How much raw?

[xcourtney3]

We're considering switching our cats to raw since we found a Blue Ridge Beef dealer very close to us and that's the cheapest and only way I'd be able to feed raw at this point. They are very overweight and one has issues with stress induced cystitis. Anyway, how much raw would they each need? One is 16lb the other is 20lb, need to be much smaller.

 

[xcourtney3]

Also, here are the ingredients in the raw:

ground beef, ground chicken, ground beef heart, ground beef liver, ground chicken bone, ground whole egg

crude protein 19%

crude fat 3%

crude fiber 1%

moisture 76%

Is this complete?

 

[vball91]

Most cats eat about 2-4% of their body weight daily of raw. However, a lot of it depends on age, activity level, neutered/not. Like with all new foods, it will require a little trial and error to figure out the right amount to feed, especially since you are trying to get them to lose weight. For weight loss, it would be good to have a baby or kitchen scale and weigh them weekly. Weight loss in cats should always be done slowly, no more than 1-2% weekly.

As for how complete the food is, I would ask for the percentage of both the liver and the bone. Are you planning on this being their only food or in rotation with other foods? Ideally, you would have another secreting organ source in the mix (like kidney). However, once you know the percentages, you can supplement as needed to get the nutritional profile you want.

 

[xcourtney3]

For a cat that needs to lose weight, is that 2-4% of current weight or ideal weight?

 

[vball91]

The 2-4% is based on current weight. For weight loss, I would start at 3% and gradually reduce to 2%.