Homemade cat food, Day 1

[mousme]

So after a fair bit of research, I've decided to feed the cats homemade cat food. So far the process is not too time-consuming, except for preparing the veggies (unfortunately my new-for-me food processor doesn't like me and won't work), and even that didn't take more than about 15 minutes, tops.

The results have not been an unmitigated success, but this apparently is to be expected.

George and Pan-Pan, not surprisingly, were fans right off the bat. I was particularly pleased that George seemed to want to take the time to savour his food and didn't inhale the whole thing right off the bat the way he does with commercial kibble and wet food.

According to the instructions I'm following, I'm supposed to trust the cats, who will let me know when they've had "enough." They may overeat at first, since the homemade food will be full of nutrients they've been lacking, but their food consumption should even out after a few days. So far the only cat who's had a lot of food is Pan-Pan, which again is not surprising.

Smudge freaked out and had to be coaxed back to the food dish ("Aieeee! Strange stuff in the food dish! Run for your lives!") but once he figured out the food was not going to try to kill him, he seemed to enjoy the process of eating it. He didn't have very much, but then he's the smallest of the cats, and he may just not want that much food overall.

Gretzky has thus far been the one with the most problems with the new regime, but I expected that. She's always refused to touch wet food at all, and since this new stuff involves fresh ground meat, I can understand why she'd object at first. She seems to respond well to a mix of new-food-and-old kibble, and I'm optimistic that I will eventually be able to convert her.

The dishes aren't empty yet, but there's a great deal of circling and sniffing and general exploration, and no one has puked or otherwise shown any signs of aversion to the food (although the reference I'm using says that puking is not necessarily a bad thing when you switch foods).

Conclusion? I'm cautiously optimistic about the operation. I shall see by the end of the week how the new regime is going, and whether or not it's worth continuing.

Comments

[elanya.livejournal.com]

Not that I have cats, but I am curious how the expenses compare?

[pasley.livejournal.com]

You beat me to it!

[toughlovemuse.livejournal.com]

What, I was the only one waiting on what the cat pans smell like by the end of the week?

[mousme.livejournal.com]

According to http://www.pet-grub.com they will smell NASTY for the first little while, until the cats have gotten rid of all the gross stuff in their systems. After that, though, it supposedly goes back to being okay. :)

[mousme.livejournal.com]

Heh. Like I said to elanya, it seems to come to about the same price as feeding your cat Iams food. YMMV, of course, and I think I may have overestimated how much my critters eat, so it might come to be less expensive than I thought in the long term.

[mousme.livejournal.com]

Given that I was buying El Cheapo cat food before, it's looking like it's going to set me back about twice as much per week as before, possibly a little more.

In other words, it's about the same price as Iams cat food.

[silly-imp.livejournal.com]

oooh. I'd love the recipe(s) for your home-made cat food!

[mousme.livejournal.com]

No recipes involved, which is the nice thing. The trick is lots of variety, though no mixing of meats in the same dish.

http://www.pet-grub.com is my main resource on this. :) Just ignore the rampant marketing of their "supplements," since the reasoning is otherwise basically sound.

Also, consult with your vet if your cat has other health concerns that might be affected by a new diet. :)

[ai731.livejournal.com]

The food processor is a little finicky. The problem is likely that you haven't got the lid twisted all the way so that the tab is far enough into the slot to engage, and let the motor run. IIRC, it's very stiff, so it feels like you're forcing it.

[mousme.livejournal.com]

Ah, yes, the lid may well have not been completely twisted in. I shall try again tomorrow and see if I can make it like me. :)


Thanks for the tip!