Taking A Break From Raw - Good Idea Or No?

Graceful-Lily

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I was supposed to go back to the raw meat store to pick up another case of 32lb turkey or chicken but with this puppy keeping me busy, it slipped my mind. Unfortunately, they are closed tomorrow and I have nothing else to feed my cats. I was wondering if it would be okay to take a break from raw meat for a while? Maybe a month or two. I don't want my cats to get tired of it. They've been eating the same thing for almost 2 months now. My mom bought some canned food for them to keep them satisfied but I'm not sure if it's a good idea. Finances aren't really an issue. I got a job which pays me more than enough to feed them all on raw. I'm just wondering.

And if it's not a good idea, how do I "spice things up" in their diet? Felix and Smokey have a hard time with bones but I still try to include some. Do cats even care what flavour their meat is?
 

orange&white

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Depends why you're feeding raw. I feed raw because I believe that real human-grade food and raw meat/bones/organs is the healthiest, most nutritious food I can offer my little obligate carnivores. The kitties rotate through beef, chicken, pork and turkey to keep them from getting tired of real, fresh food.

A raw diet is the least convenient diet for pets. If your schedule isn't working with your supplier, and you don't want to mix your own blends, then it doesn't work out for you very well. Your cats will survive fine on a good canned food.

You have to decide why you started on raw to begin with and ask yourself if those reasons are still important to you.
 
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Graceful-Lily

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Depends why you're feeding raw. I feed raw because I believe that real human-grade food and raw meat/bones/organs is the healthiest, most nutritious food I can offer my little obligate carnivores. The kitties rotate through beef, chicken, pork and turkey to keep them from getting tired of real, fresh food.

A raw diet is the least convenient diet for pets. If your schedule isn't working with your supplier, and you don't want to mix your own blends, then it doesn't work out for you very well. Your cats will survive fine on a good canned food.

You have to decide why you started on raw to begin with and ask yourself if those reasons are still important to you.
Well, that's not it. They ran out of raw turkey so getting the can food got me thinking about taking a break. Just a thought. I feed it to my cats because I believe it is healthier and that's the only food I can feed Felix without him getting crystals again.

Also, due to my mothers religious beliefs, I'm not allowed to carry pork into the house so there are less options. I've only been feeding them turkey and chicken because it's the only meats that come in a large quantity. I have a wonderful relationship with my current supplier and she's open every other day of the week, just not Mondays.

But that's my own fault for not getting it sooner I guess... So, like I asked before, how do I keep things interesting in terms of flavour? Will my cats even care? Should I buy smaller sized packages or rabbit, beef, lamb, etc? Instead of one big box of only one kind of meat? The turkey mix does have pork liver however.
 
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orange&white

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You asked if cats care what flavor their food is. My senior has preferences, but since he's on a diet and thinks he's starving, he'll eat anything like it's the best food ever. My kitten is picky. She eats around pieces of meat that she doesn't like the taste or texture of, and eats those bits last.

To spice things up, you could keep in your freezer a couple small packages of different types of meat other than turkey and chicken, plus things like chicken hearts, gizzards, kidneys. When your regular supplier is closed for a day or two, you can feed the little stash of "other food" from your freezer.
 
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Graceful-Lily

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You asked if cats care what flavor their food is. My senior has preferences, but since he's on a diet and thinks he's starving, he'll eat anything like it's the best food ever. My kitten is picky. She eats around pieces of meat that she doesn't like the taste or texture of, and eats those bits last.

To spice things up, you could keep in your freezer a couple small packages of different types of meat other than turkey and chicken, plus things like chicken hearts, gizzards, kidneys. When your regular supplier is closed for a day or two, you can feed the little stash of "other food" from your freezer.
Thank you! lol I just added that to my last posted but you answered it already so thanks. I'll try that Tuesday when I stop by! :)
 

orange&white

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We must have been typing at the same time. LOL What do they say? Great minds think alike! ;)
 
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