considering switching to raw

[tewing84]

Lately Ive been reading and watching videos on feeding cats raw food and starting to try and make the transision. Since Im still new to this and the raw food at the pet store is so expensive Im not going to switch right away, having 3 cats gets expensive lol. I did buy a small 8oz tub of rad cat chicken to let my cats test it out. One loved it, one seems ok with it, and the 3rd didnt want anything to do with it lol. Luckily the one that loves it is the one Im more interested in getting to switch right away as he is my overweight cat...he is 18 lbs (he seems to carry it well).

Anyways, I have a few questions on getting started:

1. What other brands of raw food is there that is similiar to rad cat?
2. Is it much cheaper to make my own and if so how much is it costing you per cat per month?
3. Where are good places to go to buy the meats to make my own?

Main thing I noticed is the price is really high and according to the feeding recommendations on rad cat I estimated that I would be spending $450 a month on 3 cats. Thats more than double what I spend now which is roughly $200 a month..depending if I have to buy the dry food that month. Canned alone costs me $150..and thats feeding them Merrick Limited Ingredients twice a day and a purina brand once a day. But price of rad cat is why Im considering making my own.

 

[mschauer]

Rad Cat id pretty much in a class of it's own. That's why it is so expensive.

Feline's Pride is probably as high in quality but many, many people have been having customer service nightmares with them for the last few months. I really wouldn't take a chance on them until they have proved they have changed their ways.

Nature's Variety, Stella and Chewy's, Bravo are all other, less expensive, choices. You can just Google "raw pet food" and see what other options may be available to you.

Making your own is definitely the cheapest way to go. You can buy commerical nutrient supplements formulated to make meat, with the possible addition of organs, a complete and balanced food as determined by the AAFCO. The cheapest way is to buy your own supplements and follow a recipe.

You can use supermarket meats or there are places on line where you can get more exotic fare including organs you may not be able to get locally. Hare Today and My Pet Carnivore are popular options.

I buy local meats and organs and buy my own supplements. It costs $80-100 a month to feed my 4 cats. That's without going to any particular effort to control costs by buying on sale or even looking for the best price.

 

[dhammagirl]

Hi. Yup, making it yourself is much less expensive. I use Hare-Today and some local butcher shop boneless chicken I grind in a small manual grinder. Alnutrin supplements are the least expensive I found. I also give rabbit chunks, and whole adult mice and pinkie rats. We're vegan, so I was surprised to find that a lot of supermarket chicken has flavorings and crap added! A local meat market is cheaper and with plain meats. Once you get the hang of it, it's not a big deal. It's been about four months since I went to making raw, and my three cats have softer fur, no more dandruff, more energy, and the very overweight one has lost 10 & 1/2 ounces! Go for it! [emoji]128568[/emoji]

 

[missmimz]

I agree that RC is the most expensive raw option. I feed a little bit of everything including RC, meats from HT, and a small amount of canned and kibble since I have growing kittens and I'm feeding 10 cats total. I'm not comfortable buying grocery store meat and I don't have access to any local farmers or good butchers so HT is a little more on the pricey side for me because of shipping. It's def cheaper than canned tho, and the quality exceeds any commercial foods.