Part Two: My Journey To Wellness…#CatRawPetFood
HIYA!! SAVANNAH HERE!!!
Many of you have been kind and thoughtful in your words of encouragement to me as I continue to paw along my journey to wellness. I hope that if I share all the things we have been doing for me, it might help one of you or someone you know.
Some of you have asked if long distance purchasing of frozen raw food is safe and also you have asked about how to handle the raw food and how to store it.
When it arrives it is best if someone is at home to bring the package inside straightaway. (click photos to bigify to view all that Mom L is doing)
Mom L lets the chubs slightly defrost in the refrigerator until they just indent with a finger touch. Then she gets her gloves and all the items she needs to slice up the raw into separate servings. Once that is done, the servings go right back into the freezer.
That’s it until the next shipment! Mom L bought a really inexpensive scale to make sure when she and Dad P measure out our portions for each meal that they are giving us enough, but not too much.
So that is the process. Now here is a little trick that the folks at Raw Paws suggested to Mom L if I wouldn’t eat the raw.
See that small bag on top of the raw chicken chubs? Can you read what it is?? Freeze dried green beef tripe!!! Crush a little like sprinkles on human ice cream and sprinkle on the raw food and we both go for it…at least I did at first. I am back to ground zero, but TKS still loves having a little tripe added to her food. Actually, you can buy this and add it to any canned food, kibble etc…it is very appealing to both cats and dogs. “Green” tripe doesn’t mean it is ‘green’…even though it is just because of the grass or hay the animal may have eaten, the “green” actually does not refer to its color. Instead, it refers to the fact that the tripe has not been processed – not cleaned, not bleached and not scalded.
Go figure…Mom L doesn’t think it smells that great but TKS and I sure do! The bowl above has some tripe sprinkles, some raw, some canned food and a few kibbles…just trying to get me to eat more raw.
Now for the latest on getting me back to eating raw. Here’s the inside, literally, scoop on my health and wellness.
I do not have IBS and no pancreatitis, and I have not lost any weight. Really, I have something more akin to humans’ ‘acid reflux’. I drink a lot of water right after eating my kibble or my canned food. Not when I was on raw. I also become ‘food averse’ to a particular type of canned food if it has made me nauseous or caused me to vomit. That means Mom L and Dad P were having to constantly find another quality food I would eat. Which, cause me more stress. A never ending cycle. In fact, I am also now ‘dish averse’. If they try to serve me food in a dish which I have eaten out of, and from which I had tummy problems, I won’t eat out of that dish for a while!!
My VET, Dr. Melanie, owner of Civic Feline Clinic, is a feline specialist and expert diagnostician for all things ‘cat’. I think she may be part cat actually…she sure does think and act like us. Scary.
Anyway, I had to return to the VET last week for an enema as I was again constipated. Dr Melanie said she believes my problems are both due to my upper gut and how it processes my food AND due to my emotional health.
Dr Melanie decided to try to ‘trick’ me back to raw! When I had my enema, she also gave me an appetite stimulant. And it worked!! For one meal! MOL!!! I said she was ‘almost a cat’…heh…heh.
This is all about my Journey to Wellness. I have come such a long way with the emotional well being. And now if I can manage my digestive challenges…I will be ready for another NINE LIVES!!
No!! Not the VET!!!
PAW PATS, SAVANNAH
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Oh my mouses, Savvy! You look pretty ferocious there in that last picture. Looks to me like this raw food has you feeling quite well and with lots of spunk. purrs
Purrs,
Seville
yes it does Sivvers, if only I can get back to eating it again
Savvy, you have come such a long way! I hope you can get the eating raw thing back on track. Mom and Dad sure do care about you a great deal xoxox
Thanks Austin, we are all trying to get me back slowly and surely
Delicious!
Oh BFGF, I’m so sad you have so many challenges. I hope you’ll start feeling better and eating better. You’re beginning to worry me.
Don’t worry CK. I have no weight loss and nothing shows in all my tests. It’s food sensitivity and my emotional makeup from whatever traumas I suffered before coming to my forever castle.
Savvy, we hope you’ll get a taste for your raw food again…since it helped you so much before.
Wow – so much information, and so easy to read too. I hate it when people get technical and scare us to bits. Your post is very user friendly and so encouraging!
Dusty
It’s lucky your mom is so patient and your vet has so many good ideas for you, S. I am confident that you will be 100% soon. I have the opposite eating problem. I was eating so much so fast, I kept making myself sick. Mom and my vet also needed creative ideas to help me. I am fine now!
Love and licks,
Cupcake
Paws crossed that you get back to eating your raw food, Savvy, the way you need to!
Doc Melanie iss a berry clevurr Vet….you know as wee read yur bloggie LadyMum says Aunty Nylablue bee-came food averse all so an LadyMum did not ree-alize it till now. Mee hopes that nevurr happen to mee….Midn you mee eatss like a small horsey 😉
Now that raw food looks purrty tasty Savannah…mee finkss it iss werth a 2nd try…a 3rd try….mmm….chick-hen an tripe…mee iss ‘SO-O” there!!!!
Mew mew mew, Dharth Henry =^,.^=
You are a lucky girl to have the Mum and Dad you do..they love you so much and worry themselves over you. We are all crossy paws that you try the food…and a bit more ,until you really like it. Do you like stinky fish smell? Blackmores Osteo Support by PAW are capsules of powdered green lipped mussels …it smells like heaven!! Would you like that sprinkled on your raw food?
The REAL Maple Syrup Mob xxxxx
Thanks for the update, I sure hope your appetite can get back to normal soon!
ღ husky hugz ღ frum our pack at Love is being owned by a husky!
It looks like mom is taking good care of you
Snorts,
Lily & Edward
Savvy, I so so so want you well and happy again. I just really do! I like TroutTownTabbie’s idea. You too?
Just let them know we have pedestal food dishes. And thank you for good wishes
I just want you well. It has been a long journey for you sweet girl. This is Katie.
I know. The good news is I have lost no weight. I have no masses showing with ultrasound and X-rays. I seem to have kitty acid reflux…sigh
We hope you get back on the raw track again soon sweet Savvy!
Miss Savannah, I am so glad you are feeling better! Also, it sounds like you love your vet — what a blessing!
S & S….we due knot haza freezer N de one a tached two de fridge iz like about 12 x 12 inches….de food gurl buyed an energeez efficient model…..itz efficeint all rite…. coz it doez knot hold stuff !!! 🙂
we iz still knot sure we wood eat raw….???…
N sillie az thiz soundz….ask yur mom bout raizin yur food dish up off de floor maybe three inches…..sew its chest height …that may help with de ole reflux stuff; if her doez knot haza raized bowl, her can put yur dish on some books ta bring it up off de ground
~~~~~~~~~ waves two ewe both ♥♥♥
Thank you for the suggestion about the elevated food dish. Check out Monday’s post and you will see me, and TKS, eating from our pedestal pottery dishes. dad P bought them for is a year ago. We really like them.
Savvy I cross my paws that efurrything will work like eggs-pected. And I’m sure it will…. there were so much things you managed and there were so much good surprises, so I hope there will be good news on this front too :o)
Truth is, it is more and more clear that I was likely feral in my early life and had to fight off other cats. I never learned to play with another cat, so I get stressed with TKS. Given that, I have come such a very long way living with Mom L and Dad P
As we don’t have a freezer my peeps is going to try a dry or freeze dried food version as close to raw as we can find… Do you use anything similar? purrs
We don’t like freeze dried raw food. BUT, the tripe we eat is freeze dried and easy to keep in the fridge. So if you will eat it, the raw freeze dried ought to be ok.
Thank you kindly…
We hope you get back onto your raw soon, Savvy. Is there anything else you like enough that you can sprinkle onto the raw to help get you to eat? Ashton hesitated over raw and got fortiflora sprinkled on, not because of its probiotic properties but because she likes the taste. Could it be that you’re food-averse to that raw now and need to try a new one?
I run from food with forti flora on or in it. That’s why we use no taste no smell Target brand Up and Up probiotic…in the pharmacy, for peeps. Dr. Melanie suggested it. I am also eating food with powdered slippery elm. If I cannot get back to raw, hopefully both of these will help me get my energy and playfulness back
We hope it will help, Savvy. You deserve the renewed nine lives! Extra Healing Pawkisses to make you feel better 🙂 ❤
Keep feeling Better sweetie and keep trying the raw food,it seems to do the trick for you,xx Speedy
Savvy, we wish you a speedy return to complete wellness. Have a lovely weekend.
We would love it if you and TKS would teleport over for a visit, some time soon.
Trixie, Caspurr and Shimshi.
PS. We love the picture of your v-e-t with kitty ears (mol).