trying to make an old cat go raw

[Tetris15]

I've read so many posts and blogs about transitioning cats to raw. In the past year, I've tried two different brands of pachaged raw foods and both raw beef and raw chicken with my cat (on other attempts I even tried gently searing the meat). She wouldn't try anything. Any new ideas? I'd love to hear from people that made it over the hurdle, so to speak, with their stubborn cats. Thank you.

[rawstrength]

My cat is not raw, but she does love raw fish, raw egg yolks, and raw organ meats. I think these are more natural foods for cats than chicken or beef.
Have you tried mixing her cooked food with some raw food?

[oceanluv]

I have a new cat, Mr. Lucky. he was a stray that got hit by a car that broke his back leg and had to have it amputated.(I call him lucky 'cause he was found by a great lady that has a feline sanctuary.) he is doing great now. I think the trick to switching cats' food is to do it very gradually. I use the evolution diet vegan kibbles, and just gradually mix a little more in each day. I hate the store cat food, it has so many chemicals and gross body parts. ( I know, cats eat mice, etc, but I'm not about to feed them to him) he is adjusting well, and I expect him to live a very long healthy life.

[rawstrength]

Cats are true carnivores and cannot thrive on a vegan diet.

[Raene]

Cats are true carnivores and cannot thrive on a vegan diet.

I completely agree. If we can't deal with feeding animals raw meat, then we shouldn't have pets. Housepets are getting cancer that they'd never end up getting in the wild because of all of the unnatural foods we give them. Think of what they'd eat in the wild and then strive to give them as close to that as possible.

[RaisingAlex]

Simple solution:
Let her out to go catch a mouse. lol A easy, natural, raw meal!

[PhillyQueenie]

Hey,
I've been transitioning my two adult cats (approx ages 2 & 3 but who really knows!) to raw over the period of about a month - 6 weeks now. I use Aunt Jeni's (www.auntjeni.com) - it's all organic and not expensive. It's made in NJ (which for me is pretty local) and sold frozen in 1 lb. tubs. Anyway, I tried my cats on just raw chicken, raw fish - wouldn't touch any of it. When I tried Aunt Jeni's, I put a little hot water over it and then covered it with their kibble (organic, healthy kibble) they'd been eating. They ate it all.

Slowlly, I've been moving away from the kibble - now I use more raw, and just a sprinkling of kibble over it. Now, it's been 6 weeks or so, and if I don't put any kibble they won't eat it...but if I put just like 8 pieces of kibble, they'll eat it all! Nutty girls, they are!

So, transition time is key. And some cats just won't go for it ever, in which case I recommend (I'm a professional pet sitter) switching to a very high-quality, grain-free kibble, such as Innova Evo. And you can always wet the kibble to "rehydrate" it a tiny bit (for what thats worth) and/or use wet food (again, high quality, grain-free).

Always keep in mind that cats are one of the most pure carnivores out there, so grains are ENTIRELY UNNECESSARY, and veggies should be kept at a minimum. Fowl and other winged animals are most natural to a cat, and, of course, if you are like me and live in an old house in an old city...your cats might be lucky enough to catch mice! ;)

Good luck!

[HolyGuacamole]

Our kitties transitioned to raw really easily over the course of a couple of weeks.

Over the course of their lifetime they have transitioned from all natural dry food with grains to grain-free dry food, then from grain-free dry to grain-free wet, and finally from grain-free wet to ground raw meat.
I would like give them frozen prey, ideally, but at this point I just don't think I could bear the gore.

Their favorite right now is the pheasant variety of this
http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/products/Primal-Pet-Foods-Raw-Cat-Food/165006.aspx
but it's a little costly and we're still experimenting and trying new things.

If your kitty is eating dry food I might try transitioning to wet food first, and then to raw.

[Soldier Girl]

Hi, this thread caught my eye. I started reading/researching feeding my cats raw before doing so for myself.

My experience hasn't been too good so far. But I haven't been consistent with the transitioning either.

My 16 yr old kitty won't even smell it, let alone touch it. She's going to be my biggest challenge. My 4 year old is about the same. My daughter's 2 yr old kitty is fairly receptive, as long as it's mixed with canned cat food.

I ordered from this site http://www.felinespride.com/products/catfood.aspx?a_aid=ba96960f&a_bid=731194

I didn't really think they were too expensive. I ordered the chicken, which is the cheapest, just to try it. I really should have gotten turkey because that has always seemed to be what my cats prefer.

I guess patience and persistence is the key. My 16 yr old really does NOT like change! If anyone has any other good ideas or recommendations, I would love to hear from you!!

Debbie

[freespirit]

I recently got a new kitten. he was eating kibble with his previous owner-but he wasnt going to be eating it in my house!!! We are raw foodists!

So he was a little hungry for three days. I would put the food in front of him, he wouldnt eat. I would put it away. Three days I did this, with lots of fresh water out for him, and by the third day he was on it! he attacked it- ate every little bit so I waited a couple hours and gave him some more. Thats how i did it when I transitioned my older cat- shes about 7.

I did feel kind of bad for him not eating for three days, but in the end it worked, and he got a litttle fasting in too :D Animals do naturally fast in the wild, so i equate his transition to him not being able to "find" food if he had been wild. Now he eats seaweed, coconut oil, green smoothies, and any other concoction i eat.

[Rawzula]

Cats are born carnivores and feeding them a vegan diet isn't a good idea.

[Soldier Girl]

I had to update. My 16 yr old feline is eating raw!!! Well, 50/50 right now. I was getting tired of thawing out what I had and having it spoil because they wouldn't touch it (they meaning-I have 3 indoor cats). Anyway, the other day I put some on a small plate. As usual, noses turned up. So I put some on my finger and put it under her nose (the 16 yr old-her name is Muffy) and she ate it!!!! When she realized what was on the plate, she ate most of it. She has been eating it ever since and I had to order more. It should arrive tomorrow.

Now gotta work on the other kitties.

Oh, and since Muffy has added raw to her diet, she is much more playful, more DEMANDING and just seems a little more active in general. I can't wait to see what she's like WHEN she's completely raw! :D

So, anyone having trouble getting your animals to eat raw......bribe them, hand feed them (that's what Muffy needed), anything. Once they start eating it, the more and more they like it. It's just getting them to eat the first time! :rolleyes:

[Auntie Crazy]

Yay! That's wonderful! I'm new to the forum and just read this thread - delighted to hear of your success. :D

For those who are having difficulty transitioning your cats to raw, try sprinkling Whole Life's freeze-dried Chicken Pet Treats over the meat. The only ingredient is Chicken (or whichever flavor you buy - there are several), so it's quite healthy and cats go nuts for it.

You could also try rubbing whatever they're accustomed to eating on the raw meal you'd like them to eat, slicing the skin so the meat is exposed (especially if it's whole prey), or even pushing some of their usual food into the sliced part of the raw food.

A.C.

[freshlight]

Hey A.C., welcome to the forum :) How many cats have you got? -just curious :D
Cheers from Eva

[Soldier Girl]

Hi AC, welcome!

Thanks for the tips. We are not totally successful yet. My 16 yr old will eat rabbit but won't touch the turkey. She is also still eating some of her dry. I know, I know...get rid of it! I don't want to put her in shock, I want her around for many more years! :D

My 4 yr old won't touch raw meat yet. I guess I'm going to have to be more assertive with her.

~Debbie

[Auntie Crazy]

Patience is the key for reluctant kitties. You can't make 'em go hungry 'cause they can end up with Feline Hepatic Lipidosis (also known as Fatty Liver Syndrome) and that's not a good thing.

You're right, though, you want to get rid of that dry food as soon as possible. It's nothing but garbage mucking up your kitty's biological workings. ;)

[roseyonnex]

Hey Debbie,

Good job hanging in there with your older cats. I have five cats, and I feed them all raw. I make my own food from www.catnutrition.org. I have the meat grinder and the whole bit.

The transition was MUCH harder for the older cats compared to the younger ones. It was very frustrating, and for awhile I felt like I was trying everything and they really weren't eating very much. But FINALLY four transitioned. My youngest one took about three days. My older ones took months. And I have one still holding out...little bugger!

My 16-year-old is finally eating raw, and I can tell a difference in his coat and his eyes don't water as much. He also was drinking tons of water like he had kidney problems, and he seems to have cut back on the water, so I'm hopeful he is doing okay.

I have tranferred most of my cats over by first getting them used to eating soft store-bought canned food first (because they were used to kibble). Then, mix raw with canned and slowly increase the porportions of raw to canned. And finally, they will eat the pure raw. It was a long transition for me and them.

Catnutrition.org does not recommend starving them, as I think it hurts their liver. (but I'll have to read the site again)

But, finally, I can say that the struggle has been worth it.

Cats are just creatures of habit and if they have been grazing on kibble for years and years, they really resist the change.

Now all I have to do is keep making it, which I have to say is a lot of work! Takes me about an hour to make a week's worth.

And, to the above posts, you're right, cats do not eat vegetables!!

Rosie

[Soldier Girl]

Rose, thanks for the tip!!! I'll figure out something. My old(er) cat does not like canned food, but she loves the juice from canned tuna.

She is such a picky eater. The site that I order her raw food from has just come out with ground mouse. I tell ya, I can't bring myself to that so I'm glad there are others that will do the job for me!!! When I'm ready to order again, I'm going to get some mouse.

It's a long transition. The other 2...well, I haven't been working as hard on them yet. The 4 year old is SUPER picky but she also loves the tuna juice. I think she also likes Fancy Feast....hmm... maybe?

Anyway, any and all tips/advice are welcome!!

~Debbie

[Veronica01]

I recently got a new kitten. he was eating kibble with his previous owner-but he wasnt going to be eating it in my house!!! We are raw foodists!

So he was a little hungry for three days. I would put the food in front of him, he wouldnt eat. I would put it away. Three days I did this, with lots of fresh water out for him, and by the third day he was on it! he attacked it- ate every little bit so I waited a couple hours and gave him some more. Thats how i did it when I transitioned my older cat- shes about 7.

I did feel kind of bad for him not eating for three days, but in the end it worked, and he got a litttle fasting in too :D Animals do naturally fast in the wild, so i equate his transition to him not being able to "find" food if he had been wild. Now he eats seaweed, coconut oil, green smoothies, and any other concoction i eat.

I am just wondering how your cat was ok after 3 days of not eating. My family has had 5 cats and 3 of them have died from liver disease, they stopped eating and after 3 days they got jaundice and refused to eat anything ever again and died. I have always been extra careful with my cat to make sure he eats and someone feeds him when i go on vacation. The cats that died were between 2 and 8 years old. They'd get glazed eyes and hide under the bed in the dark and just starve themselves for no apparent reason. I never fed my cat the cheap cat food at the store anyways, but he's 8 now and i want him to be around for a long time. In the summer he catches a lot of mice and moles outside and eats them but its pretty cold here and most of the months he spends inside.

[Colorawdo girl]

Hi....I have one sweet little kitty. She eats raw frozen chicken kibbles. I thaw them and she loves them. She catches a mouse once in a while.

I also feed her a very good quality kibble and also canned with no grain in it.

She also likes to see what I am having and will often eat some. She loves raw pizza!!!!!

Oh she eats wheatgrass too. Not the shots, just the grass.
Thats my kitty story.Here is my kitty!!!

[Soldier Girl]

Artgirly, what a beautiful kitty!!! She looks just like my 16-1/2 yr old!!

Hey all, I'm making progress. I found some good resources on helping your cat to go raw. And they were adamant about NOT letting your kitty starve or go hungry. This is what I'm doing and it seems to be working.

I've been using Fancy Feast canned food. My 4 yr old kitty loves it. I order my raw food from Hare Today. I love their variety and their prices are very reasonable. I divide the raw food in small portions and put them in freezer bags in the freezer. I take out what I need (one or two bags) and thaw them in the fridge. When I'm ready to use, I put a small spoonful on a little saucer plate (I'm short on cat food dishes) and I put in the microwave for 7-8 seconds. The I mix a very small amount of Fancy Feast with it and my kitties go after it. My 4 yr old was being the biggest challenge until yesterday. I noticed she was eating around the Fancy Feast! So today, I give both of them just the raw food and they ate it. I gave them duck today. They also seem to like the pheasant and rabbit. They don't like the mouse for some reason so I've been giving that to the ferals outside. They will eat anything!

The biggest and last step to come is to totally take away their dry food. I've been trying to keep an eye on them to see if they are eating it less and less. I can see that they don't eat as much of it as they use to so it won't be long before it's gone.

I hope this helps anyone who is experiencing challenges in trying to get your kitties/animals to go raw. I found that putting it in the microwave for a few seconds doesn't hurt it and it softens it and brings out the natural juices that my kits go nuts for.

~Debbie

[oceanluv]

aka Bubba. I was feeding him vegan dry kibble, and after all the replies to that, went back to store bought natural kibble. Did some more thinking,(I do that now and then)
and researched raw foods on line, plus what you guys said. I bought a chicken breast, cut it up into small pieces (gross!) and fed him about 3 of them. He scarfed them down, and seemed very happy. Like I said before, he was a stray, so I'm sure he was eating all kinds of raw " goodies." I will still feed him some kibble, at least untill the bag is gone.
I looked into the frozen foods, but they are too much for my budget right now. One site recommended adding the oil from a fish oil capsule once or twice a week. Is that something you all do? Bubba thanks you for making me aware of his preferences. :)

[oceanluv]

the first part of my post got lost somewhere. it was update on Mr. Lucky, aka Bubba.

[lucky lemons]

I agree cats are not meant to be vegetarian, they are carnivores. My cats are not on a wholly raw food diet but I do feed them raw tuna and they love it, they seem to vastly prefer it over their supposedly holistic all natural cat food. I think they would be content on a diet of raw fish and fresh greens.

[RawSar]

I have 2 kittens (10 weeks old) that I have been feeding kitten canned food (not natural just something from the grocery store), vegan kibble, enzyme powder and Green Mush.

Kibble,enzyme powder and green mush from: http://www.veganessentials.com/

My boyfriend wants to transition the kittens to just eating the kibble, enzyme powder and green mush. Transition them to a vegan diet. Everything I read here is saying that cats should not be vegan. I'm reading some articles (links from this forum) that explains why cats need the meat but my boyfriend wont read them (because you know you can find articles on both sides of the story) He says that the vegan kibble is the best and that it has everything in it that they would get from meat. So can they really live a vegan life with these 3 things and be happy healthy cats?

The vegan kibble has: Taurine, Vitamin A and Arachidonic Acid as well as B Vitamins and other Amino Acids. magnesium other vitamins and minerals, as well as omega 3s and 6s.
Guaranteed analysis:
Moisture – 8%
Crude protein – 33%
Crude fats – 14%
Crude fiber – 4%
Crude ash – 5.5%

Vitamins and minerals:
Vitamin A – 19000iu
Vitamin D3 (synthetic formulation) – 1250iu
Vitamin E (alpha tocopherol) – 210mg
Copper (copper suplhate pentahydrate) – 5mg

Green Mush: Ingredients: Whole leaf barley and wheat grasses, spirulina, broken cell wall chlorella, horsetail herb, nettle leaf, burdock root, alfalfa leaf juice, dandelion leaf juice, kamut grass juice, barley grass juice, oat grass juice, sea vegetables (Nova Scotia dulse and Icelandic kelp), carob pod, Nopal cactus, plant source digestive enzyme complex (protease, amylase, lipase, cellulase, alpha-galactosidase, bromelain, papain), CoQ10 (40mg per 9.5g or 13.4g per teaspoon), ginger root. Also contains a comprehensive probiotic mixture of beneficial organisms including A. Agilis, L. Acidophilus, R. Arrhizus, DDS-I Acidophilus, Bifidus, L. Bulgaricus, A. Brasilienese, B. Brenis, P. Chrysosporium, A. Citreus, L. Casei, P. Calcis, S. Cellulase, P. Denitrificans, S. Faecium, S. Fradiae, P. Flourescens, A. Globiformis, S. Griseoflavus, P. Gelatic, B. Lipolyticum, A. Luteus, A. Lipoferum, A. Lwofii, B. Laterosporous, P. Marinoglutionsa, B. Macerans, P. Nigraclens, P. Putida, L. Plantarum, B. Pumilus, B. Polymyxa, B. Stationis, L. Salivarius, B. Subtilus, B. Succinogenes, A. Simplex, B. Subtilus, S. Thermopolis, A. Terreus, M. Verrucaria, T. Viride, K. Zopfit

What are your thoughts on this?

[oceanluv]

another update on Bubba.. he is eating only raw now. We also have a new friend, Frankie, a 5 month old siamese mix that I got from the same feline rescue Bubba came from. He took to the raw diet like a champ. I feed them chicken, beef cubes and occasionally non grain canned food. at first I was warming up their food in a baggy in a bowl of water, but now they eat right out of the fridge. am thinking about getting them some mice!!!! weird what we do for our furry friends.

[oceanluv]

what I meant was... they eat it cold from the fridge, not that they stick their heads in there and eat, lol.

[MysticTree]

about 35 years ago, my father tried to teach our cats to eat lettuce. They already caught their own meat but he felt that lettuce could only be a good thing ... he failed miserably lol

Georgina

[gener]

If your pets are actually hungry, they will eat. I keep 2 alligator lizards. It doesn't matter if I load their cages with live crickets, they will turn up their scaled noses at them until they are skinny, and only then will they eat.

Luckily for them, they don't have large enough brains to have psychological motivations yet. Hahaha.

[RawLibrarian]

If your pets are actually hungry, they will eat. I keep 2 alligator lizards. It doesn't matter if I load their cages with live crickets, they will turn up their scaled noses at them until they are skinny, and only then will they eat.

Luckily for them, they don't have large enough brains to have psychological motivations yet. Hahaha.

Maybe true for lizards, but as someone noted above, if cats don't eat for just a couple of days they are at very high risk for fatty liver disease, and then it's curtains.

[Kilico]

Cats are true carnivores and cannot thrive on a vegan diet.

Yes, in fact they can suffer serious illness (with some dying or going blind) unless fed meat. I always tell vegans who are uncomfortable with the diet necessary to maintain the health of an obligate carnivore such as a cat that they should get a bunny instead. (I say this as a vegan myself, one with several cats).

[Kilico]

Hey,
I've been transitioning my two adult cats (approx ages 2 & 3 but who really knows!) to raw over the period of about a month - 6 weeks now. I use Aunt Jeni's (www.auntjeni.com) - it's all organic and not expensive. It's made in NJ (which for me is pretty local) and sold frozen in 1 lb. tubs. Anyway, I tried my cats on just raw chicken, raw fish - wouldn't touch any of it. When I tried Aunt Jeni's, I put a little hot water over it and then covered it with their kibble (organic, healthy kibble) they'd been eating. They ate it all.

Slowlly, I've been moving away from the kibble - now I use more raw, and just a sprinkling of kibble over it. Now, it's been 6 weeks or so, and if I don't put any kibble they won't eat it...but if I put just like 8 pieces of kibble, they'll eat it all! Nutty girls, they are!

So, transition time is key. And some cats just won't go for it ever, in which case I recommend (I'm a professional pet sitter) switching to a very high-quality, grain-free kibble, such as Innova Evo. And you can always wet the kibble to "rehydrate" it a tiny bit (for what thats worth) and/or use wet food (again, high quality, grain-free).

Always keep in mind that cats are one of the most pure carnivores out there, so grains are ENTIRELY UNNECESSARY, and veggies should be kept at a minimum. Fowl and other winged animals are most natural to a cat, and, of course, if you are like me and live in an old house in an old city...your cats might be lucky enough to catch mice! ;)

Good luck!

It's true that cats are strict carnivores who need no grains or vegies. A Cat-kins (the kitty equivalent of Atkins) diet is great for them. However, you need to be careful when feeding cats raw diets to provide a good balance of bones and organ meats as well as flesh for optimum nutrition and dental health. A meal for a cat in the wild would be something like a whole mouse - that includes fur, bones and organs (plus the remains of the unfortunate mouse's last meal as they lie in the stomach). That's about the balance they need. Something to keep in mind.

[k8sl8]

Are you really sure you want to mess with the diet of a 16 year old feline?? They are pretty set in their ways... also if you disrupt her enough that she quits eating, it could spell disaster. Slow change is the only safe way.

Sixteen isn't ancient as many live into their twenties, but it is certainly geriatric. (All from my Veterinarian husband.)

[vexvelour]

Thanks to the poster that suggested Hare Today. I'll be ordering from them within the next few days.

I too went from butcher to butcher, asking about grinding the bones, and was met with various forms of "Are you crazy?". I gave up, but thanks to this thread and the info in it my 5 (!) cats will be transitioning to a raw diet soon!

BTW- to the poster that said something about her dad trying to feed cats lettuce: my oldest, about 10 now, LOVES greens. Anytime I open the fridge to get out greens for a salad or smoothie he's crying to get some like I'm opening up a can of tuna! I gave him a dandelion green last night and he went wild. The other cats look at him like he's crazy, lol.

[lovenlife]

My cat is raw for three weeks or so. She is doing well. It takes a bunch to keep her going.

I found "Omas Pride" in my town. It is frozen and I get rabbit and chicken with veggies. She seems way too hungry to me for raw eating. For humans we eat less eventually. But maybe she needs to fill up after not having nutrition for a long while. Not sure.

I didn't want to give her grain but I want to stretch her meat.
I tried adding a bit of soaked flax meal and she didnt eat it so I had to toss it! ugh.

Today I added brown rice, ground up with the meat. I am hoping she will eat it and not hurt her health. I am up for filling her belly a little more reasonably priced.

Veggies not a go yet.

Any ideas.

[RawLibrarian]

My boyfriend wants to transition the kittens to just eating the kibble, enzyme powder and green mush. Transition them to a vegan diet. Everything I read here is saying that cats should not be vegan.

I don't understand why your boyfriend is trying to make an animal that is an obligate carnivore into a vegan. Cats need meat and bones, not mixtures of soy and taurine. There is no way that I believe that cats can thrive on vegan kibble and I would expect that the company who makes this stuff should be able to provide some studies on long-term use of the product.

Why would your boyfriend want to feed a cat unnatural mixtures when cats get all their nutrients from meat so much more easily? If it is because he doesn't want to deal with a meat-eating animal, he should get a rabbit or a guinea pig or a cow. Or a dog--dogs are omnivores. That's a lot better than trying to force a naturally-carnivorous animal to be a vegan. Cats are the animals they are and if a vegan can't accept it, he or she shouldn't own cats.

[Maddy]

I have 6 cats and gradully transitioned them onto raw food - they now love it so much I have to be careful with the smallest one as she still tends to pick all day like they all used to. trouble is the others don't pick anymore so she has gotten a bit too skinny so I keep some seperate for her and she is getting better again

I did this after one cat got ill with a digestion complaint I figured that our pets health is going the same way as ours and guess what we normally feed them - processed crap!!

Sadly he didn't make it but he was the beginning - raw fish to start with as the vet thought hat best for the sick one. The first time I used rabbit was horrible, the blood made me feel abit ill but it doesn't bother me anymore

Now they thrive and it works out cheaper than tined food

[peppermintpatty]

I don't understand why your boyfriend is trying to make an animal that is an obligate carnivore into a vegan. Cats need meat and bones, not mixtures of soy and taurine.

Agreed. Makes no sense to me why humans want to change the nature of animals. First, we domesticate them, then we "try" to get them to eat as we want them to ~ not as nature intended.