To grind or not to grind, that is a question

Yup, it was food preparing day today.

Kittens have apetites of starved termites, and freezer is getting empty with light speed.

" I am hungry!"


I have tried to cheat a bit, not only in hope to stay away from washing meat grinder for a while, but also in hope to introduce diferent tastes of commercial foods, and make new parent's lives easier.

We stock up on diferent brands of canned food and decided to give it a try.
So over past two weeks, babies were served Royal Canine kitten mousse ( they loved it, but they cost 2 euros each, and we need at least 3 for a meal ),
R.C. Kitten ( they came, they sniffed, they went away. Sophia Rose covered it up and looked through me. Then they demanded something to eat.)

Hills kitten variety of tastes ( not an eyebrow was lifted when it was served. Sophia Rose accidentally came across the plate later during the day, made a gesture of covering it up, and gave me The Look. Ouch. It was the one and only time kittens stole food from the table, Kamala managed to get hold of a piece of pancake. With Nutella. They must have been desperate. )

Sheba supreme, 80 grams, chicken ( it was close to victory, Ilmari came and licked )
Happy cat and Shiny cat, chicken and chicken with shrimps( they were so enthusiastic about it: Look, the jelly is cool, it almost bounces!)

DM brand kitten food ( I do not know why, but my cats love this brand. I am not happy with quality, of food and the air around them after they had it...if you know what I mean )

Almonature ( only drumsticks in broth passed the test, but it is not complete food! just a treat )

The only one who was gaining from this experiment was Harski. Weight.

Two brands got green light.
Bozita jelly- chicken and rabbit ( Ilmari was throwing up on it in the begining, and it made their pooh lose. They did eat 10 bricks in 7 days, but they left it untouched last two days. I might try it again after a while, because I have 20 bricks left, in case raw is not handy. There is nothing more frustrating then opening cans of food that nobody would eat) and Porta 21, pure chicken taste ( my favourite from above, and on www.zooplus.com price is ok too, but the feeding costs are significantly higher than with raw. We consider it best option from above listed )

We did not try Whiskas, even if those new tastes in jelly look jummie. Our vet thinks it was one of the triggers for Harski's illness in November. It has cost us too much tears, sleepless nights, worried and a little fortune in vet expences to gamble with it again.

If any of the comercial brands was offered at the same time as homemade meal, they will go for raw without thinking.

"feed me!"

They will also prefer yolk, goat milk and cottage cheese ( except Sophia Rose, she cannot stand diary ) and of course grilled fish compared to commercial food.

So I decided not to experiment again for a while.

It turns out that raw food is more economical, less time consuming ( I feed and I know that they will eat, do not have to open several cans, watch them like a hawk and feed the ones who are not so happy with it separately from hand ), better for their health ( in short terms :no vomiting, no cramps, so diarrheas like while trying canned, in long term..check links on the right to read more ) and what is most important it is soothing to my nerves, as I am sure that they will eat their meal and enjoy it.

There is one little thing to add; we feed raw for so long that I have completely forgoten how cat toilets can stink. I did not take 6th sence to guess if babies were about to, or have just poohed. It was in the air.

And giving it a second thought, I am happy to go and grind those chickens :)

Food preparation

Once in 10 days I remind myself just how much I love my cats.

I am staying in bed with flu, but yesterday a quick glance at the freezer reminded me our food supplies are almost over.
It was pure willpower that made me go out in that freezing weather and hit the meat market. I bough chickens and today it was grinding time.

I am a vegetarian myself and food preparation is the ultimate test of my love and devotion to the little gremlins.


daily portions, all packed up and ready to be frozen

The only thing that keeps me going is the huge change I have seen in them. It really makes them good.
Their mouth are cleaner than ever, and it is not only their pooh that has lost the smell, but their mouth too. Their coats are shiny, bodies muscular, they have more energy (ok, not sure this is really needed in ocicat household :D) and they have never been healthier.

Ulla was never a kibble type and she was raised up on raw food.
It was interesting seeing her among other ocicats on the Ocicat Parade this year. She was bigger, more muscular, her body as hard as a tennis ball. That probably explains also why she jumps so high :D

Now when I have reminded myself of all the positive sides of raw feeding, it will be easier to go and clean up the kitchen :)

But what kind of entry would it be without sharing a fresh photo of Ulla and kittens?



As you can see, kittens are still in her belly:)