Geriatric Cats, safe to switch to raw?

mysticdragon72 · Dec 11, 2015

Hello all,

I've been a member here for a while but haven't posted much and I've recently got it in my head to do some more research on feeding raw/homemade food to my cats. I have 5 cats total, 3 brothers and sisters that are about 9 months old and a mother and daughter that are 16 and 13 respectively. While the young ones are very healthy and have nice shiny coats and eat well on mostly canned food daily (fancy feast) supplemented by a cheap kibble that they don't eat much of (less than 1/2 cup per day for all three) my older cats are both obese and I'm worried about their health. They only get one can split between the two of them at night plus the same at lunch. They eat kibble more than the kittens do but lately the kittens have been eating the older cats' dry food more than their own! I feed them in different rooms. My question is about the two old cats. With their age and weight issues as well as their probable dental issues (I don't know for sure if there is any as they won't let me look in their mouths) should I keep them eating what they're used to or up their canned food intake and get rid of the dry altogether? Or is it safe to switch them over to raw? I have to get them both into the vets to assess their health and hopefully their teeth aren't too bad but money is an issue right now being so close to Christmas... plus hubby always makes a big deal about how much I spend on the cats all the time. I haven't taken the two older cats to the vets since they got spayed quite a few years ago but now it is to the point that subtle changes in their behaviors are alerting me to something being amiss... the younger of the two old ones is much more aggressive than she ever was before and they both have become lazy blobs probably due to possible joint issues and that has led to them both becoming overweight. I'll be asking the vet for advice but I was hoping someone here might have some advice to give as well.

TIA

Mystic.

stiletto · Dec 15, 2015

It's never to late to transition. With older cats you'll have to do it slowly and be ready for set-backs. When mine was 8, I got her eating chunks and then she went on full on strike. Refused to eat for 3 days until I gave her kibble. I had to start over again. She repeated the same process. Third time was a charm.

Persistence will pay off, and it's well worth it.

I see it as an investment. The money I spend on a better diet is money I save from not having to pay for expensive medications, vet visits and procedures.

Start of with meat and help your old cats build up jaw strength before introducing bone. I would say, at first, start with small chucks mixed with wet, and over the course of 2 - 3 weeks, slowly increase the size of the chunks and give less wet food. You want your old cats to recognized meat as food first.

After a month or so, only raw chunks. Spend another 4+ weeks just increasing the size of the chunks until you're able to put down a whole slab of meet without cutting it up. At this time, to get calcium, use ground meat. It's not ideal, but for cats that lack jaw strength, it's a good start.

After being on raw for a few months, repeat a similar process with bone in meats.

I feed my cats, quail. They usually come in a 4 or 6 pack at my local Chinese supermarket. When I first introduced quail, I cut them up into smaller pieces and substituted ground in their diet until they were able to just eat quail.

For my young cat (2 years at the time), he picked up raw feeding fast. My 8 year old, took about a year. I would guess that your 16 or 13 year old will take a year or so. But it was totally worth it!! My girl is now 14 and still plays like a kitten. Totally healthy, shiny coat, healthy teeth, zero vet visits.

zed xyzed · Dec 15, 2015

Midi started on raw when he was 14 years old, I am very lucky in that he is a hoover, he will practically eat anything. The raw was a little more challenging, I had to put a few raw pieces in with his canned and slowly up'd the ratio. Within 3 weeks he was eating Nature's Variety Raw. I think getting them on Raw is a great way to hopefully get a few more years out of them. He lost some weight (and he needed to) and has more energy. Make sure that you are super diligent on cleanliness and don't leave it out for an extended period of time. I also strongly suggest getting a good Omega 3 supplement, the best one I have found is ascenta feline omega 3. Each batch is tested by an independent lab and you can check the results online. I know the raw and the Omega 3 have given us more time together.

stiletto · Dec 16, 2015

For Omega 3, I give my cats eggs! =) I feed them hearts for taurine, and liver. =)

mysticdragon72 · Dec 16, 2015

Thanks for the replies! I don't think that I'll have an issue with them eating whatever I give them as they both seem to gobble up whatever I put in front of them. I actually think I'll have a harder time with the young ones since they're actually much more picky than the old ones. I think I'll try out just giving them a few pieces of raw chicken first to see if they can handle it or will even eat it.
If I buy the ground meat/bones/organs from hare today and add in the supplements according to the recipes on here do I have to add chunks of meat? Is there anything wrong with just feeding ground?

crazy4strays · Dec 16, 2015

I think that you may be pleasantly surprised at how well they do.

I adopted an elderly cat this year. (About 14 years old)

He had numerous health problems so I immediately decided on cutting dry food out. I didn't really do much transitioning. He liked the canned food and was happy to eat it, with no struggles or resistance.

I've also fed him home cooked cat food, commercial raw cat food, and random pieces of meat. He liked all of those. I'm looking into homemade raw and I anticipate that if we decide to go that route, the switch should be quick and painless.

Good luck with your kitties!

missmimz · Dec 16, 2015

I transitioned my oldest cat about a year ago to raw and he's 13 now. He doesn't eating 100% raw but about 80% the rest is a little high quality kibble as a snack (he refuses all canned).