Great Study On Raw-food Diet

[M&M]

I hope this convinces everyone to switch their cats to a raw food diet. Just like humans, cats will develop diseases from years of packaged and processed food. In the long run it’s a lot less expensive and less misery to make your cat food that resembles a wild diet, than to end up with sickness, disease, vet bills and possibly euthanization. I’ve been using «’The New Natural Cat », by Anitra Frazier, for years. There’s an updated version now, « The Natural Cat ». It covers all kinds of problems cat owners may experience, from first-aid, to litter box issues, to diseases, and what to do if they happen.
Here is the link to the study;
How To Feed Cats the Best Natural Diet

 

[humanracer]

It doesn't convince me. This article refers to a 70 year old study quoted in a book written by a proponent of raw food.
I don't do a raw food diet. Why?
1. For me it is expensive and time consuming
2. While it is true that cats can get ill for any food, raw food carries their own risk
3.Most vets do not advocate raw food and diet and no, I am not a conspiracy theorist who believes vets are in the pocket of food producers
4. I think cat food, I prefer wet, is fine and if it did not meet the required nutritional standard it would not be sold. Simple as.

 

[humanracer]

The "study" does not provide many conclusions:

A 1995 study conducted by the National Companion Animal Study concluded that oral disease was the most common feline ailment.20 Could this be due to the commercial food they consume? In his book, Variations and Diseases of the Teeth of Animals, Colyer examined 1,157 wild canid skulls and reported the periodontal diseases as suggested by alveolar bone destruction was present in only 2 percent of the specimens.21

It has not provided a clear link between cat food and dental issues.

Cats in the wild clean their teeth by chewing bones. You can feed your cats leftover bones of cooked meat.

What do the experts say about feeding pets raw diets?
A number of professional associations have condemned the practice of feeding raw food to dogs and cat:

• The American Veterinary Medical Association policy (AVMA) adopted a policy statement addressing the issue in 2012 opposing the feeding of raw foods.
• The American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) approved a policy in August 2012 that discourages feeding raw meat to pets.
• The Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC) states, “Pets should be fed cooked or prepared food (not raw diets)”
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) does not recommend feeding raw foods to a pet because of the risk of food-borne infection to the pet and to household members.

 

[Willowy]

You can feed your cats leftover bones of cooked meat.

No, this is a bad idea; cooked bones splinter into very sharp shards that can choke a cat or cause intestinal punctures. If bones are fed, raw bones are safer.

It's the same problem we humans have: yeah, we know what diet is healthier. However, most of don't have the time, knowledge, inclination, or money to eat as healthily as we should. Same for our pets :/.

 

[EmmiTemmi]

I agree that Pottenger's study is by no means a good one to go around showing to say 'Hey look how amazing raw is!'. The study was terribly done. There are other scientific articles out there that have a much more sound science and proper techniques and statistics.

First off, in Pottenger's study "what was considered to be a high quality, nutritionally complete feline diet" for the cooked portion doesn't mention bones at all. So, Ca deficiency right there. It also states that the meats are cooked, but makes no note of additional vitamins being added to compensate for the heat labile ones being lost during cooking. So, Folate, Thiamine, and Pantothenic acid would be much lower in the cooked food. Lack of thiamine can cause neuro issues, lack of folate can cause anemia, and a study showed low pantothenic acid caused growth issues. All of these sound like issues his 'cooked food' cats were suffering from. The raw fed cats were probably getting more of the nutrients needed for pregnancy and growth, so of course they would fare much better.

A better study to use to show that raw isn't evil would be "Evaluation of two raw diets vs a commercial cooked diet on feline growth" in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery. This had 3 groups of kittens undergo an AAFCO growth trial. And the raw fed groups didn't show any statistical difference compared to the commercial fed group.

H humanracer I also don't think vets are in the pockets of pet food manufacturers, but I think you need to consider the background of most vets, and how many nutrition courses specific to cats they've taken. When I first heard of raw, I was 100% against it. I majored in food science and I was appalled at the thought of every-day Joes preparing and feeding raw meat to their pets. I was like 'What about sanitation? Bacteria? Pathogens? How do you know it's balanced? How do you know you won't affect immunocompromised people around you? Meat should always be cooked to the USDA recommended temperature!' I was in serious doubt! But I did my research, I've read every article (both for and against) I could find, and I came to the conclusion that it might just be an okay thing. And that there is definitely not enough studies on it for a true scientific opinion to be made.

And what you said about raw being too expensive isn't true. You can feed all raw for a cost per month less than feeding all Purina Pro Plan, and it's certainly cheaper than the premium cost brands.

Also, like was previously mentioned. Don't ever feed cooked bones to an animal. Very dangerous.

 

[Neo_23]

While I disagree with the original poster that a single study (particularly this one) confirms that raw food diets are superior, I also strongly disagree with all of the points made below:

It doesn't convince me. This article refers to a 70 year old study quoted in a book written by a proponent of raw food.
I don't do a raw food diet. Why?
1. For me it is expensive and time consuming
2. While it is true that cats can get ill for any food, raw food carries their own risk
3.Most vets do not advocate raw food and diet and no, I am not a conspiracy theorist who believes vets are in the pocket of food producers
4. I think cat food, I prefer wet, is fine and if it did not meet the required nutritional standard it would not be sold. Simple as.

1. It can be time consuming if you are making your own food but I personally think spending my time learning about feline nutrition is not a waste of time. And once you learn it becomes quite easy. Raw can often be cheaper than feeding commercial food. It certainly can be cheaper than feeding all canned.

2. Yes, any kind of food carries risk, and actually I would say that most commercial raw food companies have better inspection and food handling standards than wet or dry food makers. There is also a lot of fear mongering in the media about raw meat that exacerbates its risks. You would be surprised by the amount of dry food recalls there have been in the pet food industry.

3. This one makes me laugh because the fact that most vets don’t advocate raw food convinces me even more that raw food is appropriate. Most vets advocate hills and Royal Canin and if you know about feline nutrition then you know that these are some of the unhealthiest brands. As someone mentioned previously, most vets have very little background in feline nutruon. People have been feeding raw food to cats in other parts of the world for years. It is considered completely normal. Also, it’s not a conspiracy theory that vets are sponsored by food brands. Many vet practices are, as are many vet schools. It’s pretty common knowledge.

4. Actually, there is no regulating body that actually enforces that all cat food must be “healthy.” And in regard to nutritional standards- there are only guidelines stipulated by AAFCO. But these are by no means required standards. The pet food industry is highly unregulated. For all you know you could be feeding your cat diseased animals from China. I believe the FDA requirements are actually quite vague about using diseased animals in pet food.


Most people who feed raw have done a lot of research into feline nutrition and are very well educated. As you said, making raw food is time consuming, and for good reason. If you want to do it right you need to spend time researching. That means that raw feeders usually know more about feline nutrition than the average vet.

 

[M&M]

It doesn't convince me. This article refers to a 70 year old study quoted in a book written by a proponent of raw food.
I don't do a raw food diet. Why?
1. For me it is expensive and time consuming
2. While it is true that cats can get ill for any food, raw food carries their own risk
3.Most vets do not advocate raw food and diet and no, I am not a conspiracy theorist who believes vets are in the pocket of food producers
4. I think cat food, I prefer wet, is fine and if it did not meet the required nutritional standard it would not be sold. Simple as.

The "study" does not provide many conclusions:

A 1995 study conducted by the National Companion Animal Study concluded that oral disease was the most common feline ailment.20 Could this be due to the commercial food they consume? In his book, Variations and Diseases of the Teeth of Animals, Colyer examined 1,157 wild canid skulls and reported the periodontal diseases as suggested by alveolar bone destruction was present in only 2 percent of the specimens.21

It has not provided a clear link between cat food and dental issues.

Cats in the wild clean their teeth by chewing bones. You can feed your cats leftover bones of cooked meat.

What do the experts say about feeding pets raw diets?
A number of professional associations have condemned the practice of feeding raw food to dogs and cat:

• The American Veterinary Medical Association policy (AVMA) adopted a policy statement addressing the issue in 2012 opposing the feeding of raw foods.
• The American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) approved a policy in August 2012 that discourages feeding raw meat to pets.
• The Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC) states, “Pets should be fed cooked or prepared food (not raw diets)”
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) does not recommend feeding raw foods to a pet because of the risk of food-borne infection to the pet and to household members.

True it’s not the best study, and I realize there are no actual research parameters or results as there would be in an actual study but it does raise questions about feeding commercial food. I hope it convinces people to at least re-assess the food they are feeding. I could find other actual control studies with research but I don’t have the time at the moment. If someone else has some it would be great to see them here! I personally think that if I were to eat solely packaged food for every meal I would start to feel pretty bad. Since most human disease is caused by poor eating habits and low quality food, it makes sense to me that my cat should be eating fresh food and not packaged. These days I’ve noticed a lot more commercially prepared fresh and/or raw foods for cats and dogs available so it must also be a belief of others, since the pet food companies are following the trend. My previous vet wholeheartedly supported my raw food diet and also had me feed my cats one chicken thigh or leg bone from a roasted chicken each week to clean their teeth. He was expensive, but he was older and very experienced, the top vet in our state. Since I moved last year, my current vet, (a much younger person), has told me that in veterinarian school they receive very little training on nutrition. She has been doing research in her spare time and is very open to my feeding regime since she sees that my 13 year old cat is in prime condition. His last urinalysis showed slightly elevated signs of struvite crystals. I’m sure is was because he was put on canned and dry food all last year (I had to leave him with family while I was out of the country.) He never had one sick day in his whole life previously and neither did my other cat who passed away from old age at almost 20 years old (she also ate a lot of mice, yuck). Everyone is of course welcome to voice their opinion and all comments are appreciated. I think this forum is a place we can all debate and bring as much learning together as we can. I’m very interested and I’m enjoying reading all the comments either for or against or partway in-between. I’m not offended by any and I hope everyone can keep the spirit of learning and friendly discussion. Thanks everyone for the interest!

 

[M&M]

While I disagree with the original poster that a single study (particularly this one) confirms that raw food diets are superior, I also strongly disagree with all of the points made below:


1. It can be time consuming if you are making your own food but I personally think spending my time learning about feline nutrition is not a waste of time. And once you learn it becomes quite easy. Raw can often be cheaper than feeding commercial food. It certainly can be cheaper than feeding all canned.

2. Yes, any kind of food carries risk, and actually I would say that most commercial raw food companies have better inspection and food handling standards than wet or dry food makers. There is also a lot of fear mongering in the media about raw meat that exacerbates its risks. You would be surprised by the amount of dry food recalls there have been in the pet food industry.

3. This one makes me laugh because the fact that most vets don’t advocate raw food convinces me even more that raw food is appropriate. Most vets advocate hills and Royal Canin and if you know about feline nutrition then you know that these are some of the unhealthiest brands. As someone mentioned previously, most vets have very little background in feline nutruon. People have been feeding raw food to cats in other parts of the world for years. It is considered completely normal. Also, it’s not a conspiracy theory that vets are sponsored by food brands. Many vet practices are, as are many vet schools. It’s pretty common knowledge.

4. Actually, there is no regulating body that actually enforces that all cat food must be “healthy.” And in regard to nutritional standards- there are only guidelines stipulated by AAFCO. But these are by no means required standards. The pet food industry is highly unregulated. For all you know you could be feeding your cat diseased animals from China. I believe the FDA requirements are actually quite vague about using diseased animals in pet food.


Most people who feed raw have done a lot of research into feline nutrition and are very well educated. As you said, making raw food is time consuming, and for good reason. If you want to do it right you need to spend time researching. That means that raw feeders usually know more about feline nutrition than the average vet.

Thanks for taking the time to address the points brought up previously. I don’t have a lot of time out of my own work to address these so it’s very generous of you to have done so. The older I get, I see we have to educate ourselves and share with others because I see from my 18 nieces and nephews that our public schools are slowly removing essential education. You also made a good point about the media. It is a scary thing and leads the population according to it’s own agenda. A prime example of this that few people know is that the famous Louis 16th, beheaded extravagance at the expznse of the poor, was actually a proponent for removing unfair tax breaks from the rich and was trying to make the country equal. (That’s a simplistic explanation, but a good starter book to learn about it is «A Concise History of the French Revolution » by Sylvia Neeley.) Media and political opponents turned it around on him and he took the fall. So again, thanks for taking the time, I learned some new things too, you never stop!
PS if people went to commercial meat preparation plants they would never eat meat nor buy commercial pet food again. I’ve turned more than one person vegan with my presentations!

 

[M&M]

I agree that Pottenger's study is by no means a good one to go around showing to say 'Hey look how amazing raw is!'. The study was terribly done. There are other scientific articles out there that have a much more sound science and proper techniques and statistics.

First off, in Pottenger's study "what was considered to be a high quality, nutritionally complete feline diet" for the cooked portion doesn't mention bones at all. So, Ca deficiency right there. It also states that the meats are cooked, but makes no note of additional vitamins being added to compensate for the heat labile ones being lost during cooking. So, Folate, Thiamine, and Pantothenic acid would be much lower in the cooked food. Lack of thiamine can cause neuro issues, lack of folate can cause anemia, and a study showed low pantothenic acid caused growth issues. All of these sound like issues his 'cooked food' cats were suffering from. The raw fed cats were probably getting more of the nutrients needed for pregnancy and growth, so of course they would fare much better.

A better study to use to show that raw isn't evil would be "Evaluation of two raw diets vs a commercial cooked diet on feline growth" in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery. This had 3 groups of kittens undergo an AAFCO growth trial. And the raw fed groups didn't show any statistical difference compared to the commercial fed group.

H humanracer I also don't think vets are in the pockets of pet food manufacturers, but I think you need to consider the background of most vets, and how many nutrition courses specific to cats they've taken. When I first heard of raw, I was 100% against it. I majored in food science and I was appalled at the thought of every-day Joes preparing and feeding raw meat to their pets. I was like 'What about sanitation? Bacteria? Pathogens? How do you know it's balanced? How do you know you won't affect immunocompromised people around you? Meat should always be cooked to the USDA recommended temperature!' I was in serious doubt! But I did my research, I've read every article (both for and against) I could find, and I came to the conclusion that it might just be an okay thing. And that there is definitely not enough studies on it for a true scientific opinion to be made.

And what you said about raw being too expensive isn't true. You can feed all raw for a cost per month less than feeding all Purina Pro Plan, and it's certainly cheaper than the premium cost brands.

Also, like was previously mentioned. Don't ever feed cooked bones to an animal. Very dangerous.

Excellent post! However my previous vet recommended that all his cat patients feed one thigh or leg bone only from a roasted or broiled chicken only once weekly to clean teeth. My cats teeth were never so clean! I was shocked by how well it worked. If anyone wants to talk to his staff directly, his name is Kerry Yoon in Hawaii Kai, Oahu. He was my vet for 10 years after I tried several others.

 

[M&M]

The "study" does not provide many conclusions:

A 1995 study conducted by the National Companion Animal Study concluded that oral disease was the most common feline ailment.20 Could this be due to the commercial food they consume? In his book, Variations and Diseases of the Teeth of Animals, Colyer examined 1,157 wild canid skulls and reported the periodontal diseases as suggested by alveolar bone destruction was present in only 2 percent of the specimens.21

It has not provided a clear link between cat food and dental issues.

Cats in the wild clean their teeth by chewing bones. You can feed your cats leftover bones of cooked meat.

What do the experts say about feeding pets raw diets?
A number of professional associations have condemned the practice of feeding raw food to dogs and cat:

• The American Veterinary Medical Association policy (AVMA) adopted a policy statement addressing the issue in 2012 opposing the feeding of raw foods.
• The American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) approved a policy in August 2012 that discourages feeding raw meat to pets.
• The Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC) states, “Pets should be fed cooked or prepared food (not raw diets)”
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) does not recommend feeding raw foods to a pet because of the risk of food-borne infection to the pet and to household members.

I’m so glad you brought these to the discussion as I believe it highlights a real problem that ALL public and private companies use partial and not full information to sway opinion to their own ideas. I’m sorry that’s not well stated, I hope everyone can understand what I am trying to say. I wish I had time at the moment to read all of the statistical and control studies that led these organizations to make these statements and present it here to show everyone how they can do so. I almost always find that the statements are based on only some of the available information and not all of it. I will try but I have so many other pressing research issues that I hope someone else who is already within this field could post their information.

 

[Neo_23]

Excellent post! However my previous vet recommended that all his cat patients feed one thigh or leg bone only from a roasted or broiled chicken only once weekly to clean teeth. My cats teeth were never so clean! I was shocked by how well it worked. If anyone wants to talk to his staff directly, his name is Kerry Yoon in Hawaii Kai, Oahu. He was my vet for 10 years after I tried several others.

That sounds pretty dangerous though to be feeding cooked bone to cats. Everything I have read suggests that it is a choking hazard. Why not just feed it raw? It would be safer.

 

[M&M]

That sounds pretty dangerous though to be feeding cooked bone to cats. Everything I have read suggests that it is a choking hazard. Why not just feed it raw? It would be safer.

I always heard « no bones », until I found my long time vet Kerry Yoon in Hawaii Kai. He absolutely recommended roasted or broiled only, thigh or leg chicken bones only, once weekly for dental health and my cats teeth were CLEAN! He’s an awesome vet, I miss him since I’ve moved to the East Coast.

 

[Neo_23]

I always heard « no bones », until I found my long time vet Kerry Yoon in Hawaii Kai. He absolutely recommended roasted or broiled only, thigh or leg chicken bones only, once weekly for dental health and my cats teeth were CLEAN! He’s an awesome vet, I miss him since I’ve moved to the East Coast.

That’s interesting. My question for him would be why not just feed the bones raw?

 

[orange&white]

In 2008, I did what EmmiTemmi mentioned. I read everything I could find to convince me to feed my pets a raw diet, and I read everything I could find to convince me that feeding raw was a horrible idea and extremely risky. If you're looking for one or the other, you can find what you're looking for. At the end of the day, I decided to give it a go.

Regardless of a lack of good studies, most of us who feed a raw diet have seen remarkable improvements in our pets' vitality and health, even when we started with pets who we believed to be healthy on processed foods. So, yes, the benefits of raw are largely anecdotal experience from raw feeders, but sometimes your own personal experience is all you need.

I make my cats' mix from scratch and it costs 50-75 per day per cat to feed the 3 of them. I don't mind the time it takes because I enjoy spending time in my kitchen anyway. Feeding cats is less complicated and time consuming than feeding myself or feeding children, so I'm happy and the cats (and dog) are happy.

Plus, their poop doesn't stink! That alone is worth the effort.

 

[orange&white]

I actually thought you meant your vet suggested feed the cat a raw thigh with bone...and then roasting the rest for yourself. Hmmm. I've never fed cooked bones at all (and that would be even more important to not feed weight-bearing raw bones). But that is from pretty much everything I've read about raw feeding and cooked feeding.

 

[sophie1]

Interesting, I wonder if that vet ever saw negative effects from feeding those cooked bones. Maybe their size and density makes it impossible for cats to splinter them. On the other hand, someone who followed the advice and had something happen might well have decided to go to another vet :-)

Raw food is absolutely more work on the part of the cat owner than dumping dry food into a bowl or popping open a can. I find that it's cheaper than high quality commercial diets (e.g. half the cost of a medium-priced canned food), very satisfying to feed them a fresh diet, and I enjoy many benefits that probably aren't examined in studies. I'm not aiming to maximize growth after all - my guys are big enough! At 5 years old, they are healthy with perfect teeth, odor-free poop, soft silky fur with far less shedding than what most cat owners deal with, lots of energy, sweet personalities, and virtually no hairballs. I've seen a grand total of two. I'm hopeful that they'll continue to enjoy good health and long lives, but we'll see!

 

[mschauer]

Excellent post! However my previous vet recommended that all his cat patients feed one thigh or leg bone only from a roasted or broiled chicken only once weekly to clean teeth. My cats teeth were never so clean! I was shocked by how well it worked. If anyone wants to talk to his staff directly, his name is Kerry Yoon in Hawaii Kai, Oahu. He was my vet for 10 years after I tried several others.

I have to join the others in saying feeding cooked bones to your pet is very dangerous. When raw, bones are soft and pliable. When cooked they become brittle and hard and can splinter into very sharp pieces that can perforate the digestive tract.