As I am transitioning my 3.6 kg cat Florence from HK to raw food and homemade cooked food, I started with raw chicken from my grocery store to see. My cat Florence loves it. She can eat 2 drumsticks and chew on the extremities of the bones and eat the cartilage but even after two, in the evening she comes for more. I gave her as much as she would eat per day for 10 days (raw salmon sardines from a can, raw chicken's hearts, cooked veggies and cooked chicken with parsley, 3 drumsticks per day. It seemed she gained some weight and my husband is afraid she would become overweight. How do you manage the quantities? Is there a rule of thumb? I used to go as per the recommendation on the box of HK and before that kibbles and the cat never asked for more in the evening (guess she did not like the food as much as she now LOVES raw meet). Should I go by calories? Is there a recommended site to calculate raw meat calories?
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Transitioning to raw how much to feed a cat and how much is too much?
- Thread starter ValerieE
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Thanks for this great question Valerie!
Yes, there is indeed a rule of thumb.
Feed based on weight and BEAM (Behavior, Energy, Appetite, Mood).
Since your husband thinks she has gained a bit of weight perhaps feed 10-20% less food and play with/engage her more.
She probably has increased vitality and energy thanks to the raw food. The increased activity will help increase her fitness and musculature.
Yes, there is indeed a rule of thumb.
Feed based on weight and BEAM (Behavior, Energy, Appetite, Mood).
Since your husband thinks she has gained a bit of weight perhaps feed 10-20% less food and play with/engage her more.
She probably has increased vitality and energy thanks to the raw food. The increased activity will help increase her fitness and musculature.
Thank you Dr. Jeff. Is there a guideline about how much weight of food is required based on the weight of the furry individual? That would give me a good start to see where I stand. If yes, is that rule the same for dogs and cats and also based on activity levels (indoor vs outdoor cat for example)? I also noticed that since we feed her raw food, Florence sleeps less, and she is looking more at us (studying us, what we eat, the fridge), it seems she is trying to find out how to get her preferred food 
and she has more energy to run and play of course.
and she has more energy to run and play of course.
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You're welcome Valerie!
Here's a reliable source for raw food (even "prescription" diets) and the amount to feed:
www.darwinspet.com
Here's a reliable source for raw food (even "prescription" diets) and the amount to feed:
Raw Cat Food Recipes | Darwin's Pet Food
Our Premium Raw Cat Food. Cats are obligate carnivores, meaning they have nutritional requirements that can only be met with a diet based almost entirely on
www.darwinspet.com
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So, a few semi-random thoughts...
When I see overeating like this, I wonder if there is some missing nutrient driving the appetite. (This is common with "light" foods--given the opportunity, cats eat much more of it than regular, because the food is so deficient.) Or maybe she is making up now for something she wasn't getting in the HK.
There are only about 40 required nutrients in the AAFCO profiles, but there are up to 100 individual nutrients in any given ingredient. Most commercial pet foods, including HK, are formulated to meet AAFCO profiles. But it's a computer calculation. I don't know if those calculations have kept up with the declining nutritional value of modern foods. Bottom line: what's actually in the food is pretty much anyone's guess.
Oddly enough, fat can be deficient in homemade diets. Fat is a big factor in feline food intake. The most common deficiencies in homemade recipes (besides calcium) include choline, thiamine, vitamin E, and trace minerals (iron, zinc, manganese, and copper). I've tried balancing a homemade recipe, even using a computer program, and it is extremely difficult. It's virtually impossible using only food. I've argued this with professional formulators. I did not win those arguments! Once I asked for an 0.5% increase in one ingredient, then watched the changes it engendered cascade through 11 pages of Excel spreadsheet (small font!). Let's just say it was a very enlightening, if a little horrifying, experience.
For nutrients in individual ingredients, you can search the USDA Database.
I don't advocate feeding raw fish. Pacific salmon in particular can harbor some interesting parasites.
I usually just let transitioning cats eat however much they want. I have found that, even if they initially gain a pound or two, they come to an equilibrium over time. As Dr. Jeff said, keep an eye on BEAM; but don't stress too much about weight during the transition.
When I see overeating like this, I wonder if there is some missing nutrient driving the appetite. (This is common with "light" foods--given the opportunity, cats eat much more of it than regular, because the food is so deficient.) Or maybe she is making up now for something she wasn't getting in the HK.
There are only about 40 required nutrients in the AAFCO profiles, but there are up to 100 individual nutrients in any given ingredient. Most commercial pet foods, including HK, are formulated to meet AAFCO profiles. But it's a computer calculation. I don't know if those calculations have kept up with the declining nutritional value of modern foods. Bottom line: what's actually in the food is pretty much anyone's guess.
Oddly enough, fat can be deficient in homemade diets. Fat is a big factor in feline food intake. The most common deficiencies in homemade recipes (besides calcium) include choline, thiamine, vitamin E, and trace minerals (iron, zinc, manganese, and copper). I've tried balancing a homemade recipe, even using a computer program, and it is extremely difficult. It's virtually impossible using only food. I've argued this with professional formulators. I did not win those arguments! Once I asked for an 0.5% increase in one ingredient, then watched the changes it engendered cascade through 11 pages of Excel spreadsheet (small font!). Let's just say it was a very enlightening, if a little horrifying, experience.
For nutrients in individual ingredients, you can search the USDA Database.
I don't advocate feeding raw fish. Pacific salmon in particular can harbor some interesting parasites.
I usually just let transitioning cats eat however much they want. I have found that, even if they initially gain a pound or two, they come to an equilibrium over time. As Dr. Jeff said, keep an eye on BEAM; but don't stress too much about weight during the transition.
Thank you. Behavior wise, while on kibbles and HK and then when fed 100% HK, Florence came for feeding, asked for food but only asked for extra when we had gotten mixed up in the dosage and did not meet her caloric ration. Then she would leave the kitchen. Now after introducing raw meet, she follows me around, camps in the kitchen, watching her bowl, the fridge and myself preparing food. It is like she was eating out of necessity and now she is very interested. I did not expect such a change. She got it pretty quickly that food does not come from the cardboard box anymore. I agree that it should settle down.
As for fish, I had not really thought of parasite :-(. We are a plant based family so going to the fish and meat section of the grocery store was a bit strange for me at first.
As for fish, I had not really thought of parasite :-(. We are a plant based family so going to the fish and meat section of the grocery store was a bit strange for me at first.
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