Transitioning from canned to prey model raw

[steven esteban]

We are transitioning our cat to PMR but not very successfully. Can anyone provide any pointers?

Shen's a 13lbs 1.5 y.o. shorthair from a shelter who I am guessing seems to have been raised on dry food. The transition from dry to wet wasn't too bad - he likes Merrick chicken/duck/turkey which isn't too soaked in broth and it took about 3 weeks. We tried all sorts of brands, Tiki, Weruva, Innova, Natural Balance, etc...

We've been adding a little bit of raw chicken in bite sizes, liver, gizzards and sometimes he eats it, more often then not, sniff sniff, paw paw, walk away. I tried topping with grated cheese, catnip, tuna juice, no good. Raw beef and ground turkey he sniffs and runs as well. Anything with bones he will not touch. But it seems like at random times he will eat all the raw. For example, today, gave him raw for breakfast and lunch. Wouldn't eat any of it. But for dinner, we gave him 1/2 raw and 1/2 canned and he started with the raw first and finished it.

I also noticed he caught a mouse but just played with it, didn't eat it and swept it back under the oven. He loves cooked chicken, he eats all of it right away, never paws at it. Also cooked pork, the red colored roast pork you get from Chinese restaurants.

We'll continue to do the 1/2 raw 1/2 canned, hopefully it won't be so random when he eats the raw chicken. Not sure how to get him to eat bone though.

Any suggestions?

 

[vball91]

How long have you been transitioning to raw? It actually sounds very positive to me that he ate the raw first at least once. I've been transitioning my cat for almost 3 months and she just started eating strips on raw this week!

Have you tried offering strips of meat instead of bite sized? Also, for whatever reason, I hand fed the strips and that made a big difference. It was like she couldn't figure out how to get the meat in her mouth to chew. She would just lick the pieces to death and give up. Once she got the hang of getting the strips into the side of her mouth, she had no trouble chomping away at it.

Also, she may just not like beef or turkey. Mine loves beef and will eat all of it, but everything else so far I have trouble getting her to finish. Keep trying until you find other meats she likes.

The lessons I have learned here are to be patient and be creative. Don't let it drive you nuts or get you frustrated. I think it sounds like she's on her way to recognizing her inner carnivore. Given she was a kibble eater, she's come a long way already!

 

[ldg]

The lessons I have learned here are to be patient and be creative. Don't let it drive you nuts or get you frustrated. I think it sounds like she's on her way to recognizing her inner carnivore. Given she was a kibble eater, she's come a long way already!

:nod: That's really the main thing! It can take a while for them to develop a "taste" for raw food.

One of my cats will only eat raw if it's basically minced. Another one likes it in little strips. Another one prefers it cut into bites, and several of them, a few months into it, were pretty good at handing being able to eat chunks. And using the canned food to get him to eat raw is one of the main "tricks" - just keep offering them together.

You can also try "toppers." Some of mine LOVE freeze dried liver. I use the Etta Says beef liver for one of my cats - I just crumble it on top of the food. Another LOVES chicken liver. I used a lot of freeze dried meat treats - most of them Whole Life - either the chicken or salmon.

Of course, these brand suggestions assume you're in the U.S. I buy them from Amazon. But experiment with various toppers. :nod: Freeze dried liver or meat treats are often great enticements.

But as vball91 says, the main "ingredient" is often just time.

 

[harleydiva]

That's really the main thing! It can take a while for them to develop a "taste" for raw food.

One of my cats will only eat raw if it's basically minced. Another one likes it in little strips. Another one prefers it cut into bites, and several of them, a few months into it, were pretty good at handing being able to eat chunks. And using the canned food to get him to eat raw is one of the main "tricks" - just keep offering them together.

You can also try "toppers." Some of mine LOVE freeze dried liver. I use the Etta Says beef liver for one of my cats - I just crumble it on top of the food. Another LOVES chicken liver. I used a lot of freeze dried meat treats - most of them Whole Life - either the chicken or salmon.

Of course, these brand suggestions assume you're in the U.S. I buy them from Amazon. But experiment with various toppers.

Freeze dried liver or meat treats are often great enticements.

But as vball91 says, the main "ingredient" is often just time.

Don't know how it compares to Amazon.....but k9cuisine.com is offering Whole Life products for 15% off with WLT15 code at checkout.  They also have some of the Stella & Chewy's stuff on sale.  I picked up some of both this week....