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

[lisamarie12]

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!

If Fordfairelane's cat became constipated on Small Batch, Vital Essentials likely won't be much better - very high bone. Definitely homemade would be a better alternative.

 

[fordfairlane]

If Fordfairelane's cat became constipated on Small Batch, Vital Essentials likely won't be much better - very high bone. Definitely homemade would be a better alternative.

This it what concerns me. Every other option has such high bone content. Do they make laxatives for cats? Could I use hairball medicine?

 

[lisahe]

This it what concerns me. Every other option has such high bone content. Do they make laxatives for cats? Could I use hairball medicine?

There are medications (as well as pumpkin) but I think L lisamarie12 's thought about homemade is probably a better option since it looks to prevent constipation: the EZ Complete supplement, for example, is used with boneless meat and really doesn't take that much time or effort to use.

I'm not sure what your cat's health situation is but it works well to feed our cats a variety of foods, some of which have moderately high bone content, others of which that contain no bone. I think the cats would probably be constipated if, for example, they ate all Primal (which they love) but they also get EZ Complete cooked food, canned food, and (at least for a short time yet) Rad Cat. I know not all cats can tolerate being fed so many foods but ours get bored with their food easily and seem to do fine as long as they're not getting too many carb calories.

 

[1 bruce 1]

This it what concerns me. Every other option has such high bone content. Do they make laxatives for cats? Could I use hairball medicine?

Would it be possible to use a pre made brand that's higher in bone content and add boneless meats to it? (Not only would it bring the bone content down to a more acceptable level but would bulk out the food, cost wise.)

 

[Azazel]

I think there already is a lot of interest in investing in the Rad Cat brand. Just found out from a close friend in Canada that her local pet store owner is involved in a potential opportunity to start making Rad Cat, or another brand with the same model/ingredients, in the near future. I suppose it would be wonderful for Rad Cat to relocate to a country where the FDA isn’t breathing down their neck!

 

[1 bruce 1]

I think there already is a lot of interest in investing in the Rad Cat brand. Just found out from a close friend in Canada that her local pet store owner is involved in a potential opportunity to start making Rad Cat, or another brand with the same model/ingredients, in the near future. I suppose it would be wonderful for Rad Cat to relocate to a country where the FDA isn’t breathing down their neck!

It would probably increase costs for consumers out of the country, but if this is what they need to do to continue, I hope they do it. I'm all for giving the FDA the middle finger anymore. It's getting beyond ridiculous.

 

[Wile]

It would probably increase costs for consumers out of the country, but if this is what they need to do to continue, I hope they do it. I'm all for giving the FDA the middle finger anymore. It's getting beyond ridiculous.

I think there already is a lot of interest in investing in the Rad Cat brand. Just found out from a close friend in Canada that her local pet store owner is involved in a potential opportunity to start making Rad Cat, or another brand with the same model/ingredients, in the near future. I suppose it would be wonderful for Rad Cat to relocate to a country where the FDA isn’t breathing down their neck!

To be honest I'm not sure how this makes any sense. I realize that Rad Cat has had trouble with the FDA, but there is also the Canadian Food Inspection Agency in Canada. I know that people really like the Rad Cat brand, but if they can't manage to keep their processing equipment sanitized properly then they are just as likely to have a recall in Canada as in the USA.

Maybe it is just me, but there is something about this Rad Cat situation that leaves me feeling like only part of the story is coming out. I don't understand how a company that claims their insurance/distributors owe them tons of money for a recall suddenly needs to raise 1.2 million dollars to pay their vendors. It might be better for them to get out of raw meat and just sell the supplements.

 

[Azazel]

To be honest I'm not sure how this makes any sense. I realize that Rad Cat has had trouble with the FDA, but there is also the Canadian Food Inspection Agency in Canada. I know that people really like the Rad Cat brand, but if they can't manage to keep their processing equipment sanitized properly then they are just as likely to have a recall in Canada as in the USA.

Maybe it is just me, but there is something about this Rad Cat situation that leaves me feeling like only part of the story is coming out. I don't understand how a company that claims their insurance/distributors owe them tons of money for a recall suddenly needs to raise 1.2 million dollars to pay their vendors. It might be better for them to get out of raw meat and just sell the supplements.

As far as I know, Canada doesn’t have a zero tolerance policy on bacteria in raw pet food and they also don’t have big pet food companies that potentially influence the actions of regulatory agencies.

The equipment sanitization point is a valid one. Imagine all of the other pet food companies though that don’t even get inspected. I wonder how sanitary their equipment is.

I think in this situation they would actually be selling the rights to their recipe to manufacturers in Canada, if they were to go through with it. I’m not exactly sure though.

 

[Wile]

As far as I know, Canada doesn’t have a zero tolerance policy on bacteria in raw pet food and they also don’t have big pet food companies that potentially influence the actions of regulatory agencies.

The problem in Canada from what I just read is that we have no real regulation of the raw pet food market so it is hard to trust any of the producers here... also from the CFIA's website I understand Canadian food exports to the US are subject to FDA zero tolerance policies anyway. From a US perspective it really makes very little difference.

In any case I do hope radagast gets back on their feet and figures things out.

 

[mschauer]

Would it be possible to use a pre made brand that's higher in bone content and add boneless meats to it? (Not only would it bring the bone content down to a more acceptable level but would bulk out the food, cost wise.)

There are two problems with that:
1) From my experience we aren't likely to get an accurate value for the bone content from the manufacturer. A lot of them just say 10% because they know that is what raw feeders want even when that value seems unrealistically low given the product ingredients.
2) Even if an accurate bone content value is know, adding boneless meat to dilute it also dilutes the nutrients requiring additional supplemental nutrients to be added to ensure the resulting food remains nutritionally balanced. This is assuming supplements were added to the original, high bone content, food. Some people don't add supplemental nutrients.

 

[mschauer]

The problem in Canada from what I just read is that we have no real regulation of the raw pet food market so it is hard to trust any of the producers here...

This is the flip side of the coin people in the US tend to overlook when criticizing regulatory actions they don't like.

In any case I do hope radagast gets back on their feet and figures things out.

I do too. It seems they have an uphill battle though.

 

[mschauer]

Maybe it is just me, but there is something about this Rad Cat situation that leaves me feeling like only part of the story is coming out. I don't understand how a company that claims their insurance/distributors owe them tons of money for a recall suddenly needs to raise 1.2 million dollars to pay their vendors. It might be better for them to get out of raw meat and just sell the supplements.

That's right. We've only heard the Rad Cat side. It sounds to me like a major cash flow problem. When they had to recall so much of their product that didn't leave enough to sell to give them the cash flow they need. That's my heavy reading between the lines take on it at least. Apparently the insurance they had wasn't sufficient for such a massive recall.

 

[Tobermory]

Even if an accurate bone content value is know, adding boneless meat to dilute it also dilutes the nutrients requiring additional supplemental nutrients to be added to ensure the resulting food remains nutritionally balanced. This is assuming supplements were added to the original, high bone content, food. Some people don't add supplemental nutrients.

I’ve been adding one pound of boneless turkey to a two-pound chub of Small Batch turkey grind that Small Batch says is 80/10/10. I’ve been doing that for two reasons. First, the bone content is too high for my cats, and they get constipated so I wanted more muscle meat. Secondly, I use Dr. Pierson’s recipe and the supplements in her recipe are based on three pounds of meat so adding the one pound of turkey to their two-pound grind gets me my three pounds. And because the additional turkey unbalances the organ percentage, I add an additional 1.5 oz. of liver. Are you saying that the balance is off because I can’t assume SB is giving me accurate information?

 

[mschauer]

I’ve been adding one pound of boneless turkey to a two-pound chub of Small Batch turkey grind that Small Batch says is 80/10/10. I’ve been doing that for two reasons. First, the bone content is too high for my cats, and they get constipated so I wanted more muscle meat. Secondly, I use Dr. Pierson’s recipe and the supplements in her recipe are based on three pounds of meat so adding the one pound of turkey to their two-pound grind gets me my three pounds. And because the additional turkey unbalances the organ percentage, I add an additional 1.5 oz. of liver. Are you saying that the balance is off because I can’t assume SB is giving me accurate information?

Weeeellll.... Yeah, that's pretty much what I'm suggesting. I wish I had worded it differently though.

I assume you mean the Small Batch Turkey Blend? I don't see a Turkey Grind product. If it is the Blend product, the first three ingredients are turkey necks, turkey meat and turkey backs. The necks being first automatically makes me suspicious of the 10% bone claim. Backs being included even if as third by weight makes me even more suspicious.

From the USDA database, skinless (no info on skin on) turkey necks are 60% bone. Turkey backs are 50% bone and 50% meat and skin. It would take over 4 lbs of turkey meat to dilute one pound of skinless necks down to 10% bone. So how is it turkey meat is only the second ingredient by weight?

The truth is I can't say with absolute certainty that the Small Batch bone content data isn't accurate. But I'm mighty suspicious.

I really should have said that I am highly suspicious of the bone content claims of some products rather than stating with certainty that the info isn't accurate.

Really it is a case of buyer beware. If you are confident that Small Batch is giving you accurate info then go with it.

Sorry if I've caused you to doubt what you are doing. I just can't figure how they can get 10% bone content with necks as the first ingredient. Maybe I'm missing something though.

BUT, since the recipe you are following calls for 3 lbs of meat/bone and that is what you are using, nutrient wise you are mostly OK. If I'm right about the bone content there is less meat than the recipe actually calls for so you are adding more supplements than necessary but I'm sure not enough more to be of concern. It's just your food contains a lot more calcium than needed.

The point I was making was that if you diluted the bone in the Small Batch product by adding a pound of boneless meat to 3 pounds of Small Batch, then the nutrients would be unbalanced if you were suing Dr P's recipe.

Does that clear things up?

 

[Tobermory]

Weeeellll.... Yeah, that's pretty much what I'm suggesting. I wish I had worded it differently though.

I assume you mean the Small Batch Turkey Blend? I don't see a Turkey Grind product. If it is the Blend product, the first three ingredients are turkey necks, turkey meat and turkey backs. The necks being first automatically makes me suspicious of the 10% bone claim. Backs being included even if as third by weight makes me even more suspicious.

From the USDA database, skinless (no info on skin on) turkey necks are 60% bone. Turkey backs are 50% bone and 50% meat and skin. It would take over 4 lbs of turkey meat to dilute one pound of skinless necks down to 10% bone. So how is it turkey meat is only the second ingredient by weight?

The truth is I can't say with absolute certainty that the Small Batch bone content data isn't accurate. But I'm mighty suspicious.

I really should have said that I am highly suspicious of the bone content claims of some products rather than stating with certainty that the info isn't accurate.

Really it is a case of buyer beware. If you are confident that Small Batch is giving you accurate info then go with it.

Sorry if I've caused you to doubt what you are doing. I just can't figure how they can get 10% bone content with necks as the first ingredient. Maybe I'm missing something though.

BUT, since the recipe you are following calls for 3 lbs of meat/bone and that is what you are using, nutrient wise you are mostly OK. If I'm right about the bone content there is less meat than the recipe actually calls for so you are adding more supplements than necessary but I'm sure not enough more to be of concern. It's just your food contains a lot more calcium than needed.

The point I was making was that if you diluted the bone in the Small Batch product by adding a pound of boneless meat to 3 pounds of Small Batch, then the nutrients would be unbalanced if you were suing Dr P's recipe.

Does that clear things up?

Yes, I mean the Turkey Blend, a confusing and inaccurate name. I just refer to it as a grind because that’s what it really is.

Well, . I don’t think you’re missing anything, and I fear you’re probably right. Despite what SB told me, I have wondered. When I started to use it (and I also use the rabbit blend right now for the one who’s on a food allergy test until mid-December), I thought it seemed bone-y. And the girls began to have some constipation. I’ve been giving them small amounts of Miralax.

Mostly okay nutrient wise isn’t good enough for me. My chicken batches are fine because I do those from scratch. I’ll just have to stop buying the SB and go back to ordering from HT. It’s just so far away which makes it pricey and takes four days in transit. Grrr. And sigh. And thank you!

 

[daftcat75]

Does that clear things up?

Clear as mud.

No I’m sure that was accurate. But this is exactly why I’m hoping EZ Complete works for me and Krista. I don’t want to have to do this balancing act and I don’t want to be feeding my IBD kitty 10% bone.

 

[daftcat75]

Are there spreadsheets or calculators for making this balancing act easier?

 

[mschauer]

If the balancing act you refer to is figuring out how to dilute bone content, I have a calculator here: Dilute Bone Content

That web site also has a calculator determining freeze dried/re-hydrated equivalents.

 

[Azazel]

The problem in Canada from what I just read is that we have no real regulation of the raw pet food market so it is hard to trust any of the producers here... also from the CFIA's website I understand Canadian food exports to the US are subject to FDA zero tolerance policies anyway. From a US perspective it really makes very little difference.

In any case I do hope radagast gets back on their feet and figures things out.

Yes I do agree that it's problematic that Canada has no regulation of pet food. But, I think selective and corrupt regulation is not any better.

I hope Rad Cat gets back on its feet too. For the sake of all the kitties that were relying on it.

Rad Cat didn't die...it was murdered

 

[abbyntim]

Yes, I mean the Turkey Blend, a confusing and inaccurate name. I just refer to it as a grind because that’s what it really is.

Well, . I don’t think you’re missing anything, and I fear you’re probably right. Despite what SB told me, I have wondered. When I started to use it (and I also use the rabbit blend right now for the one who’s on a food allergy test until mid-December), I thought it seemed bone-y. And the girls began to have some constipation. I’ve been giving them small amounts of Miralax.

Mostly okay nutrient wise isn’t good enough for me. My chicken batches are fine because I do those from scratch. I’ll just have to stop buying the SB and go back to ordering from HT. It’s just so far away which makes it pricey and takes four days in transit. Grrr. And sigh. And thank you!

I do the exact same thing as you with SB rabbit: I use the two-pound chubb and dilute with one pound of ground rabbit muscle meat, adding supplements using Lynn Pierson's recipe. Even that seems bony and if I feed it too much, the cats get constipated. Which is why I really liked Rad Cat- it was convenient and boneless and no veggies. We fed approximately 50% Rad Cat and 50% other foods for the past four years, including Primal frozen and home-made rabbit. I am devastated about Rad Cat and suspect I will need to make more food. And dilute the bone further, making sure I supplement properly.

My male cat Tim is exceptionally sensitive and was having increasingly frequent flare-ups. Over the summer, we were moving in the direction of even more Rad Cat, the same amount of homemade, and less Primal/other commercial brands. He was slowly getting better and I am scared to death he will backslide without Rad Cat. I bought up all I could today to get us through a couple of weeks (I was on vacation when I learned the news). Meanwhile, we'll be purchasing a chest freezer and likely setting up an account with HT or some other supplier.