
 

andreanar

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I was wondering if meat from the market is good for them because of hormones in beef & chicken? Also can I just supplement with regular meats like
Ground turkey (we eat a lot of that)
Ground beef
( we don't eat much of any more)
Roasted chicken or ground chicken
Roasted turkey and beef?
What is the powder added vitamins?
I'm trying to find the thread mention on preparing raw that has pictures.
With whole prey raw, it's not just throwing down some meat. There is a formula you follow to make sure they are getting everything they need. 80% of meat, skin, muscle meat. 10,% of bones. 5% liver. 5% other organ meat. If you are not following the formula, your animals can get sick and be lacking in vital body needs.
I'm telling you, there is nothing like watching them eat whole prey diet, it reminds you that they are total carnivores!

As I said, it is a more time consuming and complicated at first way to feed raw.
Here is a picture of some raw organ and a pic of what a meal looks like
uploadfromtaptalk1391861034743.jpg

uploadfromtaptalk1391861212982.jpg
 

Calicocious

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So do you go to a butcher? I was with you right up until you said about chopping meat up, I'm just so turned off by touching meat I don't know if I can handle bone and stuff LOL! Aren't you Afraid of
Them choking on a piece or internal damage if something gets stuck ?

I wasn't a fan of the chopping up meat myself either, or trying to get the ratios right. Where I live there wasn't an economical source of the meat either. So for me I looked into the Better in the Raw first. I used the ground turkey with no issues. I bought it both from a local butcher I trusted, but it varied when they had it,band from the grocery store. At the grocery store I did choose the brand that had no hormones ect added. That was a personal choice for me.

No worries about things getting stuck or doing damage. Most times the bones are chopped or ground to a small size to begin with. But remember raw bones are okay but cooked ones are not! Once they are cooked they becomes less flexible and that's when they can splinter and cause damage internally. Bones and meat are what their digestive systems are evolved to have. For them it's as natural as it can get. That's part of the reason they look so healthy and do so well on a raw diet. I'll take a look in the raw diet section and see if I can find the pictures for you too.
 

Calicocious

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Sorry Embracing-Joyx4 I looked in the raw diet section and those older posts aren't there anymore :-( But the Better in the Raw website does have a video showing how you mix it together. Another thought would be the dehydrated raw. You just add water to it and once it's soaked it up you're good to go. Honest kitchen makes one that is similar in price to the froze raw I use. Stella and Chewys is another brand but pretty pricey. Hope I'm helping and not making your head spin with too much info lol!
 
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