raw cat food ?

[kathzer]

I was wondering if anyone have ever tried to give there cats raw food. I read alot about it on plenty of different websites but I would like to know a little more what cat owners think about it. I would like to give my kitten the best food as possible so I could have him for the longest time data:image/png;base64,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

 

[Columbine]

Yes! Lots of people here feed raw. There's a whole sub-forum dedicated to it http://www.thecatsite.com/f/65/raw-home-cooked-cat-food

Here are some TCS articles on the subject too
[article="31673"][/article][article="32321"][/article][article="31714"][/article][article="22434"][/article][article="31796"][/article][article="22501"][/article]

 

[kathzer]

that is good informations , thank you columbine ! Anyone else would like to share there experience with me ? 

 

[mschauer]

Every thread in this sub-forum is about people's questions about and experiences with raw feeding. Just start reading.

 

[kathzer]

oh yeah I know don't worry ! I read alot about the subject! I also talk about it to my vet but she said she didn't have good experiences with some of her clients so she kind of scared me a little bit. But i think they were probably just not doing it properly and she didn't want my cat to be sick. I am aware of the danger and I will be very careful with the sanitary procedure. Does anyone had any issues while feeding there pet raw food? 

 

[Columbine]

I don't think there are any problems with raw feeding so long as you pay extra-close attention to food hygiene. I personally feel safer only using meat sold for raw pet food as, in this country (uk) anyway, there are far stricter rules about bacteria than for meat sold for cooking (on the basis that cooking will kill the bugs anyway). That's just my view though. Plenty of people feed meat from the butcher - or even the grocery store - with no issues.

 

[LTS3]

 
oh yeah I know don't worry ! I read alot about the subject! I also talk about it to my vet but she said she didn't have good experiences with some of her clients so she kind of scared me a little bit. But i think they were probably just not doing it properly and she didn't want my cat to be sick. I am aware of the danger and I will be very careful with the sanitary procedure. Does anyone had any issues while feeding there pet raw food? 

Many people assume that feeding a raw diet is just giving a bowl of plain raw meat. That is why many pets end up sick with nutritional decificiences and such and why some vets are against raw diets.

If done correctly, a raw diet is great for pets

Sanitary practices are one part of feeding a raw diet. More importantly is to feed a balanced diet. Commerical raw pet food diets such as Stelle and Chewy's and rad Cat are complete balanced diet. If you choose to do a frankenprey diet, you need to make sure to follow the 80% muscle meat, 10% uncooked bone, 5% liver, and 5% other secreting organs rule. There are many raw recipies on the Internet but many are not analyzed in any sort of way to determine if the diet is balanced. The only recipies I recommend are the ones at Catinfo.org, Catnutrition.org, and Feline-Nutrition.org

 

[mschauer]

 

Just to clarify, the recipes at catinfo.org, catnutrition.org and feline-nutrition.org are not nutritionally balanced by AAFCO standards. That isn't to say they aren't appropriate for feeding. It's just that your statement could be interpreted as implying that they have been analyzed and found to be nutritionally complete. They aren't in the way that products like Rad Cat and Stella and Chewy's are. Those products are formulated to meet AAFCO recommendations.

 

[lisamarie12]

 
Just to clarify, the recipes at catinfo.org, catnutrition.org and feline-nutrition.org are not nutritionally balanced by AAFCO standards. That isn't to say they aren't appropriate for feeding. It's just that your statement could be interpreted as implying that they have been analyzed and found to be nutritionally complete. They aren't in the way that products like Rad Cat and Stella and Chewy's are. Those products are formulated to meet AAFCO recommendations.

So a homemade food can be appropriate for feeding but not nutritionally complete, per AAFCO guidelines only, but still safe to feed or Dr. Pierson would not be recommending the recipes? Now I'm a little confused .....

 

[Columbine]

There are many balanced home made recipes out there...they just haven't undergone the rigorous testing that commercial pet foods have. The way LTS3 phrased things made it sound as though they'd undergone the same tests that commercial foods have. That's all.

(The reason recipes aren't tested us that there is no requirement to do so, and testing costs money - there is no way to recoup that money with a non commercial product).

 

[mschauer]

So a homemade food can be appropriate for feeding but not nutritionally complete, per AAFCO guidelines only, but still safe to feed or Dr. Pierson would not be recommending the recipes? Now I'm a little confused .....

Well, that is one of the confusing things about raw feeding. Recipes like Dr. P's and recipes that just follow the 80-10-5-5 rule have been time tested by many people. That is, those diets have been fed to cats for years with no obvious ill affects.

But some people, like myself, feel that even if there are no obvious problems with those diets they fall short of the most often stated objective of raw feeding. That is to mimic the nutrient profile of the prey a cat would eat in the wild. The animal parts and even the animal species we feed don't really accurately depict what a cats true natural diet of small mammals, birds, insects and possibly lizards. Not to mention that the animals fed likely haven't themselves been fed a natural diet. Following AAFCO guidelines, even if just loosely, helps in filling in some nutrients that otherwise might be lacking and which might, or might not, make a difference in the long term well being of a cat.

 

[lisamarie12]

 
Well, that is one of the confusing things about raw feeding. Recipes like Dr. P's and recipes that just follow the 80-10-5-5 rule have been time tested by many people. That is, those diets have been fed to cats for years with no obvious ill affects.

But some people, like myself, feel that even if there are no obvious problems with those diets they fall short of the most often stated objective of raw feeding. That is to mimic the nutrient profile of the prey a cat would eat in the wild. The animal parts and even the animal species we feed don't really accurately depict what a cats true natural diet of small mammals, birds, insects and possibly lizards. Not to mention that the animals fed likely haven't themselves been fed a natural diet. Following AAFCO guidelines help in filling in some nutrients that otherwise might be lacking and which might, or might not, make a difference in the long term well being of a cat.

Ah ... so very interesting, thank you for clarifying. I always learn something new on this site!

 

[lisamarie12]

There are many balanced home made recipes out there...they just haven't undergone the rigorous testing that commercial pet foods have. The way @LTS3 phrased things made it sound as though they'd undergone the same tests that commercial foods have. That's all.

(The reason recipes aren't tested us that there is no requirement to do so, and testing costs money - there is no way to recoup that money with a non commercial product).

I see, of course, thanks!

 

[LTS3]

Sorry, I was referring to recipes on personal blogs and websites and such where it seems as though a person just put a bunch of ingredients together without giving much thought, if any, to proper cat nutrition

. There's one such questionable recipe with filler ingredients someone is using over on the regular Nutrition forum. The recipes at Catinfo.org and Catnutrition.org are balanced recipes that are good to use.

 

[lisahe]

 
that is good informations , thank you columbine ! Anyone else would like to share there experience with me ? 

As you can see, there are lots of approaches to feeding your cat raw foods!

We feed our cats about 60% commercial raw food, maybe a little more; the rest is high-protein, very low-carb canned. They do very well on the diet, both physically and psychologically.

By which I mean that they tend to get bored with their foods easily. Having many (many!) canned foods in their rotation helps, as does feeding them several kinds of raw food that we can mix in various combinations. Although I have tremendous respect for people who make their own cat food or use the whole prey model, I don't have the time or energy right now to research recipes, source ingredients, and actually prepare and store the food. And hope the cats will eat it! That said, I did make one recipe of Dr. Pierson's food and the cats absolutely loved it, even after it had been frozen for several months. If/when I do start making food, I'll probably start with more semi-cooked food, perhaps something for supplemental feeding so I don't have to worry so much about the nutrients.

For now, though, we feed the cats two meals a day of various combinations of Primal's freeze-dried flavors (turkey, pork, chicken/salmon, and beef/salmon) with a nugget or two each of a Stella & Chewy's poultry flavor, currently Duck-Duck-Goose. Being able to use as much or as little of each kind of food is great. They also get an afternoon snack of Rad Cat chicken or turkey; they love both of those but won't eat the lamb. It seems like lots of people -- including me! -- get their cats started on raw food with Rad Cat.

All those brands have worked very well for our cats and are fairly readily available; many stores where I live are happy to order them if they don't stock them. (Today I'll be going to Planet Dog for Rad Cat!)

 

[kathzer]

Thanks to all of you for your opinion on the subject

 

[cicoccabim]

Raw is the best food for my cat. As long as I am careful with the hygiene, careful not to feed some meats (she is allergic), and be sure that all that she needs is in the food- then it is the best choice I´ve made for her. It is a steep learning curve when you start with raw, but after that is gets easier and easier for every new batch of food you´re making. I feed both meat in pieces and minced meat. I also feed whole bones that she eats. It takes a bit of observing when you start feeding bone that way- but as soon as you notice how your cat handles eating bones it gets easier as well. 

I think that it is the best food for our cats, and for me (I have some good contacts) the cheapest (less than 0,5 dollars a day). 

 

[moonlitekittens]

Does anyone use oils to kill bacteria meat?

 

[sweetpea7]

Fascinating thread; thank you> my cats have always enjoyed a mixed diet, depending on access to foods as I live in a very isolated area of Ireland, and also on cost as I am a pensioner. Always raw chicken, which is a bird I am sharing! Sometimes I cook for them simply eg rice and meat in the slow cooker, and sometimes tinned and dry food. We have German owned supermarkets here with excellent pet foods at a  low cost.