When to start feeding raw?

[ares]

Hey folks,

I have an almost 12 week old kitten who is just getting over some parasites and a URI. I've been really interested in getting him on a partial raw diet (once or twice a week) but I don't know when is a good time to start. I know I need to wait till he's healthy again, as I'm feeding him A/D with a mix of goats milk as he recovers, but I'm just not sure how he'll take raw at his age. I've tried giving him a tiny slice of raw salmon, and it took him a good 5 minutes to chew and eat it.

Any advice on an appropriate age? Or what I should add to it for a kitten diet if I start him on it soon? My local pet store sells a few types of raw food (they are a natural pet food store, so they have all the really good canned food brands I've been feeding him now.) but I don't know if they are appropriate for kittens. Should I wait till he's around a year old?

Thanks in advance,

Ares

Ares3.jpg

• ares
• May 22, 2013

 

[tulosai]

I'm not sure about the diet, but I wanted to tell you your kitten is a cutie

 

[ares]

I'm not sure about the diet, but I wanted to tell you your kitten is a cutie

lol thanks He's my little man. First kitten I've had, so I want to keep him as healthy as possible.

 

[vball91]

Kittens as a general rule take to raw very well. I've heard of kittens younger than yours being raw fed. I would definitely wait until he's fully recovered from parasites/URI, and then start. You could go with the commercial raw you have available, but since it sounds like you're only going to be supplemental feeding raw (meaning less than 15% of total diet), then you don't need to worry about the raw being balanced. You could just feed raw meat a few times a week. If you eat meat at home, it's generally cheaper to buy a little extra of the meat you get for yourself/family. Just don't use pre-ground meat or anything enhanced with a flavor/high sodium solution.

If you plan on raw being more than 15%, then you need to worry about it being balanced and/or supplemented. However, I woulld start slow with the kitten and just start offering up a little bit of raw meat.

 

[skimble]

Such a cutie!  Hope he feels better soon.

I am learning about feeding my 4 yr old cat raw.  I don't know much, but I just read a book by a veterinarian, Dr Barbara Royals, called "the Royal Treatment" and she suggests starting raw very early as a kitten.  She says that there is a window of learning what is food/texture and when that time passes it can be (not always) more difficult to get them to eat a different food whether canned, dry, raw.  That was her opinion. 

My uneducated logic would be the sooner the better.  It may even help get him over the illness as it is highly nutritious.

Best of luck!

 

[ares]

Kittens as a general rule take to raw very well. I've heard of kittens younger than yours being raw fed. I would definitely wait until he's fully recovered from parasites/URI, and then start. You could go with the commercial raw you have available, but since it sounds like you're only going to be supplemental feeding raw (meaning less than 15% of total diet), then you don't need to worry about the raw being balanced. You could just feed raw meat a few times a week. If you eat meat at home, it's generally cheaper to buy a little extra of the meat you get for yourself/family. Just don't use pre-ground meat or anything enhanced with a flavor/high sodium solution.

If you plan on raw being more than 15%, then you need to worry about it being balanced and/or supplemented. However, I woulld start slow with the kitten and just start offering up a little bit of raw meat.

Thank you so much for the reply! It's good to know I don't have to overly stress about whats in the meat when I'm only doing it once or twice a week.

What types of meats can cats eat? Beef, lamb, salmon - I guess the real question is what types of raw meats I SHOULDN'T let them eat.

 

[vball91]

Thank you so much for the reply! It's good to know I don't have to overly stress about whats in the meat when I'm only doing it once or twice a week.

What types of meats can cats eat? Beef, lamb, salmon - I guess the real question is what types of raw meats I SHOULDN'T let them eat.

Start with chicken. It's generally well tolerated by most cats. Most of feed whatever meats we can find. Beef, lamb, pork (make sure this one is unenhanced), turkey are all fine. If you can find and afford them, duck, rabbit, quail, venison, etc. are all fine. Most of us don't feed a lot of fish for many reasons. Fish every once in a while as a treat is fine, but don't make it a substantial part of his diet. Stick with muscle meats for now which include hearts and gizzards.

 

[ares]

 

[vball91]

Ares really is a cutie. Yes, salmonella and bacteria are a concern with any raw meat. However, healthy cats can handle a much higher bacterial load than humans. Salmonella is much more of a concern to you handling raw meat, but as I like to point out to people, I've been handling raw meat when preparing food for myself for 20+ years without making myself sick, so I think I can handle the cat food preparation too.

Also, salmonella and bacteria are a concern with commercial cat food as well (look at the all the recalls), so since there's a risk either way, I would rather feed high quality human-grade meat whenever possible. However, that is one of the reasons I would wait until Ares is completely well before starting raw.

 

[ares]

Ares really is a cutie. Yes, salmonella and bacteria are a concern with any raw meat. However, healthy cats can handle a much higher bacterial load than humans. Salmonella is much more of a concern to you handling raw meat, but as I like to point out to people, I've been handling raw meat when preparing food for myself for 20+ years without making myself sick, so I think I can handle the cat food preparation too.

Also, salmonella and bacteria are a concern with commercial cat food as well (look at the all the recalls), so since there's a risk either way, I would rather feed high quality human-grade meat whenever possible. However, that is one of the reasons I would wait until Ares is completely well before starting raw.

Ah, that makes sense. Thanks! I can see why it would be a good idea to wait for him to get healthy first

 

[peaches08]

Just throwing it out there: to reduce salmonella risks with raw you can heat the oven to 550 degrees and very lightly brown the outside of the chicken skin or meat, then pull it out and put it immediately in ice water to stop the cooking process.

Or lower the temp and cook the chicken all the way. Be sure to remove cooked bones though!

Hope your kitty feels better soon.

 

[ares]

Just throwing it out there: to reduce salmonella risks with raw you can heat the oven to 550 degrees and very lightly brown the outside of the chicken skin or meat, then pull it out and put it immediately in ice water to stop the cooking process.

Or lower the temp and cook the chicken all the way. Be sure to remove cooked bones though!

Hope your kitty feels better soon.

Thanks for the advice! When the time comes to start feeding him the chicken, I will be sure to try that method

I hope he gets better soon too! Thanks so much!