First full raw day!

[wolcar]

Well, today was my cats first full raw day. They just love this stuff.  Gus was actually growling while he was eating his instinct bits trial size today. He usually only does this when I give him a sardine. I haven't got a scale (it's on my list of things to do/get [ i'm not a big shopper]), so I have a question regarding what I fed them today. 

am 1.25 nugget of primal turkey

1 pounce treat before I left for work

early afternoon 1.5 nugget of primal turkey

pm 1/4 cup of instinct duck bits

I have no idea if this is enough food or not.  They aren't acting starving.  I've noticed after they eat raw food they look everywhere for more for about 5 minutes then settle down.  I only found  calorie info by the ounce for instinct, but I don't have a scale so that doesn't help me, and the feeding guidelines for primal said between 3.5 -4.5 nuggets per day based on activity and whatnot.  Of course, I'm weighing my cats so I will know if it's too little or too much.  Just wondering what the folks in the know think.

Ulysses is still 16.4 lbs so we are trying to lose weight here :-) Gus is 13lbs.

 

[ldg]

:lol3: I think it's so cute when they growl over their food. Our little lions! :lol3:

The Primal nuggest are about one ounce. I think some Sally (mrsgreenjeens) weighed were just a tad under that. I don't know how much 1/4 cup of the NV bites thingies weigh. How much does the bag weigh, and any idea how many cups are in it? But assuming 1/4 cup weighs 1.5 - 2 ounces (NO clue here, it probably weighs more - I'm just guessing for 1/4 cup of raw chicken with "air pockets" in it :lol3: ), that means they're getting roughly 4.25 ounces - 4.75 ounces (maybe more).

My 11 - 16 pound cats eat 4.5 ounces a day. So .... since they don't seem hungry, you've probably guesstimated a good amount.

 

[wolcar]

I think it's cute, too.  He does it when he gets a new toy or a peice of lettuce. He's crazy. He just runs around the house with lettuce in his mouth growling and hissing. lol

the bag of instinct is .65lbs. I'm going to have to try and do this math when I get to work with a calculator. he he

Thanks for the help.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Actually, every single Primal nugget I have weighed is .7 oz!  When I called the company, they guaranteed me that my bag weighed the appropriate amount, but that each nugget might not weigh in at 1 oz.  So that's when I started weighing their food.

How active are Gus and Ulysses?  How much they need kind of depends on how active they are too. 
 

 

[wolcar]

Actually, every single Primal nugget I have weighed is .7 oz!  When I called the company, they guaranteed me that my bag weighed the appropriate amount, but that each nugget might not weigh in at 1 oz.  So that's when I started weighing their food.

How active are Gus and Ulysses?  How much they need kind of depends on how active they are too. 
 

Gus is more active than Ulysses but neither are all over the place really.  They do a lot of that wrestlling with each other but not a lot of that darting around the house.  I do try and calculate their needs on the low activity side.  I play with them about 20-30 a day. 

I was just a little confused because I didn't have the calorie content of the primal. They only had a suggested feeding and I was feeding other things than primal so it was hard for me to figure out. 

I really can't believe how much they like this stuff.

 

[feralvr]

It is totally confusing trying to figure out calories :lol3: I don't :anon: I just go by ounces.. and my cats are getting bigger. I also found out that 1/2 ounce of dehydrated or freeze-dried raw is the same caloric value as 2 ounces of raw meat I was feeding my fatties about 6 oz. of meat a day!!!!!!!!! So now I am paying more attention to calories now. :nod: My cats are all getting about 4.5 ounce of raw a day, which is about 225 calories. So I figured.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Well, I started Darko (my piggy) on 1.4 oz per serving (he eats 3 times a day), and he wasn't losing any weight, so next we lowered it to 1.35 oz per serving and he STILL wasn't losing any weight.  He wasn't gaining either, just staying the same.  So, we just kept decreasing the amount of food he got, and now we're down to 1.25 oz and he's actually gained a little

 

 

.  I'm beginning to think cats are like humans and their bodies metabolism adjusts to the amount of calories they intake.  Is that possible?   Anyway, I just can't figure out how to get him to lose weight.  We are going to be in big trouble at his next Vet visit

'Course, I think the real problem is Tinky.   Since he's been such a pain in the you know what, I've had to bring out the big guns (Stella & Chewys), and then Darko wails at me 'cause he wants some too, so I break off teeny tiny pieces and toss them down the hall to make him run for them.  All in all he may get one full piece (I'm talking the cat ones, NOT the dog patties).  And I never, ever leave him along if there are bowls with any food left in them

Hmmm.  guess my entire post above isn't helping you figure out calories, is it?  What I am trying to say is  "trial and error".  If you don't have a way to weigh the cats, you may just have to go by the way they act and look to determine if they are getting enough or too much.

 

[wolcar]

I'm not at the super frustrated level yet with Ulysses and his weight.  I haven't been super scientific/mathematic about it yet.  I have a scale to weigh the cats. I don't have a scale to weigh their food, so I am liking the preportioned stuff a lot right now.  I just picked up more of the primal in different flavors to jazz it up a bit.

Ulysses got fat because I fed him too much when he was young.  He lost a bit of that when I realized what was happening. Now it's the last few lbs that are difficult (just like humans) lol

There has been no weight loss in a few weeks but I added some raw and lowered the food amount a teensy bit this week so we will see what happens with that :-)

 

[wolcar]

Gave my boys Primal venison today. They just LOVED it.  Gus took it in his mouth and would shake his head to kind of break it up and the eat it up.  He actually finished before Ulysses did, which is a first. I know I'm biased but my cats are the best :-) lol  They just kind of go with the flow, unlike their mother, and have adapted to everything I've thrown at them. So far (knock on wood) I've had no issues with the raw feeding. I know it's only been a few days but from what I've been reading getting them to eat it is the hardest part. I just love these boys!!!!  I would only change one thing and that is Gus' relentless behavior at 3am and for the past two mornings I've woken up on my own at 4:15 :-)

YAY for Gus and Ulysses!!!

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

So...are you saying Gus seems satisfied and is letting you sleep in?  If so....

.  If I'm misinterpreting, then so sorry.

But a big

that your boys have taken so well to raw!

 

[wolcar]

I'm not sure if the reason Gus is letting me sleep in a little is because he's more satisfied or not. It's been a few days that I've been feeding them raw and for the last 2 days I've been allowed to sleep a little later.  I'm not sure if it's coincidence or not.  I'm thankful for it, though.

I gave them some Primal salmon and chicken tonight.  They loved that, too. YAY!  So I guess I will rotate between these three flavors for a little while and maybe thaw out that rad cat I got and throw that into the mix. I have to get a kitchen scale first for the rad cat.  Starting tomorrow my cats are only getting 4.5 oz of food and I will reasses after. This Ulysses is still not dropping any weight. grrrrrr. 

 

[auntie crazy]

It is totally confusing trying to figure out calories

I don't

I just go by ounces..

Yay! I'm not the only one! I was beginning to feel like the lone ranger, as I'm not calculating anything but the meat/bone/organ percentage (which I did way, way back when) and nearly a quarter of the cats meals aren't even weighed out; they just get whatever amount of meat is on the drummettes, turkey legs, and chicken quarters (three different meals fed ~ twice a week each) split between the six of them.

Of course, you're now watching those calories, which may mean I really am all alone. *sniff*

Well, I started Darko (my piggy) on 1.4 oz per serving (he eats 3 times a day), and he wasn't losing any weight, so next we lowered it to 1.35 oz per serving and he STILL wasn't losing any weight.  He wasn't gaining either, just staying the same.  So, we just kept decreasing the amount of food he got, and now we're down to 1.25 oz and he's actually gained a little

 

 

.  I'm beginning to think cats are like humans and their bodies metabolism adjusts to the amount of calories they intake.  Is that possible?   Anyway, I just can't figure out how to get him to lose weight.  We are going to be in big trouble at his next Vet visit

...

Hi, mrsgreenjeens!

You may already be aware of this, but just in case you're not.

There are two things you can do for a cat instead of or in addition to reducing his food intake to near-drastic levels. The first is changing the composition of that food to reduce the fat amount as much as possible while increasing the protein to maintain the calorie levels. I could give you several useful recommendations if you were feeding PMR, but since you offer commercial products, my only suggestion would be to talk to the manufacturers of everything you feed and attempt to get a clear idea how much of their food is fat versus protein, then stick with those containing the lowest fat content (if they'll give you that info).

The second is getting the cats moving. Da-Bird (as I'm sure you know!) is an awesome interactive toy that is irresistible to most cats, but there's a whole slew of ways to get a furchild up and going. Keep in mind, though, that cats are meant for short, hard sprints and shouldn't be "exercised" for longer than 15 minutes at a time; try to watch for panting and stop just *before* you get to that point. Also, try to incorporate playtime into your routine so you're engaging Darko for the same periods every day (cats so totally dig routine). Finally, try to set those playtimes at dusk and dawn, as those are the most naturally active time periods for cats; this will make your efforts to get him moving more effective and make him feel better by satisfying his natural urges.

Gave my boys Primal venison today. They just LOVED it.  ... YAY for Gus and Ulysses!!!

I'm not sure if the reason Gus is letting me sleep in a little is because he's more satisfied or not. It's been a few days that I've been feeding them raw and for the last 2 days I've been allowed to sleep a little later.  I'm not sure if it's coincidence or not.  I'm thankful for it, though.

I gave them some Primal salmon and chicken tonight.  They loved that, too. YAY!  So I guess I will rotate between these three flavors for a little while and maybe thaw out that rad cat I got and throw that into the mix. I have to get a kitchen scale first for the rad cat.  Starting tomorrow my cats are only getting 4.5 oz of food and I will reasses after. This Ulysses is still not dropping any weight. grrrrrr. 

You sound like a very lucky and very awesome pet parent! Yay for Gus and Ulysses, indeed!

(And Gus most likely is feeling more satisfied now that he's on a raw diet, as the cat's sense of satiety is actively attuned to and triggered by the presence of an appropriate amount of fresh animal protein in his meals.

)

AC

 

[ldg]

Yay! I'm not the only one! I was beginning to feel like the lone ranger, as I'm not calculating anything but the meat/bone/organ percentage (which I did way, way back when) and nearly a quarter of the cats meals aren't even weighed out; they just get whatever amount of meat is on the drummettes, turkey legs, and chicken quarters (three different meals fed ~ twice a week each) split between the six of them.

Of course, you're now watching those calories, which may mean I really am all alone. *sniff

But you don't have obese or overweight kitties stuck in a holding pattern on their weight!

 

[wolcar]

But you don't have obese or overweight kitties stuck in a holding pattern on their weight!

Yea, Mine sure is stuck in a holding pattern *sigh*

 

[auntie crazy]

But you don't have obese or overweight kitties stuck in a holding pattern on their weight!

True dat! Thanks for the perspective check.

AC

 

[ldg]

But you don't have obese or overweight kitties stuck in a holding pattern on their weight!

Yea, Mine sure is stuck in a holding pattern *sigh*

I'm taking Billy in for his weigh-in, probably tomorrow or the next day. :cross: I don't have my hopes up... or rather, I should say, I don't have my expectations up....

But you don't have obese or overweight kitties stuck in a holding pattern on their weight!

True dat! Thanks for the perspective check. :bigwink:

AC

And thank goodness! :lol3:

 

[wolcar]

Good luck at your weigh-in!!!

 

[ldg]

I updated the "Billy's weight loss journey" thread (or whatever its title is in the Cat Nutrition forum). But he lost almost a pound in five weeks!