I feel like I am inside of a carriage headed to California full speed in the middle of the Gold Rush days 
Just wanted to pop in really quick and say we are on 100% canned now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I finished up the last bag of Simply Nourish dry food about two weeks ago, intending to buy more as always and just... didn't!
I haven't noticed any real changes, but they were more than half canned anyway. They are still eating mostly Sophistacat (now called Great Choice) but 1 meal per day is high-end grain free like Wellness Core. (Sophistacat's label doesn't say grain free but there are no grain sources listed in the ingredients, so no corn or rice or wheat - but, it is primarily by-product based so not the best protein in the world.)
As finances ease up I want to up that good quality grain-free to all meals, adding probiotics/enzymes along the way, then probably just drop "cold turkey" frankenprey on them by summer! LOL! ("Cold turkey" is such an interesting phrase to use in relation to raw feeding haha! My kitties would say, better NOT be COLD turkey!!!) As far as frankenprey goes I plan to set up a rotation pretty closely based on Laurie'sAll you raw pioneers are making this so easy for us stragglers! WE LOVE YOU!!!!
It's funny - I hadn't checked the site all day and at our late-night meal I was thinking I needed to come write here that they are drinking WAY less! I don't have a fountain, but I fill their bowls each night. Usually they are more than half gone or even all the way gone (like some left in the bottom, not totally empty) sometimes, and now they are all still 3/4 full or more. It's really something!!!! It's amazing how you can "know" something - cats need water with their food as they will not drink enough on their own to be properly hydrated - but to SEE the difference now that they are on all canned, to know FOR SURE that they are getting more moisture with the wet food than with dry food + wet food + water bowls... it really lights a fire under your butt!
So, have you at least noticed they are drinking less water? I've noticed a huge difference here, since they converted from dry to canned. I used to have to fill up the reservoir on their fountain at least every 4 - 5 days, and not after a week it's still 1/3 full! 'Course, I put mine on grain free canned for all meals, to get them more used to what raw would be like. Maybe that's why
As far as moving them to Frankenprey "cold turkey", hopefully they'll take to it immediately! That would be wonderful. Your babies are pretty young, right? Should be easier
Yep.... mine drink NO water - none! That was weird when it started..... Especially because Bugsy pees and pees!
- it was just SO sad to see her drinking water ... Not because water is bad.... But because I knew she was thirsty - while when she was on raw, she was completely satisfied :nod: Thank Goodness she is on raw again, and again, not drinking anymore - yey!! 
The other thing is that they are ALWAYS hungry...as a meowmy it's so frustrating to hear them crying for food whenever I walk to the kitchen... or by the kitchen... or in the general direction of the kitchen... or thinking about going to the kitchen.... It used to just be Garfunkel but now it's everybody. They are each eating 5.5oz of food per day, one can split between the three of them 3x per day. Is this not enough????? Joni's 9 pounds and the boys were 12 lbs in Jan, prob closer to 13 at this point. 2% of 12 lbs is 3.84 oz and 3% of 12 lbs is 5.76 oz, so I'm confused if they are eating 5.5oz why this is not a good amount for them. Ok.... Keep in mind that this rule is for raw - not for canned.... Raw is more nutrition packed than canned, so you generally feed less. It is richer too, so it is more satisfying... If you are feeding canned, I would suggest you feed the amount suggested on the label, rather than percentage, or go by calorie - 20-25 calories/lb of weight.
With that stated.... Bugsy weighs 20lbs 4oz..... and is eating 5.4oz a day - that is way below the 2% guideline.... if he eats ANYTHING more than that, he will gain weight. He needs to lose weight, and this is the QTY per meal that works for him. Hope, who is 13lbs 3.5oz, eats 4.8oz a day - again, more than that and she will gain weight. That is 2.26%
There is a reason why they go to the kitchen: now you have timed meals..... and there is where the meals come from.... naturally, they know where to go :nod: Mine follow me every time I go to the kitchen - it doesn't mean they are hungry :nod: It just means they know I make food in there..... Call that wishful thinking - get used to it - that comes with feeding raw too.... you will never prepare meals alone again :lol3:
Hungry? Lucky will flat out jump on bed, wake me up and raise hell :lol3: Bugsy will eat plastic - trash bags, will jump on my desk and look for plastic - the boy is a mess :lol3: That only happens right before feeding times though..... He makes sure to get his point across.... LOUD and CLEAR :lol3:
I am thinking I was way overfeeding them on dry. I never measured it, just put down what filled their bowls.
I am going to take Willowy's suggestion and start offering them some raw chunks every day - just with one meal so they don't become unbalanced. Or maybe as a snack would be better? They eat at 7:30am, anywhere from 5:30-7:30pm, and between 11pm-midnight. If a snack, where would I put it? I am hoping that maybe this will help fill them up? I give them the high quality grain-free at breakfast as they have the longest stretch after that meal - up to 12 hours - so my theory (or hope) is that the better protein has more staying power to keep them satisfied longer. Maybe I could give the raw chunks then too? Or maybe at night because of the lower quality food, to help it last longer? Any ideas LOL
There is a very long stretch going on there.... Anyway you could make that less? It seems they are going almost 12 hours without food at times, and that is too much.... What time is the latest in the am you can feed them, and the earliest in the pm? If adding a snack, and if someone is available to do that, I would most definitely fit in that long stretch - right in the middle of it.... You will prevent over-acid production. Schedule feedings with long stretches in between like that can become problematic as the kitty starts producing too much acid - you can start getting vomiting.... Not good.... Meat is definitely quite filling, and IMHO the more the merrier! My crew is liking chunks better, and pretty much rejecting ground..... it is better for their teeth and jaws too - plus cheaper, which is truly awesome! It can actually end up being cheaper than all canned, which.... well... works out to be a good deal
Shen will actually howl at me - and that, right after eating almost 2 ounces of his meal (because I fix theirs before I fix ours). :lol3: He is definitely NOT hungry - just hoping. :lol3:
Look at them go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :bigthumb:
Look at them go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think it is perfect!!! I have one of those too.... and freeze dry treats are great!
Your kitties are adorable! But I have to say, if it takes them that long to eat their chicken, they're probably getting plenty to eat!One of our 8-month-old "kittens" would have had those filets gone in 15 seconds! Seriously.We usually make "snakes," but I left a few big pieces like you use. I was curious about how the kitty would do with the big piece, but because I turned away just long enough to give food to the grownup cat, I didn't even get to see the kitten eat it. Did he swallow it whole? I dunno!
When we started on raw, we could not find any info on how much to feed kittens, other than "as much as they want," or "at the high end of the calorie range for adults." Just like with you with your canned food, every time we went near the kitchen they were begging for food. Those piggies were getting 8-12 ounces of raw a day, and rolling themselves into the kitchen in order to beg for more. They all got fat,and now are getting under 5 ounces each, and maintaining their weight. (I don't want to increase their food until I see their fat bellies go away.) So, pay no attention to the little liars!
I totally agree - my friend with the OBVIOUSLY OVERWEIGHT cats thinks my cats are way too skinny (the boys, at one year old, are over 12 pounds - she thinks they're too skinny!). And I have friends who make comments that "chubby cats are always cuter" which doesn't do anything to help cat parents' self-justification of over-feeding. Grrr.
Thanks!!!! Joni is so funny when she finds non-canned food to eat (I don't feed from the table but a couple times when I've had guests who had food plates they sat down somewhere, etc. she's gotten meat, bread rolls, etc.) - she sinks her teeth in, hunkers down with her tail swishing, and runs off. In this example, I think she goes under the table. I don't think you can hear it in the video, but I heard their pile of tissue paper rustling around - and that's under the dinner table. My favorite part - and I missed it on camera!! grr!! - is after she leaves when she comes running back in and when she gets to the rug it moves under her feet into the room, haha!
Thank you so much fo getting back to me. Apologies, I was typing without being too clear
hosphorus ratios either?
