Behavior

[DumaLove]

If he is under a year old he should be eating as much as he wants. I've had kittens eat as much as a pound a day of raw. Twice a day is enough, but three is even better if you can. Breakfast, then after work and again before bed. I leave raw out until they finish it or about 8 hours, whichever is sooner. If it is warm in the house or I know I'm leaving it for my work day I will freeze half their morning portion the night before, then put that down as well as the other half unfrozen but in a frozen bowl. This has worked well for me.

 

[SavannahLuv]

I did the research and received intro shipment of Darwin's Raw on Thurs 11/10. Started really slow, mixing a small amt....Neo inhaled it. I have been increasing more and more and he finished that 1st packet today. Called Darwin's and they said I can use straight raw since Neo eats it like a piggy. I am just not sure how much I should be giving him, because I know he'll easily eat a whole packet in a day and want more. How much are you feeding Shango? How many times a day? (I work and am not sure what to do while I am at work, it will spoil if left out) And can you recommend healthy treats? Thanks for all your help.

1 package is only 8 oz. Shango sometimes eats 2 full packages a day plus a 3 oz pouch of wet food before bedtime. If Neo is 9 lbs and is only eating the raw, less than 1 package is not nearly enough food for a growing kitten.

I gave Shango half a pack, about 4 oz for breakfast 7-8am then the other half of 4 oz around 11am-12pm. I'd then open a new pack and give half/4 oz around 3-4pm and the remaining 4 oz around 7-8pm. Then he'd get a 3 oz pouch of Weruva Pumpkin Lickin Chicken around 11-12pm. He also usually gets 2-3 treats each day. His favorites are Fresh is Best duck & chicken hearts and Primal Turkey Liver Munchies. He only eats the dehydrated/freeze dried raw treats, he won't eat any of the "regular" treats that most pet stores sell.

I think he must be done growing for a little bit because lately his appetite has slowed back down so he's only eating 1-1.5 packs a day plus the 3oz of wet.

 

[SavannahLuv]

I usually buy the hearts from Amazon Smile and the Primal treats from Chewy since that's where I get his Weruva food, litter, genie refills etc.

https://smile.amazon.com/Fresh-Best...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=YHJHTMNPQRK50A9R1Z64

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B0036VE3V2?psc=1&smid=A1B7M9EQGNCLQA

https://www.chewy.com/primal-turkey-liver-munchies-freeze/dp/117467

The hearts & muchies are his favorite and he ALWAYS eats them. These are a couple other treats I give him, but sometimes he turns his nose up to them. I break them up in smaller pieces.

https://www.chewy.com/wysong-dream-quail-freeze-dried-dog/dp/101587

https://www.chewy.com/wysong-dream-rabbit-freeze-dried-dog/dp/101589

 

[WitchyWoman]

I am just not sure how much I should be giving him, because I know he'll easily eat a whole packet in a day and want more.

He should be eating at least 12-14 oz. a day and even more depending on his level of activity. The only way to know if you're giving him too much to eat is if he consistently leaves food in his dish. He may not eat the same amount every day but it will likely average out to the same amount per week and increase until he's fully mature. You can plan on him being an eating machine through his first year. My F2s and F6 ate a bit more than a pound per day while they were growing. My F1 ate 3 lbs per day.

 

[Ellie]

Hello! Neo has been doing fine with Darwin's Raw foo, eating like a pig. Even had to call and have next shipment moved up. Then a couple of days ago, he started leaving his food after only a few bites. This has been every meal. Like he is not hungry. I gave him some of our roasted turkey yesterday for Thanksgiving as a treat and he gobbled that down, looking for more. I am suspecting that he had been going through a growth spurt when he initially started the raw diet. However, I am concerned that he has not been eating for a couple of days. Everything else is normal....playing, mischief, nipping, etc. Any ideas???

 

[Patti]

It could just be that he is slowing down from a growth spurt as you suspect. Is he having regular bowel movements?

 

[Ellie]

Yes.... regular bowel movements, just a little less past couple of days as he is eating less. he is as active as ever. Tries getting into fridge every time I open it. Just concerned cause I haven't seen him eat so little.

 

[Rafiki]

How many different flavors are you getting from Darwin? Since he gobbled down the turkey, I am wondering if he is bored with the flavor. When Jammu was a kitten, I would have to mix in a teaspoon of canned cat food every now and again to give him variety. Darwin only had chicken and turkey at the time.

 

[admin]

As Rafiki said, he may be bored...my cats will not eat Darwin's anymore...has to do with all the extraneous fillers in their food.

You may want to try something like rabbits4u - the food comes from homesteading farmers and they do a mix of rabbit and chicken for me or rabbit/sheep - just click on the ad at the top of the forum or the banner inside the forum and Carla will help you.

 

[Ellie]

Darwin's variety is chicken, Turkey or Duck. there are no fillers in the food.....ingredients are listed. I guess I will have to look at other raw available.