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Old March 22nd, 2009, 10:24 PM
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Nature's Variety Raw questions

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!
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Old March 23rd, 2009, 11:17 AM
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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.
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Old March 23rd, 2009, 11:23 AM
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Old March 23rd, 2009, 11:27 AM
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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.
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Old March 23rd, 2009, 03:36 PM
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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
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Old March 23rd, 2009, 04:18 PM
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how long can you leave raw food down if mixed in with canned food?
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Old March 23rd, 2009, 04:55 PM
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Quote:
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how long can you leave raw food down if mixed in with canned food?
Several hours if it's not a hot day (if it is, you can put those freezer gel packs underneath the food dish to keep it cooler for longer).

I was going to suggest that to get Forest accustomed to raw, mix the tiniest sliver in with his canned. Ever so gradually (like even over the course of weeks), increase the amount of raw. If he starts to balk at it, go back to the previous amount that he was eating and stay there for a little longer. Does he like fresh raw chicken breast from the grocery store at all, or if not, what about cooked chicken?
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Old March 23rd, 2009, 05:07 PM
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Several hours if it's not a hot day (if it is, you can put those freezer gel packs underneath the food dish to keep it cooler for longer).

I was going to suggest that to get Forest accustomed to raw, mix the tiniest sliver in with his canned. Ever so gradually (like even over the course of weeks), increase the amount of raw. If he starts to balk at it, go back to the previous amount that he was eating and stay there for a little longer. Does he like fresh raw chicken breast from the grocery store at all, or if not, what about cooked chicken?
Ok glad it can be longer than 30 mins lol

I fed them lunch at 4:30 and gave Gizzy another quarter of a patty mixed in with the canned, and of that I gave Forest 1/3 of that quarter. Forest ate all his raw with the canned. And Gizzy left about a mouthful.

Is it too soon to be hopeful?
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Old March 23rd, 2009, 05:15 PM
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Is it too soon to be hopeful?
Of course it is!! (j/k - but we are talking about cats here )

No, that's a great sign. Hopefully they keep it up.
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Old March 23rd, 2009, 05:30 PM
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Yes that would be nice

Anybody know what meat grinder I should look for? Wattage? Plastic? Stainless Steel?
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Old March 23rd, 2009, 06:27 PM
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Anybody know what meat grinder I should look for? Wattage? Plastic? Stainless Steel?
One that's a favourite with many who make their own raw is the Tasin TS-108. It has no problem handling chicken bones, but I probably wouldn't put turkey bones through it. There is also a Northern Tool one that is almost exactly the same except it has a 1000 watt motor instead of 1200 watts, making it a bit cheaper as well. Not sure where in Canada you'd find them but eBay might be a good place to check.
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Old March 24th, 2009, 04:27 AM
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Ok same as the one mentioned on catinfo.org

I just read on another forum that if you feed raw you should worm regularly? Is that true?
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Old March 24th, 2009, 06:39 AM
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Just wanted to add that you don't have to grind for cats. I follow a diet similar to L4H but nothing is ground. I just chunk things up into reasonable portions and the cats do the rest!

I feed chicken carcasses, beef chunks, ground beef, ground pork, hearts, liver, kidney, mackerel, salmon, eggs, trukey chunks, chicken chunks and yogurt..and add in Vit E, Salmon Oil, and Kelp at feeding

Here is a site that talks about feeding whole prey to cats. http://rawfedcats.org/index.htm

Just my 2 cents
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Old March 24th, 2009, 06:44 AM
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I would prefer not to grind my meat and feed like tuliproxy, however, Puddles is a licker and I can't get her to eat chunks.

Rose, my feral foster prefers chunks to grind so I take her chunks of whatever we are having for dinner.
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Old March 24th, 2009, 06:49 AM
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Forgot to add. I didnt start by just giving them chunks. I started with a raw food supplement premix (http://felineinstincts.ca/
I then started adding chunks into the premix...tiny at first and gradually increasing...then to the larger chunks they get today.
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Old March 24th, 2009, 05:10 PM
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Ok today I gave Forest about 5 tiny chunks of raw to Forest to see if he would eat it by itself and he did! So I gave both of them 5 more chunks as a snack and they ate it all. It can't be this easy, can it?
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Old March 24th, 2009, 05:16 PM
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It can't be this easy, can it?
Well wtf! You lucked out, missy. That's awesome!!!!
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Old March 24th, 2009, 05:33 PM
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Way to go Forest . Boy did you luck out.
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Jasper RIP (2001-2018)
Sweet Pea RIP (2004?-2014)
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In a cat's eye, all things belong to cats.-English Proverb

“While we are free to choose our actions, we are not free to choose the consequences of our actions.” Stephen R. Covey
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Old March 24th, 2009, 06:48 PM
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Ok today I gave Forest about 5 tiny chunks of raw to Forest to see if he would eat it by itself and he did! So I gave both of them 5 more chunks as a snack and they ate it all. It can't be this easy, can it?
Wow thats great! Try giving them small chunks of chicken neck or rib pieces and see if they eat those too...if they do you're in the clear!
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Old March 24th, 2009, 07:41 PM
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Well wtf! You lucked out, missy. That's awesome!!!!
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Way to go Forest . Boy did you luck out.
well let's just hope it's not a fluke like when he ate the first canned food I offered and then he never ate it again

He is also doing things that we've never seen him do. We've had a cat tree for them for almost a year and just last night he jumped into the cubby hole and stayed there for 10 hours! And he's back in again Could the raw food be causing cute behaviour too?

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Wow thats great! Try giving them small chunks of chicken neck or rib pieces and see if they eat those too...if they do you're in the clear!
Cooked or raw? They will eat cooked chicken no problem. If you're talking about raw I will for sure try it! Could I just buy it from the grocery store and feed it to them? And if they eat it like that, I can just get those and grind 'em up with the added supplements they need?

Sorry for the questions, someone needs to write a dummies guide for making raw food lol
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Old March 24th, 2009, 08:52 PM
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Cooked or raw? They will eat cooked chicken no problem. If you're talking about raw I will for sure try it! Could I just buy it from the grocery store and feed it to them? And if they eat it like that, I can just get those and grind 'em up with the added supplements they need?

Sorry for the questions, someone needs to write a dummies guide for making raw food lol
Raw Chunks... It has to be raw as neck and rib pieces contain bones and its dangerous to feed cooked bone.

Yeah of course you can get carcasses from the grocery store...or if you want to get them in bulk for really cheap try finding a chicken processing plant...I get 25 lb for $6!

If they eat that you can actually just feed the pieces of chicken carcass whole, there is no need to grind....Which makes it less expensive and less time consuming. Then you need to add muscle meat, organ meat and egg...and supplements and you're done I wrote a few articles about feeding raw to both cats and dogs on my blog http://myminizoo.wordpress.com/category/raw-food-diet/

Good Luck!
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Old March 24th, 2009, 11:02 PM
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Does anybody have hairball issues with the raw diet? That's one pet peeve I would love NOT to see again
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Old March 24th, 2009, 11:07 PM
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Raw Chunks... It has to be raw as neck and rib pieces contain bones and its dangerous to feed cooked bone.

Yeah of course you can get carcasses from the grocery store...or if you want to get them in bulk for really cheap try finding a chicken processing plant...I get 25 lb for $6!

If they eat that you can actually just feed the pieces of chicken carcass whole, there is no need to grind....Which makes it less expensive and less time consuming. Then you need to add muscle meat, organ meat and egg...and supplements and you're done I wrote a few articles about feeding raw to both cats and dogs on my blog http://myminizoo.wordpress.com/category/raw-food-diet/

Good Luck!
Duh to me I think I was referring to the meat part of the neck but that doesn't make sense to have raw bones and cooked meat lmao

Hmmm that is interesting, my step-father works at a chicken processing plant, I wonder if I could get some from there!

Thanks for the link! I need all the basic info I can get my hands on to understand everything!
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Old March 25th, 2009, 07:09 AM
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I find since changing my cat's diet to raw, there is less hairballs and yes, there personalities did change, they act much younger now.
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Old March 25th, 2009, 07:17 AM
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Does anybody have hairball issues with the raw diet? That's one pet peeve I would love NOT to see again
My experience has been that hairballs aren't an issue on a raw diet.

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I need all the basic info I can get my hands on to understand everything!
http://www.holisticat.com/rawrecipe.html
http://www.catnutrition.org/foodmaking.php
http://www.caberfeidh.com/Safe.htm
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Old March 25th, 2009, 02:36 PM
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^^ thanks for the links I'm still reading the Making Cat Food page on catinfo.org. I just hope that by the time I get to the recipe part that it will be easy to do and I was worrying for nothing that it looked complicated and I wouldn't be able to do it. Here's hoping!

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I find since changing my cat's diet to raw, there is less hairballs and yes, there personalities did change, they act much younger now.
So even though some dry food is made for preventing hairballs, it still don't stop all of it like a wet food diet or a raw diet. Hmm, maybe ppl could clue into this and stop feeding it!

Kind of off topic: But ever since Forest found this new cubby hole, the past 2 nights he has ignored dinner. And I try bringing the plate to him and set it in front of the hole he takes a couple licks and then goes back to sleep. But I'm not sure if I should keep doing that cuz if I keep bringing food there I don't think he'll sleep there anymore. Is it "cats don't eat where they sleep" or vice versa? Should I just keep putting dinner down where I usually do and hope that he'll come out on his own? Cuz its starting to mess with his eating schedule.
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Old March 25th, 2009, 02:40 PM
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The other thing I found, is they eat less too. Jaser lost quite a bit of extra weight, so he is a perfect weight. Puddles has gained muscle mass, Sweet Pea is still chunky but I think she has eating issues (starving pregnant stray).
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Jasper RIP (2001-2018)
Sweet Pea RIP (2004?-2014)
Puddles RIP (1996-2014)
Snowball RIP (1991-2005)

In a cat's eye, all things belong to cats.-English Proverb

“While we are free to choose our actions, we are not free to choose the consequences of our actions.” Stephen R. Covey
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Old March 26th, 2009, 01:29 AM
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Ok so I'm kinda amazed. Forest ate 1/2 a smooshed up 1 oz patty and then ate 1/2 of a 1/4 can of wet food but I had to bring it to him outside his cubby hole. I think he's training me to treat him like a king

Gizzy on the other hand, hasn't eaten dinner at all tonight but I think I may be to blame for that one. I just received a clicker training kit and was training him a bit, maybe too much
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Old March 26th, 2009, 07:01 AM
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but I had to bring it to him outside his cubby hole. I think he's training me to treat him like a king
Welcome to the club! I bring my cat his meals too. I figure at 16 yrs old, he's earned his retirement, and if he wants breakfast in bed, breakfast in bed he shall have.

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I just received a clicker training kit and was training him a bit, maybe too much
Awesome!! Let me know how that goes......
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Old March 26th, 2009, 08:24 AM
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I carry HRH Princess Puddles to her dinner plate.
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Jasper RIP (2001-2018)
Sweet Pea RIP (2004?-2014)
Puddles RIP (1996-2014)
Snowball RIP (1991-2005)

In a cat's eye, all things belong to cats.-English Proverb

“While we are free to choose our actions, we are not free to choose the consequences of our actions.” Stephen R. Covey
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