Timing?

[zephyer78]

I'm very interested in the idea of rew feeding, I occasionaly give rew scraps to Autumn now, and she loves them! I think, when it comes time to transition to raw it will be no problem...my question is this though.

We plan to move soon, she will be going from a crowded lively house, to being the single pet in a not-so-lively household. I want to go raw, but should I wait untill a few months after the move? I don't want to upset her more than she allready will be by the move (the move will be in about 6 weeks).

Also, is it fairly easy to find a vet who will support raw feeding? We will have to get a new one any way, and I would like to find one who is supportive. Any suggestions on how to bring the topic up to a new vet?

Thanks

 

[sharky]

I found several vets willing to help with raw feeding two experts in it and three willing to look up and guide

If your vet says NO NO or that is dangerous , be prepared with some research.. If after presenting solid research you still get that maybe look into a new vet .. This is the way I turned a whole vet hospital around on nutrition... I prefer books to online as any one can blog or put up a web page saying they are an expert

... You can find several online sources written by or overseen by vets( ie the vet read the article prior to publishing for accuracy ) or a vet nutritionist ... most will ONLY give General advise which is all that should be given .. Some other sources online are making a profit off the info they give by selling their product , some of these are very solid sources others are ??able

 

[goldenkitty45]

I would wait about 5 or 6 months before you change over. Let her settle in and get used to the new place. You have better luck with everything if you wait.

BTW this is how I got mine interested - a few nibbles or raw hamburger after we went grocery shopping and were repackaging for the freezer.

I now feed dry/canned each day and raw 2 times a week, sometimes 3 times. I stick to raw chicken wings and stew beef right now.

 

[sharky]

Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

I would wait about 5 or 6 months before you change over. Let her settle in and get used to the new place. You have better luck with everything if you wait.

BTW this is how I got mine interested - a few nibbles or raw hamburger after we went grocery shopping and were repackaging for the freezer.

I now feed dry/canned each day and raw 2 times a week, sometimes 3 times. I stick to raw chicken wings and stew beef right now.

along these lines if less than 10% of diet you need not worry about proper % ages

 

[auntie crazy]

I doubt that offering Autumn more raw tidbits would upset her, especially since she's enjoying what you're currently giving her; however, the move definitely will and that might cause her to go off her food a bit.

Or it may not. *shrug* Not only is every cat an individual, they change their minds regularly.

I don't see any reason not to try - improved nutrition is a good thing and can't be done too soon.

As to finding a vet who is raw-food knowledgeable - it's like looking for a needle in a haystack, but well worth the search. Don't let those who don't know anything about it (and who will, therefore, try to dissuade you) wear you down.

Good luck! Autumn's a lucky kitty!

 

[zephyer78]

thanks for the help everyone! I think I am going to wait untill a few months after the move to do a complete change over, but untill then, I will continue to work a bit of raw into her diet.

Is there any good books you can recomend? I gather from reading on here and on rawfedcat that the diet should be 90% meat, 5% organs, 5% bone, and diffrent views on if I should add veggies (grass ect.) or not? Am I somewhat correct on this?

 

[sharky]

my vet uses the 75 muscle , 10 organ , 10 bone 5 veggie formula... every animal is different I was unable to get one cat to eat any veggies yet another loved them...

I try to add some veggitation every few weeks

 

[auntie crazy]

Very few raw feeders give vegetables to cats, as obligate carnivores have no biological need for them - just like fruits and grains, nor can they properly digest these products. (Of course, as with Sharky's friend, there are exceptions to every "rule". *shrug*)

The generally accepted guideline is 80 / 10 / 5 / 5 – that’s 80%-87% meat, fat, skin, sinew, connective tissue and heart, 5%-10% edible bone, 3%-5% liver, and 5% other secreting organ. I have been unable to identify the exact origin of this guideline; however, rodents are roughly 5% bone and 4% liver, rabbits are slightly less than 10% bone and less than 4% liver, and birds have an even lower bone and organ content, so these numbers seem to be a rough average of the typical feline prey percentages. This Tissue Percentage of Common Prey is the oldest information/source my research has been able to uncover.

 

[sharky]

Originally Posted by Auntie Crazy

Very few raw feeders give vegetables to cats, as obligate carnivores have no biological need for them - just like fruits and grains, nor can they properly digest these products. (Of course, as with Sharky's friend, there are exceptions to every "rule". *shrug*)
.

My friend happens to be a VET with a Nutritional degree

Amazingly she has the education some claim on here with little actually facts

that is a small mouse , most pinkies I have seen weigh appeared to be bigger than 3/4 oz

.. I learned this is dependent on type

 

[zephyer78]

Thanks again or all of the info everyone!...one more and than I'll stop

How do you determine how much to feed at each seting? Autumn weighs about 10-11 lbs.

 

[sharky]

there are lots of calculators for this .. most say 2% of body wt for wt loss , 2.5-3 for maitaining , 3-3.5 for gain a little ... 4-10 are usually for growing kittens and puppies..

says dog but works for cats to
http://www.raw4dogs.com/calculate.htm

10 lbs at 3% is = to 4.8 oz a day