Lily had salmonella - okay to feed raw now?

[swampwitch]

Hi all, I've been reading up on raw feeding for our cats, especially my sweet Lily who has always LOVED egg yolks, dairy, and meat of any kind.

Lily has always been somewhat overweight although I've monitored how much she eats - quality wet and low-grain kibble - and it's not much at all, the same or less than our others. But she BEGS for meat and I've always cooked bits to give her but have recently started adding some fresh raw meats in addition to regular food. 

Lily is in HEAVEN and she no longer begs for food at the dinner table! She LOVES raw! The other two are not so keen on it... yet...

My concern is that we almost lost Lily 2.5 years ago, she ended up in the hospital with emergency exploratory surgery. They found that part of her intestine was disintegrating, and they patched it up. They tested for everything they could think of and the tests were negative, so they guessed she might have had salmonella. It was very horrible for all involved, and expensive, and none of us want to risk going through that again!



Other than the weight problem she's been fine since then but I am worried about her intestines/salmonella risk eating raw. Anybody have assurances for me that it's okay? My husband is no help and thinks I should not be feeding her raw at all. Thanks in advance!

 

[emilymaywilcha]

Awww, she is a very cute kitty.

Salmonella is exactly why most people think it is bad to feed raw meat. The FDA agrees. However, these people are assuming just because it is bad for humans, cats should not eat it either. Meanwhile, pet food companies that cook everything give cats salmonella - proof cats can live on raw food without getting sick and salmonella is not connected to whether the meat is cooked or raw.

You also stated it is not clear whether salmonella was the problem or not. Because of this, I would not assume it was. Often it is impossible to know what caused a cat to get sick. This is extermely difficult to accept. However, you are smart to be concerned about other cats getting sick because of what they eat. I never fed raw food to any cats, so all I can say about it is cooked vs. raw has nothing to do with whether a cat has salmonella or not.

 

[ldg]

Hey Cat!

Start the kitties on a probiotic. :nod: The first, best thing you can do to help their GI systems is restore the good gut flora. Adult cats with healthy immune systems are naturally "resistant" to bacterias/pathogens in their food, especially if you're feeding only raw, or grain-free canned with it during the transition (though feeding raw and grain-free canned is also OK).

When I transitioned to raw, I had Lazlo in chemotherapy, and we have Chumely, our FIV+ kitty. It was our holistic vet that encouraged us to go raw. The relationship between the GI system and Immune system is SO interlinked because the GI system is our first line of defense for about 90% of the pathogens we encounter. :nod:

So as to your Lily, I'd have her on a probiotic for a week or two before introducing raw. But given how much less stress eating raw places on their systems, I HAVE to think it's the best thing you can do for her long term. :nod: Starting with a probiotic and then feeding her raw will only improve the health of her GI system.

I give my cats a probiotic with one meal a day, and I plan on doing so for the rest of their lives (DH and I take them daily now too).

I use an acidophilus + bifidus product for humans. I buy it from the refrigerated section of the health food store. Whatever you look for, ensure it has 10 billion active CFU. If it takes two capsules, so be it. Just sprinkle it on - most cats love it.

If you want to read about the cats-and-pathogens issue, I addressed it here: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/245431/dont-listen-to-tufts-university#post_3216259


And if you want to read about the GI System - Immune System relationship, we explored it here: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/241072/the-digestive-system-immune-system-connection

ONE thought.... are you going to be feeding commercial or making home made? Because bone is difficult for some kitties to digest. You might want to consider using a calcium supplement like eggshell, or microcrystalline calcium hydroxyapatite (MCHA), or even human grade bone meal as opposed to bones or ground bone for Lily. Although... it's rare, but Carolina's Lucky simply can't tolerate bone, whether powdered or not. That's why she uses only eggshell as the calcium supplement.

 

[swampwitch]

Thank you both! Laurie, I have written down the info you have given, and will be getting the probiotics for them on Monday, that sounds like a very good first step! It's funny but my sister Linda kept telling me last year to get on probiotics so I think we'll all go on them now, skin and fur alike. 

 

[ldg]

It does make it easier if you all take the same one! :lol3:

........ :heart2:

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Ooooh.  So excited.  Looks like we're having another convert to raw

 

[feralvr]

Ooooh.  So excited.  Looks like we're having another convert to raw

WELCOME to the Camps!!! :bigthumb: Your Lily is a BEAUTY!!!!!! :love: Good luck on your new quest to RAW!!!!

 

[feralvr]

I use an acidophilus + bifidus product for humans. I buy it from the refrigerated section of the health food store. Whatever you look for, ensure it has 10 billion active CFU. If it takes two capsules, so be it. Just sprinkle it on - most cats love it.
:

WHAT!!! :shocker: I had no idea to give TEN BILLION... I checked my bottle today - it is only 1.5 billion per capsule. OH BOY!!! I am almost out and will up the anti on my next bottle. Glad you posted that. :bigwink:

 

[ldg]

Yeah, that's why it's easiest to just use a human supplement. :nod: In fact, many pet supplements don't actually have active cultures in them (even though many say they do). And anything on a label (this is mostly in pet products) that says "fermentation" in association with something means it is not an active culture.

 

[feralvr]

Yeah, that's why it's easiest to just use a human supplement. :nod: In fact, many pet supplements don't actually have active cultures in them (even though many say they do). And anything on a label (this is mostly in pet products) that says "fermentation" in association with something means it is not an active culture.

Perfect, thanks I am going to the Vitamin Shoppe tomorrow to pick up some products. This is on the list!

 

[swampwitch]

It took a while for me to get to a health food store, but I started the kitties on the probiotics last night. They ate every bit of their Weruva pouch food, and this morning they also ate every tiny bit of Royal Canin canned food. They never do this, mostly they lick the gravy and leave the meat bits. I don't know if it was a coincidence or not!
 

I was making beef last night and gave Lily about 3 tablespoons raw (cut into little pieces) and she ate half of it and came back later and ate the rest. She is going to be an EASY convert to raw, she left me no choice she was going CRAZY meowing and circling around my legs when she smelled the raw beef! (She had fresh salmon the night before but I cooked it separately from ours so hers was plain with no sauces - she loves it raw but I read somewhere the fish should be cooked.) I also decided to start out slowly and split one (10 billion active CFU) capsule among the three for the first few days as a compromise with my husband, who thinks this is a bit crazy to do.

I don't know if it's my imagination and if there could be a difference so fast but their appetites seem to be up! Thanks again, I will update...

 

[ldg]

:lol3: Hubby will be a convert pretty quickly. I think it is Jim Peterford's thread where he's wondering if he's imagining seeing a difference in his cats' coats after just a week. It isn't. For us, the changes most apparent most quickly were behavior. With 8 in the RV, hissing/batting little "spats" were just ... "normal." :dk: But most of those disappeared quickly - and I mean within a couple of DAYS of feeding raw.

Auntie Crazy suggested that it's the difference between a person eating junk food (even though the canned food I was feeding them shouldn't technically have been "junk" food) and then eating whole grains and salads. You feel better, you sleep better - and you have more energy and you're not cranky. Well, made sense - and seemed a reasonable explanation. :lol3:

But yes. Changes can be apparent quite quickly. :nod: Of course - it can be a coincidence. Time will tell. We wondered about that too - but when it just kept going, and they had more energy, they continued being nicer to each other - there was a lot more purring in general (and there was plenty before! :lol3: ) - and their coats just got glossier and glossier and softer and softer... even Gary had to say, "You were right. This was a good idea." :lol3: