Some questions about raw feeding

[nierlisse]

Hi there, new here and relatively new to raw feeding. My husband and I have been raw feeding our cats chicken for a few months but we still have a few questions. I searched around on this board and couldn't quite find the answers I was looking for, so I thought I would ask.

I know we should be feeding them more than chicken and hadn't been able to find anything around here that wasn't ridiculously expensive, however after reading some of these threads I have some links and will be ordering meats very soon. In terms of what to try next, what would you recommend attempting to feed them after chicken? We gave them small fresh fish for about a week but then our grocery store stopped carrying them. Our female cat, Lola, was really not interested in the fish at first but by the end of the week, she was trying them. We were eating shrimp the other night and she went nuts for the tiny piece I gave her, so who knows? The other cat, Ampersand, refuses to eat chicken skin and prefers to crunch on the bones, while Lola loves the skin and avoids the bones.

We've also had some issues with them throwing up afterwards. It isn't a constant thing, maybe once or twice a week, but since their diet right now is all pretty much the same I'm not sure if it's because they just eat too fast or what. Lola had a huge problem with this at first and by the time she stopped, Ampersand started. I think we're going to just have to start feeding him by hand for a while but if you have any other suggestions I'd be happy to hear them.

My last questions was about taurine. For those of you who use taurine supplements, where do you get them from? I've found capsules on diet/exercise websites (for humans, obviously) but I'm not sure if those are any good or even the same. We feed in chunks, not ground, so I'm not even sure about how to supplement taurine with that. Are there any other supplements we should be using as well? We also make all the meals at once and then freeze them, re-thawing as needed, if that makes a difference.

I really like the raw feeding (minus the throwing-up) and the cats just go crazy for it and are so much softer and active since we started doing it. I'd appreciate any help or advice you could give me. Thank you very much!

 

[goingpostal]

Are you feeding organs and hearts? Hearts, dark meats, mice are all high in taurine, I was supplementing at first when I switched but don't really anymore, got eggshell powder and taurine from here, you can just coat a meal in it or mix in with organs
http://knowwhatyoufeed.com/shop_online.html

As far as other meats, anything you can get that your cats will eat really, I feed turkey, mice, cornish game hens, rabbit and duck, but you can feed quail, beef, pork, lamb, whatever, you want at least 3 proteins but the more variety the better. For the puking, start a journal if you don't already have one of what you fed each day and how they reacted, might help you narrow down what the issue is.

 

[nierlisse]

Yes, we are feeding them livers and hearts on top of the regular chicken meat. Thanks for the link! I will definitely check that out.

 

[auntie crazy]

Hi, Nierlisse! Welcome to TCS!

... I know we should be feeding them more than chicken and hadn't been able to find anything around here that wasn't ridiculously expensive, however after reading some of these threads I have some links and will be ordering meats very soon. In terms of what to try next, what would you recommend attempting to feed them after chicken? ...

It's good that you are adding additional meats to your cats' diet; variety is as important to their health as it is in ours and you should be feeding at least three different types of animal meats. Pretty much all store-purchased animal sources are good, as long as the meat is not "enhanced" or "flavored" with marinades or seasonings (always check the small print).

...We gave them small fresh fish for about a week but then our grocery store stopped carrying them. Our female cat, Lola, was really not interested in the fish at first but by the end of the week, she was trying them. We were eating shrimp the other night and she went nuts for the tiny piece I gave her, so who knows? ...

Fish is unhealthy when fed in more than bite-sized amounts once or twice a week. See Dr. Hofve's LittleBigCat.com article Why Fish is Dangerous for Cats. Three quarters to one sardine a week is all I feed my kitties, and then only because it's such a rich source for those oh-so-healthy Omega 3s.

... The other cat, Ampersand, refuses to eat chicken skin and prefers to crunch on the bones, while Lola loves the skin and avoids the bones.

We've also had some issues with them throwing up afterwards. It isn't a constant thing, maybe once or twice a week, but since their diet right now is all pretty much the same I'm not sure if it's because they just eat too fast or what. Lola had a huge problem with this at first and by the time she stopped, Ampersand started. I think we're going to just have to start feeding him by hand for a while but if you have any other suggestions I'd be happy to hear them....

Vomiting can be caused by a slew of reasons; in your case, I'm thinking the likely culprit is too much fat. Chicken skin is especially high in fat, and too much at one time can cause an incidence of vomiting and / or loose stool. I routinely remove the skin from all chicken products except wings (although I do leave it on for other meats, as cats require about 35% fat in their diet, which is a good bit more than we do).

... My last questions was about taurine. For those of you who use taurine supplements, where do you get them from? I've found capsules on diet/exercise websites (for humans, obviously) but I'm not sure if those are any good or even the same. We feed in chunks, not ground, so I'm not even sure about how to supplement taurine with that. Are there any other supplements we should be using as well? We also make all the meals at once and then freeze them, re-thawing as needed, if that makes a difference. ...

As long as you're feeding a balanced frankenprey diet (80% meat, 10% bone, 5% liver and 5% some other secreting organ) based on raw animal meats, bones and organs, you've no need, really, to add taurine... or any other supplement. If, however, you'd like to for your own peace of mind, Fresh + Oasis Feline T has some great recommendations.

Hope you find some of this helpful!

AC