Nabiya, I am about to order some Felines Pride. Would you tell me if your cats prefer one flavor over another? Also, you mention that you cooked it slightly when first starting out. How did you cook it and for how long? Last question, what type of baby food? I must seem really ignorant, but as this is my last hope I want to make sure I have done everything correctly to have success in my kitty taking to it.
There are four flavors, and my cats like them in this order: cornish hen, duck, turkey and chicken. I cooked it slightly in a regular skillet as a pattie (no oil or anything added), cooking it all the way through at first, then just lightly browning each side but pink in the middle. I then cooked it less and less over a couple weeks period of time. However, during the time I was cooking slightly I was supplementing with Felidae canned because cooking the raw is also destroying the vitamins and minerals (especially the taurine). Before each feeding of the raw, I also gave a tablespoon of Gerbers jarred baby food to entice them into eating. After about 4 weeks, they were eating the raw without the cooking.
I have grave reservations about Gerbers baby food because it contains corn starch which I believe comes from China. I have emailed, live chatted, called, written Gerbers and have received nothing but BS from them about where/what country the corn starch is sourced from. Since about 80% of corn starch comes from China I would guess theirs does, too. I only use the baby food when I absolutely have to but I wouldn't tell anyone not to use it.
The Felines Pride comes frozen in 2.5 lb. containers. I partially thaw them out (but not all the way) until there is still the ice flakes in the food, but to the point where you can scoop it out. I put the food into smaller tupperware containers that hold a day's worth of food for my 3, and re-freeze. Each day I take out a tupperware to thaw completely for feeding the next day. The completely thawed food should only be used for a couple of days in the refrigerator. After that I don't trust it any more since it's raw.
I feed twice a day, but you can't let this food sit out for more than half an hour or so. I keep it refrigerated and I as I need to use it, I heat up a small plate in the microwave (without the food on it) for about 40 seconds. I then put the refrigerated food on the heated up plate and it gets to room temperature in about a minute. After about half an hour any food left on the plate is put down the garbage disposal. This seldom happens though when you get them into a routine to eat twice a day.
I have had a couple of occassions where they wouldn't eat the food when I first put it down for whatever reason. I immediately throw it away, just trusting their senses, and make up another plate full. Hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions.
