Trying to relax about raw

[John Popp]

I don't use a dishwasher but I always try to scrub the cutting board thoroughly. I've never had a problem so guess I'm doing something right

A really good way to disinfect and kill bacteria on a cutting board is to cover it in salt while it dries. The salt gets into any of the fine cuts on the board, dries out whatever moisture is present and creates an environment bacteria can't live in.

 

[Patti]

A really good way to disinfect and kill bacteria on a cutting board is to cover it in salt while it dries. The salt gets into any of the fine cuts on the board, dries out whatever moisture is present and creates an environment bacteria can't live in.

That's a great tip John, thanks!!!

 

[The Birds]

Here's my update after spending a couple months with this very picky two year old man!
His favorite food of all time is raw chicken hearts, which luckily I've been able to find in quantity at a local butcher shop.
When I can't get those, he'll eat cooked boneless chicken, which I have to cut into the exactly correct size pieces. Too small and he's not interested, but too big and he'll drag the food all over the room before eating it.
I put mazuri on everything and he's fine with that.
Otherwise, he loves the freeze dried liver treats. Sometimes if his appetite is bad I can lure him with one of those.
He does like the Stella and Chewy freeze dried raw food, but it costs a fortune! I don't know who is feeding their pets that stuff, maybe for a tiny kitty it wouldn't be cost prohibitive.
One thing he won't stand for is a bowl that's almost empty. If the bowl only has a few bites left at the bottom, that really bothers him.
I thought he should have a more varied diet, but he rejects most other food. He won't go for eggs or smoked salmon. One time he ate some sausage, but that doesn't seem healthy to me.
Very, very picky! But I'm starting to crack the code haha

 

[Patti]

I thought he should have a more varied diet, but he rejects most other food.

Have you tried rabbit, quail, turkey, beef, lamb, goat, or elk? Unfortunately chicken is probably your most economical source of protein so you may be stuck with it...

 

[admin]

You need to make sure he gets chicken thighs, where most of the taurine is and some bone... So maybe give him a chicken drumstick one or twice a week... You may want to try some ground rabbit... Most cats wok eat it...

 

[The Birds]

I made him a steak once and he liked it, but it's expensive to buy beef! I'll check the prices on rabbit at the butcher shop. I'm sure they have it, but I bet it's pricey! He ate some raw chicken drumsticks a few times, but as often as not they went to waste... I guess I am uptight, but when he leaves raw meat sitting around going bad it grosses me out haha...

 

[WitchyWoman]

Cornish game hens are a good option for trying to get some bone into him. Maybe whack the ribs with a hammer to mush them a bit but ypu shouldn't have to. Rabbits4U on Facebook has decent prices on a variety of meats.

 

[John Popp]

I agree with Witchy on whacking the bones a bit, because if they aren't tasting the bone marrow not much appealing about them.

Our cats love rabbit and also chicken. I coarsely grind both of them and add Mazuri. I also leave the respective organs whole so I can see what they are and aren't eating. backed off a bit on the liver and now all is good.

Also, when switching or introducing a new food prior to it I will short feed them for a day, meaning half to 2/3s of their normal quantity and then mix it with something they like. I'll do it for the next few meals gradually increasing the quantity if I on't have setbacks.

Also with the short feeding I was having an issue with our oldest boy only wanting to eat rabbit, and I would alternate rabbit and chicken. I simply would stretch the last 2 meals of rabbit into 3 before making the change and he would be more hungry when we switched back to chicken. He's actually a pretty good eater now, and on the days he's fussy I can't attribute it to any particular food.

 

[Rafiki]

Jammu wants chunks but isn't overly picky about the meat itself. He tolerates ground Darwin chicken or turkey for breakfast but is adamant about chunks for dinner. He is not fat but definitely a bit on the pudgy side.

I just finished chunking up about 2 weeks worth of chicken thighs. How much fat do you leave with the meat? I have been trying to remove it as much as possible but it is quite the chore.

I do supplement these meals with Mazuri for slab meat. If he is getting thigh meat with Maruri, how critical is it that he also have organ meat?

 

[admin]

Cats need the fat, so you can leave it... How often and how much do you supplement? This is really the million dollar question... There was just an article out on the problems vets are having with cats on raw diets and too much Vit A... That being said, hearts are really good for cats because of the taurine, so if you can try to feed chicken hearts, that would be good... Most cats love hearts whether fresh or dehydrated...