- Joined
- Jan 30, 2005
- Messages
- 27,231
- Purraise
- 38
Okay good news I got the bone meal... but how much??? please pm me or put it here I do 1lb of meat ....
Homemade food and table scraps. Commercial pet food wasn't available behind the Iron Curtain. Various studies that have been done in Germany, which was reunified 15 years ago, indicate that dogs' life spans have increased by about 6 years, and cats' life spans have doubled, since commercial pet food became available in eastern Germany. Obviously, all the pet owners there aren't feeding holistic or top-of-the-line brands now, so those findings are interesting. Since canned or dry pet food wasn't available, I believe it's safe to assume that supplements weren't, either.Originally Posted by Kai Bengals
Again, I would like to point out that the pet food industry has only been in place for about 80 years.
What were all the domestic cats eating before that?
i've wondered about that. with so many trying so hard to feed food that was as close as possible to a cat's natural diet, i was beginning to wonder if some were feeding cats an actual natural diet of pre-killed mice and birds that have been pretested for diseases.Originally Posted by jcat
There are a lot of BARFers on a German board I participate in, and I've noticed an increasing trend towards feeding mice, rats, and chicks. Not live ones - there are companies that'll deliver them frozen to your door (overnight delivery in Styrofoam coolers packed with dry ice, I've been told). This was originally meant for snake owners, but apparently more and more cat owners are availing themselves of the service. I'm not sure what to think about that.
Pat gave the grams of liver permitted per week ... I figured it to 6.6 ounzes per animal ... I have three so 1lb of liver is served per week... How a supplement would affect this would invole the dosage and amount per dosage..Originally Posted by JakeBrayandAmber
I just recently started looking into beginning a raw food diet for my cats and dog. For those of you that do this what recipes do you use? Also, I just read that you shoud not use liver every day because of its Vitamin A content, which can be toxic to cats (especially if you're using liver along with a supplement). Is this true? And if so, how often should I put liver in? Also, can I use the same diet for both of my cats, and how often/much should I give each and my dog? TIA!
Jamie likes beef, rabbit and lamb. He generally won't eat any type of poultry, unless it's mixed with fish. ZsaZsa will sometimes eat chicken, but no other poultry.Originally Posted by Kai Bengals
Just a note to those that are attempting or have attempted Raw feedings:
It has been my experience with our adult bengals, that they don't care for raw beef in the least bit. Some of them will nibble at it, others turn away in disgust. Some will eat fully cooked premium steak cuts though! (Yeah, they aren't getting those too often,)
The kittens who are weaning will eat raw beef pretty readily, but not with the same gusto as rabbit or chicken.
It would appear that our cats like to eat what they might be able to hunt down in the wild. Do they realize they can't take down a cow in real life? I dunno, but there must be something to it. They don't care much for Ostrich either....another beast that wouldn't sucumb to an attack by a cat
Rabbit
Duck
Chicken
These are all favorites for them. Rabbit being the number one paws up choice.
Please, no offense intended here, but since this is a poll, I'll pitch in with some thoughts...Originally Posted by Kai Bengals
I don't think the poll itself is biased. The poll offers choices for members to vote on the topic of feeding the raw diet. When I created the poll, I just wanted yes or no answers, but I threw in a couple of other choices as well.
I agree that people feeding a raw diet should definitely do their research & make sure their cat(s) get all the necessary nutrients. I'm pleased to see that those on this board who advocate raw diets take the time to provide resources and information to those who are interested.Originally Posted by Kai Bengals
Do I think everyone should feed their cat a raw diet? Yes I do, but not without learning the facts first and doing it correctly.
First of all, thank-you for taking the time to respond with your thoughts, concerns, etc. That's what this thread was for! I'm very happy that people are thinking this through and not dismissing it as bunk.Originally Posted by tuxedokitties
Please, no offense intended here, but since this is a poll, I'll pitch in with some thoughts...
I greatly respect your dedication to providing what you feel is the best for your cats, but the poll does seem a little biased to me - it offers the "yes" option and several "no" options, but the no options all come with attached reasons (none of which I feel really apply to me), as though they're "excuses" for not feeding what you consider the only acceptable food. That's where I think the comments about bias in the poll may have come from.
Raw meat diet: not enough scientific validity to support use
I'm not saying commercial foods are ideal either - but IMO they are fine as an option, and the owner who feeds commercial shouldn't feel like he/she must make excuses for not feeding raw.
I also have some concerns about how truly complete a raw diet is. A wild or feral cat's diet consists largely of insects, lizards and squirrels - birds and rabbits are sometimes caught by the best hunters, but not very often. Certainly domestic cats don't go out and catch chickens, ducks and cows. And when they eat their prey, they eat the 'gross' stuff too - whenever my former outdoor cat Oreo caught a white-winged dove, the only thing he left behind was beak, feet, and feathers. My feral girl frequently catches lizards, and leaves only the tails behind (I have no idea why she never eats the tails -maybe they're her trophy?). Do the meats and supplements provided in a raw diet account for that? (this question isn't meant critically - I'm honestly curious).
For anyone who is seriously considering rabbit hunting for raw meat for their cats (or for people whose cats hunt mice, for that matter), don't forget that they're a source of tapeworms.
As far as salmonella goes, I may be wrong but it's my understanding that cooking kills salmonella - which would mean that canned & dry prepackaged foods would not carry salmonella (unless they were contaminated after being cooked), but raw meat definitely can.
FDA Issues Final Guidance on Raw Meat for Animals
I agree that people feeding a raw diet should definitely do their research & make sure their cat(s) get all the necessary nutrients. I'm pleased to see that those on this board who advocate raw diets take the time to provide resources and information to those who are interested.
That said, I don't think everyone should feed their cat a raw diet - personally, I'd say get your vet's opinion first. If you're seriously considering raw & your vet dismisses the idea without giving you reasons, then look for a holistic vet - especially if your cat is on a prescription food. But please don't change your cat's diet without a vet's approval.
One of my cats is on a prescription diet, and I have no intention of going against my vet's advice for his food. The others (all of my cats are senior) are doing well and are quite healthy on a high-quality commercial food, and I see no reason to mess around with something that's been working well for us.
I don't use any particula recipe. I feed my cats a variety of raw meaty bones, muscle meat and organ meat. I only keep track of the proportions. It's absolutely correct that liver should be fed with caution. It should be organic and it should come from young animals since it stores toxins and then there's the high level of vitamin A that in to large amounts can cause illness. The diet shouldn't contain more than 10% liver. If one feed the cats 5-10% of liver they get enough of vitamin A (and other nutrients of course), but they are not in danger of contracting hypervitaminosis A. About 80 grams of liver a week should be enough, but of course it depends on the size of the cat. 5-10% of the diet...Originally Posted by JakeBrayandAmber
I just recently started looking into beginning a raw food diet for my cats and dog. For those of you that do this what recipes do you use? Also, I just read that you shoud not use liver every day because of its Vitamin A content, which can be toxic to cats (especially if you're using liver along with a supplement). Is this true? And if so, how often should I put liver in? Also, can I use the same diet for both of my cats, and how often/much should I give each and my dog? TIA!
There are suppliers that cater to snake owners with frozen rats, mice, chicks, etc. and I have begun to research feeding these to cats. What {if anything} would I need to supplement them with? Almost all of the raw diet info I have been able to find, deals with trying to approximate a mouse as closely as possible--well, since it is possible to get the real thing frozen, wouldn't the frozen mice be even better?Originally Posted by CommonOddity042
i've wondered about that. with so many trying so hard to feed food that was as close as possible to a cat's natural diet, i was beginning to wonder if some were feeding cats an actual natural diet of pre-killed mice and birds that have been pretested for diseases.