Advice for starting on raw! How much to feed, etc

[kosame]

I made my first batch of homemade raw today and the boys are loving it.
Well, Remi is over the moon about it and Theo is suspicious so he's definitely going to be on a slower transition pace.
Used around 5lbs of chicken meat (home butchered for this batch + a little storebought), mixed ground/chopped and added much of the bone but not all + egg yolks and supplements. Being new to this, I'm a bit nervous-
My cats are very active bengals, Remi being a little more so than Theo.
Remi is 6 months old, frequently goes on walks/hikes, is generally out of his mind. He's around 6.7lbs. He'll eat anything (and everything) like the rubber backing on his dish, and random plastic he drags out of the trash. sigh. so much babyproofing I've done lol
Theo is a year and 2 months, stays at home (working on some confidence building and training before starting to hike and stuff with him), I estimate around 10-11lbs but I need to weigh him. He is incredibly muscular but has virtually no fat and has been acting hungry so I think I need to up his calorie intake.
Also, my boyfriend adopted a young kitten and he's interested in feeding the lil guy raw too. Gotta weigh him asap and would love advice on kittens! Boyfriend has never had a pet before in his life (I wouldn't of survived so long!) and he's very determined to do it right
Any advice on how much I should be feeding? And just general advice on raw? I want to do this right <3

 

[furmonster mom]

First question about your mix. What supplements are you using? Are you including organs? What recipe or percentages are you using?

As for how much each cat should consume... the young ones under a year should eat as much as they want. The littlest one may need more frequent meals (4-5 a day) because their tummy is small but they are still growing. The 6 mo old may not need as many feedings, but should still get as much as he wants.

The older one is still fairly young for a cat, though considered adult. Depending on activity, you might want to start at 3.5% body weight and see how his body responds. If he seems to get a bit thin, pop the percentage up a tad. If he starts to plump up, either get him some more exercise, or drop the portion percentage.

Every cat is a bit different. My lazy cats get about 2.5-3% body weight. I pre-pack portions for the average, then adjust plate portions at meal time.

 

[kosame]

Hi!! I'm using salmon oil, a b-50 complex, vitamin E, Taurine, and Iodine!
I used feline-nutrition's recipe but I'm open to other options! Many recipes I see use a specific product like kitty bloom for the supplements but since I work at a small health store and get 40% off I'd rather get my supplements there lol
Thank you for the info! The little guy is getting multiple meals a day, and I'll increase Theo's a bit! He is a bit underweight.

 

[lavishsqualor]

I think it's great that you're feeding raw! But given that both of your cats are boys, be very, very judicious with your bone content. Too much bone can cause blockages, not to mention constipation, so be sure to measure this correctly.

Read the story of Sidney-Beans on the Cat Nutrition site, one of the best sites around for information on raw feeding.

Tales from the Urinary Trenches: CatNutrition's School of Hard Knocks

 

[kosame]

I think it's great that you're feeding raw! But given that both of your cats are boys, be very, very judicious with your bone content. Too much bone can cause blockages, not to mention constipation, so be sure to measure this correctly.

Read the story of Sidney-Beans on the Cat Nutrition site, one of the best sites around for information on raw feeding.

Tales from the Urinary Trenches: CatNutrition's School of Hard Knocks

Thank you so much!!! This article was incredibly helpful. I think I did too much bone in this batch and I'm going to do 50/50 in my next one. I didn't know all that!
Definitely going to be up late reading through this site
I actually lost my beautiful DLH David to a urinary blockage, he went in for surgery but didn't make it. That was back when I didn't have the knowledge I have now and was feeding him run of the mill dry food. My kitty after that was a little orange female who I only shared one wonderful year with before she passed away from renal failure (and a misdiagnosis). That's when I started researching diets and other care. I was so nervous bringing another cat into my home after those two. I want to do this right <3

 

[Tobermory]

Another extremely informative site that a lot of folks here use is Feeding Your Cat: Know the Basics of Feline Nutrition – Common Sense. Healthy Cats. by Dr. Lisa Pierson, a vet who’s a feline nutrition specialist. I find her recipe just a bit easier to follow, but it’s very similar to the feline-nutrition one. But there’s also so much great info on it—including health-related stuff—that it’s a site I visit often.

 

[lavishsqualor]

I agree, Tobermory. Dr. Pierson's site is a wealth of raw feeding knowledge!

 

[lisahe]

I love Dr. Pierson's site, too: it's where I got started reading about feline nutrition six years ago and continue to revisit often.