Is Your Cat Healthy On Raw Food?

[Neo_23]

Bump!

I know people who are against raw feeding like to use the argument that there is no "scientific evidence" backing the benefits of raw food, but in my opinion, what these people fail to realize is that a very important part of science is anecdotal information or real life observation. In fact, under some philosophies of science, this kind of evidence would hold greater weight than a controlled laboratory study. Since corporations and the people at the top (the ones with the money) are not willing to fund research on the topic, I think it's important for us as a community to share our experiences and educate one another.

So, my experience so far:
I have only tried freeze dried raw with my kitten and unfortunately his tummy couldn't handle it. He had very soft and frequent stools on both brands I tried. I'm going to be trying some frozen commercial raw soon and I'll update with the results.

 

[mannie3moon]

I got my Ragdoll as an ex-queen almost a year ago. She'd eaten (good quality) kibble most of her life, and she drank her water. Her fur was rabbity soft, her eyes were bright, her weight and energy levels were appropriate, her bathroom habits were consistent, her poop didn't stink at all, and she was very well behaved.

I switched her to a commercial raw diet shortly after I learned that there was such a thing, maybe 6 months ago now, and she (thankfully) didn't put up a fuss. Why the switch when she was already obviously healthy? Because I want her to have the best.

Okay, that's not entirely true. It was after I started feeding commercial raw that I realized how much I hated washing and recycling empty cat food tins.

She is still marvelously healthy, and I am very fortunate to have a vet that hasn't chastised me for feeding commercial raw. The only difference is that her poop now resembles the pictures on Anne's catnutrition.org website. So far, I haven't seen any negative signs like straining, frequency, or pain. I still brush her teeth, though.

 

[himawari]

I've had my cat on commercial raw food for close to a year now, though it wasn't until the beginning of this year that he switched to an 80-90% raw food. Aside from his URI that he most likely got somewhere else, he's completely healthy. His litter box doesn't smell of poop as it is small & for the most part odorless. His fur is definitely much softer & a little shinier than when I adopted him. All in all, I don't regret feeding him raw especially since he took to it real easy and loves it. It's a bit annoying actually to enter the kitchen and have him meow incessantly to feed him lol

 

[furmonster mom]

Okay... It's been a while since I shared my story, so here goes...

In 2003 our momma kitty produced a litter of four, two of which we kept. So, we had momma and her two sons (3 of a family)

Early in 2008, one of the boys (Pippen) started throwing up and loosing weight. So we took him to the vet, got a few scans and discovered he was blocked all the way to his stomach. He ended up getting 2 enemas to clear things out. We thought that would be the end of it... Two weeks later, we were back at the vet with the same issue... and he got the same treatment, 2 more enemas. A week later, and again with another cleaning out.

About this time, I started thinking this might be a problem with the food, which I had recently switched to a "dental" kibble. So I switched food back to the regular old stuff, and things sort of went back to normal... for a while.

After a couple months, Pippen had not regained his weight, and worse, he was throwing up again. So, back to the vet, who started thinking along the lines of pancreatitis. So, while we waited for those tests, I started researching food... and fell down the rabbit hole.

The tests came back negative for pancreatitis, so I put everyone on a wet food (not raw yet) plan. Everyone (3 cats & 2 dogs) improved... except Pippen. He continued to loose weight, barely eating anything.

Finally my vet tested his ALT (liver enzyme), and it was through the roof. A normal cat should have an ALT number of about 100-ish... Pippens was something like 720. So we went in for a biopsy. This was dicey, as he had already lost almost 30% of his body weight. When the vet saw his liver, it was covered in nodules and we feared it might be cancer.

While we waited for the biopsy results, I began feeding Pippen what most vets recommend as a bland diet; chicken and rice, cooked. By this time, we were feeding him through a tube, and he was hanging on by a thread, practically at deaths door.

One evening, as I was cooking the chicken, a light bulb went off... "Why am I cooking this?" I thought to myself. "Aren't cats carnivores? Isn't that what I've been reading these last few months? Am I cooking all the nutrients out of this?"
So I started feeding very small slivers of raw chicken along with the wet food.

When the biopsy results came in, they were shocking. Pippen had liver damage from a double infection. The nodules were actually new liver tissue from it trying desperately to self-repair. So, we started on a regimen of medication and liver support supplements... and a raw food diet.

No joke here: within two weeks, Pippen had started to regain his weight. Within another 3 weeks we were able to remove the tube, and he was eating heartily.

We ended up fighting that infection for nearly a year, but after switching to a raw diet, Pippen's health improved dramatically. He lived to the age of 13 (which amazed my vet, considering the damage she saw).

At the time that I switched Pippen to a raw food diet, I did it for all the other carnivorous furmonster family; including a 12 year old cat (Belle), a 16 year old schnauzer, and our other 7 year old dog (Babee).

Now, a couple years later, Babee started acting weird, not eating, listless, for about 2 weeks. When we took her to the vet, they scratched their heads, because her blood work was nearly perfect. Then they tested her for Addison's, and the results were borderline, but conclusive.

Now here's the kicker; usually when an animal presents symptoms from Addison's, it is too late as they are more than likely already suffering an organ failure crash. But Babee some how survived with borderline symptoms for a couple weeks. Now, ya know what is recommended for Addison's patients?... a high protein diet - which Babee was already eating. Go figure.

For the record;
Pippen lived nearly 9 more years after his liver damage diagnosis (with minimal medications and supplements)
Babee lived another 5 years after her Addison's diagnosis (with monthly Percorten dosage), to the age of 14
Travis (the schnauzer) lived to the ripe old age of 20 years
Belle also lived to 20 years
Momma Teaka and her other son, Loki (Pippen's brother) are still with us, at 14 years and counting.

While some may say that my story is mostly circumstantial, I've seen how the health of my animals compares to my friends animals... and I ain't going back to commercial food if I can ever help it.

 

[Azazel]

I know this thread is old but I just really enjoyed reading through it and thought I’d add my experience. I think a lot of new members can benefit from reading these stories too since we get a lot of questions about raw diets and health.

All 3 of my cats eat homemade raw. I have had no problems with feeding raw food. I have fed both commercial raw and homemade. Nowadays I just do homemade because I don’t really like the high amount of bone in most commercial raw foods. My cats are all doing great. In particular, my girl came to us underweight, very nervous and shy, and with really bad teeth and a high blood phosphorus value. She is now a healthy weight and is doing great. She took to raw right away (I think she may have ate wild prey in her past).

My cats all go crazy for raw meat. It’s their favorite meal and treat. I truly believe that being on a raw homemade diet is what’s best for my cats.

Our vet always says that our cats have the most healthy appearance of all the cats she sees in her practice.

 

[Tobermory]

My experience is the same as yours, A Azazel . I started feeding my three homemade raw meals in December 2017 after reading almost every word on catinfo.org, feline-nutrition.org, and catnutrition.org. It’s the same month I joined TCS, and I read extensively on this forum as well. I feel lucky because all three loved their homemade food from the first time I set the bowls in front of their little noses. I wish I could rotate in the occasional commercial raw meal, but Iris won’t eat any commercial stuff, even Rad Cat before they folded.

Except for Lily and Iris’s arthritis (they’re 15), all three cats are extremely healthy with lush, soft coats. Their weight is good and they have good appetites. I’m not as conscientious about combing them as I should be, but I can count on one hand the number of hairballs I've seen over the past two years with the two older cats who are long haired. Short-haired Mocha, who’s five, has never had a hairball in the two years since I adopted her.

I know the vet was leery of their diet when I started it, but I think it was because he was concerned that I wouldn’t do it properly (“Does your recipe have taurine?”) and that I might not handle the raw meat safely. But he sees how healthy they are now, and he’s supportive of the choice I’ve made for them.

I free fed kibble to my cats for decades. It never occurred to me to do anything else. But in 2011, my vet at the time told me that Lily was badly overweight and that I needed to stop free feeding kibble and start meal feeding canned. Shortly after that, Max (who was never fat) was diagnosed with diabetes so switching to canned was doubly important. I believe that by switching to canned and then to raw, I’ve probably avoided some serious health problems for Lily. And I think that Max made it to 20 before he crossed the Bridge because I stopped feeding him kibble.

I also was able to solve the problem of a shelter cat with chronic diarrhea by convincing the staff to let me try her on raw. Within a week, she had the first solid poops she’d had in a year and a half. Within three months after that, she was adopted by a family who understood that they would need to continue to feed her raw.

So, as you can see, I’m a total convert! My cats love their food and they’re extremely healthy. What could be better?

 

[valentine319]

I got Juliette when she was 3. They retired her as a breeder. She was on Orijen six fishes. She had a sensitive stomach. I used tummy works in her food. How to properly explain it? She would run over to wet wipes after pooping to get her butt wiped. Tummy works helped but it wasn’t a solution. She could clear a room out with her farts. She would fart if you picked her up. She farted when nervous.

About a year later allergies came on. She would over groom and rip out tons of fur. Changed her to canned think it was nature’s instinct limited ingredient. We went through duck and other flavors she just didn’t like. Then she really liked rabbit. I did my research and finally switched her to hare today Whole prey rabbit. She had a problem with fur. Did more research and made an excel spreadsheet so I could calculate ground with bones and how much boneless, liver and other organs to add. Now she’s on a steady diet of rabbit with some beef. She’s had pork but prefers beef.

Health? She no longer clears a room with farts. She doesn’t fart. She acts happier. No longer has constant runs. Hairballs at most 3 times a year. She only gets an upset stomach when she’s got a hairball about to come out. I don’t constantly give her tummy works. Her hair is amazing. She’s a Maine coon. She kinda grew some hair once on kibble. There were drastic stomach changes after going raw. Her poop doesn’t stink. I have a litter robot and before you had to flush the poop. It reeked. She gained a couple lbs, she was very skinny. She’s got full hair. Even her paws look like velvet mittens now.

Photos to show a difference
Before

After

 

[Uncled]

My experience with raw feeding was with my French Bulldog Marcel in the early 2000's. He developed hair loss that stumped my vet, was not itchy, didn't rub himself, skin scraping showed no mites, he ate a boutique kibble from a shop that sold commercial raw, I gave it a try along with green tripe as a topper, long story short next time we went to the vet he was stunned that his hair was growing back and when I said I changed.his diet to raw he supported it.