Considering trying out raw... anyone heard of/used this company?

[nbrazil]

https://www.hare-today.com/

I've got friends who claim to know about cat's nutritional needs who feel that just as humans do not eat what they did 10,000 years ago, neither should cats - we don't want to "make them wild," do we?

Well, I for one do not feel that the SAD (Standard American Diet) is all that good for our bodies, so I cannot make the argument that commercial process cat food is either. Oh, both will sustain the body for quite awhile, but do we want to sustain or have it thrive?

Beside, I've got an intuitive feeling that my girl, at least, would do much better. She was born on the street, ha!

So, does this look like a good way to test it out? (I know 10 lb minimum would be a waste if they don't like it, but they do have links to documents that entertain the notion that it isn't so hard to switch.)

I'm not ready to grind, don't know if I'll ever be (dealing with a chronic medical condition - must portion my energy out carefully), so this, at least to me, looks like a good option to test out. 

I would use ground meat/organ/bones mixtures - not whole animals (like pinkies) because I think my guys would just play with them! Really! I had some ginormous shrimp the other day and cut some small pieces as a treat (hey, they love tuna), and both of them were very confused. The ragdoll eventually grabbed a piece and ran off with it - only to be tossing it around, chewing, but not swallowing. I had to take it away after 10 minutes. The orange girl (who always grabs her treats, bats them around and then eats them) just kept pawing at the, that's all. They can sure be funny.

 

[laralove]

Several members use Hare-today! 

I'm transitioning my cat to raw (will be grinding myself to save money) and when I first gave him some raw, he didn't touch it beyond sniffing it and maybe giving it a lick or two. But once I cut it into small pieces, he was all about it. So I suggest offering small diced raw to see how they like it. Maybe mix a little in with their wet food. If you see them take to it, then order from hare-today. 

This more specific forum may also have helpful information for you! http://www.thecatsite.com/f/65/raw-home-cooked-cat-food

 

[ldg]

I order quite a few things from Hare Today, some of them the ground whole animal. I used ground to transition my cats to raw. The main issue is that it is unprocessed, it has very little smell in comparison to what they've been eating if you've been feeding canned, and some cats don't recognize it as food at first.

Many of us started by mixing a little bit into their canned, one protein at a time. My cats would get bored of the same food over and over, so I introduced one protein at a time, and took 2 or 3 days to get up to 50% raw/canned, and then I'd introduce a new raw protein - starting small, and working up to 50/50. When they had chicken, lamb, rabbit, turkey, and... pork? at 50/50, I then started taking them up to 75%, then 100%.

With Hare Today, there are no supplements. But because it's ground, some oxidation of nutrients can occur. It's best to also buy the Alnutrin without calcium to add. It's VERY easy to do: just thaw the one or two pound chub in a bowl of cold water, or in the fridge. Add the Alnutrin following the directions (one or two scoops with a certain amount of water to help it mix easily). Then just portion up into meal sizes (some use reusable containers: I use plastic baggies) and refreeze. Easy peasy!

The whole ground animal has too much bone though. A mouse is 5% bone, and a rabbit is 10% bone. A chicken is 32% bone. I don't remember other animals (or if we have the info collected in the raw resources) - but they all tend to be bone-heavy. Too many minerals will cause constipation. The way to manage this is to use plain meat and/or some organs and add it to the mix. mrsgreenjeens has a method for managing this, hopefully she can share.

I only feed four ground meals a week. When I needed to "cut" the amount of bone they were getting with plain meat, I initially used chunks of chicken breast. Well, most of my cats decided they preferred chunks to ground. :lol3: So I feed a modified prey model raw diet now - but they need egg yolks. So I use the ground from Hare Today to "hide" the egg yolks, as most of my cats hate them. :lol3:

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Yes, if I'm feeding fowl, I add 1 lb of the ground ORGAN mix (which is hearts, liver and gizzards) to 10 lbs of the ground mix that includes the ground bones.  That way it cuts down on the bone %.  Then if I still see anyone straining or appearing to be constipated I will add just some plain ground turkey (from Hare Today) to a single meal.  When I buy their ground turkey, I immediately portion it into 1 oz portions and freeze it that way, so it quickly defrosts for "emergency" situations such as needing to add it to a quick meal. 

 

[harrylime]

 
https://www.hare-today.com/

I've got friends who claim to know about cat's nutritional needs who feel that just as humans do not eat what they did 10,000 years ago, neither should cats - we don't want to "make them wild," do we?

Well, I for one do not feel that the SAD (Standard American Diet) is all that good for our bodies, so I cannot make the argument that commercial process cat food is either. Oh, both will sustain the body for quite awhile, but do we want to sustain or have it thrive?

You're absolutely right, humans SHOULD be eating what we ate 10,000 years ago. Decrease intake of wheat, flour and grains and INCREASE the amount of natural fat and you'll see a decrease of body fat and an increase in energy. 

 

[peaches08]

You're absolutely right, humans SHOULD be eating what we ate 10,000 years ago. Decrease intake of wheat, flour and grains and INCREASE the amount of natural fat and you'll see a decrease of body fat and an increase in energy. 

I agree about eating whole foods being better for us as well.

NBrazil, grinding doesn't take anything out of me because it's electric, but I understand needing to split up tasks and conserve energy. Hare Today is well known for selling great products for raw feeding; I will eventually order from them when funds aren't so tight (I'm a nursing student). The bone-in grinds as mentioned can be a bit bone-heavy which for some cats is constipating. Adding a specific amount of chunked meat can help offset this, but that means you'll be chunking meat which to me is much more tedious than grinding meat/bone. I think there are options to buy boneless grinds from HT, in which you can just add the appropriate supplement with calcium.

Before you go and buy a bunch of meat and your cats may need more of a transition as LDG mentioned, I'd pick up some plain ole chicken from the store. Cut a few pieces and see what they do. If your cats look at you like you have lost your mind and don't take to it right away, don't worry we can help with that. And this doesn't have to be all or nothing. Even if they eat a few raw meals a week and the rest canned, that can benefit their health. Just like a few super healthy options benefit us per week.