10/13 Ruby AMPS 256/+3 214/+6 185/+9 220/PMPS 197/+2 109/+3 104

Katherine&Ruby

Katherine&Ruby

Member Since 2020
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB...02-3-221-6-217-9-242-pmps-212-2-5-198.254180/

Late posting tonight. She was bouncing all day but it looks like we might see some green tonight. I made a batch of beef and turkey after both cats seemed real iffy and a little vomity on lamb and they've both been eating a lot better. Have a shipment of raw pork and chicken arriving in a few days and they seemed to like that before so I hope that will continue, especially since those cuts are the least expensive.

Hope everyone had a great day! ❤️
 
Do you end up throwing a lot of food away? How do you keep your feeding areas clean? I bet my cats would make a mess with the raw food, and I am thinking about pathogens from raw meat getting around the house. I’m still thinking about making my own cat food…
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
Do you end up throwing a lot of food away? How do you keep your feeding areas clean? I bet my cats would make a mess with the raw food, and I am thinking about pathogens from raw meat getting around the house. I’m still thinking about making my own cat food…
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I don't throw any food away. I leave food in their bowls for hours for them to graze on and there are no issues. I use microchip feeders and the cats keep their mess pretty much to the area of the feeders. Occasionally they will fling a small bit of meat a few inches from their bowls but it's easy clean up. I use gloves when I handle the meat and spray everything down with a diluted bleach solution after I make a new batch of food. It makes me happy to see them gobbling up their food and to know exactly what is in it. Ruby's CKD has improved a lot because of the raw diet, it's perfect for her diabetes, she utilizes the nutrients in it better, the protein is good for older cats and both my kitties have gained weight. It's the best thing I've done for their overall health.
 
@Suzanne & Darcy I tried it for a bit with Mr Kitty, I actually didn't find it that bad at all! I just picked a dedicated time when the kitchen and sink were clean so I could easily disinfect after. Made a few batches of different stuff at the same time, cleanup is no different than whatever meat you might cook for dinner or store in freezer.

Mr Kitty is the sloppiest eater on the planet, seriously, gross. I just put it on one of those silicone mats on a linoleum floor. Washed both whenever he was done eating, really doesn't add much time to washing bowls or whatever else. As for whatever grooming he does...I figure I can only worry about so much. His regular mouth germs on his fur and paws are probably just as bad...at least that's what I told myself.

I will say...I did not read the EZComplete bag well enough, said to refrigerate and I didn't...so bye bye $30
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
I am thinking about pathogens from raw meat getting around the house.
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I don't really think about the bacteria anymore. I put my fingers into Ruby's mouth regularly because I pill her twice a day and I wash my hands after. That's all I do. I don't worry about meat germs on her fur. Life is too short. Your cats have been licking their bottoms all their lives and you never thought twice about kissing them, did you?

FrostD said:
I did not read the EZComplete bag well enough
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I didn't even know I was supposed to refrigerate EZC when I got my first bag. Went through the whole thing and realized it when I received my second one. Cats are still alive. :cat::cat:

FrostD said:
Also good slide Ruby!
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Wondering if we will see any blue tomorrow at AMPS. I don't like these days of yellow numbers, but I also can't be spending lots of time keeping her above 50. She seems alright though. Right now she is sitting at my feet, blinking at me.:kiss:
 
PerfumedCatMom said:
I don't really think about the bacteria anymore. I put my fingers into Ruby's mouth regularly because I pill her twice a day and I wash my hands after.

—- me too! Of course I wash my hamds!

That's all I do. I don't worry about meat germs on her fur. Life is too short. Your cats have been licking their bottoms all their lives and you never thought twice about kissing them, did you?

— well…. No, I don’t worry about kissing them…. But I don’t kiss them on the lips :) But they sometimes have other ideas about kissing me (licking me, and giving love bites!) :) So, I guess other than wiping up the floor after they eat, which we already do, I won’t sweat it. How long is it recommended to leave the food out? When we are away and a pet sitter is here she leaves food out for a long time— nobody seems to eat much when we leave town. I know canned food can spoil too. Not much we can do about it, and as you say, cats are still alive - even the FIV cats. Thanks, Katherine. I wasn’t trying to be too nit-picky.

I didn't even know I was supposed to refrigerate EZC when I got my first bag. Went through the whole thing and realized it when I received my second one. Cats are still alive. :cat::cat:


Wondering if we will see any blue tomorrow at AMPS. I don't like these days of yellow numbers, but I also can't be spending lots of time keeping her above 50. She seems alright though. Right now she is sitting at my feet, blinking at me.:kiss:
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PerfumedCatMom said:
I don't throw any food away. I leave food in their bowls for hours for them to graze on and there are no issues. I use microchip feeders and the cats keep their mess pretty much to the area of the feeders. Occasionally they will fling a small bit of meat a few inches from their bowls but it's easy clean up. I use gloves when I handle the meat and spray everything down with a diluted bleach solution after I make a new batch of food. It makes me happy to see them gobbling up their food and to know exactly what is in it. Ruby's CKD has improved a lot because of the raw diet, it's perfect for her diabetes, she utilizes the nutrients in it better, the protein is good for older cats and both my kitties have gained weight. It's the best thing I've done for their overall health.
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Well, I have a lot of cats so they get fed in several different rooms/areas. But we already have a lot of cleanup from that! We are always cleaning up after somebody! Anyway, I am really trying to talk myself into this food making. I think it will be cheaper and better for the senior kitties in particular. Not sure about the FIVcats, but they seem pretty robust at this point — I could cook theirs I guess but how does one cook ground meat? Brown it like I was making chili? :)
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
Well, I have a lot of cats so they get fed in several different rooms/areas. But we already have a lot of cleanup from that! We are always cleaning up after somebody! Anyway, I am really trying to talk myself into this food making. I think it will be cheaper and better for the senior kitties in particular. Not sure about the FIVcats, but they seem pretty robust at this point — I could cook theirs I guess but how does one cook ground meat? Brown it like I was making chili? :)
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There are some good tips here on home prepared food. They suggest boiling, poaching, or even slow cookers as options.

There's also a bit on the same site about feeding raw to immune compromised cats that's good to read: https://www.foodfurlife.com/why-you-should-feed-your-immune-compromised-cat-raw-food1.html#/

I had been thinking about getting a grinder. That is the only thing I am missing that could up my cat food making game. :) But it's also relatively inexpensive for me to buy cheap cuts from Raw Feeding Miami in bulk and have it shipped, and it's safer to feed because they keep everything very cold and the meat is very fresh when I thaw it to prepare, possibly safer than me buying meat in the supermarket and grinding it myself. I thaw, throw in the EZ complete, mix well, and portion. Could not be easier.
 
Thanks for the links. I’m going to order my stuff tomorrow! I am just going to start with chicken. I am sure you are right about their meat being the safest. Probably better than store bought meat as you say — and if you had a grinder that would be one more thing to clean. How much meat do you order at a time? (Lbs?). I’m trying to figure out what my initial order should be - based on how much you feed two cats.
 
I have a grinder and it's not bad to clean

I started with the small chunks, he ate them for a bit then turned up his nose. So then I ground it up, ate that for a bit then wouldn't. So I gave up ha just needed him eating at the time
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
Thanks for the links. I’m going to order my stuff tomorrow! I am just going to start with chicken. I am sure you are right about their meat being the safest. Probably better than store bought meat as you say — and if you had a grinder that would be one more thing to clean. How much meat do you order at a time? (Lbs?). I’m trying to figure out what my initial order should be - based on how much you feed two cats.
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I figured out that my cats eat 16 lbs of meat a month, 8 lbs each. I order 20 lbs at a time because shipping is expensive but I don’t have limitless freezer space for more. I make 5 lbs of meat at a time that is good for 10 days of feeding. I base all of these calculations on 5 ounces of food per cat per day. Your cats might eat more or less than this.

Transitioning to homemade food takes a while. Mine took to it relatively quickly. The Food Fur Life site has transitioning tips that are very good. Have fun with it! :bighug:
 
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