Rotating Raw And Canned Wet Foods

[sarah430]

I have two litter sibling kitties, Link (boy) and Navi (girl), that are about 10 months old. We adopted them through a rescue at 6 months old, shortly after my beloved kitty Ezlo died at just 3 years old. (He was indoor/outdoor and was hit by a car --- Link and Navi are indoor only.) We always had cats growing up but Ezlo was my first as an adult and I just did what we did when I was a child (which was a long time ago) and fed him whatever, not really thinking about the quality. He ate dry (Iams or Trader Joes) and wet (Fancy Feast and Sheba), mainly fish varieties because that's what he liked. Now I know that was not very good for him.

I think because of how devastating it was to lose Ezlo so early I started doing more research about what was best for kitties after I adopted Link and Navi. They came to me eating Science Diet dry and I took them off that. (Fortunately they drink a lot of water and pee frequently.) They are on a higher quality dry but they also eat wet and I limit the fish. They seem to like the chicken varieties the best but I've been trying new wet varieties so I can get different proteins into them. I'd like to totally eliminate dry but I think I'll need to use it part of the time for the few times when it is more practical. I want to get some freeze dried raw for them to try to use as dry on occasion. So far they like the lower quality dry food better than the high quality but I'm going to keep mixing and hope they take to it better. Ideally I'd take them off all dry. Fortunately they seem to like wet just fine and I've settled on a few brands I like that are low carb and mostly meat and minimal additives.

Which brings me to the point of my post. I'd like to start integrating some raw food into their diet. There are many natural pet stores in my area so I have easy access to commercial raw. I don't have extra freezer space so I can't stockpile a lot and at the moment I don't envision making home-made raw. But I see a lot of benefit of getting some raw into their diet. Since they'll still be getting wet I'm not so concerned about the raw being complete. I'm thinking a few meals a week to start.

How would you go about doing this? Is it realistic for a cat to go back and forth between canned wet and raw. Any other advice? I've read a lot of the resource articles and lurked around here for awhile. I recently watched the documentary Pet Fooled (I think that's what it's called) on Netflix and it inspired me even more to get their diets as species specific as practical. Thanks!

 

[lalagimp]

I like raw over canned because it was cheaper than what I felt was a high quality can I was using, and has less stuff in it. The cans often have either fruits of vegetables. Then I was using commercial raw from Nature's Variety because it was readily available and a good way to try them on raw. I think I was able to get it down to about $17 for a bag. But, even that still had stuff added in that bugged me a little. Cats are only meant to eat meat proteins. They don't need peas or blueberries or tapioca.
It is a pain in my butt to make the food, but I do. It takes me 2 hours to prep for the month for my two males. Maybe you have better raw available in your shops?

Whatever you are able to find, if it's complete, the label should have taurine listed. If you can't find anything you agree with in the store there is an online brand called Darwins that uses pretty simple formulas and will autoship to you every month. A popular brand depending on your area may be Rad Cat.
A popular brand of freeze dried that is even available on Chewy.com is Stella and Chewys

 

[sarah430]

Thank you for your reply!

Money is not my primary concern, although I don't want to break the bank. I haven't really delved into cost for raw yet and the exact details of what I plan to buy but I know I have good options either locally or online. I understand from my research that a complete food needs to contain taurine. I'll probably start with Rad Cat since they are local and I know my local natural pet store carries it.

I guess my main question really is how to make the transition from wet to raw, especially if I don't plan to go 100% raw (this may change, of course). Right now I'm thinking 25% raw, 75% wet canned, with maybe some dry. If a cat will eat raw do they end up preferring raw and less likely to eat canned? Can they go back and forth?

Since I'm not concerned with raw being 100% complete, what raw can I give them that I get from the grocery store? I know I can't give them grocery store ground due to the bacteria, although I've heard some people do it. I wouldn't. I also have a local grocery chain in my neighborhood that is similar to Whole Foods so have good access to grass-fed, organic meats, etc. I understand I can make my own and can add to make complete, but I'm not interested in doing that at the moment. I'd like to start with commercial and/or also anything I can give them from the meat dept of my grocery store. Thanks!

 

[orange&white]

Rad Cat is complete so no worries there. You can give them any grocery store meats and meaty bones (chicken and duck necks, chicken wings, etc), and tiny bits of liver, kidney, sweetbreads, etc. It is when you start feeding grocery meats without a recipe or measuring the meat/bone/organ ratios that you can start to get the diet out of balance. But if you're doing 75% canned, 25% Rad Cat, and also throw some slivers of grocery meats or a chicken neck or wing per week, then those extras would qualify as a safe amount of "treats".

Making the transition: You can serve the raw on a separate plate next to the canned, or you can mix a small amount of raw into the canned and gradually increase the portion. You may find that Link prefers raw and Navi prefers canned, or the other way, or both, or neither. In 2008, I had a 15 year old cat who took to raw as if I had been holding out the "real food" his entire life, and a 3 year old cat who took months and months to recognize raw as a "food group" and then to enjoy eating it (plus the third non-picky cat who was just happy to get fed anything). I'd try the raw separately at first to see if either or both kitties take to it without any difficult transition.

 

[sarah430]

Thank you orange&white! That's exactly the kind of information and advice I was looking for. I think I'll get some Rad Cat this weekend and also start looking at what the grocery stores have to offer.

 

[orange&white]

Are you a vegetarian? If not, you can just try some slivers of whatever raw meat you are cooking for dinner (before you add any seasonings to it).

Do try to keep the grocery meats to 10% or less of the diet if you aren't mixing and measuring the right ratios.

Let's say your cats eat 10 ounces a day of food (any combination of canned and Rad Cat raw), then they are eating 70 ounces per week. For raw meat and bone grocery store "treats" that are not nutritionally balanced, that would be 7 ounces or less of grocery meats per week, or only about an ounce a day for 2 cats, 1/2 ounce each. If you find you are giving them more than a half pound of grocery meats per week, then it's time to mix up a balanced batch with a recipe.

 

[sarah430]

Got it. Thanks so much!

 

[sarah430]

My local pet store gave me a few 1 oz samples of Rad Cat chicken. I gave them each 1/2 ounce at separate times in their regular food dishes. They ate it right up without hesitation. It was only about a teaspoon so not a lot but I've never seen them lick the plate clean before!

Geez I feel like there's no turning back but this could get expensive as I'm not prepared to make my own at the moment. Maybe some day. But wow, I can definitely see raw is the way to go. It's like they've only tolerated their other food up to now...

 

[orange&white]

Kittens seem to take to fresh food easier than adults whose taste buds got set on processed foods earlier in life. Sounds like you'll not have to go through the frustrating process of transition. I think your original idea of 75% canned and 25% raw sounds like a good start, and easier on your budget. Plus if you do add in 10% grocery meats/wings as cat treats, then that's the least expensive of all, and a good way to stretch the cat food budget.

 

[lisahe]

Just a quick note on the question of cost: we feed our two cats a combination of commercial raw, homemade cooked, and canned foods. The commercial raw foods we feed, which include Rad Cat, end up being not much more expensive than the canned foods. That's partly because I get decent prices on raw foods at a local store, including a very good price on Rad Cat, but also most of the canned foods we feed are expensive (I won't feed carby ingredients or carrageenan, which really limits the choices). Beyond that, the cats seem to fill up best on raw food (meaning they're satiated for a long time) plus they eat everything, so nothing's wasted. Basically: even if the sticker price of a serving of Rad Cat is higher than some of the canned foods, at least they eat it all and don't need to be fed again right away, which makes it more cost-effective! (I did do calculations on this a year or two ago but don't remember the numbers...)

 

[lalagimp]

Just a quick note on the question of cost: we feed our two cats a combination of commercial raw, homemade cooked, and canned foods. The commercial raw foods we feed, which include Rad Cat, end up being not much more expensive than the canned foods. That's partly because I get decent prices on raw foods at a local store, including a very good price on Rad Cat, but also most of the canned foods we feed are expensive (I won't feed carby ingredients or carrageenan, which really limits the choices)

That's why the boys got switched entirely to raw. The cans we were feeding were almost $30 for a case of 12 5.5oz cans
1 of those only lasted 6 days. It's nearly $140 so even though I'm feeding them rabbit and turkey at roughly $115 a month I'm still saving $300 a year. Yeah I could be saving if I just moved them to chicken and ground my own *we bought a grinder* but balking at the original figure of $140 a month, I spoil them.

 

[orange&white]

Raw can be really inexpensive. I just made a 54% beef mix over the weekend that will feed each cat for less than 60 cents a day ($1.17 a day for two cats), and beef is the most expensive mix I make. If you venture a little bit into homemade, even one recipe batch once in a while, you'll save some money for the more convenient Rad Cat and premium canned foods.

 

[sarah430]

Thanks all! I've been giving them better quality canned food but probably not the most expensive -- brands like Earthborn Holistics, Nulo, Wild Calling, etc. My goal has been to keep a 2.5 to 3 oz serving under $1 but I haven't actually tallied up my cost per week or month. Plus they've still been getting some kibble (high quality - Nature's Instinct) but I'm phasing them off it. I'll have to see how much the local shop charges for Rad Cat. The thing is they are kind of meh about canned food. They eventually eat it but it usually takes a few hours. I can see them totally shunning anything but raw if it becomes a bigger part of their diet. That's a good thing but I definitely need to starting thinking more about logistics and cost. And yes, perhaps I'll get into homemade sooner rather than later. I'm just so happy they took to the raw so quickly!

 

[orange&white]

That's all decent food. The other nice thing, is that your kittens will starting eating a little less after they're a year old.

 

[lisahe]

Thanks all! I've been giving them better quality canned food but probably not the most expensive -- brands like Earthborn Holistics, Nulo, Wild Calling, etc. My goal has been to keep a 2.5 to 3 oz serving under $1 but I haven't actually tallied up my cost per week or month. Plus they've still been getting some kibble (high quality - Nature's Instinct) but I'm phasing them off it. I'll have to see how much the local shop charges for Rad Cat. The thing is they are kind of meh about canned food. They eventually eat it but it usually takes a few hours. I can see them totally shunning anything but raw if it becomes a bigger part of their diet. That's a good thing but I definitely need to starting thinking more about logistics and cost. And yes, perhaps I'll get into homemade sooner rather than later. I'm just so happy they took to the raw so quickly!

First, on Rad Cat: definitely compare prices at local stores if you have multiple places that sell it or are willing to order it for you. Prices in the stores in my area differ a lot!

What you say about your cats being "kind of meh" about canned food is what we're going through. Our cats have been eating this raw/homecooked/canned menu for at least a year but I think the catalyst is changes to Tiki's recipes: the cats really don't like the food now. (They'll usually eat a canned meal over time, like your cats do, but now just hate what used to be their favorite Tiki and barely eat it at all. Oh well!) They only get one canned meal a day so that's not exactly a tragedy but I've always liked the convenience of the one canned meal, particularly because I travel a few times a year.

I may end up doing a variation in what lalagimp did and switch the cats to fewer canned meals, bring in more homemade cooked food, which they both really like and which is easy to make (with EZcomplete) and store for when I travel, and see if there's another kind of freeze-dried commercial food I could feed and feel good about. For some reason, they really love freeze-dried and it's very convenient for their humans, too--we have strange work schedules!

It's not (always!) easy feeding good food to cats!

 

[sarah430]

Good point on comparing prices. I just did a search using the Rad Cat where to buy tool and there are no less than 40 sellers within a 10 mile radius of me! One store, which is within a mile of my work, is called Meat for Cats and Dogs. Oh my, it looks like an emporium for raw feeding, and they also carry the better brands of dry/wet. I'll have to stop by on my way home.

Definitely hear you on balancing convenience. I left the house this morning at 5am and won't get home until 6:30pm. Left a note for the teen to open a can for the kitties. I need to keep that option (or something as easy) available.

 

[lisahe]

Good point on comparing prices. I just did a search using the Rad Cat where to buy tool and there are no less than 40 sellers within a 10 mile radius of me! One store, which is within a mile of my work, is called Meat for Cats and Dogs. Oh my, it looks like an emporium for raw feeding, and they also carry the better brands of dry/wet. I'll have to stop by on my way home.

Definitely hear you on balancing convenience. I left the house this morning at 5am and won't get home until 6:30pm. Left a note for the teen to open a can for the kitties. I need to keep that option (or something as easy) available.

I had to take a look at Meat for Cats and Dogs: they have lots of commercial raw brands, that's great! (And I'm going to look into some of these: maybe there's something freeze-dried and orderable that I didn't already know about...) It looks like a fantastic store, too bad I live just outside the other Portland.

 

[sarah430]

I stopped by the Meat store after work yesterday and asked one of the clerks to show me what they had, explaining my situation. I left with a 24 ounce bucket of chicken Rad Cat and 3lbs of chicken Small Batch. Both were ~ $15. Is that good? I haven't had a chance to shop around yet or compare other brands. I only had time for a quick stop at the store and am looking forward to going back when I have more time to browse around.

I would've liked to thaw out the Rad Cat first but I'm gone this weekend and I don't want my 18 year old son to have to deal with feeding them raw. So I'll wait on that until next week. I put a few discs of Small Batch in the refrigerator to thaw and I'll see how they like it this evening. The price and convenience seems good but I'm not thrilled about the vegetable matter and cranberries in Small Batch, although it seems minimal. But if I can do better I will.

 

[orange&white]

72 ounces of food would feed my two cats for 7 days, so $15 for a week...not too shabby!

 

[sarah430]

I meant each cost $15.... But still maybe not bad...especially for the Small Batch.