Anyone Here Ever Feed "rad Cat Raw Food" Brand?

mschauer

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Okay I’m going to stop responding because for whatever reason you’re getting really upset and I was intending on just having a calm conversation.
Yeah, I tend to get worked up when people lie about what I've said. Call it a pet peeve of mine. ;)
 
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Furballsmom

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Hi, @Ardina and anyone else, I just got a note from the Big Bad Woof that they have a limited supply of Rad Cat. There may be other retailers who do as well, Only Natural Pet, Bentley's etc.
 

lalagimp

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Hi, @Ardina and anyone else, I just got a note from the Big Bad Woof that they have a limited supply of Rad Cat. There may be other retailers who do as well, Only Natural Pet, Bentley's etc.
"We will have a supply of Rad Cat in the following recipes available until it runs out at the Distributors. Currently there is a limited supply of Venison in 16oz and 24oz sizes, and Chicken and Turkey are still available. Our in-stocks will reflect on the website in terms of availability, and we will continue to receive shipments on Tuesday and Friday until supplies run out.

Our staff will work to help you find alternatives as this transition occurs. In the meantime, if you want to order Rad Cat we will be stocking up. Please place your order on-line or call us at (202) 291-2404 to place your order. Beef and Lamb are not available.

Thank you, The Big Bad Woof"
 

daftcat75

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I went to several stores yesterday and stocked up the retro way. Of course, the minute I stocked up, Krista’s gone all funny about eating this stuff now. :doh2:
 

lisahe

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If what the Rad Cat folks say is true, that the FDA has a zero tolerance policy for bacteria in raw pet foods, they may have a tough time finding an investor. The financial risk would be too great for an investor unless they can be assured Rad Cat can meet that very high standard and it would seem they can't.
I wish I didn't agree with you about this, mschauer mschauer . :(
 

daftcat75

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@daftcat, isn't that the way of it? they plan it I sometimes think lol
I’m just feeding her often enough for her to develop an attitude. I’ve seen her on her post-meal fish flake hunt. I think the meal mopeys are just an act.

I think it’s a cry for variety. But I need her to eat enough of the chicken to give me a chicken poop to know whether that new protein will work for her so I can stock up on a second flavor.
 

daftcat75

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I’m just feeding her often enough for her to develop an attitude. I’ve seen her on her post-meal fish flake hunt. I think the meal mopeys are just an act.

I think it’s a cry for variety. But I need her to eat enough of the chicken to give me a chicken poop to know whether that new protein will work for her so I can stock up on a second flavor.
“C’mon Krista girl, I’m trying. Work with me.”
 

molly92

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I think it's highly likely Nestle (Purina), Mars (Iams), etc, are influencing FDA decisions. Companies have always lobbied the government, both in the open and behind the scenes. It seems like the most reasonable conclusion to draw to me.

Wendy has been through a week of not wanting to eat anything. Radcat lamb had been her favorite, but it had been out of stock for weeks and she liked Primal well enough in the meantime, but she started refusing everything and I was getting very worried until I tried Radcat venison and she ate it all! I was so happy until I heard the news the next day. I really think I'll have to make my own now which is not something I was ready for yet.
 

fordfairlane

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I know I’m late to this conversation, but what am I going to do? I have a 13 year old cat who has been generally unhealthy, and throws up all the time. Vets haven’t found anything wrong with her, she’s just a runty cat. She’s done so well on radcat for the last 4 years. I’m devastated what am I going to feed her? I have tried small batch but she became constipated from the bone. This food has been life changing, I’m really unsure what I am going to do. Anyone have any suggestions for a desperate cat mom with an older kitty?
 

yeva2292

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I know I’m late to this conversation, but what am I going to do? I have a 13 year old cat who has been generally unhealthy, and throws up all the time. Vets haven’t found anything wrong with her, she’s just a runty cat. She’s done so well on radcat for the last 4 years. I’m devastated what am I going to feed her? I have tried small batch but she became constipated from the bone. This food has been life changing, I’m really unsure what I am going to do. Anyone have any suggestions for a desperate cat mom with an older kitty?
You could try Vital Essentials, if it has the protein you feed, or try your hand at homemade. I myself switched to homemade raw when Rad Cat lamb first disappeared off the shelves a couple months ago. It wasn't as hard as I expected it to be!
 

mschauer

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I know I’m late to this conversation, but what am I going to do? I have a 13 year old cat who has been generally unhealthy, and throws up all the time. Vets haven’t found anything wrong with her, she’s just a runty cat. She’s done so well on radcat for the last 4 years. I’m devastated what am I going to feed her? I have tried small batch but she became constipated from the bone. This food has been life changing, I’m really unsure what I am going to do. Anyone have any suggestions for a desperate cat mom with an older kitty?
If the price of Rad Cat was workable for you then making home-made using a pre-mix added to meat you buy might be a good choice for you. Alnutrin requires you add meat and liver. EZComplete requires only meat. There are other pre-mixes as well. Alnutrin is, I believe, the least expensive option but EZComplete is easier to use.
 

lisahe

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If the price of Rad Cat was workable for you then making home-made using a pre-mix added to meat you buy might be a good choice for you. Alnutrin requires you add meat and liver. EZComplete requires only meat. There are other pre-mixes as well. Alnutrin is, I believe, the least expensive option but EZComplete is easier to use.
I second this, particularly EZ Complete, which I use and truly do find easy. I use it only for cooked food, one meal a day, and our cats love it. You can use any muscle meat; I sometimes mix two kinds in one batch. I also cut, slice, dice, mush, and otherwise process the meat in various ways to give the cats more variety of texture. Our vet loves the ingredient list and thinks the pancreas has been especially good for our cat who seems to have occasional slight nausea.

Good luck, fordfairlane fordfairlane -- the loss of Rad Cat is hard enough for us, feeding just a small daily snack, so I can't even begin to imagine how devastating it must be for someone like you, whose cat has depended on it for years.
 

Totsy

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I made my first two batches with EZ Complete yesterday, chicken and pork. It really was easy and my cats love it. I'm going to try Alnutrin next and I'm reading about another premix. Baby steps. I really want them to have some bone and not just eggshell, but I'll have to do more studying before making it from scratch.
 

LadyLondonderry

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Yes, I think you're right: they need a real investor who can offer financial stability, not crowdfunding that would provide a relatively small, one-time infusion of cash. They're talking about large sums of money.

And I know what you mean about bone content. Our cats do fine on Primal (around 10%) but that's only about 50-60% of their diet, with most of the rest of their food being boneless. We've been feeding them a Rad Cat snack every afternoon and I've always loved feeding it because they never complain. I have no idea what I'll replace it with.
They have started a GoFundMe campaign with a goal of $1.2 million, just to pay their vendors. They say if they raise more than they need, the excess will go toward rebooting the brand, either with or without an investor partner; if they are unable to do that, it will be donated to various charities they have supported.

I see a few commenters on their Facebook page have suggested that they get around the FDA issues by just selling a premix instead of the raw meat plus the added ingredients. Interesting idea.
 
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kittyluv387

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You could try Vital Essentials, if it has the protein you feed, or try your hand at homemade. I myself switched to homemade raw when Rad Cat lamb first disappeared off the shelves a couple months ago. It wasn't as hard as I expected it to be!
Vital essentials in chicken and turkey are basically out of stock in most stores and on amazon/chewy. The retailer me said the company grew much faster than expected (700%) so they have been having supply issues. They are expanding their facilities as we speak though. But for now I haven't been able to get any in the chicken and turkey for a month or so.
 

riley1

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I am very sorry to be the bearer of bad news but Rad Cat just announced that they are shutting down. Rad Cat Raw Diet Premium Raw Food For Cats

I'm hoping they'll find an investor!

Rad Cat has been our cats' favorite food for nearly all the five years they've been living with us and I have a sentimental attachment to it because I first fed it to our previous cat -- it was nearly all she'd eat in her last weeks of life.
I have used it for about 3 years and have never found anything wrong with it! I did not want the vegetables, excess bone and fat that was included in other raw providers. Don't quite know what to use going forward. With only one cat I could buy grocery meat but my vet said it has to much bacteria to be fed raw.
 

mschauer

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I have used it for about 3 years and have never found anything wrong with it! I did not want the vegetables, excess bone and fat that was included in other raw providers. Don't quite know what to use going forward. With only one cat I could buy grocery meat but my vet said it has to much bacteria to be fed raw.
The vast majority of the meat I use comes from the grocery store. No problem in something like 9 years of raw feeding.
 

fordfairlane

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Thanks for all the replies, guys! I know that Zsa Zsa will be okay, its just so hard knowing the product that kept her so healthy for so long is gone. Diet changes are hard on a 13 year old cat! I will definitely be donating to the Rad Cat GoFundMe! I'm so grateful of the 4 amazing years that Rad Cat gave us!
 

mschauer

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I see a few commenters on their Facebook page have suggested that they get around the FDA issues by just selling a premix instead of the raw meat plus the added ingredients. Interesting idea.
I don't know about that. That is a completely different market that is getting to the saturation point I think. The thing that makes Rad Cat different is that it is a high quality, ready to eat product. The meat is especially high quality. The only Rad Cat product I have been buying is the turkey. The reason I buy it is because my cats won't eat the turkey food I make using grocery store turkey. They love the Rad Cat though. The meat source does matter.
 
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