The Fastest, Easiest, Less Gross, Cost Effective Home Raw Recipe???

10009891

TCS Member
Thread starter
Alpha Cat
Joined
Nov 14, 2017
Messages
545
Purraise
207
I know raw is the very best choice of food for our cats, but does anyone here know of a very simple, fast, and convenient recipe to start feeding my cats raw food? I heard that you do not necessarily need a meat grinder. The base can start as pre-ground turkey meat at the supermarket, then add all the other supplements into the meat. Is this a cheaper way than buying commercial cat food or not? Preparing it in bulk, freeze in many little plastic bags for the week or the month? I am still looking for a very simply basic recipe.
 

LTS3

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Aug 29, 2014
Messages
19,209
Purraise
19,695
Location
USA
Easiest way is to use a pre-mix such as EZComplete and add in raw meat of your choice. Chop or grind the meat yourself at home. Who knows how clean the supermarket grinders are? Chopping meat at home takes a bit of time but completely doable with a sharp knife.

Or buy chubs of meat from an independent pet store. Most pre-mixes are for boneless organless meat only so read the chub label carefully as some include bone and organ.

It only takes me about 10 minutes to mix up a 2 lb batch of meat with Alnutrin and portion it out to freeze. I don't feed this exclusively. I mainly feed NV raw and add in a spoonful of the meat / Alnutrin mixture.
 

EmmiTemmi

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Sep 16, 2017
Messages
399
Purraise
481
Location
Wisconsin
I wouldn't necessarily trust supermarket pre-ground since you don't know how many freeze-thaw cycles it's been through or how long it's been thawed as opposed to frozen. The increased surface area of ground meat means bacteria propagate at a much faster rate. So be careful. Also, many pre-ground turkey packs includes natural preservatives, like rosemary extract and I don't know if that's good or bad for cats. A local butcher could fresh-grind meat for you though!

Personally, I buy Alnutrin or TCFeline, which are both supplement premixes, so all I need to add is the meat, water, and some easy ingredients (egg yolk for TCFeline, liver for Alnutrin). The price per day (assuming your cat eats approx 4oz of the prepared food) is equivalent or slightly more than feeding two cans of Fancy Feast pate, I think. But that depends on what meat you're getting. Chicken, turkey, and beef are fairly cheap, but less common meat like rabbit, quail, or venison is more expensive.

If you want to mix your own supplements, there are resources out there, such as one on catinfo.org, but personally I don't feel comfortable doing this until I have more practice feeding raw with the premixes. If you want to jump straight into mixing your own, power to you!

Preparing it in bulk and freezing is fairly easy, but I suggest you invest in some reusable 1/2c tupperware containers, because using plastic baggies is wasteful.

Good luck with the raw!
 

LTS3

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Aug 29, 2014
Messages
19,209
Purraise
19,695
Location
USA
Also, many pre-ground turkey packs includes natural preservatives, like rosemary extract and I don't know if that's good or bad for cats. A local butcher could fresh-grind meat for you though!
Good point :agree: Always double check the package of meat at the supermarket. Some include broths, flavorings, salt solutions, preservatives, etc.

Hare-Today.com is a popular place to buy various meats for pet food use. There's a 10 lb minimum order, though. And you need freezer space for all those chubs.
 

Ardina

TCS Member
Super Cat
Joined
Apr 10, 2017
Messages
822
Purraise
1,168
When I first started, I used Alnutrin - super easy to get boneless meat and liver, dissolve the powder in some water, mix it all in, portion into containers, and freeze. Then I started mixing my own supplements to save even more on costs; I use this recipe (scroll halfway down the page): Easy Raw Diet Feeding for the Busy Person - Feline Nutrition Foundation. I got frozen chubs of bone-in grinds from Hare Today, added some organs and boneless meat to get to the right ratios, and then added the supplements per the recipe.
 

Sallysoo

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
Apr 16, 2017
Messages
108
Purraise
36
My fastest easiest cost effective raw diet for my kitty :
I bought human grade fresh boneless pork muscle meat, chicken breast meat and chicken hearts from our local wet market for abt 3 weeks supply. Use scissor to cut them into chunks. Put them in meal size ziplock bags and freeze. Twice daily, one bag out from the freezer immerse in hot water for a couple of mins. Put the raw meat on the plate, add a scope of Ezcomplete premix n some water to mix. My kitty gobble them up within half a min! :p
Apart from the above, as to give other protein meat, I do buy commercial raw Venison meat in cups. As commercial food is more costly, I split the cup into 2 servings. Each serving I add some of the muscle raw meat bought from the market. I think it is impt to rotate the type of meat even you need to pay a bit more. I give bonito fish flakes daily as treats. No canned and kibbles food. To me, the abv is not just easy and cost effective but the best quality food I can provide for my kitty. :D
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #7

10009891

TCS Member
Thread starter
Alpha Cat
Joined
Nov 14, 2017
Messages
545
Purraise
207
Sallysoo, is it true by feeding your cat that healthy raw diet his poo is less smelly?
 

EmmiTemmi

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Sep 16, 2017
Messages
399
Purraise
481
Location
Wisconsin
Sallysoo, is it true by feeding your cat that healthy raw diet his poo is less smelly?
I'm not Sallysoo, but for my own boys there is a very noticeable difference between their 'raw poo' and their 'canned/dry poo'. Not only is it less smelly, it's also a lot less bulky, and less frequent. I volunteer at the local humane society every week with their cats, and it's crazy how huge/wide and stinky their poos are (on mostly dry, some canned) compared to my boys.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #9

10009891

TCS Member
Thread starter
Alpha Cat
Joined
Nov 14, 2017
Messages
545
Purraise
207
Interesting, EmmiTemmi.
 

EmmiTemmi

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Sep 16, 2017
Messages
399
Purraise
481
Location
Wisconsin
Interesting, EmmiTemmi.
Interesting? You mean, "AMAZING!" :yess:

I live in a 1 bedroom apartment, and when my boys were on dry and a small amount of canned I could smell their poos all the way across my apartment! My poor nostrils...
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #11

10009891

TCS Member
Thread starter
Alpha Cat
Joined
Nov 14, 2017
Messages
545
Purraise
207
hahaha.

Does your apartment charge to have a cat? My apartment complex requires $350 non-refundable deposit and $20 dollars more on your monthly rent to have a cat.
 

EmmiTemmi

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Sep 16, 2017
Messages
399
Purraise
481
Location
Wisconsin
Does your apartment charge to have a cat? My apartment complex requires $350 non-refundable deposit and $20 dollars more on your monthly rent to have a cat.
No non-refundable pet deposit, but I have to pay $15/cat/month extra on my rent, so $30 extra a month for me. I'm kind of mad about that, since the most expensive cat-rent I've seen in the area is $10/cat/month (and several are free), but I'm literally a 6-8min walk from my main building on campus so I figure the price is worth it.

Is your place $20/cat (because that's crazy high) or do they only let you have one cat anyway?
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #13

10009891

TCS Member
Thread starter
Alpha Cat
Joined
Nov 14, 2017
Messages
545
Purraise
207
Where I live it's $350 non-refundable "per cat." So if you have two it's $700 non-refundable deposit plus $40 more on the rent. It's pathetic. Then they wonder why so many animals are taken to shelters.
 

Sallysoo

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
Apr 16, 2017
Messages
108
Purraise
36
Hi, with 100% raw diet, my kitty's poo is close to adourless, less qty, smaller in size and once every 2-3 days.

I adopted him when he was 2 mths old, he was on kibbles and canned food for half a year. At that period, he pooed 1-2 times every day. The stools were big and smelly. I could smell it when i walked into the bedroom before even seeing it. He does all his business in the bedroom toilet.

I switched him to raw diet after knowing the health benefits it brings. He has been on it for 8 mths now and doing great. His fur is very silky too. I go to the extra steps in buying meat that is for human consumption, not only is cost saving, but also I know the quality and the parts I am giving. I buy fresh meat for at most 3 weeks supplies as I prefer not to keep them for too long as I believe in freshness.

To add. He is crazy over bonito fisk flakes. I believe is a healthy snacks for kitty. I bou the this brand asakosasaki. It is 100% bonito fish w no additives n preservatives. It is rich in amino acids & omega fatty acids. My kitty will give me a high five paw with every strip I give him.... :D
 
Last edited:

LTS3

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Aug 29, 2014
Messages
19,209
Purraise
19,695
Location
USA
:hijack:

Back to the topic, I would say it depends on the cat. My Aby has really stinky poop:barfgreen: My other cats eats the same food and her poop is nearly odorless. Some people say that adding digestive enzymes and probiotics can help with the poop smell.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #16

10009891

TCS Member
Thread starter
Alpha Cat
Joined
Nov 14, 2017
Messages
545
Purraise
207
Sallysoo, how do you prepare the food? Can you post the recipe here? I would really appreciate it.
 

Sallysoo

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
Apr 16, 2017
Messages
108
Purraise
36
It is not a recipe per say but just my easy, fast and cost effective approach which you can consider and adjust accordingly to your preference:

3 weeks supply for one kitty (1yr 5mths old)
- From local wet market, 2 big pcs of boneless muscle pork, 2 big kampong chicken breast, some chicken hearts. They are fresh for human consumption and not frozen meat.
- Use scissor to cut them into chunks, weigh (mine abt 50-60g) and put them in meal size ziplock bags and freeze for at least >3 days.
- To serve, immerse a bag in hot water for a couple of mins. Put the raw meat on the plate, add a scope of Ezcomplete premix n a bit of water to mix. (the scope is included in the premix bag, you can read up more on this premix at Food Fur Life - EZ Homemade raw food for pets!) For ease of taking the premix, I put some into a glass container with a wide month for ease of using and topup from the big bag when required. Have to store all premix powder in the fridge once opened.

As mentioned too, I do throw in a commercial raw food, Raw Instinct Venison and Beef once a while. As it is expensive, I have to stretch my dollar so I don't give the whole cup/serving but split them to mix into his usual raw diet. I think this is important to give varieties of other proteins as I couldn't get them from the wet market. Also as an emergency replacement, no allowance for food transition, either can't prepare the raw food oneself or any premix and supplement oos. Guess you know what I meant. :)
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #18

10009891

TCS Member
Thread starter
Alpha Cat
Joined
Nov 14, 2017
Messages
545
Purraise
207
Thank you so much. I will look into this.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #19

10009891

TCS Member
Thread starter
Alpha Cat
Joined
Nov 14, 2017
Messages
545
Purraise
207
One last question, can I also buy pre-ground supermarket turkey meat and add the Ezcomplete premix?
 

Sallysoo

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
Apr 16, 2017
Messages
108
Purraise
36
Well, if those are meant for human consumption, I would not choose pre-ground meat if you decide to give raw to your kitty. As we won't know how long the pre-ground meat were done, they are more risky to be exposed to fast bacteria growth, as they are ground assuming to be cooked to kill the bacteria. Whole pieces of fresh meat will be a good way to go. Although a bit of your time is needed to cut them, in say small chunks if is okay with your kitty if not you can chop a bit up with your knife, it is really worth the effort. You will get the hand of it after a few rounds.

One more thing to add, previously I did pre add the premix into the cut meat in one batch and freeze them. This save a bit of your time during serving as you just need to defrost and serve. However, I have read up a lot more and my thoughts that it is better to add the powder/supplement by piece meal as supplement like taurine, etc may lost slowly during freezing time or during the fast defrosting method that I used. Thus I add the premix just before he gobbles the raw meat up. We want to maximize the value... :D
 
Top