Raw Food Or Wet Food ?

[Simbaforest]

I’ve been trying to figure out what is the best option for my cats one of my cats was eating raw food who was just adopted and I switched him over to regular cat food Becuase I was scared of him getting sick, or worms! What do you guys think? Is raw food a good idea for a cat ? If so .. what kind of raw food is the best.. can they eat regular super market meat or the raw meat I have seen in the freezer in the cat stores? Let me know what you guys think! It would be extremly helpful !

 

[mwallace056]

Just feed what you can afford and what they like but if you want to feed raw. feeding just meat from the store isn't an complete and nutritious diet. You have to add stuff to make it complete diet such as liver, heart, etc. There also premixes that only require just meat or meat and liver. If you just starting out i would suggest getting raw meat from the pet store, I don't have any brand recommendations but some of the products are supplement only as they're not complete diet. If your cats already been eating wet food it will make the transition to raw much easier.

 

[Simbaforest]

Just feed what you can afford and what they like but if you want to feed raw. feeding just meat from the store isn't an complete and nutritious diet. You have to add stuff to make it complete diet such as liver, heart, etc. There also premixes that only require just meat or meat and liver. If you just starting out i would suggest getting raw meat from the pet store, I don't have any brand recommendations but some of the products are supplement only as they're not complete diet. If your cats already been eating wet food it will make the transition to raw much easier.

Okay, but does it effect them Becuase a lot of people tell me their carnivores and they should eat that and then some people think otherwise! So I’m trying to figure out the health benefits are their more negative then positive or more positive then negative ?

 

[LTS3]

Commercial raw cat food is one of the easiest routes to go with little worry about bacteria and such. Most commercial brands such as Primal, Stella and Chewy's, and Vital Essentials are complete diets. You can choose either frozen raw or freeze dried raw. There is also dehydrated raw which is basically powder. You must add water to the powder and let it sit for a few minutes to rehydrate before serving. Dry powder is difficult and messy to eat.

Chubs / rolls of meat sold in pet stores are not complete diets. They're meant as supplements or to be used in a raw diet recipe.

Most supermarket and butcher shop meat is fine BUT meat on it's own is not a complete diet. You must use plain meat in a recipe or add a pre-mix such as EZComplete or TC Feline to it. Check the package label to be sure the meat hasn't been enhanced with flavorings, salt solutions, broth, etc. Never buy the already ground meat from a supermarket or butcher shop. You don't know how clean the grinders are. Buy a whole cut of meat, like a chicken breast, and chop or grind it yourself. You can also look into a raw pet food supplier such as Hare-Today.com

Both raw and canned are great options for cats. Which one to feed is entirely up to you and your budget and what your cat will eat Some people feed both raw and canned. A raw diet doesn't guarantee that a cat won't develop health issues later in life. Some cats may develop health issues because of bad genetics. One of my cats has been eating raw since he was a kitten. He's 9 years old now and has IBD

 

[1 bruce 1]

catinfo.org
https://feline-nutrition.org/
These are good places to start.
If you're not comfortable feeding a raw diet, then by all means feed something you can handle. If you are, or are curious or want to try in the future, you can devise a diet either pre-made or from a recipe or use a pre mix as many folks here do (many use Alnutrin or EZ complete.)
Some people feed commercial food for one meal and raw for the other.
What's your general location? There are places like hare today that ship to your door and my pet carnivore that has monthly delivery routes and you order it, pick it up at the designated location and time, and that's all there is too it.

 

[daftcat75]

Okay, but does it effect them Becuase a lot of people tell me their carnivores and they should eat that and then some people think otherwise! So I’m trying to figure out the health benefits are their more negative then positive or more positive then negative ?

We, humans, have only been feeding cats for a little over 100 years. Before that, they fed themselves. They have been employed on farms and in granaries since ancient Egypt because they will eat the rodents and spare the crops and grain. So I think it's sadly backwards that when we started to feed them, we spare the meat and feed them veggies and grains. Wet food or raw food will both be a better option to dry food. The closer you can get to a mouse--meat, moisture, organs, and supplements--the better. I say supplements because processing, packaging, transportation, storage can all affect the nutrient composition. Also certain highly nutritious staples in a cat's diet like eyes and brains are not allowed in the food supply for BSE (e.g. "Mad Cow") concerns.

Wet or raw? You don't have to pick between them. You can feed them both. Krista gets two raw meals a day, two wet meals a day, and wet to snack on throughout the day and night--can't really do that with raw. If your cats can eat both, you can weather out shortages such as running out of one or the other.

 

[TheFartingCat]

I agree with what daftcat75 said, you don't have to pick between the two.
I feed my cat mainly homemade raw and supplement his diet with some wet food occasionally. I don't feed Stella and Chewy's or other commercial raw foods because they're sooo expensive (!!!). Having a stack of wet food at home can also help when for times when it is inconvenient to feed raw, especially if you are making your own, (in which case, I highly recommend EZ Complete supplements) and one week you don't have time to make it. Another thing is that cats can be notoriously picky eaters, so they might not like eating the same raw food every day (with the same animal protein source, if you know what I'm trying to get at) and giving your kitty some wet food from time to time will make their diet more varied.

 

[Azazel]

Mine also get the very occasional wet. I try to pick a protein that I don’t use in my homemade recipes. Since I use mostly turkey and chicken, I buy venison, lamb, and rabbit based wet food to diversify the proteins and give them different nutrients.

 

[nwc]

I recently bought this book. It not only provides recipes and instructions, but explains the basic nutrition so that you are more confident about feeding your cat.

 

[Jack077]

To those who have bought Nature’s Domain Wet Cat food from Costco, please let me know if this is natural food or a pate? My cat is very particular and will not always eat the food if it looks like a liver pate. I not a fan of just buying a product then returning it, even knowing Costco will return it without any questions. Thanks for your help, just trying to help my Cat.