Switching to raw tonight for my cat, from EVO dry & Wellness Wet

[matt94gt]

I had a good chat at the local pet store who started carrying a good range of local raw food for cats.

After a long chat I decided to go raw, the company who makes it is Natural Instincts (http://www.naturalinstincts.ca/) I never looked at it before as I did a lot of research in the first place to find a good dry food (Evo) and a good canned food (welness) as well the raw prices were quite high and I was afraid of serving him raw meat fit for human consumption. 

I actually did the math and the raw diet will be less expensive then the current evo/wellness combo. 

I am just wanting to know if its okay to switch him right over, hes 3 years old and has no health problems.

Thanks and the other info on here helped reassure me im making the right choice!

ps: They also had little quails (maybe phesents I cant remember) I was told cats love, and its great for their teeth, does anyone feed their cat quails and or chicken necks?

 

[matt94gt]

Well I just gave it to him, he didnt seem to exited to eat it. I tried giving him the Salmon & Chicken one (as he liked Chicken & Hearing wellness). Maybe it takes them a while? Any tips or favorite meats?

 

[ldg]

:lol3: Welcome to the wonderful world of raw!

Some cats know they're carnivores - others need to learn it. :lol3: There are transition threads actively going here that really run the gamut. I have 8. Three took to it pretty much right away; one we're still working on it.

The problem is that - well - can be that - they don't recognize raw as food! Sometimes it needs to be introduced very slowly. I don't know if you've seen the raw resources sticky, but there are transition tips in a number of the resource links. :nod: There are also all of the other "started them on raw" threads going here :lol3: , as well as the transitioning tips in the raw diet transitioners social group.

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/240809/raw-feeding-resource-thread

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/241623/raw-transition-resources-thread

Hope this helps for a start!

 

[matt94gt]

Great thanks.

I just feel bad, because he absolutely LOVES his wellness wet food, every time I give it to him (we just give a bit not main meal source) he starts chirping and gets all excited its his favorite part of the day (breakfast and dinner) 

I was just hoping he would like it that much. Dont get me wrong its main goal is for his health but I also want him to LIKE it. 
 

Ill read the other threads. I was thinking of mixing it with his wetfood at least at first and then maybe now and then for a treat. I know he LOVES stinky food (hearing etc.) is there any fish that is good for cats that maybe I can try? I know for fish and food in general smell means its not fresh, but there has to be some smelly food we can feed them that is both healthy and tasty for them? 

One last question, is there anything that my cat is now lacking now that hes going to be having raw? For instance I know EVO talks about all sorts of minerals etc do I now need to give him any supplements now that he will soon be off dry food? 

Thanks for all the help.

 

[Willowy]

If you feed a commercial prepared raw product, no supplements should be necessary. You should still feed a variety, though, because different meats contain different nutrients.

You don't have to cut out the canned food altogether . A lot of raw feeders keep canned food around for lazy meals, petsitters, and for days they're too busy. His favorite canned food can still be part of the rotation.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Since he LOVES his Wellness wet food, I would try first just mixing a teeny bit of the raw food into that, and if he eats it all, then slowly increase the amount of raw and decrease the amount of Wellness until that serving is all raw.  That's how we're doing it at our house, and how many people here are did it, especially if there cats didn't take to it right away.  Did you get a variety of "flavors" of raw?  I tried Lamb, Chicken and Turkey, and found that mine liked the Lamb best, so that's the one we are sticking with to mix with their wet food.  After two weeks, I'm up to mixing about 1/2 tablespoon into their wet food.  (if that)

Glad you're making the switch!  Can't wait to hear your progress.

 

[matt94gt]

Interms of nutrients thats good to hear, I got him Venison, Turkey and Chicken & Salmon so think thats a good range...?

PROGRESS...

Well this morning I put about 50% raw 50% wellness and he ended up eating it with my support (held the bowl for him), he left about 25% of it which he gobbled up at lunch.

I ended up getting some dehydrated white fish "pure bites" treats which Im going to sprinkle on the top this time in place of the wellness. They are super smelly which he loves. 

We will keep wellness for the reasons you stated, thanks!

 

[feralvr]

I have had great success with a canned grain-free food call BFF (Best Friend Feline) it is tuna based and is well liked by many cat's. Easy to mix in the raw. ALTHOUGH.... it can be addicting I still use BFF but not as regularly as I used too. I also use Weruva's Paw Lickin Chicken and Weruvas Mack/Jack. Also - Fancy Feast is another canned variety that I have had to use to get Perla eating raw meat. You just have to have a few on hand. Since your cat already loves the Wellness brand canned foods - then I would start adding a teeny bit of raw into that to start. Because if you change the wet foods and add raw at the same time - and your cat refuses, then you won't know IF he is refusing the new canned food or the raw meat. So start with a canned food you already know that your cat loves.

If you feed commercially made raw food - then you don't have to add any vitamins/minerals. I would suggest starting on a Probiotic/Enzyme product like this one http://www.doggiefood.com/prozymedigestiveaid.html or this one http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/products/Animal-Essentials-Plant-Enzymes-Probiotics/148017.aspx. There are many available at natural pet food stores.

I also agree with Willowy .... in that you can keep canned food in the mix with the raw for "lazy" days or petsitting day's or just for spicing up a raw meal from time to time.

 

[feralvr]

Interms of nutrients thats good to hear, I got him Venison, Turkey and Chicken & Salmon so think thats a good range...?


PROGRESS...

Well this morning I put about 50% raw 50% wellness and he ended up eating it with my support (held the bowl for him), he left about 25% of it which he gobbled up at lunch.


I ended up getting some dehydrated white fish "pure bites" treats which Im going to sprinkle on the top this time in place of the wellness. They are super smelly which he loves. 

We will keep wellness for the reasons you stated, thanks!

OH THAT is really excellent!!! The dehydrated treats are really a great topper for the raw meats. Some of my cat's like FD (freeze dried) Liver or FD chicken. Bonito Flakes are another popular topper. OH so many to choose from. The hard part is finding one that ALL cat's like - if you have more than one - it gets really complicated. :lol3:

 

[matt94gt]

Ahh they are freeze dried my bad, heres a link:

http://www.purebites.com/ProductsDogEng/products_whitefish.html

He didnt kno what it was at first, used to hard treats like Greenies but after eating one he wanted more.

Just fed more raw, lol he did not like the freeze dried treats on top, so i mixed it in and added a bit of wet food and hes not being to big of a fan, going to try to warm in in the sink a bit, its fridge cold right now.

I was going to ask, in the bottom of my evo container I have a ton of powder/fine kibble is it OK to add that in?

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

I was going to ask, in the bottom of my evo container I have a ton of powder/fine kibble is it OK to add that in?

Yes!  Powdered kibble is a GREAT topper (or add-in) !  wonderful idea!

 

[matt94gt]

Well this morning and evening he gobbled it up, I mixed it 50/50 with wellness wetfood and he didnt hesitate at all, im slowly going to mix less and less of the wet in with the raw.

One thing I have noticed, he hasnt pooped today, generally he would poop twice a day, any thoughts on that?

Also one last question regarding raw foot and nutrition and supplements our cat has the shinest and nicest coat ever, everyone is super surprised by it. In the past I assumed it was because of the good food we have had him on since a kitten (Evo & Wellness Wet), will this be a problem at all on the raw, will his coat etc remain as nice as it is today?

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Cats on raw will poop even less than on canned!  Once every 2 - 3 max, and still not even the amount you are used to seeing in a day on canned

.  I know you're not completely converted to raw yet, but you're probably alrady seeing the difference in his poop.  And his coat should get even better!

 

[feralvr]

Agree with Sally ... Less poops and smaller poops, in fact very "polite" poops :lol3:!!!!!!!!!!! AND oh boy... the kitties coats. Amazingly sleek and gorgeous Will get even better as more raw is introduced. Great update!!!!!!!!!!! Thing's are going really, really well for you :bigthumb:

 

[matt94gt]

Well its been a week now, hes on raw, he was not a fan of the beef or venison all he seems to like is the Chicken and Salmon which has bone. Do you think that is OK? or should I really try to get him on some beef....remember it is commericaly prepared for cats. 

A few questions:

1) Also one thing I notice, I used to have a glass of water on my kitchen counter (dont ask lol he loved drinking out of glasses and not his water bowl) generally I would fill it half way (since he could only get his face in to drink half) every 2 days. Since being on raw it seems he hardly even drinks, the glass seems the same each day maybe missing a lap or two. 

Now I do put a little bit of water in with his Raw (he seems to like it a bit softer/wetter) generally only about 2 TBPs per meal mixed in.

2) How much RAW should he be eating a day? I generally give him about 2 table spoons per meal, twice a day, which is about 50grams per meal. He is a fairly lean cat and was never a BIG eater.

Thanks!

 

[Willowy]

Yes, cats who eat all canned or raw food don't drink a lot of water. That's fine--the food contains all the moisture they need. That's how cats are designed to get their water.

I think most cats will need at least 3-4 ounces of raw a day. He's only getting about 2 ounces. Probably not enough unless he's very small. Maybe add one more meal a day? Cats don't like to eat a lot all at once, so adding another meal is probably the best way to get more into him.

ETA: oops, I wasn't paying attention. 50 grams per MEAL, not per day. That's a bit more than 4 ounces a day. . .probably plenty for him.

 

[ldg]

I don't know which commercial raw you're feeding, and I don't think beef or venison an and of themselves are important. But I do think it's important to not only rotate protein sources, but manufacturers. To me, it doesn't matter if it's raw, canned, or kibble - rotation of sources is important I believe. It's also best, for a lot of reasons, to limit the amount of fish. I'll find links if you need them.

As to the water, he's not drinking as much because he's getting more moisture from his food! How is the amount of pee in the box? More? Less? the same? Most people notice their cats drink less but pee more when eating raw.

Finally, the general guideline for how much to feed is 2% - 4% of the cat's body weight daily. That's a big range - but it depends upon how old kitty is and kitty's level of activity. I find that my cats need to eat at about the 2% amount (two of them a little less, three of them a little more).

So if your cat weighs 4.5 kg, he'd need to be eating roughly 90g at the low-end, or 180g at the high-end (daily). Several of us have cats with really slow metabolisms, and they're eating at about 1.8% of their body weight daily. But I do use a food scale to measure how much I'm putting out at each meal, and I do keep track of my cats' weights, because in the transition to raw, their body shape changed - they're becoming more muscular (and muscle weighs more than fat does), and they (mostly) look leaner - but I've got them on an amount of food daily that is maintaining their weight. :nod:

 

[matt94gt]

Thanks both of you.

Yes hes a fairly lean cat and we always had the dry evo out, but he rarely ate it, hes not a big eater our vet last checkup said hes the perfect weight. 

So right now where at 50g per meal so I think ill keep it there for now. 

Also Ill look into rotating brands as well (right now its natural instinct) I never thought of that, although they are the only one who has a "fish" in his food, and if it has NO smell (like the plain chicken) he doesnt seem to interested.

Thanks.

 

[feralvr]

HI . I also rotate as much as possible even with the raw brands. I do have one cat - my rincess: Perla - who gets addicted to tuna based canned foods. But I have been using that to my advantage with her. I am able to mix in more raw now than tuna based wet food so I am happy about that. I also feed my cat's about 4 ounces a day and they are all maintaining their pouches quite well. In fact, a few of my piggies need to lose some ounces :lol3: