Raw Food Diet Questions

[beccabbode]

HI!
I am about to get my first kitten ever and I am so excited, he was born yesterday so I have a few months before I take him home and I want to be sure I have everything he might need so I've been slowly accumulating kitty toys and scratchers and everything else and I was talking to an exotic pet store keeper who suggested I looked into a raw food diet to ween him onto since it's a healthier option to the kibble type dry food I was about to purchase.
I've been researching for a while and I've seen multiple youtube videos and websites that have similar diets but all of them have different ingredients and additives that are supposedly good for your kitten. I'm at a loss as to which raw food diet is best to start out with a young kitten, I do plan on checking in with a vet once I find one a bit closer to me but for now I thought I'd join a forum and hopefully you guys can give me some advice!

Anything is helpful! Thanks!

 

[Columbine]

Hi, and welcome to TCS

Raw feeding done right can be a great option, but it isn't the only good option out there

There are many types of complete raw foods available commercially, and those are probably the best place for a novice to start. We have a whole load of articles about raw feeding here:- [article="22501"][/article][article="31796"][/article][article="31714"][/article][article="31673"][/article][article="32321"][/article][article="31138"][/article][article="32194"][/article][article="31997"][/article][article="31801"][/article][article="33544"][/article][thread="272287"][/thread][article="29707"][/article]

You may also find this article helpful when choosing a vet [article="22404"][/article] Personally, I would focus on finding a vet first and diet second. Any food changes have to be made gradually in any case, and if the kitten is a newborn you should have plenty of time to sort both

These general articles may also help - especially if you're new to cats [article="29657"][/article][article="29675"][/article][article="30336"][/article][article="22480"][/article][article="29663"][/article][article="33669"][/article]

 

[LTS3]

Commerical raw cat food is the easiest to start with, especially for newbies to raw diet and to cats in general. You can choose from frozen raw, freeze dried raw, dehydrated raw, and air dried raw. Most are complete diets but read the label to be sure. Chain pet stores like Petco and PetSmart don't sell many raw foods, if at all. I know many Petco stores sell a very limited selection of the Nature's Variety Instinct raw foods. Look for raw diets at independent pet stores. Most pet food companies have a store locator on their web site you can use.

I have been feeding my two cats Nature's Variety Instinct frozen raw since they were kittens. Both cats grew up healthy with no additional kitten canned food or other supplement. It's fine if you want to include kitten canned food to be sure that your kitten is getting plenty of nutrients.

Another easy way to make raw is to buy your own raw meat, finely cut or chop or grind it, and add in a pre-mix for the vitamins and minerals. EZComplete is a popular pre-mix TCS members use. There are other brands, none of which are sold in pet stores so you'll have to buy them directly from the company. Never use already ground meat from the supermarket or butcher shop. It may have bacteria mixed throughout it which may make a cat have an upset tummy. Buy whole cuts and chop or grind it yourself. Or buy a chub of meat from the pet store or a place like Hare-Today.com Some pre-mixes are for boneless organless meats only while others are for meat with bone and organ. Be sure to buy the correct pre-mix for the type of meat you are  using.

If you want to make raw from scratch, the only recipes I suggest using are the one at http://catinfo.org/making-cat-food/ and the one at http://www.catnutrition.org/foodmaking.html  and the ones listed in this TCS sticky. These are very popular recipes that are balanced properly. Many recipes you find on Youtube and other places are created by the average pet owner / breeder / etc who may not have a full understanding of cat nutrition. There may be claims that the cat loves the diet and is healthy, etc but who knows if nutritional deficiencies will show up after a long  time on the diet. Veggies, fruit, and grains? Cats don't need any of those in their diet. A fish only diet? Not good for cats.

Many vets discourage pet owners from feeding raw diets for various reasons (bacteria concerns, unbalanced diet, etc) but you do not need the approval a vet to feed whatever you want. As long as the diet you are feeding is appropriate for cats and is a balanced diet, you don't need to worry about nutritional deficiencies. Handle raw diets like you would with any raw meat: wash bowls and utensils in hot soapy water, don't let the food sit out for hours, etc.

Some cats don't take to a raw diet right away so you may need to start with a canned food diet and then slowly transition to raw.

 

[sattycat]

I tried the Fresh Pet cat food . That you get out of a refrigerator at the store. one cat was ok to try a little but she was already sick. The other wouldnt touch it.  so i went to put in micro to take chill off and it flashed in the microvave. I thought maybe there was a spoon or some thing in there. so i check and there wasn't anything else in the microwave. so i tried it again and the same thing.. That found had to have a very large amount of metal in it to cause spark ing in the microwave. so i stopped and thought .....what if there are metal shavings in it. scared me to death. I let the company know and didnt get a single answer. so be for warned

 

[artsycat]

Hi I have been making my own raw food for a couple of years now and my cats are healthy and active. It does take about 3 hours but it's so worth it. I can give you more details if you message me.

 

[sattycat]

Does it take 3 hours everytime i make it ?

 

[artsycat]

I'm sorry I should have clarified. I make enough to last about 25 days. It takes me 3 hours every 25 days. I use the recipie in the Natural nutrition for cats by Kymthy R Schultze. Chapter 14 recipie #2. Also you must make the "super supp" recipie for nutrition, it's in the book too. Once you get all the ingredients it's easier to make. I bought a #8 Weston Meat Grinder from Wal Mart and it grinds chicken necks or chicken wing tips well. You must add these things to give your cat calcium. First try to get the book it's easy to read and follow. Keep in touch!

 

[LTS3]

It doesn't take me anywhere close to 3 hours to make raw. More like 20 minutes. However, I am using just ground meat and a pre-mix which is just an easy mix together with water and portion out. Making raw from a recipie with individual supplements, such as the one at Catinfo.org, shouldn't take 3 hours unless you are making a huge batch and also need to grind meat and bone and organs.

 
I tried the Fresh Pet cat food . That you get out of a refrigerator at the store. one cat was ok to try a little but she was already sick. The other wouldnt touch it.  so i went to put in micro to take chill off and it flashed in the microvave. I thought maybe there was a spoon or some thing in there. so i check and there wasn't anything else in the microwave. so i tried it again and the same thing.. That found had to have a very large amount of metal in it to cause spark ing in the microwave. so i stopped and thought .....what if there are metal shavings in it. scared me to death. I let the company know and didnt get a single answer. so be for warned

Did you put the FreshPet roll in the microwave? The ends of the package are held together with metal twist ties. Next time, take the meat out of the packaging and warm it up in a microwave safe bowl.