Does raw feeding cats lessen their pooping and odorless?

[hasler the cat]

im thinking of switching them to raw feeding them chicken, bones and liver all mixed together. for the purpose of the benefits stated above since theyre indoor cats and im worried that when they become adult, their poop will be bigger and smellier. 

if so, im planning to feed them  twice a day with the diet stated. 

 

[StefanZ]

 
im thinking of switching them to raw feeding them chicken, bones and liver all mixed together. for the purpose of the benefits stated above since theyre indoor cats and im worried that when they become adult, their poop will be bigger and smellier. 

if so, im planning to feed them  twice a day with the diet stated. 

That question is probably best put in the nutrition forum - preferably Raw forum.

Although I understand your cats are really kittens, its why you put the question here.

Twice a day with raw as base is fine, but you should probably give some in between too...   Cats are really alike horses - many times a day.

 

[losna]

Yes, it does greatly reduce the odor and messiness of their stool. A cat on a raw diet who has an accident on a carpet, for example, is very easy to clean up after - it's mostly just hair and bits of bone so it can be easily picked up. It will also give them more energy, and make their fur so incredibly soft. 

But make sure you do research before you begin such a diet. Simply feeding them chicken, bones and liver as you wrote above is not properly balanced - they need other organs as well, and you have to be sure they are in the proper proportions.

 

[Sarthur2]

hasler the cat

Here is a link to our articles section on nutrition. There are quite a few articles on feeding raw and on nutritional supplements. Please read carefully and ask more questions in our nutrition forum. Be very careful while your kittens are young that they get enough food.

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/raw-feeding-cats-types-of-raw-diets-feeding-options

Please look under "Health" for the full selection of articles.

 

[LTS3]

My Aby must be one of the few raw fed cats who does't have odorless poop

His poop stinks. Super senitive tummies are common with the breed. My other has nearly odorless poop.

 

[lilin]

 
im thinking of switching them to raw feeding them chicken, bones and liver all mixed together. for the purpose of the benefits stated above since theyre indoor cats and im worried that when they become adult, their poop will be bigger and smellier. 

if so, im planning to feed them  twice a day with the diet stated. 

Yup. Pia's poop was almost completely odorless on raw. Maybe also slightly smaller, I think simply due to reduced moisture in the feces.

Once ever couple years, she has a phase where she just randomly goes off raw food for a couple of months, which she is in right now. She doesn't really give me any choice but to put her back on wet food. Then, a couple months later, I give her raw again and she scarf it down happily for the next couple years. *sigh* Cats.

Since she's been back on wet the last few weeks, the stinky poop is back!

 

[sophie1]

I notice the same thing with my cats.  If I let them eat a whole can at once...phew!!!!  What a stink!!  Makes me appreciate why people run out and buy $400 automatic litter boxes.  On raw, whether homemade or commercial, their poop is so odorless you could practically put your nose right up to it and you won't smell a thing.

I have seriously been wondering what it is in canned food that makes for stinky poop.  I am guessing it's the xantham gum, guar gum, and carrageenan that does it.  I've looked high and low for non-raw foods that don't contain any of these things, but could only find two:  Nature's Logic canned, and Honest Kitchen.  I've not tried the Nature's Logic yet, but Honest Kitchen doesn't cause poop odor problems.  HK poops are just like raw.

It absolutely beats me why the use of gums is so universal.  I guess it's a cheap filler that people don't object to, but I wonder if the canned food manufacturers realize just how they're stoking the litter box market.

 

[losna]

The stench comes from all the stuff in most cat food that cats can't digest. They are obligate carnivores - which means they pretty much are designed to eat nothing but meat. If you look at most cat food, there is not only the various gums in there, but pumpkin ,squash, peas etc as filler. There's a big deal about "grain free" but they don't digest peas and squash and carrots either, so all of that is stinking up their stool as it gets discarded.

 

[kittyluv387]

My cat who eats commercial raw has nice poop. Its very small in size with little smell. My other cat eats high quality canned and dry....his poops are huge and stink like crazy. Im tired of his huge and stinky poops and am planning on switching over to wet and raw next year!

 

[sophie1]

 
The stench comes from all the stuff in most cat food that cats can't digest. They are obligate carnivores - which means they pretty much are designed to eat nothing but meat. If you look at most cat food, there is not only the various gums in there, but pumpkin ,squash, peas etc as filler. There's a big deal about "grain free" but they don't digest peas and squash and carrots either, so all of that is stinking up their stool as it gets discarded.

Actually that's unlikely to be the case.  Honest Kitchen Grace is up to 13% carbohydrates, mainly pumpkin and sweet potato.  Not that I'm recommending this, just that this doesn't seem to cause stinky poop.

It could well have to do with the low quality and prolonged, extreme heat processing of the meat products that go into canned cat food.

BTW I found another canned brand that doesn't contain gums:  Nature's Variety Instinct.  You have to check the labels, as not all the canned varieties are gum-free.

 

[losna]

@sophie1    Some flavors of Tiki cat don't have gums either. The gums cause Sinbad to vomit so I avoid them, which is why I associate the stinky poop with the produce as he and Tempest only have stinky messy stool when I feed them canned food with veggies. Which I do when he's stressed out as he gets constipated when he's stressed and needs the extra fiber, poor little guy.

If you look for gumless canned food, Sinbad and Tempest do love the Tiki. Though as you noted about NV, some of their flavors do contain the gums.  http://www.tikipets.com/napili_luau/

 

[LTS3]

 
Actually that's unlikely to be the case.  Honest Kitchen Grace is up to 13% carbohydrates, mainly pumpkin and sweet potato.

Prowl is worse - 20% carbs per serving

There's a thread with suggestions for gum-free canned foods: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/240335/canned-food-without-carrageenan-or-guar-gum and http://www.thecatsite.com/t/319516/grain-carrageenan-free-foods

 

[sophie1]

Thanks LTS3!

Trying my cats on gum-free cans to see what happens.  I'm genuinely curious.  If it's not the gums or the vegetables, then I'm really at a loss to explain it.

 

[Sarthur2]

hasler the cat

I hope these responses have enlightened you. Have you made any decisions yet about feeding your cats?

 

[hasler the cat]

thanks for all the reply. well we're still feeding them whiskas for kitten. but we're still really interested in raw feeding them. but we also somehow found the proper kitty litter brands to use to minimize the smell (coco lumber + clumping litter) so we're still torn. raw feeding needed to be prepared unlike with dry food for cats. just weird that my one kitty's stool is firm and in shape while the other one's stool texture is like hmmm....partially whipped cream lol. but theyre eating the same food.

 

[LTS3]

 
thanks for all the reply. well we're still feeding them whiskas for kitten. but we're still really interested in raw feeding them. but we also somehow found the proper kitty litter brands to use to minimize the smell (coco lumber + clumping litter) so we're still torn. raw feeding needed to be prepared unlike with dry food for cats. just weird that my one kitty's stool is firm and in shape while the other one's stool texture is like hmmm....partially whipped cream lol. but theyre eating the same food.

You can buy commerical raw cat foods at independent non chain pet stores if you don't to make your own raw food. Many of the frozen ones have to be defrosted at least overnight before you can feed them which iasn't a big deal. The ones that are frozen kibble shaped usually defrost within 10 minutes at room temperature. Freeze dried and air dried raw can be served straight out of the bag like regular dry food. Do you live in the US? Popular US brands of commerical raw cat foods that are complete balanced diets include Nature's Variety Instinct, Stella and Chewy's, Primal, and Rad Cat. Some of these brands have both freeze dried and frozen raw formulas.

 

[Sarthur2]

Have your kittens been wormed yet?

 

[sophie1]

Are you feeding your kittens dry food?  Dry food is definitely going to make for the smelliest poop.  The best thing you can do right now, while you ponder whether to feed raw, is to switch them to good quality canned food - NO DRY except as occasional treats.  Not only will the poop odor improve, but there will be health benefits down the line also.

The thread links that LTS3 provided are a good place to start looking for quality canned options.   It is safe to leave the canned food out and let the kittens free feed, so it should be easy to do.

Raw options will depend on how much work you are willing to put into it, and also your budget.  Obviously the most convenient options (freeze-dried nuggets that you reconstitute with water, frozen complete diets in small bites, medallions, or nuggets) will be the priciest.   Putting together a frankenprey diet, buying a grinder and making your own, or purchasing grinds from online suppliers that need to be supplemented, are probably the healthiest options and also least expensive, but they will take time and effort on your part.   You can also mix it up and feed part canned, part raw food. 

 

[snoozler]

 
Are you feeding your kittens dry food?  Dry food is definitely going to make for the smelliest poop.  The best thing you can do right now, while you ponder whether to feed raw, is to switch them to good quality canned food - NO DRY except as occasional treats.  Not only will the poop odor improve, but there will be health benefits down the line also.

The thread links that LTS3 provided are a good place to start looking for quality canned options.   It is safe to leave the canned food out and let the kittens free feed, so it should be easy to do.

Raw options will depend on how much work you are willing to put into it, and also your budget.  Obviously the most convenient options (freeze-dried nuggets that you reconstitute with water, frozen complete diets in small bites, medallions, or nuggets) will be the priciest.   Putting together a frankenprey diet, buying a grinder and making your own, or purchasing grinds from online suppliers that need to be supplemented, are probably the healthiest options and also least expensive, but they will take time and effort on your part.   You can also mix it up and feed part canned, part raw food. 

Why does dry food make the smelliest poop? Also, what about dry food from brands like Orijen/Acana/Applaws that have a high meat content and no grains?

 

[sophie1]

Because grain free does not mean carbohydrate free.  Dry food needs a lot of carbohydrates to form those little pellets.  The worst issue, though, is that cats eating dry food become dehydrated, which leads to urinary problems down the line. 

I'll tell you just one story about dry food vs canned.  I was visiting my sister who at that time was feeding her cat dry food (California Natural), with occasional "treats" of canned food.  He had a near urinary blockage while I was there.  She lives on an island and taking him to a vet would have required an emergency boat transport.  Since he was still peeing, we decided to switch him immediately to 100% canned (Friskies) with extra water added.  The symptoms abated in a day, and within 3 days he was noticeably more energetic and friendly than he had been in years, and both his coat and poop quality improved markedly.  He's been fed a mix of canned and raw food since, and there have been no further problems.  My sister was amazed, and quite thankful to have escaped a $600+ vet bill with the help of $0.25 cans of Friskies :-).

So bottom line:  your cats are better off on the cruddiest, cheapest supermarket brand of canned food than on even a high quality dry food.  Seriously.  Read this page for more info:

http://www.catinfo.org/