Fussy eaters

[Natashan]

Hi there,

I'm struggling with getting my two girls to eat their home cooked wet food. They generally like change and get bored if fed the same thing too often. Just when I think I've found a recipe that works they go off their food and leave me struggling for ideas! I generally cook chicken breast either alone or with giblets. I also boil beef mince and sometimes give them chicken liver. I used to give them tuna with stock but that was just difficult to keep.doing and also I was worrying about mercury poisoning. When they go off their food they will not touch it unless I spike it with some tinned tuna water or meat, defeating the purpose entirely! I've tried adding vitamins and gelatin as well as psyllium husk but again..they will not go for it! I do have them a high quality biscuit every day to help supplement nutrition missing in the cooked food.
it's just trying to make the food appetising for.them so my efforts aren't wasted, jot to mention the money I spend on buying the meat! Going raw isnt an option for me at the moment unfortunately due to where I live and convenience.
I live in the middle east so.access to meats like rabbit, turkey, pork etc is very limited and incredibly expensive if ever available and never fresh. This complicates matters much more when trying to create a balanced and interesting meal for them.
if you have any ideas on how to make their home cooked food more interesting I'd be very grateful!
thanks in advance

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

What else have you tried that they liked? I found that chicken thighs were much more of a hit than breast, and they're so much less expensive. Perhaps it's because they have more fat in them, therefore are much more flavorful? Also, how are you cooking them. I roasted them to get the most flavor out of them. No spices or herbs though. Not good for the cats. And, of course, if you use bone-in, you most take all the bones out unless serving it up raw, which you said you aren't.

How about adding in some liver. Cat's generally like liver, and of course they need that in their diet anyway. Not too much though. Have you looked at some recipes for homecooked cat food? You may have already seen this thread since you are posting in the Raw and Homecooked Forum, but just in case, have a look: Home-Cooked Cat Food Resources

When I converted my guys over to raw, I had to literally cover their food in powedered freeze fried treats. That's the only way I could get them to eat what was good for them. Had to do it for what seemed like months, gradually cutting down on the amount I used. If your girls have treats they really like, try crushing them and sprinkling them over their food. (or mix some of it in)

 

[Natashan]

Hiya,

thanks for the response.
hadnt thought about thigh. generally has bone right? Think that’s why I was wary of using it. I suppose if I can spend the better half of 2 hours working through fish for bones I can handle some chicken thighs!
I had been boiling initially but now I roast everything. Red meat much less time spent in the oven than chicken. Mince I boiled...first mistake! Realized after I put it in the water that it probably won’t Be too appetizing. They used to (when I first started) eat minced meat if it was boiled, chicken too. Used to add a bit of gelatin in the food after blending it. now they’ve gone off gelatin completely. One whiff of it and they turn up their noses. Am wondering if gelatin brands may also be to blame.
I’ve read conflicting things about liver. Always thought that one has to be wary about adding liver and kidney in the meat incase of renal issues in cats. Literature I’m reading now says I must add but a, a little concerned as vet said my cat could be developing renal issues. Had 2 cats pass from it already and is a massive worry for me now.
had a look at some of the resources, and a lot of stuff in there I was glad to see. Bit too much to go through, and needs dedicated reading time I think. Had a look at some recipes but is hard to find one sometimes that works. Will spend more time going through it and some of the older threads.
treats have been tried, sneaky monsters weasel out treats leaving all the healthy stuff behind.
will try to salvage the mince Made yesterday by adding in some roasted liver. Hopefully that will get them more interested!

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

I've had three kidney cats, and one of them actually ate RAW. The deal with raw and kidney cats was not to feed actual bones because of the high phosphorus in them, but I continued to feed organs, because that's what makes the food 100% nutritionally complete, plus a found a calcium substitute that didn't contain so much phosphorus. The only difference I can see between feeding raw and homemade is that you cook the food.

You must be cooking small amounts of red meat for it to roast quicker a chicken breast. On mince (isn't that ground up meat?), couldn't you just pan fry it or broil it? I also wouldn't cook anything too well done. I would think they would like it more juicy. You could certainly POACH meat, but not boil. And here in the U.S., we can buy thighs either bone-in or boneless. Bone-in is more flavorful and usually has the skin on. Boneless is also skinless.