Early research - am I ready for raw?

[fhicat]

I am an old fart compared to you...52 years old (ETA: assuming you are average college age...).  I only mention that so I can say: I cannot believe the change in cat foods over the past 15 years or so.  Lots of good options out there that did not exist before.  I almost fell over the other day when I saw my local PetCo is offering raw food!  Raw food in a big box pet store...  So many good choices.

Why don't you see if you can pick up a package of chicken gizzards next time you are shopping and give them a few chunks a day to get them prepped for raw? They are usually CHEAP - already in chunks (convenient for the busy student) - you can top the canned meals with a couple of chunks or as treats to prep them for raw in the future.  When I make a batch of food, I like to pop a few in each container for a little "chew" - each chunk has connective tissue.  And THAT exhausts my knowledge of what exactly a chicken gizzard is!  Given in a small amount, you don't have to worry about them throwing off the balance of the canned food.

26, so not so average. XD

The Petco a block away stocks raw options too - Primal, Nature's Variety and something else I can't remember. I should check that again, although I remember I dismissed it as too expensive.

The Feline's Pride that I used to feed has gone up in price from the one store in my city that stocks it. It used to be $2 a day, but now it has gone up to $3 a day to feed FP. 

Re; Chicken gizzards - you mean from the grocery store? I was under the impression that grocery store meat aren't great because of the preservatives/stuffs they put in to be able to store on the shelf for days. 

I just have another idea too... I'm going to ask around my friends and see if they are willing to rent out their freezer space to me. If I can rent enough freezer space to keep all the meat, then it won't be a problem anymore. $1.20 a day if I order 35 lbs, $0.87 per day if I order 51 lbs.

 

[aprilprey]

 
Re; Chicken gizzards - you mean from the grocery store? I was under the impression that grocery store meat aren't great because of the preservatives/stuffs they put in to be able to store on the shelf for days. 

Yes, from the store.  All my meat is from grocery stores that I use for raw.  Whether there are additives depends.  You should be able to ask at the butcher counter if anything has been added.  Usually, salt is added to some meat - I thought it had more to do with the meat holding water (and thus weighing more) than preservatives.  But I would think a natural food store would have them as well.  It does help to look at the dates they are packaged and get the freshest ones.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

I think most of here bought our freezers on Craig's List.  I know LDG, Carolina and I sure did.  I got my 11 cubic footer for $50 and it's still going strong over 1 1/2 years later, AND I keep it in the garage here in Phoenix

I think LDG only paid something like $35 for hers, and she keeps hers outside in inclement weather, where it gets both very cold and very hot and humid.

But, feeding canned is not a bad way to go either, especially those brands you mentioned.  I also feed raw to two, and canned to one.  You do what you gotta do (and feed them what they'll eat)

 

[peaches08]

I'm a student too, so I can understand budget and time constraints. What about making the food weekly? If I didn't have my grinder and deep freezer that's what I would be doing. I'd use Dr. P's supplement recipe but use eggshell calcium for the calcium source. And of course liver.

And yeah, staying on a wet diet is fine. I used Friskies, Fancy Feast, and 9 Lives.

 

[ldg]

Yep, I bought mine on craigslist for $35, store it on the deck covered in a tarp, and knock wood, it's survived 2 winters and two summers so far!

And as peaches08 pointed out, you can source the meat and liver locally - just use Dr. Pierson's recipe. If you use the eggshell powder instead of ground bone for the time being, you don't need the grinder. You just need something that can make boneless meat ground - a food processor? Don't know if a blender will mince up meat or not but... ????? You're only making food for one cat.

If you buy meat on sale, it will likely work out to less than the canned. It did for me. And with one cat, you probably don't need extra freezer space if you just have enough for one week on hand. That may be tough on the schedule, I don't know.

But there's certainly nothing wrong with feeding him canned until you save up what you need. And you can feed up to 15% of his diet unbalanced. If you feed 3 meals a day, that means that 3 times a week you can offer him a meal of just meat. Cut up some chicken breast or thigh or offer him some gizzards, etc.

Also, I don't know if you worked into your calculations that he'll likely eat less on raw. My cats needed about one 5.5 ounce can of food a day. On raw, they eat from between 3.6 ounces to 4.5 ounces of food a day to my cats that range in size from 11 pounds to 13.5 pounds. Actually, my 13.5 pound cat eats 3.6 ounces a day, and my 12.5 pound cat eats 4.5 ounces a day. My 7 pound cat eats 3 ounces (or a little more) daily; my 8 pound cat eats 2.6 ounces a day. My other 4 weight between 11 and 12 pounds, and each eat about 4.2 ounces a day.

 

[aprilprey]

 
26, so not so average. XD

I was in a bachelor's program, the second in my life, from 2009-2012.  Classes M-F with 3+ hours commuting a day - sometimes 4 (100 mile round trip).  Thus I admire your fortitude - there is NO WAY I would have even bothered with the raw issue while I was in school.  It was all I could do to remember to keep cat food in the house and feed them 2x a day - and keep the litterbox under control!

You go girl.

 

[fhicat]

If you buy meat on sale, it will likely work out to less than the canned. It did for me. And with one cat, you probably don't need extra freezer space if you just have enough for one week on hand. That may be tough on the schedule, I don't know.

Also, I don't know if you worked into your calculations that he'll likely eat less on raw. My cats needed about one 5.5 ounce can of food a day. On raw, they eat from between 3.6 ounces to 4.5 ounces of food a day to my cats that range in size from 11 pounds to 13.5 pounds. Actually, my 13.5 pound cat eats 3.6 ounces a day, and my 12.5 pound cat eats 4.5 ounces a day. My 7 pound cat eats 3 ounces (or a little more) daily; my 8 pound cat eats 2.6 ounces a day. My other 4 weight between 11 and 12 pounds, and each eat about 4.2 ounces a day.

Hm, the sourcing meat locally might be challenging. I don't even cook for myself (I really need to start doing that - who wants to be my motivation buddy?!), so even human recipes are a challenge for me to recognize the different ingredients.

I assume Jed eats 4 lbs of raw per day in my calculation. He seems to eat less of the commercial raw than a whole can a day.

 
I was in a bachelor's program, the second in my life, from 2009-2012.  Classes M-F with 3+ hours commuting a day - sometimes 4 (100 mile round trip).  Thus I admire your fortitude - there is NO WAY I would have even bothered with the raw issue while I was in school.  It was all I could do to remember to keep cat food in the house and feed them 2x a day - and keep the litterbox under control!

Only reason I could do this is because I can't stand the kids in my college, so no bars, late night parties for me. I only hang out with my former colleagues and colleagues at the shelter - the family people. 

 That's why I like HT - order, mix supplements, done. No need to fret over ratios and stuffs.

Quote:

Originally Posted by aprilprey  
You go girl.

Boy. XD

 

[peaches08]

Seriously, raw isn't that hard. I remember being scared of the ratios and such, but once I started doing it I realized it was actually very easy. A good scale, fresh meat, and supplements is all you need to get started. Actually, to feed 15% raw all you need is the meat and scale.

Start small. Get some gizzards and measure and freeze meals. Cut various meats into slices and measure and freeze. Later, reevaluate your situation and see if you're better off making food in batches that last days or weeks. The supplements part can be adjusted once you feel more comfortable.

ETA: I hear ya about kids in college. I do go out and all, but not with those people. :lol3:

 

[pinkman]

As an ex-full-time student (was one last year) I feel you.

When I first got my cat, I read up on Catinfo. A lot. However, I was still iffy about raw. I don't know how much time I spent looking at various premium canned food sites... I can tell you a lot, even with my busy schedule. I second what Peaches say about going slow. Give a chicken neck a week for a bit, maybe give a small piece of breast or thigh when you cook. You can even rotate canned AND raw together - especially if you use HT, it's pretty easy. 

But even HT was pretty overwhelming at first for me. So I worked with using Primal commercial raw. Every weekend I'd give them a Primal meal. Then eventually.... I just sorta dove right in, and I have yet to come out of it.

I still look at canned cat food sites to see what food I can give as Christmas stocking stuffers this year - it's all interesting for me, but I am pretty glad I dove into raw. Though people around my age (26) look at me pretty crazy when I say I feed raw chicken to my cats!

 

[aprilprey]

 
Quote:

Originally Posted by aprilprey  
You go girl.

Boy. XD

You know, I had so convinced myself you were female, that last line had me so confused!  D'OH!!!!!!!!!!!  48 hours later.....

If you like vintage movies - insert that famous quote from "Some Like It Hot".....right here:

 

[fhicat]

You know, I had so convinced myself you were female, that last line had me so confused!  D'OH!!!!!!!!!!!  

Tis' okay, seems you're not the only one. *covers PM inbox sheepishly*

I guess there are many more ladies than guys here. On a video game forum that I mod, it's the other way round - people assume you're a he until you say otherwise. 

Come to think of it, at my shelter I'm pretty much the only male. Every single staff member is a lady - the guys are mostly in the Cruelty and Rescue team, going out saving the (animal) world and prosecuting bad guys. Occasionally we get the odd male volunteer coming in, but that's pretty rare.

 

[aprilprey]

 
Tis' okay, seems you're not the only one. *covers PM inbox sheepishly*

I guess there are many more ladies than guys here. On a video game forum that I mod, it's the other way round - people assume you're a he until you say otherwise. 

Come to think of it, at my shelter I'm pretty much the only male. Every single staff member is a lady - the guys are mostly in the Cruelty and Rescue team, going out saving the (animal) world and prosecuting bad guys. Occasionally we get the odd male volunteer coming in, but that's pretty rare.

I agree; when I was doing shelter volunteer work in Seattle...guys were rare.  I was always telling my unattached male friends that complained about how hard it was to meet nice single women to sign up and get involved!  An attractive guy (either inwardly or outwardly or both) in the midst of all those caring, intelligent women?  He'd have his pick.

And woe if you were the only guy on the off site cat adoption team!  They were usually the only ones who could haul tables and such around for set up without complaining of a back back or some other issue.  I used to be a team lead for such a program...it was all I could do to refrain from hugging and kissing any guys that showed up to help!

Which game forum?  And...XBox or PS? Or neither? I am a gaming newbie....after trying "Call of Duty", "Grand Turismo" and "Red Dead Redemption" - it's finally "taken" with GRAND THEFT AUTO!  But I am still an idiot with the controls...need more practice.

 

[pinkman]

Yooooo.

Even in NYC I wanna say shelter volunteers for CATS are super rare. Guy shelter workers themselves... not so much, but they're mostly aiming for them dogs! This can be a whole new topic - about gender and stereotyping pets with gender. Anyways - makes me sorta miss Japan where cat lovers are not just generally specifically female. 

PS - Gaming is fun, I agree. PC for me.

 

[aprilprey]

 
Yooooo.

Even in NYC I wanna say shelter volunteers for CATS are super rare. Guy shelter workers themselves... not so much, but they're mostly aiming for them dogs! This can be a whole new topic - about gender and stereotyping pets with gender. Anyways - makes me sorta miss Japan where cat lovers are not just generally specifically female. 

PS - Gaming is fun, I agree. PC for me.

Have you read any Jackson Galaxy interviews (My Cat From Hell)?  He has some interesting things to say on that subject - being a pretty big guy, people are surprised he's a "cat person".

ETA: well, it's past time I put in some Grand Theft Auto practice...gotta get better with that controller.  The Boyfriend is sweating me to take on some missions, and I am like: "Jeebus...let me learn to WALK and DRIVE right first!!!"

My "Call of Duty" experiences would make a real gamer laugh!  My first time out, I got stuck in a corner and couldn't even figure out how to MOVE!  I kept hearing this voice yelling about "HEY MASON..let's get going...HEY MASON.." and I'm thinking "Who is this Mason and what's his problem?"

Oh.   Wait.  I AM MASON!!!!  $hit!

 

[fhicat]

Which game forum?  And...XBox or PS? Or neither? I am a gaming newbie....after trying "Call of Duty", "Grand Turismo" and "Red Dead Redemption" - it's finally "taken" with GRAND THEFT AUTO!  But I am still an idiot with the controls...need more practice.

MMO-Champion. It's a World of Warcraft based site, but they have stuffs for other games too. I don't play it anymore, but they keep me because I'm awesome. I think.

On-topic: Jed just pooped, and boy, I can smell it all the way from here. And that's a lot of poop. He was pooping once every 2 days when he was on raw, and since the price of commercial raw went up, he's on canned. All that unused nutrients.

I went ahead and ordered 30 lbs of meat (turkey and beef - they ran out of chicken!) and 2 lbs of gizzards. Got a friend who is willing to lend me freezer space temporarily. Going to start with 30 lbs and see if I have space for 51 lbs next time. $1.08 @ 4 oz a day. Not too shabby, much better than my current $1.69.

I see a lot of mention to give egg yolk once a week, or a can of unsalted sardines. Do I still need to do that? Also how do you portion out to thaw? I use an old 5.5 oz can, but those get eaten in a little over a day, and it takes longer than that to thaw - unless I leave it out in the open, sealed.

 

[pinkman]

I use ice cube trays to make "approximately" one ounce nuggets,. After I pop'em out I put them in freezer bags, labeling what protein it is. To thaw, I take them out the day before and place'em in my fridge. The next day if they are still frozen I will run the bag with cubes under running water while I have tea and breakfast.

I still do a whole egg yolk split between two once a week. The older cat doesn't like sardines... so egg yolk it is.

Off topic - Oh, WoW. I haven't played WoW to be honest - right now I've been playing FF14 ARR. 

Off topic 2 - Yeah, I've heard Jackson Galaxy talk about gender and cats. I was blessed with the opportunity to see and talk to him in person once a few months ago - very interesting stuff.

 

[fhicat]

So it looks like I almost jumped the gun with the freezer. My first order of 32 lbs (30 lbs meat and 2 lbs gizzards) arrived today - so exciting! And this is what my apartment-issued freezer looks like:

View media item 184054
I took out some of our own stuffs but it looks like it has no problem fitting 51 lbs in there with a bit of space to spare. And since I have a friend willing to lend me some freezer space, I can store a couple of packs at her place if needed. Woo! 

Now to get it thawed and prepared for feeding tomorrow, or day after. 

 

[aprilprey]

Thanks for the photo...that's not so bad.  Its tough to imagine how much space that much meat will take up until you order it.  I might do an order in the middle of winter - she won't even ship to the west coast in the warmer months unless you choose FedEx Air - can you say "sticker shock"?

 

[fhicat]

 
Thanks for the photo...that's not so bad.  Its tough to imagine how much space that much meat will take up until you order it.  I might do an order in the middle of winter - she won't even ship to the west coast in the warmer months unless you choose FedEx Air - can you say "sticker shock"?

Mine was 1-day transit - ordered late night Monday, arrived 10am today. It was $17.23 for shipping. #rubitin  

 

It was still frozen solid like a rock, I can beat people to death with it.

 

[pinkman]

Woo hoo!

Are those the 5lbs chubs? I always ordered the 2lb chubs instead - not sure how much of a difference it makes in price, but I feel like 5lbs is gonna take forever to thaw >.<