So I have a new kitty...I named him Freckles

peaches08

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Jan 11, 2013
Messages
4,884
Purraise
290
Location
GA
Freckles has been fed by some people for the last 5 years, but they moved away a month ago.  So poor Freckles is skin and bones at 8 lbs and 8 oz.  He tested negative for FIV and FeLV and heart worms, so I'm bringing him in.  It goes against every fiber of my being to feed him Kit n Kaboodle, but he's used to it and being a little finicky.  He ate raw the first 1-2 meals, then wouldn't touch it.  I gave some Friskies Garden Variety Chicken, and same thing, 2 meals then he won't eat it.  For him to come all the way inside, he's got to be on raw.  I know I sound like a stubborn you-know-what, but I cannot have these 3 IBD cats get into canned (it's why I went to raw to begin with!).  SOOOO...help?  He needs weight, bad.  I gave him the KnK kibble for tonight, free feeding so I can get this guy eating.  He takes nibbles and walks away.  Then comes back later.  He's not overeating at this point, that I will watch for.  I got lucky transitioning my 3, they were young and my situation was such that transitioning straight to raw from canned was fine.  But I don't know this guy yet.  Would you get him on canned then raw, or shoot for raw again from kibble?  My concerns are to get/keep him eating, and get weight on him.  I know I can get weight on him easiest with raw, but that's only if he'll reliably eat it.

Here is outside of my sun porch, in the rain.  That's where he would sit all day and all night.  Broke.  My.  Heart.


He's now on my sun porch until I can move him inside (slowly!).  The vet had to cut the collar off, it was put on by the folks that were feeding him.


The only health concern I see at this time is one eye has "freckles" on the iris.  The vet said to watch it for now. 

Thoughts on any of this?  I'm a nervous new-again cat mama.

ETA:  He was also dewormed.

Another ETA (told you I'm nervous):  He's 6-8 years old.
 
Last edited:

goholistic

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Feb 27, 2013
Messages
3,306
Purraise
370
Location
Northeast USA
Aw....Freckles. He's cute. You're such a good person to take him in! 
  I understand you're nervous. And we're all here to support you.

As far as the food transition goes, I'm not sure how it would be going from kibble to raw since it's usually recommended to go from kibble to canned and then canned to raw. I'm inclined to say stick with the "protocol" and move him to canned first, but others may have some more insight to this. I think he'll be okay where he is as long it's comfortable and he's got everything he needs (food, water, bed, toys, etc.).

One trick I recently learned of was to put kibble in a coffee grinder and make a powder out of it. It serves as a great topper or mix-in and still has the flavor there that they're used to while it's slowly reduced. To avoid rancidity, do it in small batches, refrigerate, and use within a couple days. Of course, others have just used the whole kibble and mixed that in with the canned, but this didn't fly with my Boo and I had to find another way. 
  The kibble powder worked.

Congrats on the new addition to your family! 
 

Willowy

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Mar 1, 2009
Messages
31,886
Purraise
28,287
Location
South Dakota
If he ate raw a couple times, he obviously recognizes it as food (the biggest hurdle for old kibble addicts). Plus he's not so thrilled about canned food either. So I'd go right to raw for him. Following all proper transitioning protocols, of course.

Kibble dust sounds like a good idea. Maybe offer a small plate of raw every time you feed the other cats (just a dab if you don't want to waste much) so he can get used to the idea, while leaving his dry food out for free-feeding. Maybe start picking up the bowl of dry occasionally so he can get used to the idea of not free-feeding. . . .just throwing out random ideas going through my head :tongue2:.
 

goholistic

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Feb 27, 2013
Messages
3,306
Purraise
370
Location
Northeast USA
Hmm...going back and reading your original post more carefully, Willowy is right. If raw and canned both get an "F" in Freckles' book, then you might just try to go with the one you want him to eat. 
Would there be a risk of digestive upset if he's getting kibble and raw at the same time? (I'm really asking because I don't know.)
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #5

peaches08

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Jan 11, 2013
Messages
4,884
Purraise
290
Location
GA
Thanks everybody!  Kibble dust is definitely doable.  I have plenty of snack sized ziplock bags and can smash kibble with a hammer since I don't have a coffee grinder.  Of course if that doesn't work, then I'll be going to get a coffee grinder at some point.  For now it makes since for him to just eat.  And he is, little nibbles at a time.  I forgot to mention that the vet checked his mouth and it's OK.  I even saw him smashing kibble with his teeth, so it isn't a mouth thing as to why he eats only a little at a time.  I guess his stomach just shrunk a bit?  I've read where people used kibble as a topper for raw before, and I'm not one to sweat the salmonella thing anyway.  I may just go that route, from kibble to raw unless someone tells me it's a really bad idea.

His space is pretty comfortable I think.  He's got fresh water, clean litter, free kibble, a blanket, cushioned chairs (he loves these), and I threw one of the new mice in there.  I put a night light out there so he can see his water, food, and litter box.  It's a box my cat's used, but it was the best I could do for the short term.  My 3 are down to one box for now. 

Good news, I spent some time on the porch with him tonight, he did figure 8's around my legs then sat in my lap for a bit.  Since he's "clean" I didn't change clothes and sat in my recliner to make this post.  Mason investigated my legs a bit but has now layed down on top of my calves!  The second pic in the picture the cats were looking at each other but no one was making a fuss.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that things will go smoothly when the time comes.
 

goholistic

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Feb 27, 2013
Messages
3,306
Purraise
370
Location
Northeast USA
The coffee grinder was just easier for me (kibble to dust in 5 seconds). No smashing with a hammer going on in my house. LOL. The sound would likely freak Sebastian out and send him into hiding.  


That's great that Freckles sat in your lap! It seems easier when they are the friendly type at least. Glad his mouth is okay, too.  
 

alyssam

TCS Member
Super Cat
Joined
Jul 7, 2014
Messages
843
Purraise
107
Location
Georgia
Awww Freckles! What a sweet name for a sweet boy. No one could tell you what or if he had a name prior to you moving in?

Glad to hear his vet visit checked out well!
 

catapault

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Oct 5, 2010
Messages
3,595
Purraise
9,288
For my old lady cat who can get persnickety on occasion I get the Pure Bites freeze dried chicken bits and crumble one between my fingers as a topper for her canned food.

If you have to purchase a kibble-smashing device why not get something that is potentially more useful than a coffee grinder. I just bought a Magic Bullet at Wal-Mart (my blender died after one too many frozen  banana smoothie I guess.) It should smash kibble just as effectively as a coffee grinder. Also frozen bananas and all sorts of other things - makes salsa and more.

Or, look for a coffee grinder at a thrift shop.

Freckles looks like such a handsome boy. I love orange cats.
 

zoneout

TCS Member
Super Cat
Joined
Apr 14, 2013
Messages
992
Purraise
99
Location
Stamford, CT USA
My advice is to get any and all kibble, treats, and other garbage out of your house. Cats are not stupid and if they smell these they will hold out for them as they are addicted to the rendered fats that are sprayed on them. If you need a treat to entice the kibble addict to eat raw I would try the freeze dried chicken bits first as mentioned already. If you have to use kibble make sure it is in an airtight container and kept far away from their feeding place. Have plenty of blood/water/juice with the raw as cats will usually start off by lapping at it instead of just chowing down. The raw blood/juice is what their body craves as it is very nutritional. They feel better .... Then they are hooked.
 
Last edited:

lcat4

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
Apr 30, 2013
Messages
213
Purraise
32
I know this is more expensive than your home prepped raw recipe, but what finally swayed my kibble addict holdout to move on from kibble was Radcat Turkey. She then agreed to eat ground raw mixed with TC Feline. After that, she ate whatever I fed her. Maybe one of those, on a temporary basis, would be inviting.

My orange tabby, turning 17 this week, has speckles in his iris, which have developed over time. I don't know if they are the same as your freckles. It's more a mush of color. Vet says it happens with age. Orange tabbies can also get speckles inside the mouth and on the nose. His started a few years ago.

Good luck with your new one!
 

abby2932

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Mar 26, 2014
Messages
590
Purraise
321
Location
New Orleans, LA
How exciting for you (and Freckles), he is so handsome!!!! 


You said he has had raw a few times before....what kind of protein was it? May be try a different protein and see if he goes for it. (So if he has tried chicken, maybe let him have a taste of turkey or beef, etc.) I think I remember you make your own cat food so instead of making up a whole batch of something else to experiment with, get some commercial for a short duration until you can get him to eat yours.

I like what LCat suggested above about trying the Rad Cat Turkey. When I switched my cats, I started them on Rad Cat. I had read many positive things about cats loving that brand and my cats are no exception! Then when I started incorporating my own "homemade" (not really homemade....whole ground animal + Alnutrin premix) they already recognized that raw was food so they eat that too. But they definitely love the Rad Cat more! It's worth a shot! 

And if you don't want to spend so much on that brand of commercial, I read a lot of positive reviews on Primal as well. Maybe try the rabbit or turkey.
 

abbyntim

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Feb 16, 2014
Messages
548
Purraise
47
Location
southern california
Congratulations on your new kitty! Freckles is awfully cute and I bet he's happy to be on your sun porch.

Regarding getting him on raw, I am going to agree with the advice to start him on Rad Cat. Over the past week, I have been slowly transitioning Tim to raw and he still won't eat the Primal rabbit without it being mixed in his canned rabbit. However, he will eat Rad Cat turkey. And he even eats it cold, straight out of the refrigerator. Needless to say, as we gradually increase the amount of raw he eats, this is the one I'm increasing because he seems to really like it.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #13

peaches08

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Jan 11, 2013
Messages
4,884
Purraise
290
Location
GA
RadCat, do you order it online?  Is it patties that you defrost?  Sorry for the dumb questions, the closest I ever got to commercial raw was using premixes.  I'm considering maybe ordering TC Feline again since my 3 went crazy over it.

So far Freckles eats, drinks, poops, and sleeps.  And when I picked the litter boxes tonight, my goodness what a difference between boxes.  Freckles had massive poops that STUNK and a few pingpong ball size pee balls.  My raw fed kitties had tiny poops with pretty much no odor and the pee balls were at least a third larger than Freckle's, most even bigger than that.  Freckles water went down substantially, whereas my raw fed's hasn't gone down much if any.  But he's eating, he purrs and looks really happy out there on the porch.

I'm going to leave the dry down over the weekend as free fed since I'm working three 12-hour shifts and frankly will be doing the best I can to keep litter boxes scooped.  Thanks everyone for the suggestions, you all have mentioned things that I haven't thought of or validated my thoughts, both of which I need right now!

Oh, and he definitely has freckles on his eyelids, nose, and mouth!   Hence "Freckles"!
 

abbyntim

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Feb 16, 2014
Messages
548
Purraise
47
Location
southern california
I purchase Rad Cat at a store. It looks like there are six retailers in Georgia that carry Rat Cat. They are all around Atlanta; not sure if that's convenient to you. It looks like there are online retailers, as well:

http://www.radfood.com/

Rad Cat looks pretty disgusting, but it's basically raw muscle and organ meat with a few additives to make it complete. It comes in a plastic container. The website shows some photos. I cannot tell if it's ground; I don't think so, or it's not ground very fine, as I plopped one ounce on Tim's plate tonight and it was all pretty much a single piece. He has to work at it and sure doesn't eat as fast as when he eats canned.

Glad to hear Freckles is doing well and happy. Amazing litter box differences! When we transitioned our cats from kibble to canned last year, one thing I noticed right away was the bigger pee balls, even though I never saw them drink. And this is saying something, as Tim used to hang out at the water fountain (when he wasn't hanging out at his food bowl). On Nature's Variety Instinct, their poops got a whole lot smaller and a lot less stinkier. I can't even tell when a cat poops anymore, unless I check the box.
 

zoneout

TCS Member
Super Cat
Joined
Apr 14, 2013
Messages
992
Purraise
99
Location
Stamford, CT USA
Just the stink factor alone makes raw poop one of natures wonders. And yes I never have to worry about her ingesting enough water. Of course the smaller poops also mean less straining.... Which over years of time have an adverse impact on the health of the digestive system IMO. Hence the hairball epidemic which seems to plague so many cats.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #17

peaches08

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Jan 11, 2013
Messages
4,884
Purraise
290
Location
GA
Yeah FhiCat, it was hard trying to do some unpacking and such with that face staring at me.  It's raining today and he's looking out the window, from inside the porch.  I hope he's thinking, "Yay, I don't have to worry about searching for shelter/food anymore." 

He's a very sweet and gentle soul.  He still sleeps a lot but otherwise seems fine.  Because I'm working three 12's this weekend I'm just letting him free feed the kibble.  Then I'm going to try a little raw and see what he does.
 

ldg

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Jun 25, 2002
Messages
41,310
Purraise
842
Location
Fighting for ferals in NW NJ!
Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you for rescuing this kitty in need! :hugs: :hugs: :rub: He sounds like a sweetheart. :heart2:

Here's what I'd do. Free-feed him the kibble first. But feed him "meals" as you do your cats. Do you have a "DINNER" kind of call when it's meal time at home? Call it, put the food down for your cats, and go put food down for him. Is there anything he loves? A sardine? It doesn't have to be a meal-sized something. Heck, even some kibble. Or tuna juice (eat a lot of tuna sandwiches for lunch.... ). WHATEVER it is - find something he likes and will eat so he can learn the "meal time" concept. BUT.... also put down a touch of raw - like 1/4 teaspoon - covered in crushed kibble - on the same dish of whatever you're feeding him at his "meals."

I'd also start scooping his pee clumps from the litter and putting them in the other cats' boxes every few days. Get them used to his smell in there. Same for his poop when you're sure it's clear of parasites. If he had round worm, he'll need to be treated again three weeks after the first treatment. Did you get his poop checked? Pawley had lung worm, not round worm. That needed to be treated with Panacur, not a traditional dewormer. He was treated with Advantage or something for mites, fleas and ticks? If not, you might want to do that, too.

If he likes being brushed, and your cats like being brushed, and he doesn't have fleas, etc., I also brush all the cats with the same brush, and let them sniff it before brushing.

Also, once you're certain he's clean, swap bedding.

I'd also rub him all over (especially on the head) with a clean cloth - several of them - and put those under your cats dishes when you feed meals. Get them associating his scent with something they love. I'd rub your cats with cloths, and just swap which ones you put under his dish.

Introductions are all about helping them learn how to share territory - not getting them to like each other. So use scent to "meld" their smells together, get them used to each others' scents, and help them associate those scents with good (food) and comforting (brushing, bedding) things.

I know you didn't ask for that advice, it just pops out. :lol3:
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #19

peaches08

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Jan 11, 2013
Messages
4,884
Purraise
290
Location
GA
I appreciate the advice!  And it is sensible advice.  I've been letting clothes I've worn after handling Freckles stay in the room with the other cats totry to acclimate them some, but that's a great idea about the litter boxes.  I've been using the same scoop (uncleaned) to clean both boxes but only to thoroughly sift them.  He'll probably like brushing, mine are iffy on it.  He was not checked as far as poop, so I'll call them about that before his next appointment.

I'm tired and tried a teaspoon of Cornish hen with Freckles, he ate it!  Gadget was the first one finished and walked over to the door.  I opened it just enough so they could touch noses, and they spent a few minutes touching noses!  No one growled no one was upset.  I kind of expected that with those 2 though, Gadget is really friendly so I figured he was the best one to try it with.  Then I shut the door.  Mason came up, and I opened the door only enough for scent to get through, not nose touching.  Mason was more cautious and I didn't want any fighting.  But no one cat swore, bowed up, flipped out...nothing.  Just sniffing for a few minutes.  Then I shut the door again.  Everyone is acting normal after the "encounter", so I think it's promising!
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #20

peaches08

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Jan 11, 2013
Messages
4,884
Purraise
290
Location
GA
I forgot to add that they checked for fleas and only found some flea dirt around the collar we cut off of him.  His ears are dirty, but no mites.  So we just gave him a dose of Revolution.  Before he comes in where the rest of the cats are he may get another dose of Revolution. 

Looking at the bill, they didn't charge me for the wormer but I'll bet it was pyrantel.

I'll need to try sardines with dinner tonight and see if he eats one! 
 
Top