Instinct Raw Boost...bummer :-(

[patti511]

Hi all.... my little “victim” cat who has been terrorized by my three bullies to the point of losing weight and urinating blood (we’ve been to the vet - it’s stress), has been in a separate room and has been loving Instinct Raw Boost. I looked at the ingredients. It has menadione in it. I’m so upset. Does anyone know of a similar quality kibble? She barely touches her canned food anymore. Drastic personality change. So sad. Thank you for any recommendations.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! My guy has refused to let me eliminate his favorite foods which also have menadione.
What I am doing is a rotation of different foods, maybe that'll work for you? The idea is that different brands will give her liver and other organs a chance to deal with that and any other questionable ingredients.

Here's this; The one doesn't list menadione but it does other problem additives.

Pet Food Guide

CatFoodDB - Cat Food Reviews to help you find the best cat food for your cat

and also, let me give you this info of some of the many over the counter calming products. Hopefully something will help your baby to feel better. If not, maybe have another chat with your vet;
There is Zylkene, Calming Care, Calm-o-mile, Sentry, Natures Miracle calming spray, Vetri-Science's Composure is another item to look at, Pet Remedy (it has valerian) is yet another, as is Essential Pet Pet-ease, Only Natural Pet (brand and website) has a calming product, Pet Naturals also has one I believe.
Also Thunderease has diffusers.
Some people are using CBD oil.
Lambert Vet Supply is a website to look at, and of course amazon and chewy, also there's Petwishpros, drsfostersmith, animaleo.

There are a couple of recent discussions about calming items, here's the link to one thread. Post #6 in this has a link to the second discussion.
Calming Treats?

 

[patti511]

Thank you! I’m trying CBD oil, as well. A little over a week now and I don’t see a difference in my bully cats’ behavior. I’m giving it twice a day on their food, as directed. I’ve trued diffusers and collars.
Thx for your input!

 

[Furballsmom]

I was thinking for her

What about a can half filled with coins, give it a hard shake as the bad behavior starts. Throw jangly keys on the floor next to the bully cat, and a firm NO, and a big HISS.
You want to literally rewire the bully cats mindset out of attack mode.

 

[patti511]

I was thinking for her

What about a can half filled with coins, give it a hard shake as the bad behavior starts. Throw jangly keys on the floor next to the bully cat, and a firm NO, and a big HISS.
You want to literally rewire the bully cats mindset out of attack mode.

 

[patti511]

I have my can all ready!! I want to keep them separated with a screen door for a few weeks before I let them at her :-(. It’s THAT bad. I’m just as traumatized as my poor baby.
All my life I’ve had multiple cats. I’ve never had this problem. If was a one-on-one bully situation, I think I could get a handle on it. But the male bully is having his three female bi- - -es do his bidding. It’s awful. At night they sit outside the screened door, just glaring at her. I’ve been putting CBD oil twice daily in their food.

 

[patti511]

I know the coin filled can will scare the victim cat, as well, but that will be something to try when I open the door. Last night I switched them so the scents can mingle around my house. I know this thread started as a “nutrition” question. I have one on the “behavior” section about this. My life is one big cat problem .

 

[yeva2292]

Have you tried buying just the Instinct Raw Boost Mixers and mixing that in with another kibble? You could also try Merrick Backcountry Raw or Wellness CORE RawRev, which are similar in style to the Instinct kibble+freeze dried raw.

 

[duckpond]

menadione is an ingredient i would like to avoid as much as possible as well. But i dont really think in the amount in cat food will do any immediate harm. It might be best to feed her what she likes and is happy with until you can get the other issues all taken care of? Food can be a big stresser for cats as well, i think i would feed her what she likes.

Once all the cats get along, or you have that situation under control, then you can try to switch to a different food if you still want? Tackle one issue at a time. cats dont deal with change or stress well.

 

[patti511]

Have you tried buying just the Instinct Raw Boost Mixers and mixing that in with another kibble? You could also try Merrick Backcountry Raw or Wellness CORE RawRev, which are similar in style to the Instinct kibble+freeze dried raw.

Merrick Backcountry raw. Never heard of it . I will check it out!!

 

[patti511]

Or the Core raw. Thanks!! Thanks!

 

[Cinnabun]

So sorry to hear about the turmoil between your cats. You should watch Jackson Galaxy's 'My Cat From Hell' show on Animal Planet if you haven't already. Also, ask your vet if they have cat behaviorist they can recommend. Don't give up! Your cat shouldn't have to be sequestered in a room for a week, a month, or her entire life. That's no way for a cat to live. She needs to find her mojo and build her confidence.

I had a similar occurrence when one of my cats returned from the animal hospital. She stayed over night and they gave her a bath, so she smelled different to my other cat who is very territorial. I thought it would wear off, but four days went by and I got sick of keeping them separate. So I decided to call the animal hospital to find out what shampoo they used. I washed the territorial cat in the same shampoo and after she dried off a bit, she went up to the other cat that she had been rejecting and licked her head. I couldn't believe it!

Cats operate by smell and also if another cat is timid, they may see them as pray. Play therapy may help also. You would need some help, but if you could get the cat locked away to come out and play with her in the center of a room of significance where she could catch a toy (like DaBird or any other toy that replicates hunting) that could give her some sense of confidence. Also, catification might be part of the solution. Making sure you have things around your home that all of the cats can claim as their own. Different lanes of traffic (cat shelves and cat trees that give them a chance to be in a room but not occupying the same lane.) But I hope you're researching on the internet for some solutions in addition to seeking professional help. Here are a couple of links below.
Good luck!

Advice for bully cats and wallflowers
Bully cat herbal essence therapy

 

[leechi]

I don't understand the concept of these "raw infused" dry foods. Raw food isn't a supplement, it's food, just not cooked . If adding freeze dried raw to kibble increases the protein/meat content, than great, but is that really the case? It seems like nothing more than companies trying to make people feel that they can get the health benefits of raw while still feeding a convenient kibble. It's still dehydrating, and it still has lots of plant products.

 

[patti511]

So sorry to hear about the turmoil between your cats. You should watch Jackson Galaxy's 'My Cat From Hell' show on Animal Planet if you haven't already. Also, ask your vet if they have cat behaviorist they can recommend. Don't give up! Your cat shouldn't have to be sequestered in a room for a week, a month, or her entire life. That's no way for a cat to live. She needs to find her mojo and build her confidence.

I had a similar occurrence when one of my cats returned from the animal hospital. She stayed over night and they gave her a bath, so she smelled different to my other cat who is very territorial. I thought it would wear off, but four days went by and I got sick of keeping them separate. So I decided to call the animal hospital to find out what shampoo they used. I washed the territorial cat in the same shampoo and after she dried off a bit, she went up to the other cat that she had been rejecting and licked her head. I couldn't believe it!

Cats operate by smell and also if another cat is timid, they may see them as pray. Play therapy may help also. You would need some help, but if you could get the cat locked away to come out and play with her in the center of a room of significance where she could catch a toy (like DaBird or any other toy that replicates hunting) that could give her some sense of confidence. Also, catification might be part of the solution. Making sure you have things around your home that all of the cats can claim as their own. Different lanes of traffic (cat shelves and cat trees that give them a chance to be in a room but not occupying the same lane.) But I hope you're researching on the internet for some solutions in addition to seeking professional help. Here are a couple of links below.
Good luck!

Advice for bully cats and wallflowers
Bully cat herbal essence therapy

I don't understand the concept of these "raw infused" dry foods. Raw food isn't a supplement, it's food, just not cooked . If adding freeze dried raw to kibble increases the protein/meat content, than great, but is that really the case? It seems like nothing more than companies trying to make people feel that they can get the health benefits of raw while still feeding a convenient kibble. It's still dehydrating, and it still has lots of plant products.

Hi... I tried play therapy tonight with 2 of the 3 bully cats and my timid little girl. They wanted nothing with playing. They went right over to her and started to attack. They HATE her!! I have 3 cat trees. And 4 litter boxes. And cat window perches, so many toys. I’m exhausted.

 

[jclark]

Hi all.... my little “victim” cat who has been terrorized by my three bullies to the point of losing weight and urinating blood (we’ve been to the vet - it’s stress), has been in a separate room and has been loving Instinct Raw Boost. I looked at the ingredients. It has menadione in it. I’m so upset. Does anyone know of a similar quality kibble? She barely touches her canned food anymore. Drastic personality change. So sad. Thank you for any recommendations.

So what if it has menadione in it. Don't tell me you read that from Mercola. They literally just make up BS.

Just feed the cat what it is willing to eat so it will regain some weight.

 

[KarenKat]

I don't understand the concept of these "raw infused" dry foods. Raw food isn't a supplement, it's food, just not cooke

I don’t know the answer to this, but I wanted to share that everytime I think of that food I think of Lucky Charms. The freeze dried bits are like the marshmallows.

I would think if Raw is the purest food, then adding it to kibble is like eating a side salad for us? We are still getting the fast food hamburger, but we are adding a healthier aspect to the meal? Just a guess.

 

[leechi]

I don’t know the answer to this, but I wanted to share that everytime I think of that food I think of Lucky Charms. The freeze dried bits are like the marshmallows.

I would think if Raw is the purest food, then adding it to kibble is like eating a side salad for us? We are still getting the fast food hamburger, but we are adding a healthier aspect to the meal? Just a guess.

I bet if there was a Meow Mix (or other cheap brand) version of dry with raw, they would make it look even more like Lucky Charms with all the shapes and colors.

The issue I have with it is that people are less likely to switch to actual raw food if they think this kibble gives all the same benefits. I don't think it's harmful, just not necessarily very beneficial. I mean they can just add more peas and such to the kibble to keep cost down, and most of the protein is probably coming from the meat meals, and the peas, and potato protein (Merrick).

 

[patti511]

My cats like the raw “treats” hidden among the kibble. I think parts of the raw break off into the kibble in the bag. It gives it a nice flavor. I just bought a bag of Merrick Back Country. They are loving it. And no medadione :-).

 

[catmom203]

I don't understand the concept of these "raw infused" dry foods. Raw food isn't a supplement, it's food, just not cooked . If adding freeze dried raw to kibble increases the protein/meat content, than great, but is that really the case? It seems like nothing more than companies trying to make people feel that they can get the health benefits of raw while still feeding a convenient kibble. It's still dehydrating, and it still has lots of plant products.

I agree. It's so hard to get raw here. I see people who want raw buying the dried raw infused.
Pet Supermarket advertises Nature's Instinct but the local store only carries the dog food. I thought about buying that and adding taurine but I don't know if that would do it.

 

[leechi]

Chewy actually has the Nature's Variety frozen cat food now.
Instinct by Nature's Variety Frozen Raw Bites Grain-Free Cage-Free Chicken Recipe Cat Food, 1.25-lb bag