We Got Food Stuffs!

I have a few videos and posts in the queue for raw feeding (general info, supplies, our meal plan, ect), so I debated on holding off this post until later. I decided too many things are piling up, I might as well just post this! So in the meantime, here were some items that arrived last night to show what the Pet Meadow crew chows down on occasionally.

I ordered a shipment from Hare Today, a raw food supplier out of the US that specializes in rabbit and other more hard to find tidbits. They cater to raw pet feeders, supplying both true ‘whole prey’ (hair, skin, ect all intact), or more slightly prepared food (our preference). This is our first order from them in a couple years, I have been trying other sources both locally and shipped in.

I had it sent UPS ground, and it took four full days to arrive (Pennsylvania to Colorado). While it has been in the 40’s and 50’s here in my state, it was in the teens and twenties on the east coast, so I figured it would be okay. The box had a layer of insulation, and a couple small ice packs in the bottom. The entire package was almost completely frozen solid when it arrived. Some of the smaller items had barely started to thaw, but overall, not a single problem with the shipment. If this was the summer I would have to spend a bit extra and maybe go two day Fed Ex just to be safe.

Here is the box opening from last night. (there is a second video at the bottom of the post showing breakfast time this morning)

While my primary food sources are cornish hen (essentially chicken), chicken, and turkey, I do need to mix up their meats to prevent allergies and to make sure they get complete nutrition. For cats, I tend to stick to the smaller game as this would be more species appropriate for them. It is hard to find good rabbit locally, most is shipped in from China, and the price per pound is not THAT much less then US farm raised versions. So I usually order a few times a year from these type of suppliers. I get items like rabbit, duck, pheasant, quail, and a newer introduction, mice. They also have a good selection of organ meats, heart, and sometimes other tidbits I grab when the budget allows.

Here are a few suppliers I know of in the US that raise and supply whole prey and meats that are harder to find in your standard grocery store.

Hare Today (where our order came from today)

Rodent Pro (specialize in mice, but they also carry other alternatives)

Prey4Pets (this is where I got my last batch of rabbit)

Whole Foods 4 Pets (slightly smaller product line up, but located on the west coast for those on that side of the country)

There are other resources out there, but these are the ones I have personally used before or have heard decent feedback from. If I can get food directly from the person who raises the animals, I feel like I am helping to grow the raw food resources while also helping the small scale farmers/ranchers. I also really like suppliers that sell more then one meat type since I am paying quite a bit for shipping already.

If you do not want to ship food in, there are other alternatives. Check out your local ethnic grocery stores (our Asian market carries quail, rabbit, and many organ meats you cannot find in your typical supermarket). Some butcher shops may not display the products, but they have the ability to order different meats and organs for you when requested. Some raw food distributors located throughout the US also carry these meat varieties, so check out their product lists. You can also google search farms in your area that might raise small game or other varieties of meats that they sell directly to the public.

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Breakfast time!!!

Here is a video of me fixing the newly arrived rabbit for breakfast this morning. The lighting is not great (and I have a bad case of the mumbles), but you can see how little time it takes to prepare a meal here.

I use a pair of Henckels Kitchen Shears to cut up meat, they have lasted me for over 5 years now (I have sharpened them a few times in the last couple years, and just toss them in the dishwasher).

Asia and Bayou eat together on the floor in the kitchen (I have a ton of old towels I rotate through), Dexter and Cosmo each eat in a separate cage where I can just wipe the bottom out. This is how I balance out different appetites and eating speeds among four cats.

Tagged as: cats, food, Raw