Hello all!
I am new here and I am very interested in raw foods for my two cats. The older one (female, named Meekah) was born May 20th, 2003 (10 years old), weighs 20 pounds (Please read below), normal blood test result. The younger one (male, named Gizmo) was born Feb 12-15, 2012 (~1.5 years old), weighs 10 pounds. First I would like to share the behind the scenes to ensure understanding of how overwhelmed I am (maybe a bit of 'I have been there and there's hope).
Meekah has been over weight since she was two. I have tried every cat food available to me costing anywhere between $30-80 dollars a month. She is now obesed. I am frustrated, really extremely frustred. for EIGHT years she's been on every dry food diet, pinching from amounts here and there. Always feeding twice a day. Bought an automatic food machine to despense food quatities during certain times, thinking it was me not calculating the food out right. she kept gaining. I was told to excersize her.... You have to come to my home, she don't excersize, she used to play fetch, but got all mad at me for having my daughter, hasn't done it since. I am drained and getting no where. Then the vets look when you walk in, because you know I just didn't do my job!
So after talking to a friend on Facebook about getting another bag of Blue, but really getting ticked on the prices and no results and feeding for a 10 pound cat, and really starting to think maybe chasing her with a vacuum would make her lazy butt move (I wouldn't dare, I said it, but I wouldn't dare, it was an exagration of 'what do I have to do to get her to move") she told me about canned food. I was told the myth, you all know it and are annoyed by it so I wont repeat it. Just note she's been on dry food for her entire life (except for the last 4 days, when I switched to canned, I am going to try it, I've tried everything else right?)
These past four days reading on Catinfo.org, and this forum and a few others I lost count. I mean loosing time and 3am is here, reading. I am more ticked with the misinformation I was given in the past then I am about waisting money on the 'high end' dry food. Canned is better than any dry food? I caused my Meekah to become fat and unheathy and bought into this. Like I have said I have tried every dry food around Vet food, store food, unheard of food, high end food. Why would I not have done this sooner, just to give it a go! I am usually a think out side of the box person, never thought it would be dry food, I was thinking I wasn't paying enough for it and feeling guilty about it, or that it was me!
4 days on canned and she's coming out more, she still doesn't move much, but she's coming out more. She usually just laid on my bedroom floor, or behind the couch, but would leave the room if someone came in (unless it was me, she's always only liked me). She is actually really taken to the canned better than Gizmo, which is surprising, she is a very picky eater, She only likes large kibble (think T/D Vet formula), so I was a bit worried because she can't go out on a hunger strike and loose weight too fast... Gizmo is forever getting into my food, I hate it! I thought no issues with him... Meekah will eat anything (although she doesn't like the flaky types, but will eat it) and Gizmo like Turkey and Giblets (whatever that is).
I am a bit concerned for the two cats and wanted to know when anyone made the transition to canned, did they eat less? They used to get a cup each/day with dry food. Fancy Feast is a small container but Meekah will eat two cans a day, Gizmo will eat one can. I try to get him to eat more but he wont. They don't howl like they are hungry, and Meekah will eat what ever amount you give her, there is no full button on her. Did anyone else notice the change in amounts, It's hard to judge because I read the serving sizes on the cans are not a 'rule' as they increase the amounts so you pay more for food. And doing the oz per pounds... She'd be eating the case a day! There are no calorie counts on the cans, so I can't judge from that. Crazy! I don't want to mix canned and dry, I know if they hear/see/smell the dry they will not eat the moist , they will just pick out the kibble and leave the moist, I kid you not. Meekah 'spits' out the dark brown kibble from Blue - eats the rest. I will if there was a hunger strike, but not if they are eating moist, but I don't see that issue yet. Does the above sound like enough?
So I am trying to convert them to canned then to raw. wanting to use catinfo.org's reciepe. Live in Canada, can't find a grinder that is reasonable to get shipped here. That is not loud (I live in apartment, can't be loud). On a low budget, so I can't worry about it getting replaced all the time or parts because 'it doesn't do bone'. Looked up bone meal... Why can't we get bone meal? Apparently they stopped selling it here in 2008 or 2009 from the mad cow situation, but it's 2013, why can't I get bone meal? I searched here and read this thread http://www.thecatsite.com/t/261077/lets-talk-about-calcium-and-bones... Totally confused, probably because I am trying to make everything work, do calculations of costs/day/cat in my head all at once. But what is microcrystalline calcium hydroxyapatite, is this microcrystalline calcium hydroxyapatite http://well.ca/products/now-foods-bone-calcium_32452.html that has Vit D and then there are amounts. How much to put in, not good with math and percentages, which is why I wanted a receipe LOL, Then theres egg shell might be better for my family for convience, but is it better?... Information over load I guess, I read and reread that thread I am still a dear in headlights.
So my daughter, who is 6 says, why not just take the meat off the bone and chop up the meat mix in the liquid (she watched the youtube videos), with it and just give them the bones to chew on. That would be my end hope, that I can some how mix the meat with the suppliments, portion it out, and give a bone (how funny, like a dog), during the last meal and be done, would that work? how would you get the meat to 'soak' up the suppliments evenly and portion... *sigh
As for subliments: So for from well.ca (free shipping in Canada and can do online dept) I can get
Holista Fish oil, 120 capsules, 1000mg for $16.99
Jameson Vit E, 120 capsules, 400 IU, for $19.99
Webber B50, 60 capsules, 50g, for $11.99
Now Taurine, 250 capsules, 1000mg for $24.22
Just have to add liver, 'bone and portion
Does that sound like good
Thank you for reading and for any help/suggestions offered.
I am new here and I am very interested in raw foods for my two cats. The older one (female, named Meekah) was born May 20th, 2003 (10 years old), weighs 20 pounds (Please read below), normal blood test result. The younger one (male, named Gizmo) was born Feb 12-15, 2012 (~1.5 years old), weighs 10 pounds. First I would like to share the behind the scenes to ensure understanding of how overwhelmed I am (maybe a bit of 'I have been there and there's hope).
Meekah has been over weight since she was two. I have tried every cat food available to me costing anywhere between $30-80 dollars a month. She is now obesed. I am frustrated, really extremely frustred. for EIGHT years she's been on every dry food diet, pinching from amounts here and there. Always feeding twice a day. Bought an automatic food machine to despense food quatities during certain times, thinking it was me not calculating the food out right. she kept gaining. I was told to excersize her.... You have to come to my home, she don't excersize, she used to play fetch, but got all mad at me for having my daughter, hasn't done it since. I am drained and getting no where. Then the vets look when you walk in, because you know I just didn't do my job!
So after talking to a friend on Facebook about getting another bag of Blue, but really getting ticked on the prices and no results and feeding for a 10 pound cat, and really starting to think maybe chasing her with a vacuum would make her lazy butt move (I wouldn't dare, I said it, but I wouldn't dare, it was an exagration of 'what do I have to do to get her to move") she told me about canned food. I was told the myth, you all know it and are annoyed by it so I wont repeat it. Just note she's been on dry food for her entire life (except for the last 4 days, when I switched to canned, I am going to try it, I've tried everything else right?)
These past four days reading on Catinfo.org, and this forum and a few others I lost count. I mean loosing time and 3am is here, reading. I am more ticked with the misinformation I was given in the past then I am about waisting money on the 'high end' dry food. Canned is better than any dry food? I caused my Meekah to become fat and unheathy and bought into this. Like I have said I have tried every dry food around Vet food, store food, unheard of food, high end food. Why would I not have done this sooner, just to give it a go! I am usually a think out side of the box person, never thought it would be dry food, I was thinking I wasn't paying enough for it and feeling guilty about it, or that it was me!
4 days on canned and she's coming out more, she still doesn't move much, but she's coming out more. She usually just laid on my bedroom floor, or behind the couch, but would leave the room if someone came in (unless it was me, she's always only liked me). She is actually really taken to the canned better than Gizmo, which is surprising, she is a very picky eater, She only likes large kibble (think T/D Vet formula), so I was a bit worried because she can't go out on a hunger strike and loose weight too fast... Gizmo is forever getting into my food, I hate it! I thought no issues with him... Meekah will eat anything (although she doesn't like the flaky types, but will eat it) and Gizmo like Turkey and Giblets (whatever that is).
I am a bit concerned for the two cats and wanted to know when anyone made the transition to canned, did they eat less? They used to get a cup each/day with dry food. Fancy Feast is a small container but Meekah will eat two cans a day, Gizmo will eat one can. I try to get him to eat more but he wont. They don't howl like they are hungry, and Meekah will eat what ever amount you give her, there is no full button on her. Did anyone else notice the change in amounts, It's hard to judge because I read the serving sizes on the cans are not a 'rule' as they increase the amounts so you pay more for food. And doing the oz per pounds... She'd be eating the case a day! There are no calorie counts on the cans, so I can't judge from that. Crazy! I don't want to mix canned and dry, I know if they hear/see/smell the dry they will not eat the moist , they will just pick out the kibble and leave the moist, I kid you not. Meekah 'spits' out the dark brown kibble from Blue - eats the rest. I will if there was a hunger strike, but not if they are eating moist, but I don't see that issue yet. Does the above sound like enough?
So I am trying to convert them to canned then to raw. wanting to use catinfo.org's reciepe. Live in Canada, can't find a grinder that is reasonable to get shipped here. That is not loud (I live in apartment, can't be loud). On a low budget, so I can't worry about it getting replaced all the time or parts because 'it doesn't do bone'. Looked up bone meal... Why can't we get bone meal? Apparently they stopped selling it here in 2008 or 2009 from the mad cow situation, but it's 2013, why can't I get bone meal? I searched here and read this thread http://www.thecatsite.com/t/261077/lets-talk-about-calcium-and-bones... Totally confused, probably because I am trying to make everything work, do calculations of costs/day/cat in my head all at once. But what is microcrystalline calcium hydroxyapatite, is this microcrystalline calcium hydroxyapatite http://well.ca/products/now-foods-bone-calcium_32452.html that has Vit D and then there are amounts. How much to put in, not good with math and percentages, which is why I wanted a receipe LOL, Then theres egg shell might be better for my family for convience, but is it better?... Information over load I guess, I read and reread that thread I am still a dear in headlights.
So my daughter, who is 6 says, why not just take the meat off the bone and chop up the meat mix in the liquid (she watched the youtube videos), with it and just give them the bones to chew on. That would be my end hope, that I can some how mix the meat with the suppliments, portion it out, and give a bone (how funny, like a dog), during the last meal and be done, would that work? how would you get the meat to 'soak' up the suppliments evenly and portion... *sigh
As for subliments: So for from well.ca (free shipping in Canada and can do online dept) I can get
Holista Fish oil, 120 capsules, 1000mg for $16.99
Jameson Vit E, 120 capsules, 400 IU, for $19.99
Webber B50, 60 capsules, 50g, for $11.99
Now Taurine, 250 capsules, 1000mg for $24.22
Just have to add liver, 'bone and portion
Does that sound like good
Thank you for reading and for any help/suggestions offered.