My kitties turn for a Raw conversion!

[ivycats]

Hi everyone!

I am happy to say, after 3 years of reading about raw I am taking the plunge!

It was very hard for me to figure the logistics. 5 cats, TINY freezer, no local butcher or commercial raw provider, shipping expenses, pay-check to pay-check so no room for initial expenses like grinders or scales, BUT I HAVE FIGURED OUT A WAY!

Right now we've been spending $187 a month for MY 3 cats, and about $120 for my mothers. (That's after we got discounted to 1.67/can, before it was $2 per can!!) Simple logic would have said we'd save a ton by going raw, but the FREEZER... Not only is it microscopic, half of the space is consumed by an ever growing colony of Ice crystals bent on freezer domination! 

So with much frustration I dug my heels in and searched the internet for a way to afford this transition. We have to buy in bulk, or suffer shipping charges eating at any savings we'd gain. We can't afford a mini freezer OR a grinder without first saving money because of the transition. And a prey model diet scares me. >_> I mean, I'd like to get there some day, but not to start out -- Even then, again no room in the freezer for bulk meat purchases. Plus buying meat from Wal-mart to feed my kitties... Ew. (Totally a human hesitation being forced on my feline companions)

I broke it down. Limited space, no grinder. Can I find a commercial raw provider, that despite more frequent purchases, will still save me money? That was the key, and I did. We had to settle on transitioning only my 3 cats for now, once we save the money we can either purchase a small freezer, and buy pre-ground rabbit, chicken, duck, etc or buy a grinder. Buying pre-ground gives us more animal variety but a grinder gives us more calcium to phosphorus control... This whole concept boggled me down, made me loose focus, and probably delayed any decision making for a good 3 weeks.

Once, I realized either/or was equally good and it didn't matter, I returned to finding a commercial raw provider for cutting costs. We settled on Darwin's Natural Pet Products. (10lbs for 15 dollars - Yus please!

) They helped us figure one month's supply would be about 3 gallon milk jugs in size, so with a chisel and hammer I go to make room and destroy the Ice crystal's kingdom!  IT WILL BURN.

All in all, we'll be going from $187 (before tax, UGH) to $137 (After tax, YAY!), once the conversion is complete... Our ultimate goal is to one day be 100% raw for all 5 kitties, home made and as close to $100/month as possible. It's crazy how much money we'll save... Makes you wish those punks had never invented commercial cat food 100 years ago. I mean really!

So that's where we are for now... I'll have LOTS of questions once the transition starts, especially once I'm ready to tackle making my own. Any tips or advice are wanted, especially if y'all know of other commercial brands that are equal or less than Darwins. (They charge 75c per pound then 6.75(?) S&H) I want my cats to have a variety of meat sources, but also try to stay within species they could kill on their own. Will also not settle for anything that adds fruit/veggies for the last 5%.

LOTS TO CONSIDER! But I'm on my way!!!

Look forward to filling this thread up with all their changes and happy discoveries.

 

[ldg]

And welcome to TCS!

I can so completely and totally relate, you have no idea. :lol3: We have 8 cats, do consulting work so have sporadic income - have to stock up while we HAVE the money - yet have a miniature fridge/freezer because we live in an RV! :lol3: The ice crystals DID dominate. This is what we were facing:

_freezer 120208.jpg

• ldg
• Sep 7, 2012

And that was AFTER some chiseling. :lol3:

What we did was go searching on craigslist for a small chest freezer we could just keep outside. And this is what I got for my birthday earlier this year (we started the transition in January, my bday is Feb) :

Freezer Bday! 120217.jpg

• ldg
• Sep 7, 2012

$35 - we were thrilled! It is now behind the RV on a wooden platform with a tarp strapped around it.


We started with commercial raw too, but we had to start with something available locally, because I figured they'd be eating about 2 pounds of food a day. So that was pretty much Nature's Variety or Vital Essentials. It's 5% "other stuff," and 15% bone content (which is how we wound up going frankenprey - but that's a different story. :lol3: ).

As soon as we got the freezer, I ordered different commercial raw foods. We tried Nature's Menu. But my cats hated it. Thankfully we TNR, so the ferals had a feast for a few months there. :lol3: So much for THAT cost savings.... (And that was different, because they were already eating raw by the time the NM arrived, so the problem at that point wasn't getting them to eat raw. ).

So the next thing I tried were the Hare-Today ground mixes, because I had NO interest in making ground. I like that they're whole animal - although the bone content does tend to be a little on the high end if it's big animals. ...which you don't want. VERY INTERESTING on the idea of feeding them only things they could kill on their own.

So you're thinking.... chicken? rabbit? quail? pheasant?

I'm at a loss after that point. :lol3: I feed mine chicken breast, chicken thigh, turkey breast, turkey thigh, pork, lamb, rabbit, and venison. Lamb and venison they only get once a week. I also feed duck and turkey hearts, and duck and chicken gizzards. The organs are liver, kidney, and sweetbreads (thymus). Ground beef pancreas when available. Go figure - hearts and gizzards are their favorite meals. :dk:

...and the most important question of all - WHEN DOES IT ARRIVE?????????????????

 

[carolina]

OMG, you had me laughing soooo hard! You are a funny one!
So, three years studying!
First of all, Welcome to TCS, and welcome to the Raw Forum!
We love it here, our little raw community!
I tell you, My transition was soooooo complicated, I definitely couldn't have done without all the support I got from the members here - I would gone insane! :frusty::smshfrk:

So, are you EXCITED?
Bet you ARE!
I see the resemblance with Laurie's case - totally :lol3:
I think, as you become comfortable, a home-made diet will be just the ticket for you - you can save SO much $$$!! It is not that complicated, really!
Besides, you can just copy-cat what we already do..... So many of us here already went through the all the process of figuring all out..... There are tons of threads with detailed information with everything you can possibly imagine - menus, supplements, troubleshooting, food-prep....... and even how to buy cheap freezers - Ha!
Like Laurie, I also bought mine on Craig's list - mine was a bit more expensive - $75... it is in top notch shape, brand new though. Both mine and Laurie's work like new, I am sure.
Lauren got it on a deal at a super market where the freezer was $150, but came with $150 or so worth of food coupons, so the freezer was pretty much free!
Mine is a chest freezer, Like Laurie's and it fit's in my home office, on the corner - takes no space..... by the window - it's great!

Raw has been AMAZING for my babies - I can say with confidence that it probably it saved my cat Bugsy's life, in the long run. He wasn't doing well at all - it it was not for it, I really don't know how long he was going to be around
The transition can be hard, as they have eaten kibbles and canned for so long, they don't recognize meat as food..... But once they eat meat consistently, it is so easy, and you really start reaping the benefits of the diet.
It's been a long while since I had any troubles at all - I just feed, and watch in amazement how well they are all doing
I wish more pet parents made this move - it is a small change considering the tremendous benefits it provides!

Feel free to ask any questions!!! We are here to help!!!

 

[princessesme]

Welcome to the transition and to TCS!

BURN ICE KINGDOM, BURN!

I may not be of much help, but just wanted to say welcome! I am doing the transition myself. My kitties have been on raw, going on, three weeks now I think? I have received TONS of wonderful help from Carolina, Laurie, and others. Everyone on the raw forums are super helpful, so post, for sure, as I am sure everyone is more than willing to help!

If you haven't already, I would definitely read the Resource Thread and some of the other transitioning posts.

I don't know what some of the cost comes out to off hand, but have you checked out Hare Today as well? They have the Alnutrin supplement you can add to complete it. (I recently ordered the ground mix with meat/organs/bones) -- I thought this might help you save on some freezer space because you can portion and package it as needed. Although I have a deep chest freezer, I still put them into little baggies, then smoosh them flat in the baggie, so they take up almost no space. We like to stock up on meat for us humans too, so we take up a good amount of space in the freezer already.

I

Craigslist for cheap finds so I'm sure you might be able to find something on there that could be pretty compact. Also, I know in my area, some of the stores are dropping prices a little bit on them, I guess to get rid of the rest of the inventory they ordered for returning to school.

Good luck and keep us all updated!

 

[ivycats]

Thank you everyone for the warm welcome! I've been busy destroying the Ice Crystal Kingdom... Sadly (for them), THEY ARE NO MORE!

... But they are making an effort to regroup and return, less than 24 hours and there's a nice thick snow on-top of the freezer.

I checked for Craigslist like all the suggestions, but it seems we're just too far out in the boonies for them. I did find a local yard-sale site that seems common though... so here's to keeping my fingers crossed! Worst case scenario, I found a nice tall one for 150 I might be able to finagle after awhile. It's times like this I wish I didn't live in the middle of a forest.

Right now I'm checking out Hare-Today and My Pet Carnivore. The later seems a little bit cheaper, but I guess it all comes down to shipping... Muskrat is an option! MUSKRAT. I think one of my cats actually caught and ate one of those once... either that or a hamster, poor hamster. I thought a bit more about the whole "only prey they could kill in the wild", then looked at the prices per lb...

Safe to say I need to get over my image of a tiny kitty gnawing on a dead cow carcass and move on. Probably a goal for much later, at least once the finances are figured out.

I was thinking though, any type of bird, rabbit, muskrat, and possibly just whole frozen mice? I'm sure my opinions will evolve, especially if anyone developed a chicken allergy - that'd throw everything out the window. It's probably more of a subconscious way to limit options so I don't get overwhelmed. That, and seriously, cat gnawing on a cow carcass. >_> Freakiest image ever.

and YES, SUPER EXCITED!!!!

The kitties won't know what hit them! I tested out some chicken gizzards on them. The two older boys snatched them up ASAP... the kitten was VERY confused. >_> I was actually expecting the kitten to chow down first, given his love for eating moths and anything that moves.. but I guess gizzards aren't the best start, with the smell/texture. Hell, honestly he wouldn't have even been able to chew them. XD He only really has four canines, looks like a snake's maw when he opens his mouth.. 4 sharp teeth and a lot of gums! He likes to run around with his mouth hanging open, like he's was a menacing cobra from a past life!

As far as when it will arrive, I actually don't know! but I DO know it shipped TODAY!!! So just a waiting game now.........uuggghhhh I want it here NOW!! -- I mean, I don't think I can take anymore of the smelly stool from their wellness core diet (And I thought HQ canned food was supposed to reduce odor... LIES AND SLANDER!) Have any of you ever woken up from a dead sleep because the stench of the litter box was just THAT powerful? I have. Every night since I adopted these little monkeys.

And they use the litter box in waves, second the smell goes away, another one goes, "MY TURN! YAY! STINKY POO --- Mommy why'd you wake up???"

P.S. My boys are so excited to start their raw diet, they tried to get a head start with a little baby mouse brought in by one of the outside kitties. The mouse managed to escape the jaws of THREE cats! I had almost given up on saving it (Fighting cats to try to catch a mouse first is a SERIOUS workout!) as my boy had it in a death grip of a bite... it's little leg twitched one final time and I thought it was gone for, then he plopped it down -- IT WAS STILL ALIVE. Jebbus that mouse deserved a -fourth- chance at life, so I now have him snuggled up in a box with food. We're thinking about keeping him, he's precious. Looks up at you and wiggles his nose, grooms himself and curls up to nap. Never knew a field mouse could be so tame!

So now we're 6 cats, 1 bird and 1 mouse! Need to train them to catch me a ferret.. probably only way I could convince my family to get one more pet.

 

[princessesme]

Has the Ice Kindgom burned to the ground yet?

 

[ritz]

Welcome to the wild side

Sometimes it's easier/cheaper to go the mail-order route, even if you can buy the meat at a local grocery store.  Rabbit and goat come to mind.  They both have lots of bone, which Ritz can't eat too much of.  So I end up paying $4 a pound for bone.

I'm going to have to check into My Pet Carnivore--haven't heard of them.

Just a word of warning about freezer:  some use a lot of electricity, so make sure what ever outlet you use, it can take the load.  That's the only reason I'm holding off on buying a freezer.  I love to stock up on sales, and the grocery stores where I live frequently have 'clearance' sale @ 30 to 50% off on meats because they are at the end of the 'good' sale date.  But, no room.

Oh, and MUSKRAT?!  Ritz loves goat and venison, that's about as wild as she gets.  Though her new BFF is a chipmunk who she gazes longingly at outside the window.  Something tells me she's not looking to invite it to the prom....

 

[ivycats]

Good news everyone! Looks like the 10 lb sample pack will be here Friday! 5 days in transit, cutting it close, I hope it just arrives Friday and doesn't get stuck over the weekend. x_x

Welcome to the wild side

Sometimes it's easier/cheaper to go the mail-order route, even if you can buy the meat at a local grocery store.  Rabbit and goat come to mind.  They both have lots of bone, which Ritz can't eat too much of.  So I end up paying $4 a pound for bone.

I'm going to have to check into My Pet Carnivore--haven't heard of them.

Just a word of warning about freezer:  some use a lot of electricity, so make sure what ever outlet you use, it can take the load.  That's the only reason I'm holding off on buying a freezer.  I love to stock up on sales, and the grocery stores where I live frequently have 'clearance' sale @ 30 to 50% off on meats because they are at the end of the 'good' sale date.  But, no room.

Oh, and MUSKRAT?!  Ritz loves goat and venison, that's about as wild as she gets.  Though her new BFF is a chipmunk who she gazes longingly at outside the window.  Something tells me she's not looking to invite it to the prom....

Oh Geeze I hadn't even considered electricity cost into the whole equation, and the outlet we were thinking of using is JAM PACKED! I think it has over 15 devices plugged into it... I'm sure we'd get a power outage now that you mention it.

 

Ground chipmonk! Now I KNOW my cats would eat THAT up.

I mean.. play "nicely" with and not torment to death.

Has the Ice Kindgom burned to the ground yet?

Burned and DEAD! (but making a comeback..damned Ice Kingdom)

 

[feralvr]

Just wanted to send along my HELLO!!! and Welcome to the new wonderful (and sometimes - :frusty: :lol3 journey!!! I also had to laugh :rofl: when you said THREE YEARS of studying up the raw diet for cats. GOSH - Let's hope that your kitties don't take three years to transition ( JUST KIDDING HA HA HA) We do have a lot of fun here and seem to get so excited about just the littlest things and the smallest progress in the raw direction !!!!! It was so funny when we all got our freezer's. We were like a bunch of little kids filled with excitement on our new "big boys" (freezer's that is!! :lol3 So here's hoping your kitties will take to the raw right away like two of my six did. It took some convincing and many trial runs with different brands and proteins to figure out who liked what. Quite the process in the beginning! But SOOOOOO worth it. My cat's have never looked better, felt better, pooped better (yep - no stink!!! ) and have so much more energy. Just overall - so very healthy!!!!!!

 

[princessesme]

Hoping it comes Friday for ya! If it's labeled as perishable, then I would hope they try to get it to you ASAP.

I can't wait to hear your transition stories! My kitties are still adding onto mine!

 

[ivycats]

IT HAS ARRIVED!!!

I am so excited! 5 days in transit - and still so frozen I swear I got frostbite from handling the meat pouches!

All the kitties are swarming me, I'm pretending it's so they can have their delicious delicious raw meat, but it's beyond frozen solid, lol. Our fridge is notorious for NEVER defrosting anything once it's frozen, so I'll probably have to go the bowel of warm water route. Also, IT ALL FITS IN THE FREEZER!!!

On the 3 years of studying, I should disclose it's because after year 1 (which included the mind boggle of dry food ingredients to, scratch that - just go wet, and sifting through that to get to raw) my boy I adopted, contracted urinary blockage and...

WARNING ANGRY CAT OWNER RANT :

Our vet chastised me for my food choices (wellness core dry/canned), told me I was LUCKY they were willing to TAKE him. That I should have gone to an EMERGENCY clinic where it would have been 3k vs 2k, then proceeded to give me Royal Canine S/O DRY food. 30 minutes of me hysterically crying in the office - exclaiming how on earth corn was going to save him, if she could point out what MEDICAL ingredient was in there that would "prevent" any future incidents.. She basically said he'll die if I don't feed it to him. So, for a year and a half he was stuck on Royal Canine S/O (wet food at least.. They didn't care as long as they got their $2.11/can) and I dropped all raw conversion ideals. I also had an incident of giving him a chunk of raw chicken breast - him getting sick for an unrelated reason shortly after - and AGAIN getting chewed out by my vet with a long lecture. SIGH.

So, I say 3 years, but really it was more like 12 months at the start then 10 months at the end, lol! As for why I kept that vet? She charged me 2k to give him a catheter and keep him overnight for 3 days with an IV. THAT was the cheapest vet in my area. Canada... you guys get ripped off so badly, I just, wow man... wow. Second I moved back to the states I knew it was my chance to convert, without maxing out another CC.

Almost everything to do with vets have been horror stories for me. My current vet is wonderful, she's taken care of my mom's cats for 5 years. When you bring her your pet, you know they'll do everything they must to save them, without jacking up the extras for profit. Sadly I still haven't told her I'm converting to raw though.. I want to trust her, but with everything that has happened in the past I'm scared of getting shunned again.

/END OF ANGRY CAT OWNER RANT.

So, questions I have for my Journey!~

I haven't bought a food scale yet.

I have a $50 gift card for Bed Bath and Beyond, but before I get a scale for food.. How do you all weigh your CATS? I know my vet is only 15 minutes drive away, with their scale in the lobby, but I was hoping to avoid the undo stress of weekly vet trips for the babies. (Especially our 17 (?) pound girl, I don't think I'd get her to the vet without loosing a limb!)

Second, I've been adding up a cart on Hare-Today to check prices, after shipping ($38 dollars...why shipping WHY) it comes to near 150/month for assorted 30 lbs of meat + their supplement powder. It occurs to me though, you add water when mixing it all together - which would add to the ounces provided. So is it safe to say if I add 2 cups of water to 5 lbs of meat it'd be a little over 6 lbs? For those of you who make ground raw - how much water do you add per lb and the resulting end weight? - If I wasn't obsessed with ordering exactly one month's supply at a time due to shipping I'd just wing it... but as long as shipping is a factor these sorts of questions drive me nuts!

Third, if you order the whole ground prey from Hare-Today, do you just add water and no supplements? I imagine it'd be a complete diet, but then I figure it's not a single ground rabbit you're getting, but 20 ground rabbits then sectioned off into 1lb packages.

I think that's everything for now... I'm glad I have the Darwin's food until I can figure out all the nitty-gritty DIY details. Heck I might just skip Hare-Today and go straight to buying a grinder - darn shipping, stealing all my savings!

 

[carolina]

Really quickly - if you defrost on warm water, you have to serve the entire thing - I REALLY don't recommend that route for larger pouches - You can't defrost on warm/hot water, then keep the left overs in the fridge to feed later
Defrost on COLD water :nod:

Now on to reading the rest of your thread

 

[ivycats]

Really quickly - if you defrost on warm water, you have to serve the entire thing - I REALLY don't recommend that route for larger pouches

- You can't defrost on warm/hot water, then keep the left overs in the fridge to feed later

Defrost on COLD water

Now on to reading the rest of your thread

BLEEP!!!! I was half way through defrosting it with warm water when I read this. x__x Can you not even put the leftovers in the freezer? Well lesson learned... the outsides of the package are room temp warm and the middle is still frozen. I dumped out the hot water and put in cold. Probably spent 15 minutes so far defrosting it.

 

[otto]

I use this scale for weighing the cats:


and this one for food:


I am very happy with them both.

 

[carolina]

IT HAS ARRIVED!!! ​

I am so excited! 5 days in transit - and still so frozen I swear I got frostbite from handling the meat pouches! :lol3: All the kitties are swarming me, I'm pretending it's so they can have their delicious delicious raw meat, but it's beyond frozen solid, lol. Our fridge is notorious for NEVER defrosting anything once it's frozen, so I'll probably have to go the bowel of warm water route. Also, IT ALL FITS IN THE FREEZER!!!

On the 3 years of studying, I should disclose it's because after year 1 (which included the mind boggle of dry food ingredients to, scratch that - just go wet, and sifting through that to get to raw) my boy I adopted, contracted urinary blockage and...


WARNING ANGRY CAT OWNER RANT : :soap:

Our vet chastised me for my food choices (wellness core dry/canned), told me I was LUCKY they were willing to TAKE him. That I should have gone to an EMERGENCY clinic where it would have been 3k vs 2k, then proceeded to give me Royal Canine S/O DRY food. 30 minutes of me hysterically crying in the office - exclaiming how on earth corn was going to save him, if she could point out what MEDICAL ingredient was in there that would "prevent" any future incidents.. She basically said he'll die if I don't feed it to him. So, for a year and a half he was stuck on Royal Canine S/O (wet food at least.. They didn't care as long as they got their $2.11/can) and I dropped all raw conversion ideals. I also had an incident of giving him a chunk of raw chicken breast - him getting sick for an unrelated reason shortly after - and AGAIN getting chewed out by my vet with a long lecture. SIGH.

So, I say 3 years, but really it was more like 12 months at the start then 10 months at the end, lol! As for why I kept that vet? She charged me 2k to give him a catheter and keep him overnight for 3 days with an IV. THAT was the cheapest vet in my area. Canada... you guys get ripped off so badly, I just, wow man... wow. Second I moved back to the states I knew it was my chance to convert, without maxing out another CC. :lol3:

Almost everything to do with vets have been horror stories for me. My current vet is wonderful, she's taken care of my mom's cats for 5 years. When you bring her your pet, you know they'll do everything they must to save them, without jacking up the extras for profit. Sadly I still haven't told her I'm converting to raw though.. I want to trust her, but with everything that has happened in the past I'm scared of getting shunned again.


/END OF ANGRY CAT OWNER RANT.



So, questions I have for my Journey!~

I haven't bought a food scale yet. :anon: I have a $50 gift card for Bed Bath and Beyond, but before I get a scale for food.. How do you all weigh your CATS? I know my vet is only 15 minutes drive away, with their scale in the lobby, but I was hoping to avoid the undo stress of weekly vet trips for the babies. (Especially our 17 (?) pound girl, I don't think I'd get her to the vet without loosing a limb!) I use a baby scale - IMHO you are better off using your gift certificate to buy a baby scale, then buying a cheaper kitchen scale with your $$$. The baby scale is more expensive....

Second, I've been adding up a cart on Hare-Today to check prices, after shipping ($38 dollars...why shipping WHY) it comes to near 150/month for assorted 30 lbs of meat + their supplement powder. It occurs to me though, you add water when mixing it all together - which would add to the ounces provided. So is it safe to say if I add 2 cups of water to 5 lbs of meat it'd be a little over 6 lbs? For those of you who make ground raw - how much water do you add per lb and the resulting end weight? - If I wasn't obsessed with ordering exactly one month's supply at a time due to shipping I'd just wing it... but as long as shipping is a factor these sorts of questions drive me nuts! I never did the 5lbs.... If I remember correctly the 1lb called for 1/4 cup - not enough to make a difference. Out of all brands in the market, IMHO Hare today, even with shipping and supplements is the most affordable way to go - if you are talking commercial. :nod: GREAT meat!

Third, if you order the whole ground prey from Hare-Today, do you just add water and no supplements? I imagine it'd be a complete diet, but then I figure it's not a single ground rabbit you're getting, but 20 ground rabbits then sectioned off into 1lb packages. I think you still need to add the supplements. There is no taurine, so I would....


I think that's everything for now... I'm glad I have the Darwin's food until I can figure out all the nitty-gritty DIY details. Heck I might just skip Hare-Today and go straight to buying a grinder - darn shipping, stealing all my savings! Grinder is a good idea, but the initial investment is high. IMHO if you want to go home made, feed chunks of meat and ditch the grinder - no need for one - save the money. The meat you will buy is the same, the supplements are the same, and you will have the dental benefits of them chewing on meat.... That's what I do - I feed chunks.
Last, but not least - start slowly, one flavor at a time. If they are eating canned, mix a little raw into the canned food, then every day mix a little more of the raw, while reducing the canned. Until all you have is raw. Move at their pace. See how they are doing (litter box) every time you increase the raw before moving up to the next step.
The best thing to do, IMHO, is to defrost the raw, divide into smaller portions - enough for each feeding, into freezer-safe ziplock bags and re-freeze it. It will make your life way easier!
How big are the pouches?

 

[ivycats]

First a big THANK YOU! for all the support you guys have given during this (very short) time! Things are moving along CRAZY fast, but I don't think I'd have done it if I hadn't joined. I needed a good push to make me go through with it.

So as of 30 minutes ago, a slow transition is off the table... I have NEVER seen ANY cat eat THAT fast. I'm fully expecting some vomit on the floor when I wake up.

Aslan knew it was coming, he was pacing around the thawing food, heck they all knew it was coming! I normally feed Dahl on the counter because he's easily pushed away, and Aslan and the kitten, Pinkiepie, on the floor in one bowl. Aslan no longer approves of this method. He was growling the whole time, and finally started taking large chunks all the way across the entire living room to eat them alone - they all got their own bowl, lesson learned.

The pouches are 8oz each, I just spooned some into each bowl as they came near to finishing. The kitten was SUPER excited, he likes to shove his head into a new bowl every 30 seconds - see what the other cats are eating. I gave about 1oz to my mom's cat as well, I was hoping our 17 lb girl would like it... of course the one who NEEDS it is like "ew", but her boy happily ate all of his. So I'd hazard 7oz between my 3 and 1oz for mom's.

Assuming my cats are around 10 lbs each, at 3%, I can not fathom them eating only 4oz a day. All 3 cats had already eaten 1 x 5.5oz canned wellness core today. Frankly I could tell they were peeved I gave away the 2 spoonfuls to the other cat!

How hard was it for everyone to transition their cats to so little food daily? I just keep thinking how, I only need 1.5k calories a day, but even if I eat that (all from icky healthy sources), I'm still going to want to eat for the second half of the day!

I guess we'll be calling the Darwin company up and pushing the next shipment to Monday. We had thought 4oz per adults and 8oz for the kitten (16oz/day) would be enough...I'm seriously doubting it now. Also when does a kitten stop being considered a kitten? I believe he's 13 weeks old...

I was expecting a long transition, at least 3 weeks if not longer. I feel so bad I didn't get a cat/food scale before now. x_x I mean I knew Dahl and Aslan kinda liked the chicken gizzards, but nothing crazy - the kitten wouldn't even touch them!

 

[carolina]

BLEEP!!!! I was half way through defrosting it with warm water when I read this. x__x Can you not even put the leftovers in the freezer? Well lesson learned... the outsides of the package are room temp warm and the middle is still frozen. I dumped out the hot water and put in cold. Probably spent 15 minutes so far defrosting it.

Nope, not if you defrost in hot/warm water. Here is what I would do.... Scoop out the outside ASAP (completely). Feed that. Put the rest in a separate Ziplock bag, and toss it back in the fridge for defrosting.

 

[carolina]

First a big THANK YOU! for all the support you guys have given during this (very short) time! Things are moving along CRAZY fast, but I don't think I'd have done it if I hadn't joined. I needed a good push to make me go through with it.


So as of 30 minutes ago, a slow transition is off the table... I have NEVER seen ANY cat eat THAT fast. I'm fully expecting some vomit on the floor when I wake up. :rolleyes2 Aslan knew it was coming, he was pacing around the thawing food, heck they all knew it was coming! I normally feed Dahl on the counter because he's easily pushed away, and Aslan and the kitten, Pinkiepie, on the floor in one bowl. Aslan no longer approves of this method. He was growling the whole time, and finally started taking large chunks all the way across the entire living room to eat them alone - they all got their own bowl, lesson learned. :lol3:

The pouches are 8oz each, I just spooned some into each bowl as they came near to finishing. The kitten was SUPER excited, he likes to shove his head into a new bowl every 30 seconds - see what the other cats are eating. I gave about 1oz to my mom's cat as well, I was hoping our 17 lb girl would like it... of course the one who NEEDS it is like "ew", but her boy happily ate all of his. So I'd hazard 7oz between my 3 and 1oz for mom's.

Assuming my cats are around 10 lbs each, at 3%, I can not fathom them eating only 4oz a day. All 3 cats had already eaten 1 x 5.5oz canned wellness core today. Frankly I could tell they were peeved I gave away the 2 spoonfuls to the other cat! How hard was it for everyone to transition their cats to so little food daily? I just keep thinking how, I only need 1.5k calories a day, but even if I eat that (all from icky healthy sources), I'm still going to want to eat for the second half of the day!

I guess we'll be calling the Darwin company up and pushing the next shipment to Monday. We had thought 4oz per adults and 8oz for the kitten (16oz/day) would be enough...I'm seriously doubting it now. Also when does a kitten stop being considered a kitten? I believe he's 13 weeks old...

I was expecting a long transition, at least 3 weeks if not longer. I feel so bad I didn't get a cat/food scale before now. x_x I mean I knew Dahl and Aslan kinda liked the chicken gizzards, but nothing crazy - the kitten wouldn't even touch them!

Ohhhhh I Love it
You are SOOOO Lucky your cats are giving you no troubles with the transition - SOOOO Lucky!
That is for sure the hardest part!
So, do you have a feeding schedule yet? I feed mine 3 times a day - in the morning before work, early evening after work, and late night, before bed - around 11:30pm-12am. All meals are equal in size.
As far as how much to feed.....
If they are 10lbs and you want to feed 3%, that would be 4.8oz a day, not 4. If you do 3 meals, 1.6oz per meal.
With that said.... My cats range from a bit over 11lbs (Lucky), Around 13lbs (Hope) and my little giant Bugsy, weighs 17lbs and 7oz.
I just reduced their meal sizes today to 4.5oz a day - for all of them (from 4.8oz).
That puts Lucky at 2.55%, Hope at 2.16%, and Bugsy at 1.6%
I reduced as Bugsy needs to lose more weight, and he was losing very very little. Hope and Lucky were maintaining, but I think they will be alright with this small change.
As you can see though, none of my cats eat 3% on the contrary - if Bugsy eats 3% he will gain weight - FOR SURE.
Raw is quite filling, and very nutritious, you will be surprised with how little they have to eat to be satisfied.
Now, the kitten is another story...... I would double it up, probably :nod:
As until when a kitten is still a kitten? About 1 yr old.....
I can't wait for your report tomorrow - don't forget - PROBIOTICS on them - very important!!

 

[ivycats]

Ohhhhh I Love it

You are SOOOO Lucky your cats are giving you no troubles with the transition - SOOOO Lucky!

That is for sure the hardest part!
So, do you have a feeding schedule yet? I feed mine 3 times a day - in the morning before work, early evening after work, and late night, before bed - around 11:30pm-12am. All meals are equal in size.
As far as how much to feed.....
If they are 10lbs and you want to feed 3%, that would be 4.8oz a day, not 4. If you do 3 meals, 1.6oz per meal.
With that said.... My cats range from a bit over 11lbs (Lucky), Around 13lbs (Hope) and my little giant Bugsy, weighs 17lbs and 7oz.
I just reduced their meal sizes today to 4.5oz a day - for all of them (from 4.8oz).
That puts Lucky at 2.55%, Hope at 2.16%, and Bugsy at 1.6%
I reduced as Bugsy needs to lose more weight, and he was losing very very little. Hope and Lucky were maintaining, but I think they will be alright with this small change.
As you can see though, none of my cats eat 3% on the contrary - if Bugsy eats 3% he will gain weight - FOR SURE.
Raw is quite filling, and very nutritious, you will be surprised with how little they have to eat to be satisfied.
Now, the kitten is another story...... I would double it up, probably

As until when a kitten is still a kitten? About 1 yr old.....

I can't wait for your report tomorrow - don't forget - PROBIOTICS on them - very important!!

I don't really have a set feeding schedule. Every time I tried to introduce it, something would happen where they'd benefit more from eating whenever they asked. This is seriously biting me in the bum. I tried feeding them 3 times, but when I split the food up into such small portions, they harassed me non stop for 6 hours. Even this morning, I started out with half their daily serving, within 3 hours it was non stop begging and crying.. I gave each one an egg yolk hoping it'd calm them down - just made it worse!

We tried the Turkey today, it was more frozen than their previous servings which seemed to aid in slowing them down, it just seemed like there was more food there in general. If I can get through until the morning, they'll have had 1 lb split between them... but I get the feeling by 2am they'll be back to complaining.

Ordered the Cat/Food scale today!

Cat scale: http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?sku=17285670&

Food scale: (Thanks otto!)

I haven't bought any probiotics yet. The costs are adding up faster than we hoped, especially since Monday I'll be requesting they ship the next order ASAP. I was trying to find ways to scale the costs back faster, but looking at Hare-Today, if I were to only purchase 28 lb of ground chicken + supplements it came out only 4-ish dollars less than just ordering 28 lb of chicken from Darwins. I wish I lived in a larger city, the 40 dollars in shipping make my penny pinching brain twitch! I rather put that money towards more variety for the kitties!

 

[carolina]

I don't really have a set feeding schedule. Every time I tried to introduce it, something would happen where they'd benefit more from eating whenever they asked. This is seriously biting me in the bum. I tried feeding them 3 times, but when I split the food up into such small portions, they harassed me non stop for 6 hours. Even this morning, I started out with half their daily serving, within 3 hours it was non stop begging and crying.. I gave each one an egg yolk hoping it'd calm them down - just made it worse!

We tried the Turkey today, it was more frozen than their previous servings which seemed to aid in slowing them down, it just seemed like there was more food there in general. If I can get through until the morning, they'll have had 1 lb split between them... but I get the feeling by 2am they'll be back to complaining.
This is why a feeding schedule and a routine is SO important - I guarantee you two things: 1- It will not get better until you establish a schedule and a routine; and 2- they get used to it very very quickly! YOU, the momma, just need to be strong!!


Ordered the Cat/Food scale today!

Cat scale: http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?sku=17285670&

Food scale: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001N0D7GA/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00

(Thanks otto!)


I haven't bought any probiotics yet. The costs are adding up faster than we hoped, especially since Monday I'll be requesting they ship the next order ASAP. I was trying to find ways to scale the costs back faster, but looking at Hare-Today, if I were to only purchase 28 lb of ground chicken + supplements it came out only 4-ish dollars less than just ordering 28 lb of chicken from Darwins. I wish I lived in a larger city, the 40 dollars in shipping make my penny pinching brain twitch! I rather put that money towards more variety for the kitties! I am not sure how much your freezer can handle, but the more you order at HT, the less per pound your shipping will be - just keep that in mind..... Probiotics is very very important...... I pay $22 I think for 180 capsules. You can get some from Target or walmart - just make sure it is 100Billion CFU, and capsules (not tablets) with nothing else added :nod: But you really want to give them that.....