Switching to raw diet(hopefully!)

[sherrylynne]

Well, some gains, some losses. Ligiea and Watson are totally on canned with a few bits of raw mixed in. Those are obviously the gains. Herne lost all interest in the NV, Sheba, etc. He is now getting kibble with a bit of canned mixed in. Stubbs waffles back and forth, so I've started giving him the kibbles, with a bit of canned as well. With time, I hope to wean these two over entirely.
Frustrating! Just when I think I have a hit, next time they refuse to touch it! I really think they like playing with my mind !

[Bonkers]

  Never underestimate the intelligence of a cat.    I feel that as long as there is kibble in the house they will eventually hold out for it. I would suggest not mixing in any kibble with Herne and Stubbs food. As long as they are eating some canned they will eventually start to eat more of it at a time. Once you get them on the canned then it will be easier to transition to raw. And yes, they do like to mess with our minds.............

[Perseus]

Ah, yes, the mind games kitties will play with us.  I think you're doing GREAT for just a couple of weeks of trying.  May I add that you don't want to offer them too many choices of different foods, because it can upset their little tummies and also it leads them to play even more mind games with you.

[sherrylynne]

Mr. Stubbs is fully on canned now. Herne refuses to touch it now. Again, good and bad. When Herne hears the cans being opened, he actually runs and hides!I really don't know what I'm going to do with him.I gave him the kibble/can mix, and he went 24 hours without anything! I'm actually afraid he would starve himself if I entirely removed the kibbles. Ideas on a partucularly stubborn beast?
Oh, and the only canned Stubbs will eat is Iams skipjack tuna, or Sheba, or Fancy Feast. But not the pates. Only the chunks

[Bonkers]

  Well three down and one to go! As Perseus has previously mentioned, giving too many different brands of canned foods will make kitties expect variety on a regular basis. IMO they should be on one brand of food untill completely transitioned. Wellness is a good brand that many members have had success with and the company so far has been very forthright in responding to consumers concerns. Most use the grain free varieties. But these are more of a pate. They do make a pouch food for cats that is gluten free. Your cats may like it as it is chunky. Fromm also makes a canned food that is chunky.  Avoderm select cuts is another one that comes to mind.   Lastly, I believe all the chunky Fancy Feast varieties contain wheat gluten.

[sherrylynne]

I was wondering about that! And by the way- the Avoderm is already a no-go . Had what seems to be a very bright idea this morning, just wanted to run it by everyone here for opinions.
 As I mentioned, Herne is my hold-out. Could it work by scent association? By this I mean, I put a drop or two of salmon oil on his kibbles. Just enough to change the scent a little bit. In a couple days, increase the amount of salmon oil by another couple drops, and so on, while at the same time, dribbling a wee bit of water on the kibbles, and slowly increasing that to slightly change the texture.
After a couple or three weeks of this, then add a very small amount of raw, barely enough to be noticible. Then slowly increase this. The hope is that he would associate the smell of the salmon oil with food, and have that include the raw, and simply skipping the canned step entirely for him. Any thoughts? Believe me, they are appreciated !

[Bonkers]

Whenever supplementing with any type of fish oil, natural vitamin E must also be given. Most supplements for pets have the vitamin already added. I would not recommend wetting the kibble for the simple fact as all dry food contains bacteria. When the food is moistened it causes the bacteria to grow and multiply, especially if left setting around for any period of time.  "Dry commercial pet food is often contaminated with bacteria, which may or may not cause problems. Improper food storage and some feeding practices may result in the multiplication of this bacteria. For example, adding water or milk to moisten pet food and then leaving it at room temperature causes bacteria to multiply. Yet this practice is suggested on the back of packages of some kitten and puppy foods."  http://www.sagekeep.com/petfood.htm                                                                                      Have you tried handfeeding Herne any canned or raw food?

[sherrylynne]

Yeah, I have. He nibbled at the canned once or twice, but now, he actually runs and hides when the tins are opened for the others! I really have no idea why. I haven't tried to force a change, or anything else. The most I've done with him is to put a tiny bit in with his kibble.
The reason I suggested the moistened kibble is that it worked wonders for switching the ferrets over gradually. There were no problems at all with bacterial infections, diarrhea, upset tummies, or anything else. With cats also being obligate carnivores, the food shouldn't be in their tummies long enough for any problems to brew.

[Perseus]

sherrylynne, I just saw an interesting post on another forum where someone described what she did to get her hard core kibble addict off the kibble and on to the wet.  She put out two plates of equal sizes at each feeding for the kitty, one with kibble and one with wet, with a couple pieces of kibble on top of the wet.  She started out with 30 pieces of kibble on the kibble plate, but reduced the quantity by a couple of pieces per day, and put those pieces on top of the wet.  Slowly but surely the kitty started eating the wet with the kibble on it.  Eventually she did wean him off the kibble by reducing the number put on the wet at each feeding.

I don't know if you can try this with your other cats around, but it made sense to me so I thought I'd pass it on!

Your problem is not unusual in trying to get the kibble addicts off it, I see it on other forums all the time and I went through it myself.  Running and hiding when he hears the tins open is yet another mind game he's playing with you....

[sherrylynne]

Oh, I believe it(the mind game)! For right now, I'll try the salmon oil, because he won't touch the kibble with the wet right now (mamma, my peas are touching my potatoes ). If that doesn't work, I'll try the two plate method. And thanks for the idea. Gods know I can use all the tricks I can get!!!

[sherrylynne]

Just a quick update! Watson, Ligiea, and Stubbs are all consistently eating the canned(Stubbs is even eating in the bathroom with the others ). Best of all- Herne is now accepting a bit of canned in with his kibbles! Just about 1/2 tsp. as of yet, but he's on his way! I had to step back a bit with him. A full tsp. turned him right off it, but I'm thinking if I only try to increase it every 4-5 days, instead of every 2, it'll work!
Once Herne is completely on the canned, we start the switch to raw!

[Perseus]

Thanks for the update, great news!  Once you have them switched to all raw, you'll have a very nice present waiting for you.  Their poopies will be much smaller and almost no smell!  I think that's because there's really no waste products in the raw like there is in the canned and especially the kibble.  My kibble addict used to have huge poopies that would require us to air out the whole house!  Also, ounce for ounce, they will eat less on raw, too.

[Bonkers]

   I had been wondering how things were progressing with your kitties. Happy to hear things are going so well!

[sherrylynne]

Thanks . It really helps to have someone to talk to about it! We'll get there yet!

[sherrylynne]

SUCCESS!!! All of the cats ate straight canned tonight! Even Herne. And even better news- hubby has quit sneaking them free feed! Wish me luck everyone- looks like we may get to the raw sooner than I thought!
I think it probably helped that I'm training to be a mentor on another raw feeding forum for ferrets, and I've been reading out loud to him about what goes into the kibbles