Cooked VS Raw

zylaai

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So long story short, I plan to make my own cat food from now on after having some troubles with commercial brands. While looking on Amazon to find a premix to mix into the raw meat, I came across U-Stew. It has everything you need to feed a cat, just add COOKED meat! At first, I thought this was a bit weird. Why would I cook meat for a cat that's able to digest raw animal protein? Isn't feeding raw better, afterall?

After a bit of thinking, I realized that regardless of the meat being raw or cooked, I'd have to add supplements in anyways!! 

So this leads me to my question... what's better: raw or home-cooked? 

I'd think raw would be better... but I can't seem to come up with a reason why. Both - raw and cooked - would need supplements added regardless, so it's not like one is better than the other in terms of nutrition...? I can see cooked being better in some instances, especially if you're dealing with ground poultry meat, since ground meat has a risk of spreading bacteria since it's grounded up. 

I hope this all makes sense. I'm just really confused now, lol.
 

LTS3

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Besides UStew, there is also the new EZComplete pre-mix (for both raw and cooked) and the TCFeline pre-mix (mainly for raw but there is a recipe for cooked). And there are several other pre mixes for raw meat only.

Some cats won't eat raw no matter what but will eat cooked meat. Other cats can eat raw but it doesn't agree with their tummies. There are people who just can't deal with raw meat but are ok with cooking the meat and feeding that to the cat.

Supermarket ground meat is not recommended to be fed raw because of the concerns with bacteria. You can use it in a cooked recipe, though, since cooking will kill the bacteria.

IMO raw is best and homecooked is the next best. As long as the proper supplementation is added, both diets will not lack in nutrition.
 
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zylaai

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Besides UStew, there is also the new EZComplete pre-mix (for both raw and cooked) and the TCFeline pre-mix (mainly for raw but there is a recipe for cooked). And there are several other pre mixes for raw meat only.

Some cats won't eat raw no matter what but will eat cooked meat. Other cats can eat raw but it doesn't agree with their tummies. There are people who just can't deal with raw meat but are ok with cooking the meat and feeding that to the cat.

Supermarket ground meat is not recommended to be fed raw because of the concerns with bacteria. You can use it in a cooked recipe, though, since cooking will kill the bacteria.

IMO raw is best and homecooked is the next best. As long as the proper supplementation is added, both diets will not lack in nutrition.
thank you for your input, it's greatly appreciated! i think i may start with homecooked, then add raw meaty bones and other raw meat as treats. i have fed him raw before through Rad Cat, but i have not made it myself. thanks again :')
 

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thank you for your input, it's greatly appreciated! i think i may start with homecooked, then add raw meaty bones and other raw meat as treats. i have fed him raw before through Rad Cat, but i have not made it myself. thanks again :')
I can't say enough how much I like using EZcomplete, which I've been using to make cooked food. The cats just love it and it truly is easy to use. I still feed them commercial raw and canned foods and the combination of the three is working out well for them.
 
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zylaai

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I can't say enough how much I like using EZcomplete, which I've been using to make cooked food. The cats just love it and it truly is easy to use. I still feed them commercial raw and canned foods and the combination of the three is working out well for them.
i'm really happy to hear that. i've been planning to use Blue Wilderness (w/out carrageenan) and Soulistic in his rotation; along with cooked meals. i think i'm gonna try EZcomplete first, then maybe U-Stew.
 
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zylaai

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@LTS3  - Actually, could I ask why you believe raw is better than cooked? 
 

LTS3

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There is some nutrient loss if you cook meat. Not really a big deal if you add in a pre-mix or other supplementation. I think its best to feed raw to minimize nutrient loss, though supplementation may be needed depending on the type of raw you feed.

It's really your decision on whether to feed raw or home cooked
Either are fine to feed to a cat.
 

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Has anyone tried Nature's Logic canned food?  It looks like a it's essentially a cooked version of their raw product, and does not contain carrageenan or any of the gums that make for smelly poop.

Hoping it might be the answer to my never ending quest for a decent backup for the raw diet that doesn't make for stinky poop and that both my cats will eat.  It can be ordered by the case from Chewy's, but none of my local stores carry it.
 
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zylaai

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There is some nutrient loss if you cook meat. Not really a big deal if you add in a pre-mix or other supplementation. I think its best to feed raw to minimize nutrient loss, though supplementation may be needed depending on the type of raw you feed.

It's really your decision on whether to feed raw or home cooked
Either are fine to feed to a cat.
thanks again for your response!
 

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I just started giving my cats ages 15 and 16 natures variety instinct can food along with their raw. Working well so far.
 

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Has anyone tried Nature's Logic canned food?  It looks like a it's essentially a cooked version of their raw product, and does not contain carrageenan or any of the gums that make for smelly poop.

Hoping it might be the answer to my never ending quest for a decent backup for the raw diet that doesn't make for stinky poop and that both my cats will eat.  It can be ordered by the case from Chewy's, but none of my local stores carry it.

Sophie,

I bought a case of Nature's Logic canned rabbit three years ago for my two cats. Initially they liked it but not consistently, it was hit or miss.  I'm willing to try it again though because formulas change as do cats' taste for certain foods. 

I'm really glad you posted this Sophie b/c I just looked at the ingredients for their canned food and they have removed the cottage cheese which I remember was an ingredient used prior. I'm not thrilled with their use of  fruits / veggies as I've been feeding mostly veggie free, however, like Primal, I realize NL use's those ingredients as food based supplements vs synthetic.  And no pesky peas or potatoes so that's a plus, in addition to being gum free.

NL is a good company - I like them, they are among a handful of pet food companies that signed the TAPF pledge, transparency of their ingredient sourcing. 

Anyway, thanks again for posting - I would recommend you give them a try, maybe NL will make a decent back up canned food in addition to raw.
 
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hawaii500

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I'm in Australia and it's possible my only reliable source of fresh meat with be the local butcher.  So is it recommended that I cook/lightly cook? 

Or is there no definitive answer to that?  Most of what of read based in Australia is people feeding raw from supermarkets, I guess without any

major issues.
 

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I'm in Australia and it's possible my only reliable source of fresh meat with be the local butcher.  So is it recommended that I cook/lightly cook? 

Or is there no definitive answer to that?  Most of what of read based in Australia is people feeding raw from supermarkets, I guess without any

major issues.
You can buy commercial raw pet food in pet stores. I found these Oz based web sites:

http://organicpaws.com.au/

http://www.barfaustralia.com/

http://www.completepet.com.au/

And this:

http://www.catsofaustralia.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=6906

Supermarket / butcher meat is fine but only whole cuts of meat that you chop or grind yourself, never the already ground stuff. You don't need to cook the meat if you chop / grind it yourself. If your meat source is questionable, then it may be worth lightly cooking the meat.
 

hawaii500

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Thanks for the links LTS3,

Still searching.....The organic paws isn't available where I live.  The completepet is a possiblilty, though it's several states away and the ingredients on their website isn't complete so I waiting back to hear.  The barf I'm pretty wary of.  There's two other companies that also make it here:

http://bigdogpetfoods.com/raw-food-for-cats/

http://www.vetsallnatural.com.au/raw-76-for-cats-and-kittens/

Both have vegetables and other questionable ingredients.  I'm happy to be corrected as I'm still learning but I haven't found much positive information.   Some discussion here:  http://www.thecatsite.com/t/252759/raw-feeding-or-barf-in-australia-need-some-food-advice

Some sites recommend lightly cooking supermarket meats.  If lightly cooked would I have to add any extra supplements?

Thanks for any help, still very confused.  
 

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Some sites recommend lightly cooking supermarket meats.  If lightly cooked would I have to add any extra supplements?
Yes! Basically, unless you're using a balanced whole prey raw model, you'll need to add supplements. I make homemade food for our cats using supermarket meat that I cook and add a complete supplement to.

You might want to check out the pinned links at the top of the home page for the raw and home-cooked forum: it's here. There are references to tons of articles that should be very helpful.
 

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Sorry, I meant if you're already using a supplement for raw, if you'd have to further supplement if you were cooking the meats.   I notice that some supplements said either raw or cooked, so I'm not quite sure how that would work.
 

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If you use a pre-mix for completely cooked meat, such as UStew or EZComplete, no additional supplementation is needed.

Dr. Lisa says this about lightly cooking meat to use in a raw recipie:

None of us know exactly what nutrients and in what amounts are destroyed/damaged with the cooking process.

Because of this fact, I choose to 'split the difference' between semi-cooked and 100% raw depending on the source of the meat.

I feed meat from two sources:

  1. rabbit obtained directly from a rabbit producer (wholefoods4pets.com) - fed 100% raw

  2. chicken and turkey whole thighs (never pre-ground) from the supermarket - fed partially baked to kill surface bacteria.
I now bake the chicken/turkey thighs to the point where they are ~25-50% cooked on the outside and 50-75% raw on the inside.

I set the oven to 350 degrees but the baking time will vary depending on how thick the thighs are.

There will be a loss of weight from the original 3 lbs of meat/skin/bones but by the time you add the drippings back in and add more than 1 cup of water to account for the moisture loss, you will be back at roughly 3 lbs.

The chicken or turkey (thighs) cat food that I make usually ends up being ~25 - 50% cooked and ~50 - 75% raw but you should aim for at least a 10-20% surface cook.

http://catinfo.org/?link=makingcatfood#Safety_Issues

Dr. Lisa's raw recipe is a good one and one that I suggest you use if you plan to lightly cook meat.
 

sophie1

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Has anyone tried Nature's Logic canned food?  It looks like a it's essentially a cooked version of their raw product, and does not contain carrageenan or any of the gums that make for smelly poop.

Hoping it might be the answer to my never ending quest for a decent backup for the raw diet that doesn't make for stinky poop and that both my cats will eat.  It can be ordered by the case from Chewy's, but none of my local stores carry it.

Sophie,

I bought a case of Nature's Logic canned rabbit three years ago for my two cats. Initially they liked it but not consistently, it was hit or miss.  I'm willing to try it again though because formulas change as do cats' taste for certain foods. 

I'm really glad you posted this Sophie b/c I just looked at the ingredients for their canned food and they have removed the cottage cheese which I remember was an ingredient used prior. I'm not thrilled with their use of  fruits / veggies as I've been feeding mostly veggie free, however, like Primal, I realize NL use's those ingredients as food based supplements vs synthetic.  And no pesky peas or potatoes so that's a plus, in addition to being gum free.

NL is a good company - I like them, they are among a handful of pet food companies that signed the TAPF pledge, transparency of their ingredient sourcing. 

Anyway, thanks again for posting - I would recommend you give them a try, maybe NL will make a decent back up canned food in addition to raw.
The ingredients in NL canned are exactly the same as their raw food, with the exception of eggshell used in place of bone.   Here are the ingredients:

Chicken, Chicken Broth, Chicken Liver, Chicken Heart, Dried Egg Product, Porcine Plasma, Montmorillonite Clay, Herring Oil (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Brewers Dried Yeast, Dried Apple, Dried Apricot, Alfalfa Meal, Dried Artichoke, Dried Blueberry, Dried Broccoli, Dried Carrot, Dried Chicory Root, Dried Cranberry, Dried Kelp, Dried Parsley, Dried Pumpkin, Dried Rosemary, Dried Spinach, Dried Tomato, Egg Shell Meal, Rosemary Extract.

The carb content is listed at 2.66% and fiber at 2.12% on a dry matter basis.  Not excessive and probably comparable to what's in their raw food.

One caveat:  they make no claims on their website about following AAFCO guidelines.  Question about taurine:  their chicken food is listed at 0.15% taurine DMB.  I thought that the AAFCO guideline of 0.2% applied to "as fed", not "dry matter basis".  Anyone know which??  If it applies to "as fed", then this food is quite low in taurine and perhaps other nutrients, and would need to be supplemented if fed more than occasionally.
 

lisahe

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Dr. Lisa's raw recipe is a good one and one that I suggest you use if you plan to lightly cook meat.
It is a good recipe! I've only used it once, with bone meal instead of bone that's ground, and our cats loved it.
 

lisamarie12

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The ingredients in NL canned are exactly the same as their raw food, with the exception of eggshell used in place of bone.   Here are the ingredients:

Chicken, Chicken Broth, Chicken Liver, Chicken Heart, Dried Egg Product, Porcine Plasma, Montmorillonite Clay, Herring Oil (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Brewers Dried Yeast, Dried Apple, Dried Apricot, Alfalfa Meal, Dried Artichoke, Dried Blueberry, Dried Broccoli, Dried Carrot, Dried Chicory Root, Dried Cranberry, Dried Kelp, Dried Parsley, Dried Pumpkin, Dried Rosemary, Dried Spinach, Dried Tomato, Egg Shell Meal, Rosemary Extract.


The carb content is listed at 2.66% and fiber at 2.12% on a dry matter basis.  Not excessive and probably comparable to what's in their raw food.


One caveat:  they make no claims on their website about following AAFCO guidelines.  Question about taurine:  their chicken food is listed at 0.15% taurine DMB.  I thought that the AAFCO guideline of 0.2% applied to "as fed", not "dry matter basis".  Anyone know which??  If it applies to "as fed", then this food is quite low in taurine and perhaps other nutrients, and would need to be supplemented if fed more than occasionally.
I emailed NL after reading your post and seeing on Chewy the cottage cheese in the canned formulas. Scott F. Of NL wrote back and said the removal of the cottage cheese was "very recent" and he was not sure when retailers - both online and others, would have the cottage cheese-free formulas.

Granted, the new formula is exact as the raw, however, wherever you order from, you'll have to inquire about the cottage cheese, unless the inclusion of that ingredient isn't an issue for you, it is definitely for me as well as other ingredients that I need to avoid for my IBD Molly, so I'm going to pass on NL.

But I hope it works out for your cats.

Why not email them re: taurine? This is the second time I've contacted NL in the past few years, Scott always answers quickly, gives very detailed answers.
 
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