Raw food

[meranaldar]

This got me curious. I have some scales with weigh to a hundredth of a gram, and the eggshell powder I have (which looks like a very fine powder to me) weighs in at 0.14 gram. Half a teaspoon weighed 1.98 grams, and 1/64 weighed 0.06.

Which don't seem to quite add up, though I imagine there would be some difference, such as if it's packed in a little more or less from time to time or person to person. I just scooped it up then used the lid of the container to scrape off the top to make it flat. But 2 grams to 4 grams for half a teaspoon? That's a  big difference.

Makes me wonder if yours is really just that much finer LDG, as hard as that is for me to imagine.

 

[lilin]

 
I have a few questions about raw food for cats.

I have heard that feeding your cat raw food makes cats extremely fit and healthy and more "kitten like" is this true?

Is feeding raw cheaper or more expensive than feeding canned food? I have 5 cats and find it pricey to feed them all canned food. But I try my best to make sure they all get canned because I know how much healthier it makes them.

can you give me a few raw recipes I can try?

What is the best way to transition from canned food to raw food?

Can cats get parasites and sick off raw food?

Thank you guys for your time!

(I have 3 kittens, a 1 year old and a 10 year old if this makes any type of difference)

Well, there is no such thing as a miracle food, but yes, I believe raw food is healthier.

My cat Pia might be a good example of to what degree it is healthier, since she was young and fit as a fiddle to begin with.

I switched her from canned to raw, and nothing super dramatic happened. Like I said, she was already very healthy. But I did notice a bunch of little stuff: her breath doesn't smell, her feces smells less and is more solid, and her coat seems a little healthier and less oily. These are all little things, but I think demonstrative that her insides are just generally working a bit better.

Some people have noticed that raw feeding helps a lot with certain health problems, like IBD and other intestinal sensitivites.

I feed Pia commercial frozen raw -- Primal and Nature's Variety. It costs exactly the same as feeding her all canned Fancy Feast. It costs slightly more by weight, but you feed slightly less because it's more nutritionally dense, so it evens out.

From what I understand, feeding homemade raw is sometimes a bigger investment upfront, but it costs less over time.

Yes, cats can get sick from bad meat. They are less susceptible to some types of bacteria than humans are, but you do want to make sure you are feeding as fresh of meat as you can, and not leaving it out for too long. You gotta train them to eat it right away. The first couple times I fed Pia raw, I took it away after 20 minutes like clockwork, and she learned very quickly that she can't let it sit. She usually finishes it all before she walks away now.

Personally, I am more concerned about contamination than some, and this is part of why I like the commercial raw brands I feed her. Every batch is tested before release, and they are pressure treated to kill bacteria while leaving nutrients intact.

 

[ldg]

This got me curious. I have some scales with weigh to a hundredth of a gram, and the eggshell powder I have (which looks like a very fine powder to me) weighs in at 0.14 gram. Half a teaspoon weighed 1.98 grams, and 1/64 weighed 0.06.
Which don't seem to quite add up, though I imagine there would be some difference, such as if it's packed in a little more or less from time to time or person to person. I just scooped it up then used the lid of the container to scrape off the top to make it flat. But 2 grams to 4 grams for half a teaspoon? That's a  big difference.

Makes me wonder if yours is really just that much finer LDG, as hard as that is for me to imagine.

Let me go get the bag of eggshell powder. If I recall, they list the instruction for use in a recipe in grams. That'll let us know if my scale is off or what. Hang on a sec...

OK. They say "1 leveled 5cc scoop (6.1g)"

There are 5 CCs in a teaspoon, so one scoop is one teaspoon, and that weighs 6.1g as per packaging on the eggshell.

6.1g divided by 32 is 0.19g (0.2g) per 1/32 teaspoon.

Is that anything close to what I posted earlier? It is what I posted earlier - for the weight of the 1/32. My scale weighed the 1/2 teaspoon as being too heavy, it should have weighed about 3g, and my scale weighed it as 4g. That's a HUGE difference.


Meranaldar, I'm wondering what weighed in at 0.14g? 1/32 of a teaspoon?

Obviously how finely ground, how finely packed, etc all factor into it. But if 1/32 of a teaspoon weighed in at 0.14, then 1/2 a teaspoon *should* weigh 2.24g. :dk:

So we both have issues with our scales and volumes. But 0.14 vs 0.19 per 1/32 teaspoon (if that's what you were saying weighed 0.14g) ... I guess that could be explained by how finely ground the powder is. :dk:

Here's another discussion of eggshell and volumes: http://www.holisticat.com/esp.html The conclusion to this one is that 1/2 a teaspoon balances 1 pound of meat, though there's no discussion of the weight of the eggshell.

:dk:

 

[lcat4]

I just weighed 1/32 tsp of Alnutrin Eggshell on my scale that measures to 1/100 gram. I didn't pack the powder, but tried to make it flat with a little shake. The scale fluctuated between .19 and .20 grams, right on target.

 

[ldg]

L lcat4 How much does 1/2 a teaspoon weigh on your scale?

Mine didn't weigh the larger amount correctly, or I packed it a lot tighter or something. :dk:

 

[meranaldar]

Sorry, yes it was 1/32 that weighed 0.14g. It's possible the 1.98 for half a teaspoon could have been slightly more (though certainly not 3g), since I didn't have much eggshell left and was scraping the bottom of the container to fill up the half teaspoon.

 

[lcat4]

I got wide results. The blue scoop measured at 6.07 grams. My beat-up plastic 1/2 tsp measured between 2.97 and 3.2 grams (three tries). 1/4 tsp (better shape measurer) times two was 3.05 grams. 1/8 tsp (metal pinch) times 4 was 3.09 grams.

The scale is sensitive, even blowing air makes it fluctuate.

I would think it might almost be "safer" to measure by teaspoon if the scale accuracy is suspect. But as my husband keeps reminding me, it's a very small amount of stuff being spread over a lot of meat and we're trying to keep within a range. He wondered if the canned food company was measuring to that infinite scale and making sure every morsel of meat was mixed? That doesn't mean I won't keep trying.

 

[aprilprey]

I would think it might almost be "safer" to measure by teaspoon if the scale accuracy is suspect. But as my husband keeps reminding me, it's a very small amount of stuff being spread over a lot of meat and we're trying to keep within a range. He wondered if the canned food company was measuring to that infinite scale and making sure every morsel of meat was mixed? That doesn't mean I won't keep trying.

I was wondering the same.  I was following this thread, as I just started making the eggshell powder, thinking "Oh crap another calcium headache" - the last headache brought on my nitpicking how much bone to take out of chicken thighs etc....

What you just posted is a good way to look at it.  Its not like a rocket science thing that has to be absolutely perfect with each and every meal.

 

[ldg]

I always just used volume, and figure it works out over time.

 

[brooklyn201219]

Ohhhhh thank you!! I will definately jump on that site. I heard rabbit is some of the best anyway considering it's a more natural diet in the wild.

 

[brooklyn201219]

Thank you very much!

You actually took the time to answer all my questions.