Homemade cat food & TCFeline PreMix

[BoyleHeightsKid]

I am on the search for recipes for an elderly cat with teeth issues who will not eat wet food. I found this premix and was wondering if anyone had any experience with it. She’s hyperthyroid and is doing well on the methamazole and I wish I could get her to gain more weight. She’s gained about 1/2lb but she still needs a bit more. She has a hard time eating her dry food and will not eat it if I try to soak it, so I was thinking of maybe a semi wet, raw or half raw diet. I found TCFeline Premix that you just add to the raw meat… http://tcfeline.com/tcfeline-canada/

Thoughts? It seems like it would be an easy way to make what she would need at home and doesn’t seem like it would break the bank.

[CindyCRNA]

I have never seen this product but whey protein is constipating. I found this thread: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/239704/is-tcfeline-premix-good I really like (and so does Lewis!) Stella and Chewys Duck Duck Goose, a freeze dried raw.

[CindyCRNA]

My bad, the above thread is about one of their other products.

[Simkie]

Have you tried Fresh Pet? If I were in your shoes I would consider it–as it’s available and softer than dry. I fed it successfully when I had a hospice cat. She really liked this one. It’s not a totally ideal cat food, but it’s better than a lot of them.

Do you know your kitty eats raw? Rad Cat might also be worth considering if someone near you sells it. I’ve found it very reasonably priced.

[BoyleHeightsKid]

I haven’t tried raw to see if she likes it yet but she does catch a mouse or two still and will eat them. I can get the freshpet now and give it a try for her and see if she likes it. I actually didn’t know they made that for cats… duh!

Cindy I didn’t know that the whey is constipating… thanks for that! I’ll order a small bag of the Duck Duck Goose and see how she likes it.

She’s always been so easy to feed up until now and I really think if she has an easier time eating she will gain some more weight. I also think the reason she throws up sometimes is because she can’t chew her dry food anymore I hate that they get old. She’s my once in a lifetime kitty.

[rubygirl1968]

I have used it in the past and mine liked it ok. I bought a grinder and started using this recipe from this site with bone. http://www.catnutrition.org/recipes.html

Mine like the Primal freeze dried, well, not exactly like, will grudgingly eat but not Stella & Chewys. Naturally, because here Stella & Chewy’s is much cheaper.

Now mine much prefer the ground version and I have a couple of the pre-mixes left. I could send them to you for postage, if you’d like to try it.

[BoyleHeightsKid]

Thank you rubygirl I would really appreciate that! Sending you a pm

[rubygirl1968]

I was wrong, it’s not the TC pre-mix, it’s Alnutrin.

http://www.knowwhatyoufeed.com/alnutrin_supplements.html

I’m still happy to send it you but wanted to let you know. There’s enough to make 4 pounds of food.

[BoyleHeightsKid]

Thanks ruby!

I did pick up the freshpet last night. She didn’t dive right into it, but went between that and her dry food. She didn’t finish all of it last night so I tossed that and gave her some fresh this morning. We’ll see how she likes the raw.

I wonder if warming it a little bit might help her like it more?

[Simkie]

BHK, any chance you’re also dealing with some chronic kidney disease? In an older cat, it’s almost a forgone conclusion. Kindey values even a little high can make them feel kinda puny. How about some pepcid for her belly and some mirtazipine for her appetite? Ask the vet for the compounded transdermal for the mirtazipine…SO much easier to deal with that the pills.

[BoyleHeightsKid]

They did bloodwork at her 4 week check up after she started on the methamazole to check kidneys and she was good, but that was a year ago, so maybe a check up is in order. The vet did say that being hyperthyroid can give her an upset stomach at times.

[Larbear]

What form of methimazole are you using? With my old kitty-man I found his appetite was better overall on the transdermal gel compared to the pill form.

Getting my guy to eat was always a challenge since unlike most hyperthyroid kitties, his appetite tanked. On the bad days I did some assist feeding with Carnivore Care (he was really good with assist feeding but if he didn’t want it and resisted, I didn’t force the issue). I ended up doing a mix of raw and Weruva Paw Lickin’ Chicken. He thrived on this and actually gained weight. I did on occasion use mirtazapine to help him with his appetite.

The two kitties I have now are on a homemade raw diet, one of them also gets a mouse at each meal and the other gets chunks of meat with the raw. I wish they both would eat mice (good for their teeth and jaw exercise) but at least the chunks of meat help to clean the teeth and good for exercise as well.

[BoyleHeightsKid]

She is on the liquid that I mix with a little yogurt or vanilla ice cream and she licks it right up. Pills weren’t a good idea for her. She’s okay for it the first couple of times, then she won’t come to me.