Nature's Variety Raw questions

[dollface]

Hello everyone! I've got some questions about this diet, hope you can help!

We are still feeding Wellness Grain-Free cans, switching up flavours every 2 weeks. But at $80/mth for 2 cases (48 cans) it's getting a tad expensive and the breath issue...well you know lol

So I've been reading up on the raw diets and bought a trial bag of NV Raw Medallions Chicken Formula today. Here come the questions, please forgive me in advance lol...

So how do I start this stuff? The girl at GPF told me I should cook it to medium rare first and then gradually cook it less and less. How would I cook it? I don't have much knowledge in the kitchen dept. Do I grill it? Boil it? Or is that totally wrong, and I would just thaw it completely and give a them chunk or 2?

Long term: If they take to it, can I just feed the medallions as is? Do I need to add supplements to it? Can this particular brand and diet be generally less expensive to Wellness canned diet?

I have been reading up on making cat food on my own, but it seems too daunting for someone like me to try and attempt it. Although one day it is my goal to be able to make it, therefore cutting costs even more.

If anybody has any other info for a beginner like me that you think could help please do tell!

[Love4himies]

Please don't cook it, it has bones in it.

I thaw in the fridge 24 hours in advance. When I am ready to feed, I warm up a bit of water in their bowl in the micorwave. Mix the medallion in the hot water to warm up the food a bit, then feed.

I found there was too much bone content in it so I ended up having to add muscle meat to the feedings otherwise the cats would get too constipated.


I now make my own raw and don't plan on purchase prepared raw again. I use a scale, an attachment to my electric mixer to grind the meat and chicken bones. It takes DH and I about 1 hour to do two weeks worth of food. The avg cost is about $1.50 per pound as I am able to get chicken back bones from my local butcher for .25 a pound (lots of meat still on). The other part of the meat is chicken backs and what ever meat is on sale.

[Love4himies]

Here is a pic:

[Love4himies]

The other thing I found with NV Raw, was that some of the medallions were freezer burnt, and if you have cats that aren't too crazy about raw in the first place, then they won't like the freezer burn.

[dollface]

thanks for the tid bit L4H

so I just fed Gizzy about a quarter of one and he ate pretty much all of the quarter left maybe a mouthful left, Forest sniffed it twice and walked away each time. Then I had to go to the bank and when I got back the dish was empty so not really sure who ate the last bit.

Gizzy pretty much will eat anything that is meant for cats so I don't see him having much trouble with the switch. He even ate it cold. Forest I know I will have more trouble with, being 15 this year and the trouble I had when switching him from dry to canned.

Tonight's homework: read as much as I can about making my own raw and try to find a meat grinder lol

[dollface]

how long can you leave raw food down if mixed in with canned food?