Switching Picky Kitten To Raw Diet

[Mister_Sylvester]

Hello,

I have an almost 4 month old male kitten that I am considering switching over to a raw diet. I found him and his brothers in the bushes at my complex when they were around 8 weeks and he has always been the pickiest one. He ended up being a foster failure (first one in 10 years of kittens and bottle babies!) and he is driving me crazy with the food situation.

He was always obsessed with dry food which I would like to limit, he does get into it as one of my other senior female cats eats dry. I have tried every canned food out there and Primal/Instinct pre-made raw. He is not interested no matter how hard I try, takes a few tiny bites and refuses to eat the rest.

He loves fresh food and raw chicken I have let him taste. An expensive meat grinder that handles bone is not in my budget at this time so I was considering trying pre-made mixes of meat/organ/bone and adding supplements and additional fresh ground meat into it - I would grind boneless (much cheaper grinder option) - I would base it off this :
Easy Raw Diet Feeding for the Busy Person

Does anyone have experience with this type of feeding or recommendations of mixes I can purchase at local stores to try? I was considering Bravo Basics or Primal Grings to start. Any advice would be appreciated.

And here is Mister Sylvester the brat cat

 

[Furballsmom]

Oh my goodness, what a fabulous, wonderful CHARACTER!!

1 bruce 1 might have info for you, as might @lisahe MargoLane

 

[1 bruce 1]

Thanks for the tag, Furballsmom !

M Mister_Sylvester he's gorgeous. Those ear tufts are amazing!
Feline Nutrition is a very good, very reputable resource. If you can find a commercial diet that he likes I'd try it.
What are your goals for his diet as far as raw type? Are you wanting to feed grinds that are complete, or are you wanting to do a more prey model style that includes chunks of meat, bone in meats that he has the chew on, or a combination of both?
If he loves kibble, it's time consuming but putting some kibble in something like a coffee grinder and grinding it until it's dust and then taking raw or canned food and making small balls out of it (I'd use pate canned for this), and "coating" them with the dry sometimes creates an interest.
What is his feeding schedule like? Does he get fed a few times a day or is the kibble out 24 hours a day for him to graze on?
Also, where are you located? (Just generally, no need for your address or anything.) There are some co-ops that do have really good grinds already for sale but they deliver locally, not nation-wide, and they aren't available in stores so this creates a challenge.
Hare today ships nationwide assuming you're in the US, so that might be another option as well. www.hare-today.com

(If he gets to be a problem....I'll take him off your hands. What a cutie!)

 

[Mister_Sylvester]

Thank you, he is a real handsome man and the biggest purr ball ever, hence why I finally foster failed - I have been working at a rescue here in NY for 10 years so I have fostered a lot of litters over the years, I was not planning on keeping any kittens anytime soon since I have 2 cats and 2 dogs already. He managed to wedge himself into my heart grrrr lol.

I am looking for a healthy and cost effective alternative to canned food since he is not very interested in eating it. Luckily 1 of my other cats finishes his left overs but I am constantly opening cans and buying different ones that he just sticks his nose up at so it is very wasteful with him. He is very excited eating any people food, more than any cat I have ever had as well as raw that he has tried. My goal was to merge the pre-made mixes (meat/organ/bone) with additional fresh meat chunks and supplements. I am worried he won't like all ground since he doesn't like any of the pre-made complete formulas, so mixing in chunks into it like on the site seemed like a good idea. I would incorporate some prey model into this as he enjoys the bigger chunks.

I am also open to PMR I'm just not sure how challenging that is, I have never attempted it. Either way I would have to supplement with some canned food - like certain days at work, etc.

He has a feeding schedule, I don't free feed. Before work, lunch time, dinner time, and a 4th meal thrown in whenever he's hungry. He comes to work with me 3 times a week right now so during some of those days while he's at work he would most likely have some canned.

I tried PMR with my 2 chi mixes in the past and while they liked it, they were both huge gulpers and had a few scary incidents so I gave it up. I've never tried it with cats though.

I just want him to get the best nutrition he can get and if it works out I'd like to switch one of my other cats to raw as well - she is a dry food addict, I've tried for 10 years to change that, it never works. I've had her since she was 1 day old - my other foster failure.

 

[Mister_Sylvester]

I forgot to add I am on Long Island, NY. And I have tried to get him to eat canned with the crushed dry, Stella and Chewy freeze dried food, Tuna Flakes, etc. He only likes some gravy cans like Natural Balance platefulls, but he likes it one day the next day he doesn't.

 

[Pucks104]

What a handsome boy!

 

[1 bruce 1]

Thank you, he is a real handsome man and the biggest purr ball ever, hence why I finally foster failed - I have been working at a rescue here in NY for 10 years so I have fostered a lot of litters over the years, I was not planning on keeping any kittens anytime soon since I have 2 cats and 2 dogs already. He managed to wedge himself into my heart grrrr lol.

I am looking for a healthy and cost effective alternative to canned food since he is not very interested in eating it. Luckily 1 of my other cats finishes his left overs but I am constantly opening cans and buying different ones that he just sticks his nose up at so it is very wasteful with him. He is very excited eating any people food, more than any cat I have ever had as well as raw that he has tried. My goal was to merge the pre-made mixes (meat/organ/bone) with additional fresh meat chunks and supplements. I am worried he won't like all ground since he doesn't like any of the pre-made complete formulas, so mixing in chunks into it like on the site seemed like a good idea. I would incorporate some prey model into this as he enjoys the bigger chunks.

I am also open to PMR I'm just not sure how challenging that is, I have never attempted it. Either way I would have to supplement with some canned food - like certain days at work, etc.

He has a feeding schedule, I don't free feed. Before work, lunch time, dinner time, and a 4th meal thrown in whenever he's hungry. He comes to work with me 3 times a week right now so during some of those days while he's at work he would most likely have some canned.

I tried PMR with my 2 chi mixes in the past and while they liked it, they were both huge gulpers and had a few scary incidents so I gave it up. I've never tried it with cats though.

I just want him to get the best nutrition he can get and if it works out I'd like to switch one of my other cats to raw as well - she is a dry food addict, I've tried for 10 years to change that, it never works. I've had her since she was 1 day old - my other foster failure.

Oh, you're a foster failure, too? Welcome! I think our club has a secret handshake or something. (We probably swat one another angrily, then decide to get along! )
We have a few cats here that don't get bone in chunks. Dental issues, age, etc., so we give them chunks of boneless meat and whole grinds for the complete deal when it comes to nutrition as well as a jaw work out.
Some dogs are complete jerks about gulping. Been there. Mostly they need to learn to chew but dogs are less brainy about food when compared to cats IMO.
We have Taurine available (powdered) and add it a few times a week.
Do you feed any kind of heart (beef, poultry?) as this is high in taurine, boneless, etc. Most cats love this stuff.
He's a youngster and might change his mind, but sometimes boneless chunks to gnaw on are a good intro to a raw diet for a cat that really REALLY likes kibble.

 

[1 bruce 1]

I forgot to add I am on Long Island, NY. And I have tried to get him to eat canned with the crushed dry, Stella and Chewy freeze dried food, Tuna Flakes, etc. He only likes some gravy cans like Natural Balance platefulls, but he likes it one day the next day he doesn't.

Your caring tone makes me assume you already have but I'll throw this into the mix for anyone reading and not sharing...
vet check? Assuming he's healthy etc.?
If so, this is aimed for dogs but might give you some help in sourcing food. Mostly for dogs but if you find something you're interested in, email them and ask if they have stuff for cats!
Shop Through a Raw Food Co-Op to Save on Raw Dog Food | Keep the Tail Wagging

 

[MargoLane]

Great questions! I can't help you much when it comes to picky eaters. My cat (fingers crossed, knock on wood, etc.) chows down on any raw meat I put in front of her. I buy a local grind that's 80/10/10 in a variety of proteins and supplement with fish oil and probiotics. She also eats some canned, as well as some air dried.

If all else fails when it comes to tempting Sylvester away from dry, you could try the air-dried kibble from Ziwi Peak. It's pricey, but it's just meat jerky for cats. Their website says they are coming out with a chicken flavour, and they probably send samples!

 

[Mister_Sylvester]

Thank you for the suggestions. I emailed Farm Dog Raw for more information, it seems like their mixes might work as the base. This is basically what I am looking to do, off the Feline's Nutrition's site:
Pre-Ground Frozen Meats
This means pre-ground, unsupplemented meat/bone/organ grinds specifically intended for use as a raw pet food, not grocery-store boneless ground meat. Thaw the meat in the fridge. You can add the supplements as soon as it's thawed enough to mix; it doesn't have to be completely thawed. It's okay to re-freeze after mixing; since the meat was originally frozen immediately after grinding, it didn't sit around growing bacteria. Using pre-ground is a real time saver. Just add in the slurry mixture and portion out, and then freeze. There is approximately 5.8 pounds of meat in the chicken thigh recipe, including the meat, bone, and organs. If you are supplementing a five pound tube of meat/bone/organ grind, you will need to reduce the supplements by 15%. Or, you can increase the total amount of meat to 5.8 pounds by adding some chunked meat.
© 2018 Feline Nutrition Foundation
Read more at Recipe: Feline Nutrition's Easy Raw Cat Food

Kitty is healthy, just super spoiled and picky lol. So picky he turns his nose up at Ziwipeak!! I have a beef and chicken bag that is untouched.

 

[Mister_Sylvester]

Your caring tone makes me assume you already have but I'll throw this into the mix for anyone reading and not sharing...
vet check? Assuming he's healthy etc.?
If so, this is aimed for dogs but might give you some help in sourcing food. Mostly for dogs but if you find something you're interested in, email them and ask if they have stuff for cats!
Shop Through a Raw Food Co-Op to Save on Raw Dog Food | Keep the Tail Wagging

Farm Dog said a lot of cat owners purchase with them. Which of their products would you recommend? Looks like I have to place my order today or wait till December.

http://www.farmdograw.com/new-shop-page

 

[1 bruce 1]

Farm Dog said a lot of cat owners purchase with them. Which of their products would you recommend? Looks like I have to place my order today or wait till December.

http://www.farmdograw.com/new-shop-page

Did they have anything they recommended in particular? The price is right, too!

 

[Mister_Sylvester]

Did they have anything they recommended in particular? The price is right, too!

when I asked they just said their cat clients like the ground rabbit, turkey and chicken the most

 

[Mister_Sylvester]

Wanted to report that my picky kitten is no longer picky eating raw

I started him on Rad Cat and have since mixed the Rad Cat with an order I placed through a co-op (which costs me $3/lb versus the $15/lb for Rad Cat!) and he's loving it. My other 9 year old female who was a dry food addict is loving it too, and so is my 10 year old who has refused raw her entire life.

Tomorrow I will be batching out the 15 lbs of mix I got from Farm Dog Raw and adding supplements before I refreeze.

Do you recommend any specific brands? I was going to order NOW Foods, I have always used them myself.

I'll be getting Wild Salmon Oil, Taurine, Vitamin E and Vitamin B.

Thanks!

 

[Tobermory]

Do you recommend any specific brands? I was going to order NOW Foods, I have always used them myself.

I'll be getting Wild Salmon Oil, Taurine, Vitamin E and Vitamin B.

I’ve been using the ones Dr. Pierson at catinfo.org suggests for her homemade recipe:

1. NOW Foods Dry E-400, vegetarian, 100 veggie caps
2. Source Naturals, B-50 Complex, 50 mg, 100 tablets
3. Source Naturals, Taurine Powder, 3.53 oz (100 g)

She uses the Nature Made fish oil caps rather than salmon oil. I’ve used those and am now trying Iceland Pure Unscented Sardine-Anchovy Oil. It comes in salmon, too.