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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! |
#2
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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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Cat maid to: Rose semi feral, a cpietra rescue, female tabby (approx 13 yrs) 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 |
#3
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Here is a pic:
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Cat maid to: Rose semi feral, a cpietra rescue, female tabby (approx 13 yrs) 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 |
#4
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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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Cat maid to: Rose semi feral, a cpietra rescue, female tabby (approx 13 yrs) 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 |
#5
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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 |
#6
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how long can you leave raw food down if mixed in with canned food?
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Quote:
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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"To close your eyes will not ease another's pain." ~ Chinese Proverb “We must not refuse to see with our eyes what they must endure with their bodies.” ~ Gretchen Wyler |
#8
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Quote:
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? |
#9
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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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"To close your eyes will not ease another's pain." ~ Chinese Proverb “We must not refuse to see with our eyes what they must endure with their bodies.” ~ Gretchen Wyler |
#10
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Yes that would be nice
Anybody know what meat grinder I should look for? Wattage? Plastic? Stainless Steel? |
#11
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Quote:
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"To close your eyes will not ease another's pain." ~ Chinese Proverb “We must not refuse to see with our eyes what they must endure with their bodies.” ~ Gretchen Wyler |
#12
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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? |
#13
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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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Miranda Tulip Roxy Nelly Sencha and Alaska Come Visit Us! http://myminizoo.wordpress.com |
#14
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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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Cat maid to: Rose semi feral, a cpietra rescue, female tabby (approx 13 yrs) 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 |
#15
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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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Miranda Tulip Roxy Nelly Sencha and Alaska Come Visit Us! http://myminizoo.wordpress.com |
#16
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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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#17
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Well wtf! You lucked out, missy. That's awesome!!!!
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"To close your eyes will not ease another's pain." ~ Chinese Proverb “We must not refuse to see with our eyes what they must endure with their bodies.” ~ Gretchen Wyler |
#18
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Way to go Forest . Boy did you luck out.
__________________
Cat maid to: Rose semi feral, a cpietra rescue, female tabby (approx 13 yrs) 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 |
#19
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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!
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Miranda Tulip Roxy Nelly Sencha and Alaska Come Visit Us! http://myminizoo.wordpress.com |
#20
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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? Quote:
Sorry for the questions, someone needs to write a dummies guide for making raw food lol |
#21
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Quote:
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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Miranda Tulip Roxy Nelly Sencha and Alaska Come Visit Us! http://myminizoo.wordpress.com |
#22
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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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Quote:
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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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.
__________________
Cat maid to: Rose semi feral, a cpietra rescue, female tabby (approx 13 yrs) 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 |
#25
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Quote:
Quote:
http://www.catnutrition.org/foodmaking.php http://www.caberfeidh.com/Safe.htm
__________________
"To close your eyes will not ease another's pain." ~ Chinese Proverb “We must not refuse to see with our eyes what they must endure with their bodies.” ~ Gretchen Wyler |
#26
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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!
Quote:
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. |
#27
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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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Cat maid to: Rose semi feral, a cpietra rescue, female tabby (approx 13 yrs) 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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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 |
#29
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Quote:
Awesome!! Let me know how that goes......
__________________
"To close your eyes will not ease another's pain." ~ Chinese Proverb “We must not refuse to see with our eyes what they must endure with their bodies.” ~ Gretchen Wyler |
#30
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I carry HRH Princess Puddles to her dinner plate.
__________________
Cat maid to: Rose semi feral, a cpietra rescue, female tabby (approx 13 yrs) 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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