Do you feed your cats raw diets?

I have seen a lot about this lately but I just can not bring myself to do this. The thought of giving Penny and Frankie raw beef and chicken sickens me. I have given them both of this but it has been cooked. Have you done this?

 

i was thinking doing this for both mine when they become adults but the thought of it makes me sick 2 my stomach 2 i have fed my oldest kitty chicken but its been cooked

 

Hello,

Feeding cats "raw" food is fine. However, it should ONLY be properly prepared raw food and not by the normal person. Nature's Variety "RAW" is an excellent product and is available in medallion form. Simply take a frozen one out the night before and refrigerate. The next day it will be soft enough to serve. A couple of things to remember - microwave the medallion for 9 seconds and adding some low sodium veggi broth will help. Also, just a small amount to prevent any digestive issues with your cat. I feed it as a "treat" for my Bengal.

Try the internet for discounted prices on this product.

 

I never did so cos I think un boiled meet can create problem.

 

Hi there,

I've researched this topic quite a bit and of course, from a science-based perspective relating to the physiology of cats in general. Cats are obligate (strict) carnivores and can definitely handle the bacterial load of raw meat—in fact they evolved for this. Those quick reflects aren't for catching plants or 'grain-based kibble'. In fact, there are some issues that result from over-feeding of grain-based kibble, and kibble is generally grain-based to make it possible to extrude it into fun shapes, which are then coated with an appealing spray. There are dangers with dry food related to mold and other salmonella, so kibble has its risks too. But, the risks also relate to the cat not getting its full protein, vitamin A, Taurine, etc., causing it to eat more, which can lead to other problems later (obesity, diabetes, urinary tract infections (due to an inherent lack of water in kibble), etc. There's no real benefit to their teeth since cats tend to eat the kibble whole, and evolved to chew or break bones (which does help clean teeth).

Canned is preferable, because there's going to be a lot more water in canned food and cats tend to get their water from food moreso than drinking water, since cats tend to have a low thirst drive. Raw food is ideal for water content, Vitamin A (organ meat) fat (essential for all mammals in some quantity), Taurine (from hard working muscles such as the heart or dark meat), bones (calcium), etc. There's a psychological element to feeding raw too that has to be witnessed to be understood. My little 4.5 month old Max really did not like wet food, and I even thought it smelled pretty good as a human. He loved his kibble, but was probably responding to the coating sprayed on it to make it so appealing.

When I switched him to commercial raw formula (Primal), he loved it, and *really* responded to turkey heart, liver and regular old beef strips from the store. His food drive went through the roof and before he would only nibble at canned food. I have him on camera eating raw hearts, beef and even chicken on the bone with gusto.

Another downside of raw though is that some cats might want to carry their prize somewhere else to eat...such as near its humans or to some 'safer' place. My cat did this with chicken on the bone (which he LOVES) but not with Primal raw formula (complete nutrition) or beef strips. I think it's because the chicken is more work and he didn't want to spend all that time at a bowl? Don't know. Some owners actually cage their cats when letting them eat raw just to prevent this very thing (traveling with food).

Another thing to consider with raw is making the cat work a little to eat. This is natural, and cats need to develop jaw muscle strength...but it's good for them psychologically (just like it's good for cats to have high places to perch once in a while). I can visibly see the difference in my cat when he's eating canned, kibble and raw, the best being anything on the bone. I think I could even say, he looked 'happier', odd as it is.

Anyhoot...raw is good. Just be careful to avoid misconceptions about raw food with cats, as they're not the same as us human omnivores in this regard, and we humans do have to exercise diligence when preparing raw, so there's some extra effort to avoid mixing potential pathogens from raw with our own food or counter surfaces/cutlery, etc. We humans have adapted to eat quite a bit but cats can handle raw meat much better than we can.

I'll post my videos soon so anyone interested can watch and see little Max chowing down on raw.

 

Thanks MaxKitteh, for sharing your research with us. I give my cats cooked chicken and fish, but I never tried anything raw except for the raw foods you can get at the pet store. And those I don't get often. I might have to try it some more as from your story it seems like they might benefit from it and enjoy it.

 

Gak, typo in my last post, reflects=reflexes. Can't edit.

Yolanda....yeah I read pages and pages of info, rejection some bad info and cross-verifying with my vet and breeder. One way to start with raw is to just add a little bit of raw to your cat's current diet...maybe some boneless chicken or beef, or some sardines in spring water (no spices). See how they react.

The only issue I have now is that little Max wants to carry his 'prey' to another location to eat at times...and moreso if it's chicken on the bone (which takes longer to eat for him). I think part of it is the disinfectant I am using (too smelly) so I am going to switch to a 50/50 mixture of vinegar and hydrogen peroxide and see if that's less offensive.

He really loves raw. If you try raw with your cats, I recommend watching them eat the first time. Also, it's good to give them a piece too big to swallow so they can work their little jaw muscles breaking pieces off. Raw food tends to have less of a 'smell' so it might take a little time before some cats recognize raw meat as food...but this can be helped with a little juice from the chicken/beef/etc. or some tuna or sardine juice. Some people even use Parmesan cheese for this purpose.

 

Thanks for the info. I looked up the page you posted in another response as well with info and recipes. I have tried boiled chicken before, and I do feed it to them every once in a while, and they love it. It's not raw, but it's another step in the 'raw' direction ;-) Even though it's healthy for them, I am anxious about feeding them bones. I know they can digest it, but it feels scary somehow.

 

It does feel scary. We've heard for so long how dogs choke on chicken bones, but cats are different. They eat small prey and are used to crunching those bones. Watch your cat eat when you feed it raw food for the first time...see how he/she handles it. Your cat also needs to learn to break pieces off, so watching him/her eat at first is important to make sure it doesn't choke trying to swallow anything whole—but cats learn quickly to chew first if this happens, but it's safer to be there while they learn and adjust to do what they've evolved to do...eat and chew their raw food and bones.

My kitten ate a chicken thigh today for the first time..crunched through those bones like it was nobody's business! They will develop jaw muscles with boneless meats at first...so start small, and only work up to bone-in-meat once they are used to eating raw. Another thing they might do is carry the food around so you want to catch that too.

Good luck with it. Baby steps at first. Try just a strip of meat about 3-4 inches long so the cat has to tear off pieces with his/her teeth. This provides a cleaning action on the teeth too, moreso with meats with bone.

Good luck, please let us know how it goes! If you do go totally raw, you can either use commercial raw as a base, or just make sure the cat is getting mostly muscle meat with some organ and bone. This provides the balance needed for both nutrition and firm, healthy stools. Too soft a stool is usually a lack of bone, and too firm or constipation is too much bone. Throw in a sardine once in a while, and you can even supplement with the occasional grasshopper it can 'hunt' in the bathtub or some confined space.

 

No, I have never tried to do this. It kind of makes me scared. I would never want to make my kitties sick, or hurt them in anyway. I only feed them cat can food and dry food only.

 

My brother feeds both his cats and two dogs an all-raw diet. He prepares their food specifically for each pet, since they have different requirements- all of them seem really healthy and happy. The kitties have sleek coats- very soft- I think they feel softer now than back when they ate kibble- so that may be a real benefit or just my imagination