# PJ



## spookychick13 (Jan 26, 2010)

PJ is still on canned food and doom nuggets, and I tried to get him to eat a bit of raw chicken today.

He looked at me like I had grown another head.

I am going to put it in the fridge and try again this afternoon. :
This is the boy in question. He is not happy.


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## spookychick13 (Jan 26, 2010)

Any kitty people have tips on how to transition them?


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## ruckusluvr (Oct 28, 2009)

no tips. just wanted to say cool looking cat!!!


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## spookychick13 (Jan 26, 2010)

Hehehe, thanks, he is my sweetheart.

I rescued him when he was itty bitty.

He is the boss of our veterinary practice.

I think he was telling me to get the heck off facebook and get to work in that picture. 

This is when he was a little dude.


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## wags (Jan 31, 2009)

I cant help you here! But that is a sweet kitty! Adorable. But anyway, I tried to give my one dog raw chicken the leg and he looked at me sniffed it like ok what the hecks this, did not touch it!?!?!? So I dont know transitioning seems for my dogs here a waste of time! But "eh I have never fed raw so I am guessing its just what they get use to! Anyway sorry I am no help:frown:, but that kittys so cute!:smile:


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## spookychick13 (Jan 26, 2010)

I cut the meat off of the bone and drizzled 'tuna water' on it.

Success!


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

I got a approx. 2 year old kitty from the shelter last month, and I'm going through the same thing. I've found a few tips, they honestly haven't worked for us, but maybe you'll have better luck. 

Offer the raw when the kitty is actually hungry, about 12 hours after the last feeding. 
You can try hiding little bits of raw in canned food, gradually hiding bigger and bigger pieces. 
Pretend kitty can't have it. Put the wing on your plate like it's your food, and walk away from it. They tend to have more interest in YOUR food than theirs.
If they're already eating canned food, start with ground raw, gradually hiding little chunks of raw in it. 

I can't even get my cat to eat canned food. SHe's a kibble junkie, so we've had no luck whatsoever.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

What a cutie...love his face markings!

Ok...will he eat canned food or canned fish (tuna or sardines)? If so I would use that to your advantage. Add in some raw meat to the canned food, a VERY small amount at first so as to "hide" it. If he will eat it with the bit of raw mixed in, gradually increase it over time. It might take 6 months or so until he is fully on raw, but at least its better than never.

If you have an asian market nearby, I would venture into one and get some small, whole, fresh, frozen fish and make a "blend" with it in a food processor or blender or chop it up really fine. That will make a good addition to either canned fish or canned food.

You eventually want him to eat whole small prey items like fish and birds, but that might not happen...crunching through bones does not seem like a cats cup of tea LOL. In that case, a "blended" raw diet is still worlds better than kibble.


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## spookychick13 (Jan 26, 2010)

He definitely eats canned.
I will try mixing it up, I have some boneless turkey thigh I can chop up for him.

I will try a bit of the pork I gave the doggies this evening as well.

He seemed much more interested in it after he actually tried it.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Good to hear...and good luck...keep us updated on the transition :biggrin:


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

Any news on the transition??

Still no luck whatsoever over here. Stubborn kitty.


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## spookychick13 (Jan 26, 2010)

So far he will eat raw chicken 'chunks' with tuna juice on them, but that's as far as we got.

He is all about the canned food, though, so I might try smearing some on a bone in chicken breast and see.

I also might try to give him a rabbit head when those arrive and see if he likes it.

He caught a mouse once (long story as to what a mouse was doing in the clinic, but it has to do with a door being left open) but he didn't eat it.
He gave it to me very proudly instead.

He also dropped a grasshopper into my coffee last summer.



Have you tried the tuna juice trick?


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

spookychick13 said:


> Have you tried the tuna juice trick?


Yeah. she will lap up the tuna juice, but won't eat anything. I even tried to hide a little tuna in her dry food. Lame attempt, I know. In the morning there was two clean slivers of tuna in the dottom of a totally empty and dry bowl. 
I am about 6 weeks into trying, and not yet willing to admit defeat! lol


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## spookychick13 (Jan 26, 2010)

Wow, she is a stubborn kitty!

Don't give up!


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Sounds to me like PJ is making good progress on the switch if you can already get him to eat raw chicken!!! Just give it some time and he will most likely be a pro.

Have you tried smearing canned cat food on other cuts of meat?


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## spookychick13 (Jan 26, 2010)

danemama08 said:


> Sounds to me like PJ is making good progress on the switch if you can already get him to eat raw chicken!!! Just give it some time and he will most likely be a pro.
> 
> Have you tried smearing canned cat food on other cuts of meat?


No, not yet, I admit I often forgot to bring a little of the dog's meat to work with me. 
I will have to buy him his own stock or something so I stop forgetting.

A lot of my Hare Today order will get split up and put in the work freezer (ew, I know) for him.


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## spookychick13 (Jan 26, 2010)

OK we're starting over. :/

PJ is not about the raw unless it has tuna on it.
So we're doing this:
Canned with commercial raw mixed in until he accepts that.
Then we're doing commercial raw with chunks mixed in.
Then all chunks.

The sucky part is, he has to have kibble on the weekends when we are closed, so I bought him a bag of Orijen. He has a timer that feeds him automatically.

I will keep everyone posted.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Sounds like a good plan. You just have to do what works for them and what they will tolerate. Keep up the good work and patience!

How many days is PJ left alone on the weekends?


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## spookychick13 (Jan 26, 2010)

Well technically just on Sunday, but unfortunately I don't trust anyone else here to remember to feed him.
Isn't that sad?


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

We often fast our cats one day...they just get a bigger meal the day before or after. Would it be horrible for him to go a day without food?


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## spookychick13 (Jan 26, 2010)

Yeah, he loses his mind and tries to pick fish out of the fish tank. 

PJ Isn't spoiled...why do you ask?


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## spookychick13 (Jan 26, 2010)

It really sucked to pick out a commercial raw food, it's loaded with so much extra junk.
Cranberry? Really?

Meh.

I guess I should have just tried ground turkey or something first.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Was asking since he would have to eat kibble on sundays when people are gone but I'm thinking it wouldn't hurt him at all to go a day without...our cats do fine, they hate it and think that they are going to perish...but they don't LOL


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## spookychick13 (Jan 26, 2010)

Well honestly if PJ doesn't get food, he busts open the door to the food room and rips open kibble and helps himself.

In fact he did that this morning rather than eat raw food. At least he picked the orijen I bought him. He ate a half a freaking pound. I'm so mad at him


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## PUNKem733 (Jun 12, 2009)

My 2 cats are stubborn to the max. I have them on a store brand dry food, and I am trying to get them to eat canned Evo or wellness, but no go. I don't know how they would take to raw. These cats will only eat this garbage dry, and from everything I read, it is bad to feed dry, as cats have a low thirst drive and esp in the summers they will not get enough water, and dehydrate quickly. They won't eat any human foods or anything just the garbage dry. 

Funny as one cat who is the mom, the other is her son, goers outside, and she catches animals sometimes, and gives them to a cat that lives in our backyard, but once she hat a sparrow whole, beak, feet, feathers! I have no clue why these cats are like this.


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## spookychick13 (Jan 26, 2010)

Cats are so much harder to deal with dietwise than dogs, it's ridiculous.

I am about ready to throw in the towel w/ PJ.
At least he eats the canned stuff, I guess.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

I have heard many many times that it can literally take about a year to switch a cat to raw. And some cats will just never get the hang of it. I guess you have to decide if you want to stick it out for another year or so. 

I'm at the opposite end of the spectrum. I'm almost considering just letting our cats have free access to kibble food since I can't stand how annoying they are about food. They get into EVERYTHING. They steal food off of our plates, they trashcan dive, they steal food from the dogs (which is pathetic that the dogs allow them to), they EAT almost everything imaginable (even things that are inedible), try jump and grab onto our hands thinking they are food, etc. 

I know that what we feed them is what they deserve but some days I am at wits end with them.


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## spookychick13 (Jan 26, 2010)

The ground stuff is expensive and I have to pay for it out of pocket...I made him a nice plate of chicken neck and pork roast this morning and he turned his nose up.
I just fed it to Flip.


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## spookychick13 (Jan 26, 2010)

danemama08 said:


> I have heard many many times that it can literally take about a year to switch a cat to raw. And some cats will just never get the hang of it. I guess you have to decide if you want to stick it out for another year or so.
> 
> I'm at the opposite end of the spectrum. I'm almost considering just letting our cats have free access to kibble food since I can't stand how annoying they are about food. They get into EVERYTHING. They steal food off of our plates, they trashcan dive, they steal food from the dogs (which is pathetic that the dogs allow them to), they EAT almost everything imaginable (even things that are inedible), try jump and grab onto our hands thinking they are food, etc.
> 
> I know that what we feed them is what they deserve but some days I am at wits end with them.



PJ went through a stage like that when he was about a year, maybe a little younger. He was insatiable and really annoying! Too bad I didn't start him on raw then, heh.
It eventually stopped, you'll be glad to hear. Naughty kitties!

I still don't know what to do about PJ, the ground stuff is met with apathy, maybe I'll give yet another brand a shot. He didn't like Stella and Chewy's or Wild Kitty, or this other stuff in a tube.

Ok, after doing some research I am going to try The Honest Kitchen's Prowl dehydrated raw.
I will keep everyone posted.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Good luck and keep us posted on his progress.


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