Penelope and Delilah on Raw

[catnamedpanda]

I figured I would start a thread over here now that I am starting the girls on raw. I decided to order some Call of the Wild to put on meat for the girls after they LOVED some raw chicken that I gave them just to see.

It arrived today and I fixed them each a plate and figured it would be easy just put it down and they would go to town, considering they were begging at my feet while I cut and portioned the chicken thighs this morning. Well Penelope started eating right away and finished most only leaving behind a few pieces. They were MUCH smaller this time than when I cut them up the first time they had chicken.

Well Delilah on the other hand was convinced that I had poisoned her chicken. She sniffed it, and would go sniff Penelope's and then would go back to her plate and sniff some more. She was very upset that it was not what she thought she was getting. I put a few tiny pieces of chicken with out anything on it and she gobbled them right up and kept looking at me for more. After lots of coaxing I got her to eat some, but not much so we finished off lunch with some canned.

 

[Willowy]

Aww, she doesn't like her vitamins . Maybe start off with a teensy sprinkle of the supplement, just enough to put a taste on the meat. Then gradually increase the amount as she gets used to it. I don't think a kitten should be too stubborn about it but who knows?

 

[ldg]

Aw, I'm sorry little Delilah doesn't like it! Poor little baby, momma's trying to poison her!

I agree with Willowy. Maybe start with a REALLY small amount, and just veeeeeery slowly increase it? Or even just put a little bit on the side on her dish at first, so she gets used to the smell before trying to add it to her meat? :dk: It's not going to hurt her if it takes a little while to get her eating the amount she needs. Especially if she's still getting some canned food. :nod:


....just an FYI here. I had no plans on feeding my cats frankenprey. But when I needed to thin out the commercial food I was feeding them with plain meat, because the mix had too much bone, three of them decided they liked meat, not ground meat/bones/organs. I pretty much had no choice but to figure out how much meat and organs to feed them, and how to supplement it with calcium (because I didn't want to feed bones). AND... then a couple of them decided they didn't like organs. And one can't keep them down. So now, like Carolina, I just feed freeze dried liver to Sheldon (he likes that, thankfully), because HE doesn't like Call of the Wild. Lazlo, another one that stopped eating organs, won't eat ANY food now UNLESS it has Call of the Wild on it! He looks at me like I'm trying poison him if it doesn't have his vitamins on it! :lol3: The one UNIVERSAL thing about feeding raw with multiple cats is that it seems there is always at least ONE cat that has to make it difficult for us.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

The one UNIVERSAL thing about feeding raw with multiple cats is that it seems there is always at least ONE cat that has to make it difficult for us.

Boy, ain't THAT the truth!!

So glad to hear you're putting the girls on raw.  It should be very good for them, and obviously they like the protein part of it, so you're most of the way there.  Since they are so young, you can probably teach them pretty readily to eat entirely Frankenprey...bones and all.  Then you won't need the Call of the Wild, (shouldn't use it as a matter of fact, if I'm thinking straight).  Are you feeding your other cats raw?  I mean, are you familiar with the percentages of meat to organs to bones, etc, or is that why you are using the Call of the Wild instead?  (much easier, that's for sure!  But only if they'll eat it!)

 

[ldg]

Sally, she was going for easy first. I think she was also concerned about such little kitties eating bones. But "easy" is apparently relative! :anon: :lol3:

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Sally, she was going for easy first. I think she was also concerned about such little kitties eating bones. But "easy" is apparently relative!

Yes, I could see with those wee ones that bones of any size might be a problem.  Good thinking.  But they might still enjoy some of those duck hearts that everyone's been oohing and aahing about.  I've got some in the fridge right now thinking about serving 'em up to my own furkids for dinner.

 

[ldg]

Well, FurryFriends just puts her rescue kittens right on bones. I mean - if born of a feral mom, they learn to eat them when they're being weaned. :dk: But I'm not one to talk, I'm still uncomfortable with it. :lol3: I KNOW it's natural, I KNOW they can handle it just fine. But.... :anon:

 

[emilymaywilcha]

It sure is amazing how much cats smell! I could never notice the unique odor of COTW if I painted it on a chicken wing.

 

[catnamedpanda]

Well Dinner went a little easier. I only put a little sprinkle on this time. Although Delilah still needed convincing that it was good. She just stared at it like it was going to bite her and then when she noticed Penelope was eating away she had to go see what she had. She was sadly disappointed that it was the same thing that was on her plate so she went back and reluctantly started to eat. She picked up the first bite so slowly I was laughing. She discovered she liked it better this time and gobbled up everything I had on her plate. I still finished off the meal by offering them some canned too, just to make sure I wasn't shorting them any nutrients or anything. I guess I will just have to build up to getting her to eat with more on it.

I am not feeding my other cats raw yet. They free feed on dry (I know bad), so I have a lot more work to get them even on a schedule and then convince them to eat wet food, I know a few would but I have lots of picky eaters who wont even eat cat treats. I can't even think about putting them on raw, until I make those changes. I plan to get there eventually. Penelope and Delilah have refused dry and only eat wet so I figured why not go ahead and put them on raw, especially while they are still young. Plus the fact that price wise it is going to be the same if not cheaper to feed these two raw, considering they only like and eat expensive brands of wet. While my adults eat 4Health (I actually have a few bags still I stocked up with when they had a sale before the recall, I still checked every bag just to make sure it was safe).

I have been informed of the percentages of everything, 80% muscle meat, 10% bones, 5% liver, and 5% other secreting organ. Bones with them being so tiny scare me. With me feeding raw I have to order online, because no where in town sells anything raw. I looked around at the grocery stores and could find liver but finding kidney so far has been impossible. Then making sure everything is balanced kinda scares me but I think if I put my mind to it I could handle it.

I found chicken hearts at the store, I could easily pick some of those up for them.

 

[catnamedpanda]

Ok, so I gave the girls breakfast. I put more Call of the Wild on it than last night and just put some plain pieces on top so the supplement was kinda in the middle. I set the plates down and the girls went to town right away, no having to coax Delilah this time. I went to get a drink and before I even had it in my glass the girls were at my feet. I picked them up to go put them back at their plates thinking they thought I was bringing them wet food or something but their plates were spotless not even a single bit left! I'm not positive that one didn't eat the others, I normally watch them to make sure they each get their share, but this is the fastest they have ever cleared a plate of anything.

They each had 1.5 oz on their plates. I give that to them 4 times a day. If they are gobbling it up like this should I give them more, is it possible to let them eat too much at this age? Delilah can and will eat till she is very bloated. They were eating 4-6 oz of canned everyday, and that already shocks most people especially because Delilah is so tiny she can sit in one hand still.

 

[Willowy]

Aw, little carnivores! I guess she got used to the COTW. On a related note, I tried COTW for the first time yesterday and all the cats ran over to the plate and started licking it off the meat--even the cats who won't eat raw meat! So I don't know how I'm going to make sure everyone gets the right balance. Crazy cats :lol3:.

I would probably be inclined to feed them a bit more, just because they had such a terrible start. But then too much isn't good either :dk:. I guess you can watch the litterbox--I understand that if a raw-fed animal gets too much food, it results in some runny poops. It's amazing how much those teeny kittens can pack away!

 

[emilymaywilcha]

Panda: I heard it is impossible to "overfeed" a kitten because they need to keep growing. Especially Delilah, being so tiny - I would try to feed her more than Penelope so she can catch up in size.

Willowy: Are you cats eating COTW but not the meat it's on?

 

[Willowy]

Willowy: Are you cats eating COTW but not the meat it's on?

They did last night! Now, on the package they say it can be added to commercial food too, but personally I wonder about oversupplementation :dk:. I guess I'll see how it goes the next times I give it to them.

I know the conventional wisdom is that you can't overfeed a kitten. But I have raised some kittens who would eat until they burst, I think! Especially those with a bad start. So sometimes you have to choose the serving size for them.

 

[ldg]

*phew* So you're NOT poisoning your little Delilah after all! Can I just say SHE IS TOO CUTE??????????????? :lol3:

OK - this is eHow, but the information comes from 2nd Chance Ranch: http://www.ehow.com/decision_7218458_many-food-should-feed-kitten_.html

Amount of Canned Food

For canned food, a kitten needs 7 1/4 to 9 oz. a day at 10 weeks, 8 to 10 1/2 oz. at 20 weeks, 8 to 12 1/2 oz. at 30 weeks and 7 1/2 to 10 oz. a day at 40 weeks.

Now - that's canned food. Raw has a much higher rate of bioavailability than canned, so you need to feed less. My adult cats eat about 4.5 ounces of raw food a day, and they were eating about 6 ounces of canned food a day. So how old are they? Somewhere between 10 and 20 weeks, right? So you may want to feed them a little bit more - towards the 6-7 ounces? :dk: And as suggested above, increase it a bit as they grow?

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Holy cow!  4-6oz cans of food a day?  Is that split between the two of them?  They must be making up for lost time

.

I can just see the shock on your face when you went over to their plates and they were empty this morning

Good little carnivores!  Too cute.  I would definitely feed them either a little more at each meal, or an extra meal and then see what happens. 

 

[carolina]

awesome turn-around for call of the wild - good job!
catnamepanda, I can say this about it: Hope had some gas - she burped and farted like an adult........ human being it was actually kind of funny before I started using it...... But then, after COTW, all changed - don't know if coincidence or not, but that is all gone :nod: She no longer has gas, and her digestion is flawless Hopefully it will help Delilah too :bigthumb:
Her energy level is through the roof too..... It has been great for her - really awesome!
And I love it, as she with any organs at all, and hates FD liver, so for her it is my perfect solution to feed muscle only, and still make sure that all meals are balanced and complete :nod:
PS - I haven't posted on your other threads.... I do that a lot, I read the threads, and I don't post :anon:
But Penelope and Delilah are absolutely adorable, and you have done an amazing job with them, outstanding really
They just increase my itch for a kitten..... maybe I will just go there and scoop one up in the middle of the night :wndw: - hummmmmm they are already eating raw and everything......

 

[emilymaywilcha]

I am interested in how long it takes little Delilah to convert to raw full time.

 

[Willowy]

I am interested in how long it takes little Delilah to convert to raw full time.

LOL, I think SHE'd be OK with it now,! It's always us owners who really need the convincing :tongue2: (and have to do the legwork to find out where to buy it!).

Carolina--COTW has a lot of probiotics. I bet that's what sorted Hope out .

 

[carolina]

Carolina--COTW has a lot of probiotics. I bet that's what sorted Hope out .

I think it is more than that.... Hope always took a lot of probiotics.... I doubt COTW has more probiotics than Proviable-DC, which is what she was on before (5 Billion CFU.... pretty strong :nod

 

[catnamedpanda]

Lunch: I gave them each 2oz each, apparently I am starving them because they finished that and were back at the counter begging for more, so I gave them another oz each not expecting them to finish, but they did. I just hope it is not too much. They will have to wait till I get home from work tonight before they eat again anyways. I gave Delilah the full amount of COTW too so I guess she decided it wasn't poison after all.

Aw, little carnivores! I guess she got used to the COTW. On a related note, I tried COTW for the first time yesterday and all the cats ran over to the plate and started licking it off the meat--even the cats who won't eat raw meat! So I don't know how I'm going to make sure everyone gets the right balance. Crazy cats

.
I would probably be inclined to feed them a bit more, just because they had such a terrible start. But then too much isn't good either

. I guess you can watch the litterbox--I understand that if a raw-fed animal gets too much food, it results in some runny poops. It's amazing how much those teeny kittens can pack away!

Silly cats, they need Delilahs love of just the meat.

Their terrible start is what has me inclined to let them eat more if they want it.

*phew* So you're NOT poisoning your little Delilah after all!

Can I just say SHE IS TOO CUTE???????????????

OK - this is eHow, but the information comes from 2nd Chance Ranch: http://www.ehow.com/decision_7218458_many-food-should-feed-kitten_.html
Now - that's canned food. Raw has a much higher rate of bioavailability than canned, so you need to feed less. My adult cats eat about 4.5 ounces of raw food a day, and they were eating about 6 ounces of canned food a day. So how old are they? Somewhere between 10 and 20 weeks, right? So you may want to feed them a little bit more - towards the 6-7 ounces?

And as suggested above, increase it a bit as they grow?

Nope no poisoning! They are 13 weeks, but size wise Delilah is about the size of a 6 week old and Penelope a 9-10 week old.

Holy cow!  4-6oz cans of food a day?  Is that split between the two of them?  They must be making up for lost time

.

I can just see the shock on your face when you went over to their plates and they were empty this morning

Good little carnivores!  Too cute.  I would definitely feed them either a little more at each meal, or an extra meal and then see what happens. 

It was 4-6 oz of canned food each. They have definitely decided they are carnivores.

awesome turn-around for call of the wild - good job!
catnamepanda, I can say this about it: Hope had some gas - she burped and farted like an adult........ human being

it was actually kind of funny

before I started using it...... But then, after COTW, all changed - don't know if coincidence or not, but that is all gone

She no longer has gas, and her digestion is flawless

Hopefully it will help Delilah too

Her energy level is through the roof too..... It has been great for her - really awesome!
And I love it, as she

with any organs at all, and hates FD liver, so for her it is my perfect solution to feed muscle only, and still make sure that all meals are balanced and complete

PS - I haven't posted on your other threads.... I do that a lot, I read the threads, and I don't post

But Penelope and Delilah are absolutely adorable, and you have done an amazing job with them, outstanding really

They just increase my itch for a kitten..... maybe I will just go there

and scoop one up in the middle of the night

- hummmmmm they are already eating raw and everything......

Its ok I read and dont post too. One can only hope the digestion with these two improves, Penelope's gas is terrible. Delilah tends t get constipated more.

I would be very sad if you snuck in and stole them.

I am interested in how long it takes little Delilah to convert to raw full time.

I think she may have decided she is there already.