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Post by horse656 on Aug 10, 2010 15:38:36 GMT -5
i want to switch my cats to raw, well, at least supplement them with raw 2-3 times a week. i have an over weight fat cat, and a younger kitty. Oliver is around 10, and over 10 pounds. Eva is just almost a year and half now, and I'm not sure of her weight. they will occasionally take cooked chicken and be really picky about it. sometimes they will eat it, and sometimes they won't. it's the stupidest thing. Oliver has stolen moist food from Isabelle's bowl years ago, when we still had her. so he probably will eat moist still. I'm not sure how to go about switching them to try some of it. should i start with ground food first? we do have hamburger in the freezer or should i start by wetting down their kibble, and mixing in some ground?
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Post by Heather on Aug 10, 2010 23:10:35 GMT -5
I'm guessing that your furries are eating kibble right now. I would to start with (because kitties can and are such a pain to switch) try and switch them to moist as a beginning step. I had the most success with doing that. Then you use the moist as a base for your raw. As you really don't have any great idea of keeping them on the moist, get them something they like vs something that is really good for them. I've switched a few kitties going this route. Like ferrets it can take some time but it seems to work (I've not switched half the cats that I've switched ferrets ) ciao
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Post by Kerit on Aug 11, 2010 19:36:59 GMT -5
Do they like canned food? That's the easiest to start hiding raw in. Use whatever they like, then start mixing in really small amounts of raw. If they refuse it, back up and use less raw. If they don't seem to mind it, add a little more next time. Tiny, tiny amounts. That's what's been working for me. And be prepared for mixing up different dishes for each cat, like I am now... One of my cats eats ground rabbit, chicken, turkey, goat... just about anything I put in front of him. The other cat, however, will only eat raw when it's mixed about half/half with canned or kibble. I am still working on him, but it's better than the days when he would only eat a teaspoon of raw stuff! Heather, have you convinced any cats to eat bone-in meats?
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Post by rarnold18 on Aug 11, 2010 19:58:57 GMT -5
I wish I had the ability to switch my cats... but when I try to give them any amount of raw whether it's mixed with cat food or not they look at me like I' m CRAZY!!! The ferrets, they've been a breeze compared to getting my cats switched! The only one that will even consider eating raw is Sid Kitteh, and he'll only eat whole ground chicken, when he's in the mood of course. I'd love to the Cleo, 8lbs 10years old, and Sylvia, 17lbs and 5 years old, switched because they have urinary tract infection problems so much that we've now researched the PH of cat foods and found that the Acana Praire has a PH of 5.5 so that their urine is more acid and will disolve any struvite crystals or stones that do manage to form... As for LB, 23lb 3 year old, he's a lost cause...oh and LB stands for Little Bit.... ya right!
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Post by Heather on Aug 11, 2010 23:32:18 GMT -5
Merlyn, will eat bone in meat. He was a hunter before he was turned into the shelter and has no problem eating whole prey and bone in meat. He steals from the ferrets....gives him a feeling of accomplishment The rest of the kitty crew eat commercial ground with bone in. Even my MIL's cats. Once you get them to eat moist readily you go slow, real slow. You mix up the moist just like you would any other day, you then take a piece of raw, less than a quarter of a tsp. This is so minute of an amount. No more. My 12 yr old kibble addict switched in this manner. It takes huge amounts of patience but you have to go slow otherwise you will be back at the beginning. You cannot add more just because the kitty ate it once, this is a 2 week process maybe more. Kitty will let you know if you move too fast ciao
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