Cats Have Diseases/bacteria On Their Coats

[Harry&Jazzy]

Hello!

Just bought my babies 60lbs of raw mix from a raw pet food supplier. I was ready to start but began getting paranoid about them making me sick if they eat raw and I pet their coats an hour or 2 later.
My 2 babies also bathe each other.

Should I be worried? What has everyone seen has anyone contracted anything by petting their furbabies soon after?
I love them so much and kiss their little heads all the time I wouldn't want to take that affection away by me being scared of them giving me a raw bacteria from their freshly cleaned fur.

Please help and share what you all do after feeding your babies raw meat. Such as if you clean your cat after feeding, do you avoid them, is there nothing to worry about etcc.

Thanks!!

 

[Ardina]

Hi Harry&Jazzy! First of all, welcome to TCS! You should introduce yourself and your cats over in the New Cats on the Block forum. And we love pictures here.

In terms of your question, I don't treat my cats any differently after feeding them raw meat. I pet them and cuddle with them as usual. For what anecdotal evidence is worth, I haven't gotten sick in the 9 months or so I've been feeding them raw. And there are members on this forum who have been feeding raw for years and haven't had any issues as far as I'm aware.

What recipe are you using?

 

[Harry&Jazzy]

I'll definitely upload their pictures give me a sec!
I always had doubts about kibble and watching Pet Fooled the other day reinforced their food change.
I am currently buying from a supplier called TexasTripe. They make different mixes for pets based on the seasons and what you just told me makes me ecstatic to start giving them what nature intended.

 

[Harry&Jazzy]

As for the recipe I ordered their chicken/pork/salmon mix

 

[Ardina]

Huh, I hadn't heard of this company before, but it looks good! Especially since they make 80/10/10 mixes for you. I would check with the company if the food is considered "nutritionally complete." Meaning, is it just the meat and eggs? Or do they add things like taurine? If they don't, you should probably supplement with certain vitamins because grinding and freezing meat can cause some degradation. I follow this recipe for supplementation: Easy Raw Diet Feeding for the Busy Person - Feline Nutrition Foundation. The recipe is about halfway down the page and is intended for an 80/10/10 mix of ground meat/bone/organ.

Good luck on transitioning your cats! I'm so glad I switched Saipha and Mishka. They love their raw food and they're so much healthier for it.

 

[Harry&Jazzy]

Thank you so much! Can't wait to start prepping this weekend.

 

[KatKnapper]

I always had doubts about kibble and watching Pet Fooled the other day reinforced their food change.

Thanks for mentioning the documentary "Pet Fooled." Cortana opened a side panel and pointed me to Netflix, where I was able to watch it immediately. Thank you so very much.

 

[Ardina]

Thanks for mentioning the documentary "Pet Fooled." Cortana opened a side panel and pointed me to Netflix, where I was able to watch it immediately. Thank you so very much.

Oooh is it on Netflix? I'll have to watch it then.

 

[Harry&Jazzy]

Oooh is it on Netflix? I'll have to watch it then.

Watch it and let me know what you think?

 

[Harry&Jazzy]

Watch it and let me know what you think?

"!!!" Hahaa

 

[valentine319]

I haven't had any issues. I will say kibble or raw I don't kiss my pets on the mouth (never have). She crawls all over me and snuggles. Many kisses on the head and tons of petting.

As far as pet fooled it's really good.

 

[thefiresidecat]

just remember that before you started feeding raw they were still washing their behinds with their tongues and then coming over to give you kitty kisses. lol. part of being a kitty parent we're probably all more resistant to that kind of thing thanks to them.

 

[Ladewyn]

I wouldn't let kids, elderly, or immunocompromised individuals pet them, as they are more susceptible to such illnesses. Raw fed animals are actually not allowed in hospitals because there's a higher risk of infection. But for yourself make sure you wash your hands frequently. And maybe don't let them lick your face. Humans don't have the same level of protection against meat based pathogens that most carnivores have, so you do have to be a bit more aware of your own hygiene when handling your pets

 

[valentine319]

just remember that before you started feeding raw they were still washing their behinds with their tongues and then coming over to give you kitty kisses. lol. part of being a kitty parent we're probably all more resistant to that kind of thing thanks to them.

Yes, I didn't kiss them on the mouth long before raw feeding. It was a men's magazine ad. A guy is being licked all over the face by his pet bulldog. The next page was a dog licking himself. "A dog licks himself an average of so many times a day."

 

[xeenthequeen]

I was going to say exactly what aldewyne said. This is something worth worrying about if - and only if - you or a family member are immunocompromised. I've been feeding my cat raw for 4 years. I am terrible about washing my hands before I eat, and in the past 4 years I've been mildly sick twice so I'm pretty confident I have nothing to worry about.

 

[valentine319]

Correct me if I'm wrong but haven't some individuals gotten sick handling say regular kibble?

 

[furmonster mom]

Been feeding homemade raw since 2008.
I pet, cuddle, and let them sleep with us. They are always in my face, lol.
Never contracted any illnesses that could be attributed to them. Any time I've gotten sick has always been because of exposure to other human carriers.
As for immunocompromised people, they and anyone close to them (family, caretakers) should be careful in ALL their hygiene habits.

 

[valentine319]

I do want to say despite the fact I don't kiss pets on the mouth I do cuddle with my cat. She is a love bug who stomps all over me. I'm not paranoid about getting something from her. Unfortunately there's Walmart for that.