Would I still see benefits if feeding raw only half raw?

[Sphynx Meowm]

I got my kitten almost a month ago, and he's had soft stools ever since. Instead of going through the long process of trying a million different commercial foods to try and figure out what agrees with him most, I'm thinking I might just go ahead and transition him to a raw diet. However, I'd still like to keep him on wet food and maybe kibble here and there (at least until the bag I already have is gone).

I was thinking for breakfast/lunch doing a mixture of canned wet and raw, and then having kibble out for dinner until bedtime. I believe this would allow enough time for the kibble to digest before more raw in the morning? Eventually I'd probably transition away from kibble completely.

I'm wondering if anyone else does a partial raw diet, and whether you still see at least some benefits from doing so? It's mainly the soft stools and poop foot issue that I'm looking to fix. Also, does anyone have experience feeding kittens a raw diet? My boy is about 5 months old, so I'm not sure if he's too young.

As far as brands, I'm currently looking at Viva Raw and Darwin's, but I'm open to suggestions!

 

[Yoda mom]

@Sphynx Meowm , I am not a raw feeder (live in a hurricane state and don't want the extra stress of food supply/cold storage ). from my understanding raw and non raw digest at different levels.

tagginig @Sheldon13 and others to chime in.

 

[Sheldon13]

I did used to feed both raw and canned and had no problem. They only warming I’ve ever seen is to not feed kibble and raw together because they don’t digest well in combination. The usual recommendation is to wait a couple hours between them and you should be ok.


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[Sheldon13]

Aim for 10% daily of his weight in raw

He’s a growing boy, after all.


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[Sphynx Meowm]

Aim for 10% daily of his weight in raw

He’s a growing boy, after all.


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I've been struggling with knowing how much to feed, so that's really helpful!

He's really not digesting his regular kibble well. I give it to him 3-4 hours after his last raw meal of the day to graze on (and pick it back up at least 8 hours before the next raw meal) so I don't think it's the timing. I'm looking into possibly dehydrating some of the raw for "kibble." I just need something shelf stable that's going to agree with his stomach that I can leave out on nights I'm gone (usually 1 night/week). Have you ever heard of anyone doing this? I've seen it done for treats, but not full meals.

 

[Yoda mom]

@Sheldon13

 

[Sphynx Meowm]

@Yoda mom What do you feed? I've seen your comments around but I can't seem to find them right now. I remember it was a brand I'd never heard of. Might need to look into it.

 

[Yoda mom]

@Sphynx Meowm , I tried freeze dried etc when I got my crew over a decade ago. they were not having it. Batman ran in disgust complaining with freeze dried, rehydrated or raw. mentioned I live in FL and really wanted simple feed n go especially during hurricane times.

I switched my crew over to primary food is Nutrisource cat and kitten food in the blue/white bag (no recalls, not sold in big box stores, I get online k9 cuisine, petflow, etc.) it is touted for gut health and even works great for my bengal cat adoptee with IBD.

my Yodaman had a stress uti when I adopted him ( treated with meds, but he hated the vets c/d food so I got purina proplan urinary focus whitefish), and science diet urinary hairball) never had a uti again.
I read years ago hairball formulas are good for the fiber/poo.

** I free feed :
1. Nutrisource cat and kitten food .. dry. it is their main food **
and a small dish of hills urinary hairball dry.
2. shared can of purina proplan urinary focus whitefish (I add a little water). though dry food addict Batman refuses all wet food. he is now 13 yrs old and is doing good

No poo or skin issues with my crew.
they are all seniors now and it works for all of them.

I feed what works for my crew. every kitty is different.
note, I was not crazy about the proplan or Hills ingredients but it has been a go to along with the nutrisource for many many years and no issues with skin and solid poop. I can feed and go keeping it simple.

they have other varieties too:

Healthy Cat Food & Kitten Food | NutriSource Pet Foods

NutriSource healthy pet food includes cat food for kittens as well as senior & weight management recipes. Dedicated to the long term health of family pets.

nutrisourcepetfoods.com