Fed sardine to my cat for the first time

[OvidiuHiei]

...and he loved it, first i removed all the bones and he ate it all, the second one i left the bones and he stil ate it all (apart from the head)

So now I came here to ask what other kinds of raw meat or fish can i feed my cat?

He is around 2.5 years old and he pretty much only eats wet food, like gourmet gold mousse he eats about 3 or 4 cans a day, recently ive tried to include Schesir on the mix but its way more expensive at 1.40€ a can which adds up quickly but ive been giving him like 1 every two days..I also feed him like cooked chicken meat once a week

I would like to know what other kinds of raw meat or fish i could give him and should i give him as a side dish or treat or replace one of the daily cans? for example if he eats 4 cans a day should i replace one can with raw stuff and feed him 3 cans + raw meal? that's just an example.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Caspers Human]

Sardines or tuna are fine for cats to eat, occasionally, but don't overdo it.

We give the leftovers from our tuna can to Casper whenever we have tuna for dinner but we don't feed it to him all of the time.

I don't think bones in sardines will be a problem for a cat that is otherwise in good health. Cats in the wild and outdoor cats that hunt eat bones from the food they catch all of the time. A few bits of bone in a sardine shouldn't be a problem for a healthy cat, so long as it's only an occasional treat.

Yes, a bit of cooked chicken is okay for cats to eat.
Wild cats eat birds. Right? Chicken is a kind of bird. Yes?

If Casper would eat it, I would cook chicken for him but he rarely eats anything else but cat food and kitty cookies or that occasional bit of leftover tuna from the can.

We have tried to get Casper to eat other foods, raw, cooked, homemade or otherwise but it would be a Red-Letter Day when he eats anything else but his own food.

He sometimes even turns up his nose at the tuna!

I've never seen a cat that is so picky!

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

We actually have a raw forum over here where they can answer all your questions regarding feeding raw (or home cooked)::

https://thecatsite.com/forums/raw-home-cooked-cat-food.65/

BUT, you can really feed pretty much any kind of raw meat your little guy will eat. The only thing is, you need to balance it out with the correct percentages of liver and other organ meats (kidney, that type of thing - hearts are not considered organs in this scenario) AND raw bones or some other source of calcium. I actually feed raw to one of my cats, but I buy it from a commercial manufacturer because I don't trust myself to get it all right.

 

[LTS3]

Any kind of raw meat is fine as long as you buy it from a reputable source. Never feed ground up meat, though. Bacteria from the grinder gets mixed throughout the meat and may make your cat ill. Cooking ground meat kills any bacteria. Also don't feed raw meat that has been injected with broth, flavorings, sodium / salt solutions, and other stuff.

Limit raw and cooked meats to no more than 10% of the diet. Think of it more like a treat than a meal. Unless you add supplements to the meat to make it a complete diet, plain meat can't replace a can of food.

 

[Azazel]

Organs make the best treats. They are nutritious and cheap. A good thick chicken gizzard or heart also does a great job of cleaning teeth. Liver and kidney are good too, but don't overdo it with these as they are high in Vitamin A and too much can cause some tummy upset.

As others said, some of us feed raw homemade food full time. But we do a lot of research to ensure that the meals we are feeding are nutritionally complete. If you're not up for that then just make sure the raw treats are a small portion of their diet.

 

[lavishsqualor]

Funny, not a single one of my three cats gives a hoot about sardines.

 

[Hoboforeternity]

Organs make the best treats. They are nutritious and cheap. A good thick chicken gizzard or heart also does a great job of cleaning teeth. Liver and kidney are good too, but don't overdo it with these as they are high in Vitamin A and too much can cause some tummy upset.

As others said, some of us feed raw homemade food full time. But we do a lot of research to ensure that the meals we are feeding are nutritionally complete. If you're not up for that then just make sure the raw treats are a small portion of their diet.

hi i want to ask if you should cook the gizzards/ organs. i know a butcher who sells these things very cheap (and they are sometimes a part of our country's cuisine) but i don't trust the quality to feed them raw. how should i cook it and give it to my cat? how often can i feed her these organs?

 

[Azazel]

hi i want to ask if you should cook the gizzards/ organs. i know a butcher who sells these things very cheap (and they are sometimes a part of our country's cuisine) but i don't trust the quality to feed them raw. how should i cook it and give it to my cat? how often can i feed her these organs?

You can cook them but you don’t have to. Cats can handle the bacteria. I usually just wash the surface bacteria off but that’s not even necessary really. You can cook them though if you’re uncomfortable. Just don’t add any spices - you can bake or boil them as you would any other chicken part.

I think half a heart or gizzard a day or one whole one every couple days is a fine treat. You may need to cut them in half for some cats if they’re not experienced with tearing them.

 

[Hoboforeternity]

thank you