Hare Today

[pinkman]

pinkman here,

So as many suggested, I have started incorporating a bit of raw into Lox's diet. Currently she eats raw chicken breast strips as a snack in between her meals. She has a history of eating raw before- Including egg yolks, chicken necks, wings, and Primal's Turkey formula.

I've been looking at HareToday, and was interested in some of the ground formulas. However, I was wondering how much do I actually feed per day for an 8 pound cat. There is a calculator on their website, but it seems like it is for dogs.

Also, another question. I was reading through some articles and found that some give their cats dehydrated rabbit ears. Has anyone given their cat this?

 

[Willowy]

I think most cats that size average about 4-6 ounces for bone-in meats. Depends on her caloric needs and metabolism, of course.

 

[vball91]

For cats, the general rule is 2-4% of their weight. My cat who is about 7 years old, weighs 7 lbs and is fairly sedentary eats about 2.5%. I would start at 3% (so 3.84oz or to make weighing things easier, 3.5oz) and adjust accordingly.

I have not fed dehydrated rabbit ears. Sounds interesting though. If you get some, please let us know if your cat likes it.

 

[pinkman]

Silly question, but with shipping costs also is it cheaper than buying human-grade wet food in the long run you think?

 

[vball91]

There's no silly question, but what are you considering human grade wet food and how much are you paying for it? I think the least expensive raw is home prepared frankenprey. You can take advantage of local grocery sales. No grinder. No shipping costs.

 

[pinkman]

Currently I rotate between Tiki Cat, Weruva, and Wellness. She eats around 140 calories a day. I buy the Tiki and Wellness through petfooddirect. I think the Tiki comes around to 75 dollars, and Wellness is around 37. On average one 5.5 can give Lox 3 to 4 meals.

I would do Frankenprey, but as of now where I live there aren't many grocery stores I trust when it comes to meat. Also, I have some time constraints and can not travel easily as I am temporarily disabled.

 

[Willowy]

IF you order the full box (51 pounds) and a fair variety of different meats (but more of the cheaper meats), I figured it to average about $4 a pound after shipping, meaning about a dollar a day if she eats 4 ounces daily. Which certainly is cheaper than most higher-quality canned foods. I didn't figure how much it might average to if you order less (shipping is most cost-effective with a full box), and shipping might even be cheaper to you since you're closer to Pennsylvania. Since a lot of the good canned foods cost $2-$3 for a 5.5-oz can, I'm sure it would be less than those.

 

[pinkman]

I just ordered 2 pounds of Turkey, Chicken, and Rabbit bone/meat/organ mixes and some Alnutrin along with some other goodies to try. With shipping it was 68 dollars. I actually just found a check I need to deposit and my tax return will be coming soon so I'll just give it a try and see if things work out.

Thanks for all your help.

 

[ldg]

Just in case you aren't already familiar with the idea, if she doesn't take to any of them right away, don't give them away or toss them. Just mix a little bit in with a canned food you know she likes, and get her used to it; slowly increase the amount of raw vs canned in any given meal.

As to how much she should eat, if she's eating only canned now, assume that for a raw equivalent, she'll need less. My 8 - 10 pound cats were eating one 5.5oz can of food a day. Most of them eat 4.5 ounces of raw a day. My 7 pound cat and my 8 pound cat eat 3 ounces of raw food a day.

 

[harleydiva]

Also, another question. I was reading through some articles and found that some give their cats dehydrated rabbit ears. Has anyone given their cat this?

In the last order I got from my supplier, they listed dehydrated rabbit feet as a treat for cats.  I ordered a bag thinking if the cats didn't like them, the dogs would.  When I unpacked my order after pickup, the rabbit feet still have all the hair on them!  They also had rabbit ears, which included the scalp (ewww), so I assume they probably have the hair too.  I just can't bring myself to give either the cats or the dogs something covered in hair.  

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Too late now, but when I order from HT, I try to order lots, to make up for the shipping costs.  I experiment in my shopping cart and watch how it effects shipping.  Changing from 18 lbs of meat to 20  lbs only increases shipping by about $2.  'Course, since it's your first order, you need to make sure she likes it first

But, generally, Willowy is correct.  I figure about $4 per lb on average, including shipping, which is much cheaper than commercial raw (like Primal and especially Radcat)  (and I pay for faster shipping since it's coming all the way to AZ where not only is it a long distance, but it's already HOT here

Believe it or not, many folks find good meat for Frankenprey at Walmart!  You just have to really read the packages to make sure nothing has been added to the meats.  Maybe they have an organic section...not sure as I don't shop there.  And since only one of mine eats Frankenprey, and so far really only like boneless turkey thighs and chicken hearts, I buy those from HT, because I can't find boneless TURKEY thighs anywhere else.  If you're wondering, I supplement his calcium using Alnutrin with eggshell powder (NOT sold by HT), and dehydrated liver, because raw liver makes him sick

So exciting that you're doing this!  Let us know when your order arrives

 

[pinkman]

I never thought about this but I wonder how much Wellness wet food costs by the pound. 

 Anyone know?

 

[vball91]

Interesting question because I've done those calculations before. Based on chewy.com's price of $36.99 for a 24 case of 5.5oz cans, that works out to be $4.48/lb. Tiki is even more expensive.

This is one of the many reasons why raw made sense to me. Homemade raw is cheaper than premium canned especially since cats eat less raw than canned.

 

[harleydiva]

I never thought about this but I wonder how much Wellness wet food costs by the pound. 

 Anyone know?

I was feeding premium no grain canned food before switching to raw.  All three are still kittens, so eat a lot.  After switching to raw, I'm spending half as much feeding 3 cats AND 3 small dogs.

 

[pinkman]

I actually made a mistake and ordered LAMB ears instead of rabbit. 

 We'll see if she likes them.

 

[manizheh]

I'm fairly sure that the hair just adds to roughage

 

[peaches08]

Believe it or not, many folks find good meat for Frankenprey at Walmart!  You just have to really read the packages to make sure nothing has been added to the meats. 

Yep! I get my meats (not enhanced) from the grocery store. I buy when meats are buy-one-get-one free to help reduce costs.

 

[harleydiva]

I'm fairly sure that the hair just adds to roughage

I would be afraid it would contribute to the formation of hairballs????  I've never seen one, and am hoping I never do.

 

[pinkman]

Another sleepless night. 

I was talking to a friend about how we haven't ate chicken feet in a while (it's good, trust me) and I was browsing through HT again and was wondering... Has anyone fed any sort of poultry feet to their cats instead of necks for dental purposes?

 

[harleydiva]

I got some chicken feet for the dogs.....cats sniffed them, but walked away.  My guys just don't seem interested in chewing bones at this point.