Raw food diet for CATS...anyone do this?

catcrazy
catcrazy Posts: 1,740 Member
edited September 28 in Chit-Chat
Hi, very "off topic" but thats why I've posted it in chit chat.


I'm looking into introducing and converting or supplementing my cats commercial cat food pouch diet with raw food, raw meaty bones etc, partly for cost and partly because I looked at the ingredients on the pouches (dieters habit I guess!) and they're nothing but crud! 4% meat derivatives, 8.5% protein, 4.5% oil, 2.5% ash...I wonder how that compares to mouse/rat/bird?

So....what I'm wondering is do any of you cat lovers out there follow this or has anyone tried it and what are your findings - cost compared to commercial, amount eaten, more or less likely to gain unnecessary weight etc.?

yup, CatCrazy by name and nature

Replies

  • Iamgiam
    Iamgiam Posts: 38
    2 live mice a day. close all the doors and windows. let the mice out. Cat gets exercise and a nice healthy meal to boot.
  • Dreamerlove
    Dreamerlove Posts: 441 Member
    good question! I love my furball, and want the best for him. But I have "heard" feeding your animal raw meat makes them mean, and thats how dog fighters get their dogs to fight. I have heard thats why wild animals are mean too. I feed my cat dry food for indoor cats, and sometimes tuna mixed in. You might could cook chicken breast or something. I'm going to ask my vet this since cats have such small tummies!
  • Dreamerlove
    Dreamerlove Posts: 441 Member
    2 live mice a day. close all the doors and windows. let the mice out. Cat gets exercise and a nice healthy meal to boot.

    too funny!
  • catcrazy
    catcrazy Posts: 1,740 Member
    lol, nice try but i have 5 cats and with only 2 mice there would be fights! You should see the commotion that ensues when a moth makes the mistake of entering my house!
  • catcrazy
    catcrazy Posts: 1,740 Member
    But I have "heard" feeding your animal raw meat makes them mean,

    thats another question i'd be asking anyone that has tried it, many vets are against raw food diets because of salmonella etc but mice and birds caught in the wild are even more likely to carry these things I would have thought.
  • Gemini_at_36
    Gemini_at_36 Posts: 207
    I haven't exactly looked into CAT nutrition but I know from changing my hounds to "wellness" , it is expensive. But I do want my hounds to feel good and be healthy. Just like you said, reading the label, wellness ingredients are things we would eat....they have wellness for cats too.:flowerforyou:
  • Dreamerlove
    Dreamerlove Posts: 441 Member
    lol, nice try but i have 5 cats and with only 2 mice there would be fights! You should see the commotion that ensues when a moth makes the mistake of entering my house!

    bahaha! I have one and its commotion, I could only imagine!
  • LowCarbAmanda
    LowCarbAmanda Posts: 129
    I don't have any stats or costs, but I did attempt this for about a month, to see if it would help my cat who had feline leukemia. She had stopped eating kibble. She did start eating again, and perked right up, but still only made it about an additional month. :'(

    I do, however, feed my dogs Before Grains brand dog food. 98% buffalo. They are doing so much better on it than on traditional dog food. I think grain free is the way to go.
  • blakgarnet
    blakgarnet Posts: 343
    feed a well balanced cat food. raw food (and just meat) can alter the concentrations of the other nutrients your cat needs, making them deficient in things. read the label on the food - it should have an AAFCO statement, you want a food that have gone through feeding trials, meaning that not only does it contain when they think it does when they analyze it, but that those nutrients are also available nutritionally in the GI tract. Also make sure to get a food that is for maintenance, not growth unless you have a kitten.

    just based on my experience as a vet. although the salmonella thing is also a concern - I see a far number that get GI upset from raw meat.
  • stephn1
    stephn1 Posts: 21 Member
    HI
    because I have a diabetic cat (and 2 other normal ones) I had to regulate his diet to low carb and he is off insulin. Raw food is okay as long as it has all the nurtrients but raw meat does not have the nutrients they need. I feed canned food no gravys those have to much carbs in them. Wellness chicken and turkey are both good but my cats got to picky and wouldn't eat it. I bought raw food you defrost only what you will feed in few days and keep it refrigerated. My cats love it but it is expensive and figuring how much 3 of them would eat and defrosting it was just more than I wanted to do so I give it as a treat now and then. Dry food is really high in carbs 32 % and for my cats a no no. The canned food I feed is 5 to 7% carbs. My diabetic has been off insulin for 3 years now and healthy he is 13. They really have to have taurine, dog food doesn't contain enough or maybe not at all, but I know they have to have it..
  • catcrazy
    catcrazy Posts: 1,740 Member
    feed a well balanced cat food. raw food (and just meat) can alter the concentrations of the other nutrients your cat needs, making them deficient in things. read the label on the food - it should have an AAFCO statement, you want a food that have gone through feeding trials, meaning that not only does it contain when they think it does when they analyze it, but that those nutrients are also available nutritionally in the GI tract. Also make sure to get a food that is for maintenance, not growth unless you have a kitten.

    just based on my experience as a vet. although the salmonella thing is also a concern - I see a far number that get GI upset from raw meat.

    I wouldn't (if i do switch) just be feeding meat - bone, certain veg and also an additive (thats added to many cat foods) that contains the nutrients that are often responsible for problems. I also wouldn't be grinding the food as it destroys the taurine that cats need. One of the problems i'm facing is cost, I've rescued strays that have become pampered puss cats. Finances are tight and I'm kind of hoping that this might cut the costs down a little, they may need to eat less if what they are eating is not filled with cereals (that cats do not need being obligate carnivores)...if I could afford more I'd probably plump for better commercial food...just not an option at present
  • Rurouni_Kou
    Rurouni_Kou Posts: 180 Member
    Try checking out here: http://naturalliving.livejournal.com/ Look through the tags, I know people have asked this topic here before and had some good information or ask questions here.
  • cenafan
    cenafan Posts: 398 Member
    HI
    because I have a diabetic cat (and 2 other normal ones) I had to regulate his diet to low carb and he is off insulin. Raw food is okay as long as it has all the nurtrients but raw meat does not have the nutrients they need. I feed canned food no gravys those have to much carbs in them. Wellness chicken and turkey are both good but my cats got to picky and wouldn't eat it. I bought raw food you defrost only what you will feed in few days and keep it refrigerated. My cats love it but it is expensive and figuring how much 3 of them would eat and defrosting it was just more than I wanted to do so I give it as a treat now and then. Dry food is really high in carbs 32 % and for my cats a no no. The canned food I feed is 5 to 7% carbs. My diabetic has been off insulin for 3 years now and healthy he is 13. They really have to have taurine, dog food doesn't contain enough or maybe not at all, but I know they have to have it..

    I have a diabetic kitty too. I managed to get him off insulin for well over three years. Took him to the vet for another issue...they gave him some drug that onset his diabetes again. It took me a few months to get him leveled again. I was NOT pleased that a drug that has a side effect linked to diabetes was given to him. He eats very WELL for a stray. LOL

    I have polar opposite cats. one diabetic and one with kidney failure. Trying to keep them out of each others food is hard!
  • catcrazy
    catcrazy Posts: 1,740 Member
    Try checking out here: http://naturalliving.livejournal.com/ Look through the tags, I know people have asked this topic here before and had some good information or ask questions here.

    Thanks for the link, have saved the page, will be fully reading it tomorrow along with about 6 others I've found
  • Jessamin
    Jessamin Posts: 338 Member
    Cats have surprisingly delicate nutritional needs and their health can be seriously risked with improper nutrition. A raw diet needs to be closely monitored and calculated even more closely. It is often expensive and very time consuming. A high quality commercial cat food is more than likely your best bet.
  • Cait_Sidhe
    Cait_Sidhe Posts: 3,150 Member
    As a vet tech and owner of cats with various ailments, I recommend NOT doing this. Cats have extremely specific dietary and nutitional needs. A deficiency or overabundance of anything can put them in organ failure or introduce a number of ailments. Why risk your cat's health?
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