Should I Just Go All Raw??

[ginamarie1221]

So I've tried a few things with my kitten. He will only eat wet food if I mix it with ground chicken. He will only eat the Natures Variety Instincts Raw patties if they're mixed with ground chicken

So... my next step is to purchase the Mazuri supplement that was suggested and I'll add this to his ground chicken.

Will the supplemented ground chicken thighs be adequate enough for his everyday diet or should I somehow incorporate the Natures Variety Raw patties and wet food into the diet as well? Whatever the outcome, it looks like ground chicken will have to be a part of it!

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

If you purchase the correct Mazuri supplement the ground chicken thighs are fine. Mazuri makes two supplements, one for whole ground animals and one for "slab meat" which is what the chicken thighs would count as. The one for slab meat has the extra supplementation needed to account for the lack of organ meat and bone.

If you'd rather feed a prepared raw diet, experiment with the different ones available. I know many cats that don't like Nature's Variety that like other brands of prepared raw....

 

[ginamarie1221]

I just made a purchase for the one for slab meat

 

[WitchyWoman]

Add the NV and canned to his chicken. Make sure you get the Mazuri with calcium if you feed him primarily boneless chicken. Is he under 1 yr old? If so, there's a chance that he may stop eating the chicken when he gets older and having a varied diet of other foods he's used to is important if that happens.

Have you tried novel proteins such as rabbit, quail, pheasant? And if you're interested in trying them, rodentpro has whole chickens in a variety of sizes. If he likes them, he'll be getting the bone & organ meats he needs for a balanced diet and you wouldn't have to supplement as much with canned or NV. My knuckleheads, for whatever reason, stopped eating grocery store chicken after their first year but they will eat the ones from rodentpro.

 

[ginamarie1221]

Thanks Deborah! Yes, he's under 1 yr old. I guess I'll make 2 types of batches. One batch of chicken with Mazuri supplement and then another batch that's just ground chicken which I'll add canned to each time he gets it.

I guess we'll see how much his tastebuds change in the years to come

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

I would still add supplements appropriate to the amount of ground chicken even when adding canned. You need to remember that kibble and canned ONLY have the amount of supplementation required for that can of food or kibble. So for example one can of food mixed with the same volume of raw meat only delivers half the supplements that two cans of food would....and hence the cat is possibly not getting all the vitamins and minerals they need.

 

[ginamarie1221]

Thank you. I will add the Mazuri to ALL my ground chicken

 

[admin]

Nature's Variety Freeze-dried
http://www.naturesvariety.com/
Stella and Chewy's Freeze-Dried Chicken & Beef Diet
http://www.stellaandchewys.com/index.php
Wysong's Archetype
http://www.wysong.net/products/archetype-raw-dog-cat-food.php
Ziwipeak food & treats
http://www.ziwipeak.com/

* EVO 95% – http://www.naturapet.com/brands/evo
*Feline Caviar – http://www.caninecaviar.com
* Iceland Pet Pate for Cats
* Merrick Before Grain-- http://www.merrickpetcare.com
*Wellness 95%
Wysong's Au Jus

*AvoDerm Select Cuts
http://www.avodermnatural.com/Cat_Foods/index.htm
Fromm Family
http://frommfamily.com/
Halo/Spot's Stew

http://www.halopets.com/
*Merrick
*Natural Balance
http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com
Nature's Variety – Instinct (not Prairie)
*Wellness (by Old Mother Hubbard). Two varieties, Grain Free and CORE

*Ziwipeak 'Daily-Cat Cuisine​

http://www.ziwipeak.com/
Weruva
www.weruva.com

Deborah, thanks for these links - this is awesome!

My cats will not eat Ziwipeak, as much as I want them to...I am looking for a better diet for Ixas, who does not like raw, although if there is nothing else to eat, he will eat it...maybe that is they key...offer nothing else, but that means then I have to get cisco to stop eating kibble...this will be a monumental task...

 

[WitchyWoman]

I have to get cisco to stop eating kibble...this will be a monumental task...

The food info is in a document I prepared and stickied in the food forum last year. Monumental though it will be, it is imperative that Cisco be weaned off kibble. With his health issues, kibble is the last thing he should be eating. Now you just have to convince him of that and I do not envy you the task.

 

[admin]

The food info is in a document I prepared and stickied in the food forum last year. Monumental though it will be, it is imperative that Cisco be weaned off kibble. With his health issues, kibble is the last thing he should be eating. Now you just have to convince him of that and I do not envy you the task.

I agree...I just honestly do not know how how to do it...if I do not give him his kibble, he will not eat...so I think I must get him through this hurdle first and then work on it. Plus Ixas has now decided Cisco's food is good and started eating it...NOT what I want.

My vet is going to try and get him to eat canned food and then we can go from there.