Feeding Recommendations
Transition
Transition is the most essential element of a healthy and safe
change from dry kibble or canned wet food to a raw diet. We recommend
making this transition slowly. Allow 1-4 weeks for your pet’s
digestive system to properly adjust from a highly processed diet
to their new diet of human grade raw foods.
Begin by mixing the Feline Formula into your cats previous food
at a ratio that your cat will tolerate (you can start with as
little as 1/4 Feline Formula to 3/4 of your pet’s former
food). Your cat may show some adversity to the temperature of
the raw food when served directly from the refrigerator. To warm
Primal Pet Foods formulas, place the feeding portion into a zip
lock, water-tight bag and heat in a bowl of warm water.
Do not use water that is too hot, as this will potentially cook
the food and reduce the enzymatic properties, as well as deplete
the nutrient values of the raw foods.
Gradually increase the amount of Feline Formula until your cat
accepts the raw diet without the addition of any kibble or canned
food. Due to the finicky nature of felines, transitioning to a
raw food diet can be challenging. If after following our recommended
transition guidelines above, you are still unable to entice your
cat to eat raw food, you may want to consider two other possible
methods. Mix equal parts of Primal Feline Formulas with a very
high quality canned food at a ratio of 50/50. After your cat begins
to eat the mixture, you can gradually decrease the amount of canned
food used and begin to feed a greater quantity of Primal Feline
Formulas. The second option is to fast your cat for a brief period
of time, usually no more than two days. Be sure to offer plenty
of fresh water during the fast and attempt to feed raw food after
day 1 of the fast. If your cat will not eat the raw foods after
attempting either of these suggested methods, we recommend offering
your cat a very high quality kibble or canned food diet.
We recommend the addition of Total-Zymes™ digestive enzymes
for the first two to four weeks of the transition period to better
enable your cat to assimilate the proteins, essential fatty acids,
vitamins and minerals contained in our formulas.
To determine how your cat’s system is accepting the new
diet, monitor their stool. As you change over to a raw diet, your
cat’s stool size will be greatly reduced. Stools will become
small, firm and void of any offensive odor. If your cats stool
is soft or loose as a result of the transition, introduce the
raw food more slowly.
Haven't fed raw before? Primal suggests trying
a Primal Starter Pak. The
Starter Pak is an optimum way to begin offering your beloved companion
wholesome, human grade raw foods that will enhance their overall
health, happiness and longevity. The feline Starter Pak is a 6
oz. variety pak of 1 oz. nuggets and includes transition &
feeding instructions and a Primal brochure explaining all the
benefits of feeding raw.
Portions
As a result of the increased digestibility of a raw food diet,
you are able to feed your pet less food daily. Our suggestion
is to feed your pet based upon the 2-3% Rule. Feed your
pet 2-3% of their body weight daily. Our cups-per-pound recommendations
are based upon a ratio of 2.5%. We recommend feeding your pet
twice daily, so you should divide the total daily feeding weight
in half and feed once in the morning and once in the evening.
Factors such as level of activity, age, health, metabolism,
and breed play a part in the necessary feeding quantities of all
animals. Please be sure to monitor your pets’ dietary needs
and adjust the feeding quantities accordingly.
Use the table below to determine the appropriate feeding percentage
based on your cat’s dietary needs.
| Feeding Percentages |
| 2.0 % |
Weight loss or non-active cats |
| 2.5 % |
Maintain Weight |
| 3.0 % |
Slight Weight Gain |
| 3.5 % |
Significant Weight Gain |
| 4.0 % |
Kittens (8 wks - 1 yr) |
| 4.5 - 8.0 % |
Kittens (4 wks - 8 wks) * |
|
| Calculation Tips |
Weigh your pet on a regular basis
so the feeding calculator will generate an accurate
feeding amount.
*Kittens: We recommend starting your kitten’s feeding
percentage at 6% and adjusting up or down as necessary. |
|
Use our feline feeding calculator to find out how much food
to purchase and feed your cat. For dogs and puppies, use the canine
feeding calculator.
When Serving
It is important to only serve Primal Feline Formulas when completely
thawed. Frozen foods can be difficult for cats to digest. Also,
always serve Feline Formulas raw for optimum benefit. Never microwave
any pet food. Microwaves cause the fat molecules to radically
change, making fats less digestible, and ultimately they can become
harmful to your pet’s long term health. To learn more on
warming Primal Formulas gently, see warming instructions above
in the Transition section.
Detoxification
As you begin to introduce your cat to its new diet, you may notice
changes in physical appearance. Do not be alarmed. This is simply
the natural process by which cats heal themselves by eliminating
toxins from the body. Discharge from the eyes, excess wax in the
ears, loss of coat, minor skin rashes and soft, loose stool are
just a few of the common signs. By gradually transitioning your
cat to Primal Feline Formulas, you will allow their body to adjust
properly. Keep a watchful eye on your cat, and take notice of
any changes. We suggest consulting your pet’s practitioner
during the transition process.
Eggs
If your cat is not allergic, we recommend incorporating one whole
organic egg yolk into your cat’s Primal Feline Formula two days
per week for added amino acids. If your cat has a very tolerant
stomach, you may include the eggshell, but be sure to crush the
shell into small pieces for easier digestion.
Kittens
At 4-5 weeks of age you can begin to introduce your kitten to
Primal Feline Formulas. Kittens should be fed one to two small
(1 teaspoon) raw food meals daily in conjunction with either the
milk they consume from nursing and/or other foods you may be supplementing.
Gradually increase the quantity of Primal Feline Formula every
2-3 days until at 8 weeks of age the kittens are consuming two
tablespoons of Primal formulas twice daily. At this point (8 weeks),
the kittens should be fully weaned and can be fed a diet solely
of Primal Feline Formulas and raw meaty bones. Kittens of 8 weeks
of age and older should be fed approximately 4-8% of their body
weight daily in Primal Feline Formulas. Factors such as breed,
overall health and level of activity play a part in the necessary
feeding quantities of all kittens. Please be sure to monitor your
kitten’s dietary needs and adjust the feeding quantities
accordingly.
Fasting
Another important component in feeding your cat a raw diet is
the process of fasting. This age-old practice, used to aid digestion
and cleanse toxins, is common among cats in the wild. Although
not essential to the well-being of your cat, we suggest fasting
one day per week, from breakfast to breakfast. The necessary amount
of fasting time will vary from cat to cat. Be sure to provide
plenty of fresh, purified water and extra love and attention to
your companion throughout the fasting day.
Thawing and Portioning
To simplify the handling and feeding of our Primal Feline Formulas,
we have included a list of hints and recommendations for thawing
and portioning our foods:
Standard Thawing:
- Primal 2 lb. chubs will thaw within 18-24 hours in the refrigerator.
- Primal 5 lb. chubs will thaw within 24-36 hours in the refrigerator.
- Primal Nuggets will thaw within 6-10 hours in the refrigerator.
Quick Thaw Tips:
- To quickly thaw our 2 lb. or 5 lb. chubs, plug and fill your
kitchen sink with cold water. Place chub into the water and
let thaw. Using this method, the chub with thaw completely within
2 hours. If you prefer to portion the chub for individual feedings,
you can thaw for 10 minutes in your sink, remove and slice into
patties using a sharp serrated knife. Patties can then be refrozen
and thawed as necessary.
- To quickly thaw our Primal Nuggets, place the appropriate
number of nuggets or patties per feeding into a zip lock, water
tight bag. Plug and fill your kitchen sink with cold water.
Place the bag with nuggets into the sink and let thaw completely.
Using this method, nuggets will thaw within 30 minutes.
Safe Handling Instructions
- Keep our formula frozen until ready to use.
- Defrost formula in refrigerator following our standard thawing instructions or use our quick thaw tips until food is completely defrosted.
- After serving food that has been completely defrosted, immediately place into the refrigerator.
- After portioning frozen Primal Nuggets, immediately place bag into the freezer.
- Formula will maintain optimum freshness for 3-5 days under refrigeration.
- We recommend feeding raw foods in a stainless steel bowl.
- Wash all work surfaces, utensils, hands and food bowls with hot, soapy water after handling raw meats and poultry.
- Keep raw meats and poultry away from children.
- Keep raw meats and poultry separate from other foods.
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