Nature's Variety Raw..

[RaYne]

I'm currently feeding all 4 of my cats Wellness wet food. Honestly it's costing me a fortune a week.. Close to $45.

I'm thinking of trying Demon (8-9 months old) and Louie (6 Months old) on NV raw medallions. One 3lb bag would last them them 7-8 days at a cost of $16 and change with tax. Definitely cheaper than $2.99 plus tax for one can of Wellness and they go through 7 a week. They will eat ground raw meats so I thought this would be a good option.

Lucy (3-4 years old) and Fido (my 12 year old CRF kitty) will stay on Wellness canned. Lucy won't eat raw or I'd try her on the NV too.

Plus I 'think' Louie may have IBD/IBS.. he can't eat ANY dry food without getting raging diarrhea. Demon also has the same issue just not quite as bad as Louie. Not that I want them to eat dry food.. Just a past observation.. they both came to me on dry with diarrhea. Didn't matter what brand we tried at the time.. same result.

So I've read that raw works wonders for IBD/IBS. Hence I'm here to ask about NV raw. Does anyone here feed it? How did/are your cats doing on it?

Should I do a cold turkey switch from the Wellness to the NV raw?

[Love4himies]

If your kitties will eat raw, then I say go for it. I have never had a problem switching my cats from one brand to another (well, except for their stubborness). How about starting Lucy off very, very slowly to get her to switch? Jasper wouldn't touch raw when I first introduced it to him, now he loves it.

NV Raw I think contains some vegtables so if your IBD cat has sensitivity to veggies too it my not be the answer.

http://www.catinfo.org/

[pitgrrl]

Originally Posted by Love4himies

NV Raw I think contains some vegtables so if your IBD cat has sensitivity to veggies too it my not be the answer.

http://www.catinfo.org/

Luckily NV only uses 5% veggie, unlike some pre-made raw food which are anywhere from 15-40% veggies.

Since you're in Canada, you could check out Urban Carnivore, which has whole carcass patties without any fruits, veggies, etc. added. Arusha is another company that has meat/bone/organ only patties, though I personally find them to be a bit heavy on the bone

[RaYne]

Hmmm, He's doing awesome on the Wellness canned which has veggies and fruit. Maybe he doesn't have IBD? Maybe just a sensitive tummy?

I know Louie and Demon will eat raw. They about took my fingers off for some ground beef yesterday. How they will do digestion wise is what worries me. There is nothing worse than a very furry Himi with diarrhea. Yuck!

[RaYne]

I originally wanted to get Urban Carnivore but the store stopped stocking it. They were getting too many thawed shipments. They only have NV now. The closest place for me to get Arusha is Toronto. That's quite the drive.

[RaYne]

Just thinking here.. Would any of the NV raw formula's be good for my CRF kitty? I'm horrible on converting phos levels..

http://www.naturesvariety.com/raw_products

[sugarcatmom]

Originally Posted by RaYne

Just thinking here.. Would any of the NV raw formula's be good for my CRF kitty? I'm horrible on converting phos levels..

http://www.naturesvariety.com/raw_products

Yup, the NV raw is excellent for CRF. If you scroll down to the bottom of this chart, it lists the phosphorus content of some of their flavours: http://www.geocities.com/jmpeerson/CanFoodNew.html

[RaYne]

Thanks sugarcatmom. I have that link and never noticed the raw at the bottom of the page. I'll have to try Fido on it then. He wasn't too keen on raw the last time I tried it. (Urban Carnivore Chicken). He ate it once and then never again. Maybe he'll like the NV better?

Louie and Demon had their first meal this morning. They inhaled it. I didn't have to add anything to it. I just broke up the medallions and put them in their dish. Now I'm just crossing my fingers that they digest it ok.

[RaYne]

Just an update...

Louie is doing awesome on the NV raw but Demon was having some trouble. I thought they may have diarrhea and instead it was the opposite. The poor guy, I found a very hard bloody poop in the litterbox. So I added some fish oil and water to the medallions. It seems to have helped. No more blood and his stool isn't as hard now. Too much bone for him maybe?

The only other issue we are having is that they act like they are starving. I've upped them to 4 medallions each a day (which is the amount listed on the feeding guide for a 10 pound cat) but they still scream at anyone that has food or looks like they are making food. I'm not sure if they truly 'need' more or it they are just used to packing themselves full of canned food and don't feel full?

[bendyfoot]

grain-free/reduced grain food sometimes doesn't give the same immediate "full" feeling as a carb-loaded food... my oldest cat, since switching to raw, is giving me the ol "I'M STAAAAARVING" routine more now too, but the key is just to monitor the kitty's body condition/weight. If they're losing weight that you didn't want them to lose, then add more food. My "staaaaaarving" kitty is actually starting to put on some weight I think she just likes the food better.