Expert: KC - 12/15/2007

Question
QUESTION: Hi Laura,
I got the EVO dry and the Nature Variety raw Chicken Turkey medallions.
He loves the EVO Dry. I tried the Raw Nature Variety and he wants no part of it. I tried putting a little parmesan cheese on it and he still didn't want it. I also bought some raw chicken wings. He turned his nose up at those too. I cut some pieces off the wings and added some cheese and he ate those but that was only a few small bites.
So my question is do I continue with the dry EVO and maybe add he canned EVO in addition to the Dry. What do I do now. He is being a real brat about it.
Any help will be greatly appreciated.
I am not one for starving him I couldn't just let him go until he is hungry. I would never be able to do that. I have read that some people do that. I myself would not be able to do that.
I am at a loss now.
Thanks Laura,
Mickey

ANSWER: Hi Mickey!  
I'm guessing that you must have asked a previous question to one of the other Experts, as I'm not Laura.  I'm a huge advocate of natural and raw foods though!  I love the Innova EVO Brand, Nature's Variety, and Wellness in the grain-free dry, canned, and raw.  It's totally normal for cats who are used to kibble and canned foods to not like raw.  Mine started eating raw beef cut into small pieces long before they would even try chicken.  Some of then still don't care for it and also turn up their noses to the Nature's Variety raw.  I feed all of my cats and dogs a combination of dry, raw, and canned.  I also only feed twice per day and always offer canned or raw immediately followed by dry.  Everything not eaten in just a few minutes is picked up until the next feeding.  I'm not sure if your cat has a special condition or not, but generally it's perfectly fine to offer canned if they won't eat raw.  Just stick with the by-product free, human grade, organic foods...and ALWAYS grain-free since carnivores do not have a digestive tract designed to process grains and they just add sugars to the diet with lead to tooth decay, obesity, diabetes, etc.
My pickiest cats all love the Wellness Dry (the Supermix 5 in Salmon) and most of the Wellness canned flavors.  However, the super picky ones all turn up their noses at the Nature's Variety and EVO (all except for the dry forms).  I would recommend trying a variety of these foods to see what he prefers.  Once he gets used to his new diet and you have beef or chicken around that you are cooking with, etc. just slice some pieces and put it in his bowl.  He may eventually develop a taste for it or may really prefer beef over chicken.
Hope this helps!

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QUESTION: Thank you, my cat is  and he has no special problems. Very active. Is there another frozen raw food that you suggest that I could try. I guess I picked a raw food he just doesn't like. I am also going to get the canned food too. So you suggest the Wellness brand over the EVO wet food?
I appreciate all your time. Any other suggestions to get him to start eating the raw.
Thanks again,
Mickey

ANSWER: Hi Mickey,

I personally prefer the Nature's Variety, Wellness, and Innova brands among many of the other ones due to their high quality of ingredients.  There is also a newer brand called Tiki Cat which I occasionally add to one of the flavors that they have burned out on and/or I add it to raw for flavor, as it's mostly fish based.  
Many cat's, especially older cats who were brought up on cheaper commercial foods, are very hard if not impossible to convert to a raw diet.  The Nature's Variety raw, in their wide variety of types (rabbit, chicken, lamb, etc.) is one of the best raw foods that I've found.  There is also something called Feline's Pride Raw (do a web search) which is excellent and already supplemented.  If you want to feed entirely raw from meat you purchase through a butcher or grocery store, you MUST supplement it...as cats need a lot of taurine and other vitamins which are crucial for good long-term health.  Platinum Performance Feline is an excellent supplement but you only need to use it if you are only feeding a raw mix of your own...if you feed any of the brands I've listed, even in combination with raw, they are fully supplemented and you don't have to worry about nutrition.  There aren't really any other good raw brands, especially none that would taste or be formulated better than the Nature's Variety.  
I honestly doubt that you just picked a raw food that he doesn't like...he probably just doesn't prefer any form of raw at this point...from my experience it's best to just go with a high quality canned and dry and continue to occasionally offer raw...as one day they might decide they like it.  It's much easier getting a weanling age kitten to eat raw...instinctually they love it and will continue to throughout life.  However, most any cat that has had a taste for the 'junk' commercial, which is loaded in sugars and flavoring (flavoring to mask the nasty fillers), tends to only want canned or kibble from that point forward...and a lot even become picky when given a good canned like Wellness and Nature's Variety because it isn't loaded in grains and sugars...it is more bland, yet much healthier.  So, from my experience, when I continue to feed a high quality canned and they become used to that, it is at that point (weeks to months later) that they may decide to try and like the raw.   
Hope this helps :-)

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: First I forgot to tell you my cat will be 4 in March.
So if I get the canned Nature's Variety (your first choice) or wellness canned and also feed him the evo and try to put some raw in with the canned you think this is OK?
Also if I am feeding wet and dry how much do I feed him. He weighs 11 pounds now.
I really appreciate all the help you are giving me. Thanks you so so much for all your time.
Mickey

Answer
I would get a few cans of Wellness, Nature's Variety, and EVO.  They come in different flavors so get an assortment to see which he prefers.  Mine prefer the Wellness over the other brands but I routinely buy all of them, as they are all great foods.  It's fine to add raw to the canned, but don't be surprised if he continues to not eat it...and do try beef as many cats prefer beef more than chicken.  
Regarding feeding: Feed only twice per day, morning and night, roughly 12 hours apart.  You can give a few treats mid-day or offer a few tiny pieces of raw but it's not necessary.  Always leave plenty of fresh water out.
Feed 1/4 to 1/2 can in your choice of brands.  If you add any raw, only add a small amount and decrease the amount of canned to 1/4 can.  Immediately after he walks away from the bowl, pick it up and offer dry (a grain-free, by-product free dry like the Wellness, etc.).  Leave the dry down either until he walks away from the bowl or 10 minutes...whichever comes first.  As soon as he is done pick up all remaining food until the next meal.  Cats, as carnivores, don't have a digestive tract that was designed to 'graze' all day.  They are meant to eat fuller meals in larger portions such as this.  It's a great way to maintain a healthy weight and prevent intestinal problems.  
If you notice that he starts gaining weight merely decrease the amount of dry or the time in which he's allowed to eat it.  You can also cut back on the amount of canned too.  However, animals usually gain weight from the dry and not the canned.  Feeding amount tends to vary according to age, activity, current weight, etc.  His weight seems appropriate now.  You want to be able to feel ribs, just barely, but don't want a super thin cat.  The amounts that I've listed are a general guideline...you can safely increase/decrease the amounts and adjust it to your individual cat.  That amount is what most of mine eat and they are all average weight. It is when cats are allowed to graze all day that obesity usually becomes a major problem.  If you let him eat until he's full, at most he might put on a pound or two which can easily be adjusted by barely cutting back the feeding time or amounts.