Keeping Raw Cold?

[Trish Allearz]

Maybe you already answered this-- but does your vet say he needs to put on weight? I've found some families stress out over the cat's natural weight-- some Savannahs are just really lanky, tall kids-- just like people-- and you won't pack on the pounds regardless of what you do. As long as your vet says he's healthy and he's not starving, I personally wouldn't stress over it too much. You can actually make a cat very ill if they eat meat that's stood out for too long, but of course-- you already know that (which is why you're looking for a safe way to keep it cool.) I'd feed before I left for work and as soon as I arrived home personally and then right at bedtime. Leave kibble out during the day.

How long were you feeding him raw just twice a day?

 

[Trish Allearz]

I'm just thinking if you only did it for a short period of time, he may not have started compensating for the lack of food during the daytime. Most cats learn to regulate their eating-- if they don't get food during the day, they are going to increase their feeds naturally when food is available.

 

[John Popp]

Sumo wrestlers eat one large meal a day to train their bodies to store more fat and calories. In other words changing their metabolism. So a lanky cat that doesn't want to eat much isn't likely to put on weight just because they have food on demand or available while your away.

 

[DumaLove]

Maybe you already answered this-- but does your vet say he needs to put on weight? I've found some families stress out over the cat's natural weight-- some Savannahs are just really lanky, tall kids-- just like people-- and you won't pack on the pounds regardless of what you do. As long as your vet says he's healthy and he's not starving, I personally wouldn't stress over it too much. You can actually make a cat very ill if they eat meat that's stood out for too long, but of course-- you already know that (which is why you're looking for a safe way to keep it cool.) I'd feed before I left for work and as soon as I arrived home personally and then right at bedtime. Leave kibble out during the day.

How long were you feeding him raw just twice a day?

It was only for about 2 weeks and he lost almost a pound. We do leave some kibble down but he won't touch it now. (Which is good because his GI system doesn't like kibble!) We haven't gone to the vet for an opinion. He is OK size wise now, but if he lost much more his ribs would be sticking out. His hip bones already stick out but I think that is just his build. He has been eating more in his morning and evening feeding a so we'll see how his weight does with 3 x's a day.

 

[Michele&Will]

I used to worry about this and would put away after 30 min. Now i leave it out and Thor wont eat it if it is left out too long which is usually over a few hours. He can sense it, and they are definately different than humans. To store we keep in the fridge for one week and freeze the rest.