Feeding Kittens Raw Chicken Necks For The First Time - Advice Needed

[Callaloo]

I gave my kittens raw chicken neck for the first time and Tammy got super possessive and was growling and hissing any time I or the other kitten Mimi would go near her. She doesn't do this with normal cat food (dry, wet, or raw chunks of meat). They usually eat on the same placemat side by side and have no problems.

Is this behaviour normal? Should I just keep them far apart from each other when feeding them this type of food?

Tammy really went to town knawing on this chicken neck but Mimi didn't really understand how to eat it and was just licking at it. I squeezed some of her lickable treat onto it to get her into it but she still wasn't getting it. She'd lick the treat off, lick the chicken, pick it up and put it down, but not actually bite it or chew it. Should I cut it into smaller pieces? I originally gave them es h half a neck.

Also, both of them drag the chicken necks all around the apartment so I end up having to disinfect the whole floor both before and after feeding. Any tips? Should I just spread a huge cardboard or tarp every time they eat it?

Or should I just find some alternative method of getting them to exercise their jaw bones and clean their teeth? The raw food I'm currently mixing in with their wet food as I transition them to raw does have some pieces of bone in it. Maybe that's enough?

 

[Totsy]

I'm laughing when I read this, because my first post here was on this very topic. My little "sweetie" went all wildcat on that neck, growling and snarling.

I didn't like the necks being dragged all over the house either, so I give each cat one of them on a beach towel and then I stay with them, putting the neck back on the towel if they try to take off with it. When my husband is in charge on "neck day," he takes them into a bathroom. I don't get it, but that's his solution.

I'm sure you'll get expert advice, which I'm interested to read too.

 

[Callaloo]

I'm laughing when I read this, because my first post here was on this very topic. My little "sweetie" went all wildcat on that neck, growling and snarling.

I didn't like the necks being dragged all over the house either, so I give each cat one of them on a beach towel and then I stay with them, putting the neck back on the towel if they try to take off with it. When my husband is in charge on "neck day," he takes them into a bathroom. I don't get it, but that's his solution.

I'm sure you'll get expert advice, which I'm interested to read too.

I was shook lmao. She's the sweeter, quieter one of the two.

Don't the fibres from the towel get stuck to the meat?

 

[Totsy]

Yeah, it's a bit gooey, but it worked better than anything else I tried. Maybe a vinyl or plastic tablecloth? I didn't try that. I just wanted to be able to throw it into the wash ASAP.

It was the same with our boys. The little sweet one turned into a saber-toothed tiger while the much larger manly-man cat just looked confused.

 

[Gizmobius]

I feed Gizmo a raw chicken wing once a week and he turns into a lion every time. I have to keep my other cat away from him in a separate room or else Giz will try to devour the wing as quickly as possible. He'll hiss and growl if I make any sudden movements, sometimes he'll even just stare at it and growl so the chicken wing will know he's boss. I put down a big bath towel and he knows to keep it on there.

As for my other cat, Stevie doesn't recognize raw meat as actual food so she doesn't get a chicken wing, the poor thing. Although sometimes it feels like I'm trying to convince that girl that she's a carnivore with how often she'll go for the vegetables on my plate over the meat! I think for some cats it's just very overwhelming when this big ol' wing/neck/whatever gets presented to them so they don't even know where to start.

 

[Callaloo]

Yeah, it's a bit gooey, but it worked better than anything else I tried. Maybe a vinyl or plastic tablecloth? I didn't try that. I just wanted to be able to throw it into the wash ASAP.

It was the same with our boys. The little sweet one turned into a saber-toothed tiger while the much larger manly-man cat just looked confused.

I feed Gizmo a raw chicken wing once a week and he turns into a lion every time. I have to keep my other cat away from him in a separate room or else Giz will try to devour the wing as quickly as possible. He'll hiss and growl if I make any sudden movements, sometimes he'll even just stare at it and growl so the chicken wing will know he's boss. I put down a big bath towel and he knows to keep it on there.

As for my other cat, Stevie doesn't recognize raw meat as actual food so she doesn't get a chicken wing, the poor thing. Although sometimes it feels like I'm trying to convince that girl that she's a carnivore with how often she'll go for the vegetables on my plate over the meat! I think for some cats it's just very overwhelming when this big ol' wing/neck/whatever gets presented to them so they don't even know where to start.

This is exactly my situation. The usually calm one goes wildcat on me and the usually wild one doesn't know what to do. I'm glad it's not just me. I'm new to all of this so I'm not sure what behaviour is normal and what isn't.

I rent an apartment and it costs $2 to wash and $2 to dry so it doesn't make sense for me to just put one or two towels to wash. I wouldn't want to mix them with other laundry. Maybe I'll try the plastic or vinyl tablecloth.

 

[LTS3]

Can you feed the raw necks in the bathroom with the door closed? Bathrooms are easily cleaned unless you oddly have carpet in there (I know someone who did).

 

[Callaloo]

Can you feed the raw necks in the bathroom with the door closed? Bathrooms are easily cleaned unless you oddly have carpet in there (I know someone who did).

That's a good idea.
Also eww @ carpet in bathroom

 

[Totsy]

That's why my husband did it, I guess. I know he used the bathtub once, because I quizzed him about what he cleaned it with before putting them in there. I was more concerned about his cleaning it before they dragged raw meat around in it than after, lol. He can step in raw chicken, but don't expose my babies to Comet!