New here, introduction and a questions(long)

[kagebara]

Hello all,

I currently have 4 cats and only 1 eats a raw diet.

My f2 savannah girl seen here is on a 99% raw diet. my other f4 savannah eats dry with the occasional treat of chicken or fish raw, and 2 other regular domestics that wont touch raw.

When we got my f2(Mochi) she really only wanted to ever eat raw, no bagged food, no dry(refuses to eat it alone) nothing. So I started out with a hand grinder and boneless chicken thighs. after a while it was WAY to much work, so we got an attachment for the mixer. life got better but all the fat and trimming was then taking longer, we found a good deal on boneless skinless chicken breast w/rib meat. its easy and quick, we trim, cut and grind a 7 lb pack a week and put it in baggies and freeze it.

She also gets a powder supplement (apperon) on her chicken with taurine and calcium.
While reading around on this site I seen the need to add bones to her diet and every one pointed towards chicken wings. I picked up a pack yesterday and she took down 3/4 of a leg on her first try.

Two things I learned here was that to never microwave to warm up or anything. I did that a couple times.. never again. and I had been mixing in some kibble to her chicken for bulk as she was eating me out of house and home for a bit on ONLY chicken, will never do that again.

My question was.. does this diet have enough of what she needs?

this morning she refused her regular ground chicken, I threw half a wing down there and she ate it.. usually she eats 2.5oz of chicken when we get up at around 7, then when I leave for work around 1030 I feed here the same again, then the same at night 2 more times and she always seemed hungry still.

I read about frankenprey and the like but as of right now.. i spend the maximum amount of time on her food prep for her and me..
so just a few opinions.. is this enough?

Thanks for reading and opinions in advance

 

[koobe]

I am fairly new here, so just some ideas for your reference.

I think the balancing of a diet is more important than the time. I prefer to make my own raw with liver and other organs added to it. My kittens are 6 mos old, so I have to cut the meat in small pieces. I heard some people here just throw them a whole piece of meat/liver/organ (which minimize prep time) and make sure it is balanced over a certain period of time.

I saw you add Apperon to the meat (I am suggesting Oasis FT). I recently talked to the tech and he told me adding the supplement to meat only or meat+organ will be fine, because it is designed that way. So depends on how comfortable are you with that saying. If you are, I think what you are doing it pretty enough.

 

[sharky]

You should not be seeking advise like this from LAYMAN... You should be consulting either your vet or due to the high % wild blood in your kitties a wild animal vet...

 

[kagebara]

Originally Posted by sharky

You should not be seeking advise like this from LAYMAN... You should be consulting either your vet or due to the high % wild blood in your kitties a wild animal vet...

actually I was seeking OPINIONS not advice.. thanks for wasting your time though

 

[sharky]

Originally Posted by Kagebara

actually I was seeking OPINIONS not advice.. thanks for wasting your time though

Just in case YOU did Not actually read the rules :

Rule 1
1. No online advice can replace direct veterinary intervention. If you suspect that your cat may be ill, please contact your vet immediately. You are welcome to look for advice in the health forum while waiting for that appointment, but never delay proper veterinary care waiting for Internet advice. Remember that cats, and especially kittens, are very adept in keeping pain to themselves and delaying treatment may cause irreversible damage.

You are IN FACT asking for advice as that goes hand in hand with opinions in this area.

 

[goldenkitty45]

IMO when dealing with cats that have a higher percentage of wild blood in them, its trickier to know exactly what is required. I would read a LOT more about raw feeding and work with a vet who knows about raw feeding. Many vets don't and you could be doing more harm then good.

If you are gonna have more/less wild cats, you should be a lot more knowledgable in feeding them! Most all of us have domestics and maybe 1/4 of us feed raw (some or all). Its not something you really should be asking us - we really are not experts to know if you are feeding them properly.

Have you even discussed this issues with the breeder where you got your cats???

 

[carolina]

Originally Posted by Kagebara

actually I was seeking OPINIONS not advice.. thanks for wasting your time though

You are asking for opinions, and that was Sharky's opinion, and a sound advice, actually... IMHO, no need to be defensive...

Here is the thing: You are talking about a F2 Savannah, who might be having an unbalanced diet. This can lead to many many health problems in the future, problems that usually show up after a while, on a raw diet, and when they do, it is often too late and irreversible.
There are thousands of members in this forum, but only one with a Savannah (aside from you),that I know of, and I don't believe he feeds raw.
Aside from that, there is one member with exotics, John (AmbertheBobCat), who does feed raw, and he might be able to give you some advice, but IMO you really should see a vet to put a diet together for your baby. This way you can explain what your needs are, as far as the amount of time you can spend on food preparing, and he/she can tailor a diet according to your cat's needs.
No advice will really replace that of a vet... It is one visit that can save you a lifetime of trouble....

 

[mschauer]

Originally Posted by Kagebara

actually I was seeking OPINIONS not advice.. thanks for wasting your time though

Just remember you can always ignore posts you don't find helpful.

You might find more information you find useful from these sources:

http://www.rawfedcats.org/

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/rawcat/

 

[sharky]

Originally Posted by mschauer

Just remember you can always ignore posts you don't find helpful.

You might find more information you find useful from these sources:

http://www.rawfedcats.org/

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/rawcat/

No online advice can replace direct veterinary intervention. If you suspect that your cat may be ill, please contact your vet immediately. You are welcome to look for advice in the health forum while waiting for that appointment, but never delay proper veterinary care waiting for Internet advice. Remember that cats, and especially kittens, are very adept in keeping pain to themselves and delaying treatment may cause irreversible damage.

Information given by posters here are not based on your pet’s full history, and are by people who most likely do not have a degree in veterinary medicine. There are many home remedies, as well as approved veterinary treatments for cat health problems that may work for one cat, but be lethal for another cat. Please discuss any potential treatments with your vet first to ensure you are treating the right problem, and not potentially making it worse.
This would includes written BY LAYMEN ...

 

[mschauer]

Originally Posted by mschauer

Just remember you can always ignore posts you don't find helpful.

You might find more information you find useful from these sources:

http://www.rawfedcats.org/

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/rawcat/

And I have also found this one to be helpful:

http://holisticat.com

Good luck! I hope you find the help you need!

 

[sharky]

Originally Posted by mschauer

And I have also found this one to be helpful:

http://holisticat.com

Good luck! I hope you find the help you need!

NOT surprisingly NONE of those site s is DONE by a small animal vet let alone a VET specializing in hybrids or wild animals.