The process continues...

[heifzilla]

Today was the day.

I've been slowly transitioning my cat from kibble to wet to raw.  It took me a couple of weeks to get him eating wet, but he does it fine now.  Today I added a small amount of very well ground raw chicken and liver to his wet food, and he ate it.  So we're on the way. I plan on adding the raw, with the hope of getting him on all raw within the next month.  I am doing this conservatively, as I want to make sure it goes smoothly.

 

[abby2932]

Super exciting, keeping my fingers crossed for a smooth transition for you!

Are you transitioning to a commercial raw or are you making your own? If you are making your own, are you including bone in addition to the chicken and liver?

 

[heifzilla]

Super exciting, keeping my fingers crossed for a smooth transition for you!

Are you transitioning to a commercial raw or are you making your own? If you are making your own, are you including bone in addition to the chicken and liver?

I'm using Alnutrin with eggshell calcium. Eventually, I will go the ground up with bone but for transition, since he's so picky about texture, I felt this was the way to go.

 

[heifzilla]

Day 2.  I tried offering some plain raw...no go.   I knew he wouldn't go for it, but I had to try.  I again mixed up his wet with the raw, it was about 35% raw, 65% wet, and he ate it.  He doesn't recognize the raw as food yet, since there is really no smell.   I'm just going to keep going slow, keeping it at the ratio it is at now for a few days, then go to 50% raw/wet for a few days, then 75% raw 25% wet, etc., until he's all on raw.  

 

[Columbine]

Asha doesn't normally get kibble, but she goes nuts for Shadow's and steals it at every opportunity I had great success with pounding up kibble and rolling 'meatballs' of raw in it so they were well coated. I then swapped out kibble for crushed FD raw and am in the process of reducing that.

I'd started mixing with wet like you, but hit a roadblock. I thought you might find this other method useful as a plan B

 

[heifzilla]

Asha doesn't normally get kibble, but she goes nuts for Shadow's and steals it at every opportunity

I had great success with pounding up kibble and rolling 'meatballs' of raw in it so they were well coated. I then swapped out kibble for crushed FD raw and am in the process of reducing that.

I'd started mixing with wet like you, but hit a roadblock. I thought you might find this other method useful as a plan B

That's a good idea.  He LOVES kibble, so if I need to try that it just might work.  Do you have a brand of FD raw that you recommend?

 

[Columbine]

I'm in the uk. The only one I can get is Nature's Menu. A lot of people here use Stella & Chewy's and Natural Variety Instinct. I'm sure others will have more suggestions.

 

[heifzilla]

I'm in the uk. The only one I can get is Nature's Menu. A lot of people here use Stella & Chewy's and Natural Variety Instinct. I'm sure others will have more suggestions.

Thanks!  I think I can get Stella & Chewy's at my local feed store.  Appreciate it.

 

[lisahe]

Our cats love Primal freeze-dried in all flavors, usually plated with Stella & Chewy's as a garnish. The only non-freeze-dried food they'll consistently eat and love is Rad Cat, in either turkey or chicken (but not lamb). It seems like a lot of people start their cats on raw food with Rad Cat. I think we did but I'm not sure, though I do remember that they ate it from the first bite.

 

[heifzilla]

Day 6.  We're now on about 1/2 wet and 1/2 ground raw.  I've started adding some krill oil as a topper to get him used to it (I used to use salmon oil on his kibble).   It's stinky enough, and I hope that it will something he gets used to so when I go all raw he's got a smell that he is used to since raw doesn't have much of a smell.  He's very smell orientated.  

 

[heifzilla]

It's been around 2 weeks now and I have Buie on about 90% raw, 10% canned.  The grind I am using now has bones and liver, and I am supplementing with Alnutrin.   I'm really thrilled we are at this point.  I hope to have him on all raw within 2 weeks, and when I get my new kitten he will be weaned to raw right away.

 

[abby2932]

perfect! what kind of grind are you using? Also, just double checking that you are not using the alnutrin with calcium since your grind has bones included, correct?

I'm glad your transition was so quick!

 

[heifzilla]

perfect! what kind of grind are you using? Also, just double checking that you are not using the alnutrin with calcium since your grind has bones included, correct?

I'm glad your transition was so quick!

I've started by putting it through the medium grinder plate, I put it through twice.  Eventually I will put t through once when I feel he's really got the "hang" of raw, and then I'll put it only through the large grind plate so it's chunky.

I am using the Alnutrin for Meat and Bones, so no added calcium.

One question, though: can I add in the giblets when I do this or is that too much organ when using the supplement.  Thanks!

 

[schrody]

Woohoo congrats! Go slooooooow. 

I tried to be a bit too quick with mixing raw to wet for Shunso (recently adopted) and he started rejecting raw all together, even the small portions he ate before.

Had to go back to 100% wet for a month or so and start adding slowly again. So don't rush, hahaha!