Food Handling and Safety

[John Popp]

Wow, that's a lot of juice for a small block! I'm not partial either way on the big block small block thing, have done both and you better have a big wallet to get the most out of a big block. Always wanted to build a big block Buick engine as it's the best of both worlds and some day when I find the right '67 Riv that's the plan. Should be able to get 700lbs of torque out of it for a fraction of the price I could do it with a BBC.

Anyway, those are some huge numbers you posted, and for a vette I wouldn't even dream of putting a big block in one.

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

When you feed raw food, I assume you feed 2x/day. Whatever you do, how long do you leave it out if they don't eat it all? I assume that you re-refrigerate the leftover portion, and then top it off with fresh for the next feeding.

Same question for those that feed canned food.

I tend to come back to their dishes an hour or two later and toss anything they didn't eat. I am more diligent about this when it is ground chicken than ground rabbit as I think it spoils faster (probably due to different bacteria present).

I don't re-refrigerate it but discard. I've adjusted how much they get to minimize wastage and this can mean that I feed an afternoon &/or late night snack to them because of that.

 

[Louie'sDad]

Obviously, once moisture is introduced into the feed, then much more attention is required.

As an update, I am still in trial period with kibble drowned in water, and the results are encouraging. Although I get the impression that Lou likes crunchy things (which is very possibly true of all cats?), and I hate to deprive him of his textural experience, the forced moisture is for his own good. He is eating it with more vigor and gusto, which has a lot to do with my splitting his daily feed into 2 or three sessions (mostly two). I find it helpful for him to tell me when he's hungry, although sometimes he enjoys faking me out. On the rare occasion that he doesn't finish his chow, I put it in the ice box until next feeding, when I top it off with fresh Royal Canin Special 33 and add more H2O.

Sometimes he just likes to eat dry Cheerios. I give them as "treats" every now and then.

Since I use Boreal horse bedding for his litter (same thing as Feline Pine) which is unscented, then I know right away when his urine smells like ammonia. Mostly it does not, but maybe one in five times, it does. Normal? Since cats are erratic by nature, then their moisture intake should vary from day to day, and on some days when their intake is minimal, it seems to me that those are when the urine takes on the ammonia smell. If you folks who use non clumping, unscented compressed sawdust pellets have a different story to report, then I'd appreciate hearing from you. Louie is now getting same moisture content as a wild cat feeding on live prey, I reckon. I still encourage him to drink from his el-cheapo fountain, which he does when I stick my finger in the water flow. I don't know whether or not he visits the fountain on his own, or not.

Joe

 

[Michaela]

Hi
Anyone use feeders with ice pack for later in the day timed feeding or leave out food on ice pack if you are gone most if the day?

My boys eat raw only and the ice pack seems to work. Still cave to be careful.

Thk

 

[Patti]

I was doing that for a kitten whom I weaned onto raw, it worked well.

 

[admin]

Hi
Anyone use feeders with ice pack for later in the day timed feeding or leave out food on ice pack if you are gone most if the day?

My boys eat raw only and the ice pack seems to work. Still cave to be careful.

Thk

I have used the time feeders as well and love them...

 

[Pam and Will]

Hi all...

So here's Leto's routines and has been working well for him since switching over to raw. Leto does not mide 'cool' to cold raw, he gets impatient and seeks out his foods! We use a ground raw product "Blue Ridge Beef" of various flavors, chicken and bone, duck and bone, kitten mix and the such. I usually keep a day + worth defrosted in the fridge. It's hard to judge cause his appetite swings from a lbs a day to maybe 1/2 a lbs or less, still a big eater and his growth has shown the results! We keep his feeding times close to ours, and he has a spot his sits and will look out at the kitchen to let me know he's hungry, but it's not a 100% success rate, sometimes he's just gazing. But when I do feed I take out a good 4 to 6 oz portion on a plate and serve it to him. If he digs right in he may down it all or only part, what's left over goes back into the zip lock and into the fridge. I give him about 10 to 15 minutes to take interest, if not back to the fridge with it. He is good about letting me know he's not interested by doing the 'bury' motions, cracks us up. Our 'usual' is 1 feeding in the morning between 7 and 8, one at lunch around noon then a dinner between 5 and 7pm, depending on his interest. Then a late feeding before bed between 8 and 9 or so... after a good play session in the evening a small feeding helps him sleep well. He does get a LOT of water intake from the raw, I'm thinking of setting up a motion activated web cam to monitor how often he visits his fountain, I catch him now and again. But from his litter use I assume he gets plenty of water cause.. damn!

So.. litter. We use horse bedding from 'The Tractor Store', just the store brand. And honestly I have NEVER smelled urine odor at all! Nothing... even fresh tinkles. The (poops) are about once a day, sometimes twice on those days he downs a pound! But good formed and low oder, well except on the day after a bit of Sardine dinner! LOL I work from home so scoop a couple times a day and since going to two litter boxes he alternates as he feels he needs to. But the scooping is easy enough with it turning to saw dust. Easy to use a slotted scoop to shake out the dust. I scoop religiously and do a full box change as I see to much 'semi-wetted' litter. He has never seemed reluctant to use the pine, so we have not even considered another material. Locally the Tractor Supply Store brand is about 5.80 for 40lbs!

If not raw I'd highly encourage a canned/wet food over even wetted kibble after reading various articles online. I know whole chunked raw would be better than the pre-ground we get, but he loves it and the price is very right. I do need to come up with a chewing solution since the bone is already ground. OH.. and last week I gave him some salmon, the frozen selection from the store, and it was HUGE hit! But this will be a occasional treat just to worries of mercury in large fish now.

I have not tried a ice block feeding, excellent idea!

Good luck and Louie should be happy to have a concerned daddy!