Topic: Raw Food, Gingivitis and our possible new arrival (Read 4423 times)

LouiseJ · « **Reply #25 on:** July 20, 2013, 22:56:59 PM »

Wow! Certainly is.
He is still settling in and trying to get used to his new sisters and is just trying a bit too hard as he gets hissed and growled at when he gets too close, then goes back for more. My girls have the most gentle natures (they are exSP too) but the introduction is just taking so long. He is bigger than them despite being younger so its all a bit confusing for my girls.
I'm trying to see what out of all the options he likes best but he doesn't seem too fussy. He's had Natural Instinct, MVM and Butchers Classic and seems to eat most things apart from the venison flavoured food. He has aloe vera juice mixed in it to help with the inflammation. I'm going to mix and match it so he doesn't get bored with it.
Luna and Cleo won't eat raw at all which is a pain as I wanted to get them all on it. I'm going to try again once they are a bit more comfortable with each other.
He is gorgeous though and has a lovely temperament.

paddypaws101 · « **Reply #24 on:** July 20, 2013, 22:46:12 PM »

Gosh what a small world it is!
I was lucky to 'meet' Simba several times when he was at Scratching post and Marion kept me posted on his progress onto Raw food.
I would love to hear how he is doing now, and to hear what you are feeding him these days.
I am a big fan of raw feeding for my brood of 8, feeding a mix of NI, wild rabbit and home made mixed raw. I don't think I could ever go back to feeding commercial food and shudder to think that I fed dry for years.
My Woody came from SP....he has barely any teeth left but that does not slow down his eating at all, in fact he would swallow a whole chicken wing in seconds if I gave him the chance.

Lyn (Slugsta) · « **Reply #23 on:** June 11, 2013, 20:41:54 PM »

Huurah! I look forward to hearing from Simba in person once he has settled in a bit

LouiseJ · « **Reply #22 on:** June 11, 2013, 17:32:26 PM »

Of course!

Alcatraz · « **Reply #21 on:** June 11, 2013, 17:27:02 PM »

Yay! Photos please!

LouiseJ · « **Reply #20 on:** June 11, 2013, 17:24:36 PM »

Off home to go and bring Simba home.

LouiseJ · « **Reply #19 on:** June 05, 2013, 10:45:18 AM »

Just spoken to his current vets. He's not been in since April and there is mention on his notes of moderate gingivitis and possible dental work so I have asked them to send his history over to our vets.

Watch this space!

LouiseJ · « **Reply #18 on:** June 04, 2013, 14:34:21 PM »

Thanks

That does make it seem more manageable.
The girls don't like Applawse so no danger of Luna eating Simba's food!
She is rather partial to cystaid laced Webbox though.

onyx · « **Reply #17 on:** June 04, 2013, 14:24:10 PM »

this website may help?

http://www.dr-addie.com/index.htm

Hope it all goes well between the vets!

LouiseJ · « **Reply #16 on:** June 04, 2013, 14:04:12 PM »

The rescue have said he can have Butchers Classic and as my vet was a little off putting yesterday I've asked if their vet will speak or send some notes over to ours before we commit to giving him a home.
Just waiting for the rescue to confirm then I'll set the wheels in motion as my vets weren't convinced at the point of taking his teeth out as apparently the roots are long and fine and not always easy up get out or heal.

Jiji · « **Reply #15 on:** June 04, 2013, 13:35:34 PM »

Quote from: Tiggy's Mum on June 03, 2013, 13:58:10 PM

One thing I have read is that Classic canned cat food is meant to be very good for gingivitis so maybe wiorth looking into that side of things too.

Only the meat varieties not the fish.

emmmy_lou · « **Reply #14 on:** June 04, 2013, 12:27:23 PM »

Cant be of help, but just wanted to say Simba is gorgeous!

Like a fluffy version of Dexter

LouiseJ · « **Reply #13 on:** June 03, 2013, 15:32:10 PM »

It depends if he is chosen to join Team Luna or Team Cleo! I suspect he will want to join Team Luna but will initially be adopted by Cleo.

I think I'll try to move him onto something I can buy easily as I can be out of the house from 6 till 7 or 8 and any delivery of frozen food would be cooked by then. We aren't too far from a supplier in St Albans who seem to stock a range of different brands as they do Barf and NI.

It's all trial and error I suppose which is why the advice you've all given me is invaluable.

I'll also get him on aloe Vera as that will help the inflammation - it's all vet approved as the company I do some work for has a Veterinery advisor.

Susanne (urbantigers) · « **Reply #12 on:** June 03, 2013, 15:20:37 PM »

He's adorable - he looks a bit wary but I also notice a glint in his eye - could he be a candidate for the norty club?

onyx · « **Reply #11 on:** June 03, 2013, 14:44:37 PM »

ack! where did my post go?!

If he is on NI, you have a very good rescue near by

. NI has recently been taken over, so it will be interesting to see if the quality /price continues.......! It is one of the more expensive pre-made raw foods available.

if he's used to mince, I'd probably stay on NI for a bit, then gradually switch him over to another mince or to chunks (if that is what you want to do). for minces DAF is cheap, but some of the food REEKS, especially the tripe and fish mixes. It can also be a bit of a guess to find out what is in each sausage... I do really like my MVM and I have been very pleased with it so far. I know a lot of people on MVM through Amber, and a lot of them have tried lots of other raw food companies.

in preparation for raw food, a digital scale is a must! TK Maxx has them quite cheaply sometimes. i also defrost my sausages in a Tupperware container.

and, he is a gorgeous fluffernutter!

Alcatraz · « **Reply #10 on:** June 03, 2013, 14:21:04 PM »

He's gorgeous! And it looks like there's lots of advice and help here. Good luck, keep us posted!

LouiseJ · « **Reply #9 on:** June 03, 2013, 14:16:35 PM »

You are all fabulous.
He is on natural instinct at the moment which the rescue sells so I'll get a stock at the same time to keep him going whilst I get myself organised.
I cook batches of food for us sometimes which I freeze so one more won't hurt.

I just hope he will get on with my girls as Luna can be a bit feisty.

Hope his rescue mugshot comes out ok

onyx · « **Reply #8 on:** June 03, 2013, 14:01:39 PM »

hiya -

I feed Fonzie (chloe, and amber) raw food, and he is also toothless. He adapted to it very quickly. He's always had bit of random raw food anyways. The one thing I found is that he struggles to eat large chunks of food - and by that, i mean he swallows it whole... and not he avoids it.... And of course, because he swallows it whole.. he then pukes it all back up! he actually does better on much bigger/ heavier pieces as he uses his claws to hold the food down while using his neck muscles to break it into smaller pieces. (chloe was harder to transition than fonzie - despite chloe being younger and having teeth!)

I know they say for raw food it is best to feed cats in chunks (as the chewing helps clean their teeth and gets their stomach working), but i don't think that is the safest option for him...

instead, i use a variety of Manifold Valley Meat products http://www.manifoldvalleymeats.co.uk/barf-diet-products/ in conjunction with supermarket foods. He gets mostly MVM mince, but then gets larger 'chunks' maybe an inch + in heart, liver or kidney (all available from morrisons/tesco/asda). he also gets lots of supermarket yellow lines, and is really starting to appreciate fish! (the MVM meat is delivered monthly to my friend and it really is good quality compared to other raw food suppliers. fonzie/chloe get about 80g each a day, and they come in 454g sausages. do you have other animals besides cleo and luna? if not, a sausage will probably last about 1-2 days for you. )

Cats need to have taurine in their diet, and a good mixture, including lots of heart, will provide this. You can also buy taurine powder from websites (zooplus), or you can buy vitamin powders as well which claim to provide the daily balance of all nutrients. (personally, i add taurine powder sometimes, but DONT use the other vitamin powder as they say you cant use it when you feed liver/bone and i love watching fonzie gnaw on a bone!) i wouldnt feed too much tuna as it can be quite high in mercury levels- instead, oily fish 1 or 2 a week.

some people go down the whole prey model (day old chicks) but I'm not brave enough for that!

there is much less poo involved, and it is much less smelly as well. You may also find them drinking less water as the raw food compensates for that.

There are some facebook groups and websites devoted to raw food, but in general, it comes down to what you are comfortable with and what YOU think is best for your cat - not what someone on the internet says! The general 'rule' to remember is about 80% meat (including heart), 10% bone, 5% offal (Kidney/spleen), and 5% liver. Each meal does not have to be fully balanced, but it should balance over time. Too much bone can mean a bit of constipation, and too much offal/liver may mean the squits! i find reading the dog stuff also quite good, but still remembering that cats do have different requirements (ie no veg).

http://www.manifoldvalleymeats.co.uk/barf-diet-products/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/MVMdeliverygroup/ (sharing delivery costs of MVM meat)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/328121590553154/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/barfdietchat/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/CatCrap/ (Flying Frenzy creator!)
http://www.catinfo.org/
http://catcentric.org/nutrition-and-food/raw-feeding/a-frankenprey-and-whole-prey-feeding-guide/
http://feline-nutrition.org/nutrition/how-to-transition-your-cat-to-a-raw-diet
http://rawfed.com/myths/cats.html
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/rawcat/ (beware, they DO NOT like minces!!!)
http://www.petforums.co.uk/cat-health-nutrition/
http://www.rawfedcats.org/ (forgot this link!)

hope that helps? If you have any more questions, feel free to PM me!

cheers!

Tiggy's Mum · « **Reply #7 on:** June 03, 2013, 13:58:10 PM »

Oooh, how exciting

Not fed raw myself but there's a few on here that have and definitely know what they're talking about so hopefully they'll be along soon. One thing I have read is that Classic canned cat food is meant to be very good for gingivitis so maybe wiorth looking into that side of things too.

Hope Cleo gets on OK at the vets

Edit: Alcatraz was one of the 'pro's' I was talking about so glad to see we cross-posted

Susanne (urbantigers) · « **Reply #6 on:** June 03, 2013, 13:57:29 PM »

I would say that the easiest way to get started is to buy a commercial raw food that is already balanced with the correct proportion of meat, organ and bone. There have been links on here in the past but I'm not sure what places are up and running. Doing it yourself is probably cheaper in the long term but does require more no how and preparation. Probably easy once you get into the swing of it.

What is he being fed on now? Are they making it up for him or buying in something ready made?

LouiseJ · « **Reply #5 on:** June 03, 2013, 13:57:08 PM »

Alcatraz you are a star. Thank you.
I'll print it out.

Alcatraz · « **Reply #4 on:** June 03, 2013, 13:47:46 PM »

Hi Louise

Our two have been on a pure Raw diet for about a year now. It's dead easy although takes a little time to prepare the meals (I spend about an hour every three weeks portioning up their meals).

I wrote a guide here: http://www.purrsinourhearts.co.uk/index.php/topic,42407.msg755807.html#msg755807

Essentially, you can buy supermarket meat, or that from a butcher. Find something that's affordable and convenient (a butcher might do all the hard work for you).

Try not to use mince (or to mince the meat yourself) as it exposes more surface area to the air (meaning it can spoil quicker) and diminishes the taurine content.

We use mainly chicken for the bulk of the meal, with lamb or beef as a treat (they get one cube of beef and six or seven chicken in a meal). We also use liver, kidney and heart (liver and kidney are at most supermarkets...heart is harder to come by but you can make do without). We also give them raw bones (DO NOT cook bones as this makes them splinter) for their calcium and they chew right through them without difficulty.

Raw will work out about the same price as brand food but our two love it and the benefits are amazing. Smooth coats, less-smelly stools, nice breath and clean teeth.

If you have any problems or need some more advice, just write.

LouiseJ · « **Reply #3 on:** June 03, 2013, 13:10:27 PM »

Thanks Dawn. I'll have a good search when I get in as I'm here via my phone at the moment.

Dawn F · « **Reply #2 on:** June 03, 2013, 13:06:24 PM »

omg well done! hope he settles well. Gillianambercat is a bit of a raw expert, she doesn't come on very often so it might be worth pming her or searching threads that she has done on raw feeding

LouiseJ · « **Reply #1 on:** June 03, 2013, 13:02:11 PM »

There is a hard to home one year old boy at our local rescue who is absolutely lovely and whilst my girls didn't like having an older female cat to stay, I've been assured that they will most likely be fine with a boy.

The boy in question, Simba, was facing being pts because of such severe gingivitis and is now on the way back to good health having been put on a raw food diet by the rescue.

I've got absolutely no problem with carrying on with this for him (or indeed moving the girls onto it if they like it) but has anyone got experience with raw food? Do we need to buy the specialist food or can I get him a variety of mince or tuna?

I'm assuming that once he is settled he will try their food and again, providing he has mainly raw this shouldn't be a problem?

I'm taking Cleo to the vets later as she seems to have a bit of tummy trouble and will ask but you lovely Purrs people do often have just that little bit more experience.

Any advice would be very welcome.

Author Topic: Raw Food, Gingivitis and our possible new arrival (Read 4423 times)