anyone feeding their cats raw?
- Thread starter Mordy
- Start date
lol yes 
he was the most inquisitive of the 5 in the litter and constantly got himself in trouble. nowadays he's a very sweet and mellow cat tho, also sleeps a lot.
my cats' names are mieze (this is the german equivalent of "kitty", "kitty-cat" would be "mieze-katze") and her kids are trouble, monster, laptop and marilyn. kitten #5 (mimi) is the only one i found a good, trustworthy home for.
here's a link to mieze's catster page:
http://catster.com/pet_page.php?j=t&i=53116
you can visit the others from there.
he was the most inquisitive of the 5 in the litter and constantly got himself in trouble. nowadays he's a very sweet and mellow cat tho, also sleeps a lot.my cats' names are mieze (this is the german equivalent of "kitty", "kitty-cat" would be "mieze-katze") and her kids are trouble, monster, laptop and marilyn. kitten #5 (mimi) is the only one i found a good, trustworthy home for.
here's a link to mieze's catster page:
http://catster.com/pet_page.php?j=t&i=53116
you can visit the others from there.
I hate to bring up an older post, but I had to tell you guys about what I found out today
I've been trying to switch my cats to raw for MONTHS now, with little luck. I've tried quite a few things, pretty much every trick in the book. Currently they're eating all canned, so you'd think the transition would be easy, but nooooo, not with my two!
Well they're darned well going to switch now! I found out that it will cost me LESS THAN HALF to feed them one of the pre-made frozen raw diets we sell at my store than I currently pay for food! That was SO exciting to find out! I had a feeling it would be cheaper, but my motivation had always been that it was healthier for them. Now that I know it's substantially cheaper as well, they're GOING to make the switch! They no longer have a say in the matter! lol
I've been trying to switch my cats to raw for MONTHS now, with little luck. I've tried quite a few things, pretty much every trick in the book. Currently they're eating all canned, so you'd think the transition would be easy, but nooooo, not with my two!
Well they're darned well going to switch now! I found out that it will cost me LESS THAN HALF to feed them one of the pre-made frozen raw diets we sell at my store than I currently pay for food! That was SO exciting to find out! I had a feeling it would be cheaper, but my motivation had always been that it was healthier for them. Now that I know it's substantially cheaper as well, they're GOING to make the switch! They no longer have a say in the matter! lol
ash - it's basically the same as for dogs, with the exception that most cats will not chew raw meaty bones as readily and might take more to boneless meat only. and of course they can't take on bones as big as medium to large dogs.
that very much depends on the individual tho, my friend's cat for example enjoys her chicken wings and backs just as much as her dog does.
you'll probably have the best luck with chunks of meat and soft bones like chicken wings or necks.
that very much depends on the individual tho, my friend's cat for example enjoys her chicken wings and backs just as much as her dog does.
you'll probably have the best luck with chunks of meat and soft bones like chicken wings or necks.
I see some good aspects in a raw diet, but I think it's more of a fad... bones and such can cause such problems. Just like humans, "pets" have evovled, and therefore should be treated as such. Just because a new company comes out with something, does not make it right. Yes, it may work on some, but may be awful to others. As for cats, give them a good dry food, and let them snack on wet, give them real fish once and a while for a different taste. There are sooo many great foods out there this day and age, don't let you cat go back wards...even more primal.
The way are pets are now..... it's been proven that bones are harsh and can be fatal. Turkey necks, etc....small bones to rip the various lining of organs and tissues. I would not chance it myself. They ARE NOT WILD, THEY DON'T KILL FOR THEIR FOOD, and therefore are not adapted to live that life. They are PETS.... and have been treated as such for a long time. Why go back?
The way are pets are now..... it's been proven that bones are harsh and can be fatal. Turkey necks, etc....small bones to rip the various lining of organs and tissues. I would not chance it myself. They ARE NOT WILD, THEY DON'T KILL FOR THEIR FOOD, and therefore are not adapted to live that life. They are PETS.... and have been treated as such for a long time. Why go back?
animalbiz, keep in mind that the digestive tracts of even our domesticated dogs and cats are still no different than those of their wild ancestors, and certainly can not be compared to those of a human being.
i agree that a diet is definitely not something where a "one size fits all" approach works, but there is indeed evidence that especially processed dry food does more harm than good due to its low moisture content. this becomes especially evident in cats who are plagued by FUS of different kinds.
feeding a home prepared diet is by no means a step back, i suggest you read some good books on feeding natural diets, such as for example written by dr. tom lonsdale or dr. richard pitcairn. especially dr. lonsdale has described the disaster of dental disease in cats and dogs in great detail in his book "raw meaty bones".
it is true that most of our domestic pets do not hunt their own food anymore, but that has absolutely nothing to do with what their digestive system is adapted to, which is still meat, bones and fat, not processed food mainly consisting of grains, especially cats, which are obligate carnivores.
feeding fresh, raw meat is not a "fad" - that term is better applied to commercial foods, which only entered the market about 80 years ago and has only been widely available and affordable for people since after world war two. it used to be predominantly canned meat, which isn't quite as harmful as grain-based dry food, but eventually industrial use of grains in pet food became prevalent and of course has a greater profit margin, due to the cost of ingredients and packaging material.
unfortunately many people are taken in by the colorful, pseudo-scientific advertising of the pet food industry, which has evolved into a multibillion business in the last two decades or so.
i agree that a diet is definitely not something where a "one size fits all" approach works, but there is indeed evidence that especially processed dry food does more harm than good due to its low moisture content. this becomes especially evident in cats who are plagued by FUS of different kinds.
feeding a home prepared diet is by no means a step back, i suggest you read some good books on feeding natural diets, such as for example written by dr. tom lonsdale or dr. richard pitcairn. especially dr. lonsdale has described the disaster of dental disease in cats and dogs in great detail in his book "raw meaty bones".
it is true that most of our domestic pets do not hunt their own food anymore, but that has absolutely nothing to do with what their digestive system is adapted to, which is still meat, bones and fat, not processed food mainly consisting of grains, especially cats, which are obligate carnivores.
feeding fresh, raw meat is not a "fad" - that term is better applied to commercial foods, which only entered the market about 80 years ago and has only been widely available and affordable for people since after world war two. it used to be predominantly canned meat, which isn't quite as harmful as grain-based dry food, but eventually industrial use of grains in pet food became prevalent and of course has a greater profit margin, due to the cost of ingredients and packaging material.
unfortunately many people are taken in by the colorful, pseudo-scientific advertising of the pet food industry, which has evolved into a multibillion business in the last two decades or so.
i'm updating again as well. my crew ate chopped up chicken necks and wings for the first time today. until now i have fed boneless meat with a calcium supplement.
3 of them actually seemed to enjoy chewing on something instead of just gulping it down, the other 2 weren't quite as happy but ate anyway.
3 of them actually seemed to enjoy chewing on something instead of just gulping it down, the other 2 weren't quite as happy but ate anyway.
Yay! That's great to hear Mordy!
I actually have a question for you... I can get beef, bison or venison neck bones (cut up into peices that are meant for "small dogs") would these be okay to give to the kitties? There isn't much meat on them, they're more of a "recreational chew" for dogs, but I was wondering if it is possible. It's so hard to find bones *other* than chicken necks for the kitties.
I actually have a question for you... I can get beef, bison or venison neck bones (cut up into peices that are meant for "small dogs") would these be okay to give to the kitties? There isn't much meat on them, they're more of a "recreational chew" for dogs, but I was wondering if it is possible. It's so hard to find bones *other* than chicken necks for the kitties.
the cats probably wont want much to do with them - they wont be able to eat much of those bones, and there isnt much meat on them, so they would probably ignore them - im my mind, a waste of money.
there are lots of things cats CAN eat -
quail, almost the entire chicken, duck, rabbit, and just meat from other species (most bones from beef, pork, an dlamb cuts are too hard for them).
i use chicken as my main source of bones for them along with rabbit, but feed them beef and pork regularly as well.
there are lots of things cats CAN eat -
quail, almost the entire chicken, duck, rabbit, and just meat from other species (most bones from beef, pork, an dlamb cuts are too hard for them).
i use chicken as my main source of bones for them along with rabbit, but feed them beef and pork regularly as well.