Raw cat food questions, any Veterinarians?
I was wondering about the benefits and deficits of a raw food diet for my cat, considering that in nature cats would eat raw meat. I am aware of the risks for parasites and I know that livestock and dogs eat certain plants that rid them of stomach parasites, particularly clover because it contains tannins. I also know that cranberries contain tannins and have recently been added to many commercial cat foods, but because cats are carnivores I am unsure to whether or not they would be able to digest the fruit. Also, this website has a recipe for raw cat food and I was wondering if it is correct: www.wikihow.com/Make-Raw-Cat-Food . I would inform my veterinarian of this decision before I enacted it but just was curious.
Tagged with: carnivores • cat foods • cats • clover • cranberries • dogs • livestock • plants • raw cat food • raw food diet • raw meat • stomach parasites • veterinarian
Filed under: Raw Food Diet Recipe
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Wow, I was surprised to see no answers — there is a rather large raw-food community here on YA. I feed about half my cats’ food as raw, and you can make it as simple or as complex as you like. I suggest you do a search for raw, BARF, and prey diets to get a variety of recipes. Read what Dr. Lisa Piersen has to say on the matter. I use a pretty idiot-proof recipe that Feline Instincts offers; Feline Instincts make a complete additive for raw food diets to take a lot of the guesswork out of it for people like me (a vegetarian and on the lazy side).
Most fruits and veggies have to be "slightly predigested" (as it would be in the prey’s stomach) which essentially means steaming them before adding to food. Even then, some cats don’t digest them well, but I personally don’t see that as much of an issue unless it causes problems for your cats. Many recipes forgo the addition of fruits and veggies in favor of a supplement.
Cats have a short digestive tract (the shortest in the animal kingdom) and they are not as affected by germs or things like salmonella as humans or even dogs are. You will see a lot of people pull the salmonella card, but it is a joker, as salmonella is very, very, very rare in cats.
When I first broached the subject with my rural, country vet he was in favor of it. He said, "Go for it. I don’t see half the health problems in barn cats as I do in house cats." Don’t be surprised, however, if your vet looks at you as if you have totally lost all your marbles….vets actually get little nutritional training in vet school, and most of it comes from the pet food companies, and for some reason they have been collectively brainwashed into beleiving that dry food is the best stuff to feed cats, and we know how silly that is.
Go for it. Not all cats take to it, and for some it can take time. But, the health benefits cannot be equaled.
ADDED: There is no such thing as "raw food in the form of dry food." All dry food HAS TO BE COOKED at high temperatures in order to make it into dry food that won’t spoil.
It is very risky. Salmonella poisoning can kill a cat. My suggestion is to get a raw diet in form of dry food. There are a couple of those out there – grain free and very top quality. Evo is one of them and the other one is Blue Buffalo Wilderness. And just recently they started to distribute the Go! Natural food in the U.S. which is what I feed my cats.
These foods are so nutrient dense that you feed about 40% less. And therefore they poop a whole lot less as well. The cat has been domesticated for thousands of years now and their ability to eat raw food and rid themselves of parasites is not quite what it’s cracked up to be.
I have fed commercially prepared raw food as it is tested and from reliable sources. Unless you have a butcher you can trust – don’t do it.
Most smaller pet supply stores carry raw cat food. Shop around and you will probably find something that will work. These are pre-made complete diets and safe, so you know it’s going to be good for your cat and not dangerous.