Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Experiments in food, pt 2


where we left off.. Mouse got a mixed review from The Crew.  The fosters ate it up but then they eat pretty much anything (although the half chicken I gave her ended up going outside to the fox.. not sure why that was just wrong but the legs I give her are awesome)

I had also bought goat and llama.

Goat got the exact same reaction as the mouse.  Llama got a better reception.  Muffin was still not having ANY of it.  That cat.. not just a diva, not just a Diva, she's a DIVA!!!!!  (but I so love her)

Skippy was very unsure of llama but at least it didn't get the foot shake of irritation.  I ended up picking a small piece of it and popping it in his mouth (kinda like a pill) and let him taste it.  It was growing on him, but being the lowest status kitty of the house, he was reluctant to reach out to try more.  He always takes his time when offered something yummy, and if someone else comes along he gives it right up to them... so I ended up putting him on the counter (no kitties on the counter except when Momma puts them there) and held it.  I kept saying "I can't believe I'm holding real live dead llama" - to which my husband laughed pretty fiercely.. mostly because he couldn't believe I was holding raw meat in my bare hands (I own boxes of surgical gloves just for this reason) and also because he loved the wording - mostly from Psycho Kitty.

of course all the laughing didn't make it any easier for Skippy to feel comfortable so it kept on and on.. finally he actually did more then sniff at it and he ended up eating some.

So Llama might make it into the rotation if I ever end up ordering from Hare Today again (again with the shipping costs.  I like that if I buy in bulk the shipping is dramatically reduced, but their bulk is $1000)

I found a new company that sounds interesting.. Darwin's.  It looks really interesting, but it has two major draw backs in my mind.  A) they add catnip to the product.  Since catnip is something that not every cat is interested in, and those who are interested in it can get 'used' to it and no longer react as strongly.  they probably don't add that much and they probably won't stop being affected by it, but it does give me pause.  B) they only do direct marketing.. and not in a way I really like.  You tell them how many cats you have and they decide what to send you and how often.  They have both chicken and turkey and the website said I should take more turkey then chicken.. (they have a really great promotion of 10lbs for $15 including shipping to start, but to get it you are automatically signed up for future shipments - and yes shipping seems prohibitive here too.  Yes, I can call and customize my order, but I'm phone phobic and don't like to call - especially now that we have the wonderful world wide web and email and I don't have to.. so I probably won't order from them, but my issues are are my own personal issues. It shouldn't stop you from looking at them if you are interested.

*generalization coming* It just bugs me that companies ship products to stores and sell it at one price, then sell it at the same price online (with out the cost of shipping it to the store) and charge me shipping!! 

Yes, raw foods come with additional shipping of ice and what not and in bulk to the store the shipping costs are spread out, but to my logical mathematical brain it still doesn't seem to work out to me.  and when shipping is more then the cost of the items in question or $40.. well it is hard for my frugal (OK fine... cheap) self to deal with.. again since there are options local that don't have these additional charges.  I just wish there were more choices of raw pet food around me.

5 comments:

  1. Do you have a local meat store that might be willing to grind a mix for you? I worked with a guy at a local shop for a while and he was willing to grind and mix whatever I requested, then I added the supplements myself at home before freezing. The cost was much cheaper, and you didn't have to grind it yourself--but there's still a little prep work involved.

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  2. I so wish. Everyone I talked to wasn't willing to grind up the bones because their machines 'wouldn't handle it'

    I even had a friend looking for business opportunities and I suggested making pet food.. she just looked at me like I had three heads..

    Don't forget to keep an eye out for that box..

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  3. Have you googled making raw cat food at home? Lots of info & recipes come up. It looks like you would need to invest in a grinder that handles bone, if you want bone in the food. I'm sure that would be the cheapest alternative in the long run.

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  4. I have two cats and always order the 5 lb ground turkey (meat, organs and bones) from Hare Today. I usually order 4-6 at a time. Then I use the recipe at Feline Nutrition (second page). It's much easier than grinding it myself, and it's very easy to do. Even with the shipping I find the cost is reasonable for me.

    The article also mentions some pre-mixed raw food companies that ship. I tried Feline's Pride, but having it shipped from CA to VA made the shipping cost WAY more than I could afford.

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  5. I actually made my own cat food for quite some time from the recipe at catinfo.org and it was well liked. I however couldn't tolerate the smell of grinding bones after a while (and with the increased demands of adding more cats to the family) and it would make me light headed

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