Adding Water to Raw Diet for CRF?

[lakotawolf]

In light of various health issues that my 14-year-old cat was recently diagnosed with (CRF, high blood pressure, IBD), I am finally going to make the long-planned transition over to a raw diet.

I've bought some commercial raw for now as a sort of "taste test", but I plan on moving onto frankenprey/homemade eventually.

My question is, should I be adding water to the ground raw food? What about when I move onto cubed/chunked organs and meat?

Win has CRF (kidney disease) and is supposed to be staying well-hydrated. It's been easy to stir in warm water to her canned food to make it into Glop Soup, which she loves, but I don't think the ground raw chicken will transition into soup with water added.

I don't think she drinks much water on her own, even though I've got several bowls in various locations and two cat fountains.

I'm feeding her Feline's Pride chicken raw food (https://www.felinespride.com/). Their site lists its moisture content at 78%.

I'll discuss the raw diet with my vet during Win's checkup next week, but I wondered if anyone here had experiences with "wetting down" a raw diet and/or raw diets in cats with CRF :}

Thank you!

 

[nekochan]

I have not used a raw diet with my CRF cats, but isn't it already pretty high in water content? I believe that is why most pets on a raw diet do not drink a lot of water?

Is your cat on any medications for the health conditions, or sub-q fluids? I would definitely discuss the diet with your vet and any possible effects that may have on your kitty's treatment plan-- such as things you may want to avoid that may be higher in salt (for the high BP) or in phosphorus (for the CRF) or things you may be able to do nutritionally to support her conditions... Unfortunately some vets are not open to the raw diet or not familiar with it, and personally if your vet is not familiar with this type of diet, if it was me I would find a vet who was, since these are medical conditions which can be influenced by the diet.

 

[carolina]

Well, cats are obligate carnivores, and they should be eating only meat- that's the good news for your kitty, health wise.... The bad news is, you might (probably will) find resistance from your vet.... A lot of them are still very old school, prescribing prescription foods, sometimes even dry prescription, low protein, and loading the kitty on sub-Q to aid with dehydration. Know though, that this os "old school".... (i am nit saying that sub-Q is bad, but dry food for a crf kitty is a nono)
If you are looking into feeding raw to a crf kitty, you should talk to a vet who is well versed in raw, and has experience with crf. I am on my phone, and it's hard to post links... But Dr. Pierson has recipes specifically for those kitties, and she takes consultations by email. That might be worth a shot :nod:
About adding water back into the food.... I feed chunks of meat- I just mix the juices back into it, no extra water:nod:god luck!

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

I DO add water to Primal raw, just because I find it a little bit dry.  I don't normally add any to Rad Cat.  So it really just depends on which raw I am feeding.  But I certainly don't see anything wrong with adding it. 

I'm still wondering why Win doesn't drink lots of water, though, on her own, since she's a "kidney cat".  That's usually one of the signs that they've got CRF...they drinks lots and urinate lots.  (I think I posted this on your other thread!)

 

[southpaw]

I add water to Jinx's ground raw. Is it necessary, maybe not, but he has a history of urinary blockages so I fill him up with as much water as I can to keep him flushed out. He really likes it too - I just add enough to make it soupy and he licks it all up, generally he prefers water added to it and eats it more eagerly than he does without water.

I have no idea how you would do it though with chunks of meat, Jinx is always going to be on ground so I've never had to think about it.
 

 

[nedda]

I've been feeding a raw food diet to my cats, ages 13 and 14, for nearly their entire lives, and I can assure you that adding some water to raw meat is important because some of the natural water in the cells and between the cells is lost when meat is cut and frozen.

There should be no need to make it soupy - your cat's body knows how to take the water from the cells.  Most cats prefer a rich, chili-like consistency.

If your cat has urinary track/kidney problems, you could ask your vet about natural supplements that make water wetter by structuring the water at the molecular level and reducing the surface tension.  This makes it easier for the raw food to absorb the water and also for your cat's kidneys to do their job.