A few weeks ago I asked about what to feed my cat. I came across an answer leading me to http://www.catinfo.org/ . Skeptic about it I still read and have gradually changed my cats diet. I was feeding them dry food and cheap canned food. I thought that if I saw a sale at the pet store it would be ok…a lot less expensive i thought.
Anyways, Its been two weeks since I have not fed any dry food(I still serve them a bit on a bowl just in case they don’t like their new diet but they don’t even touch it any more).
Since day one they liked raw chicken. I served them a bit at a time along with canned food. I have read the labels on every can at the store and got the best I can afford guiding myself with catinfo.org and a few people that advised me on what to look for.
I am not kidding. Their fur is shiny and very silky. Their poop is not smelly any more, or at least not as much and they seem very very energetic.
Finally, for my question: Im ready to change to an all raw meat diet and will finally try the recipe given on catinfo.org. The question is: How much should I feed my cats(how many oz a day). They are both around 9lbs and are a year old now.
I am very proud of myself for finding this new diet. I can tell by how they act with me and how happy they look playing with each other.

Okay, so I plan to attain a kitten in the near future… and have researched what type of diet I would like to feed to my cat… having read what they put in canned and dry food I am determined not to give this to my future cat, and have read that using a meat grinder on chicken meat and bones is good for a cat and also that grated carrots are good for them also.. so I was just wondering if there is anyone out there that has some nice recipes that they feed their cats. I am not looking for peoples opinions on whether they think this is a bad idea, I have done my research for it, and I am confident that this is the right approach.

My dog loves cooked food. She hates dry food, although I buy her a good brand.
Some people believe that dry food is the best solution, because it is formulated to have the nutrients a dog needs.
Some other people believe that fresh high quality ingredients that we’d eat ourselves is the healthiest solution.
I give both opinions some basis. So I want to combine them, by cooking some food and adding some kibble in it, or giving her some cooked meals and some kibble when I don’t have time or ingredients to cook for her.
However, I want to make sure she gets the nutrients necessary in her cooked diet. What would you suggest? I cooked her chicken+chicken livers+rice today. With a few peas in it too. One day I had added pasta instead of rice.
How much rice or pasta is allowed so that she doesn’t have diabetes problem? How much and what type of veg should I add?
NOTE: 1. I know what foods are poisonous and must not be given, so don’t tell me.
2. I also know some people suggest raw food and bones, but I won’t do this so don’t tell me to do that.

I have a14 week old shiba inu puppy, duke. I currently feed him Artemis: Small Breed Puppy Formula. I know this is really good food however i want to give him a healthier diet. How would i go about doing this, raw diet? what is raw diet exactly? Also could i do like cooked chicken, or steak pieces along with mashed fruits and veggie?

Links to websites or recipes for some good homemade food to go along with his dry food would be greatly appreciated.

I was asking a question last night about a cat food by Taste of the Wild and I had a couple answers that informed me of how bad dry food really is for cats…I was shocked to find this out. So apparently more canned food would be better or just switching to a raw diet. I would like to do the raw diet if someone can give me a good, easy, cheap recipe to do it. I also don’t have a meat grinder, so is that something you HAVE to have in order to feed raw since cats are supposed to eat a small amount of bones?

If you feed your cats raw, please list what foods you buy and how much you feed them daily and WHAT meats you feed them daily. Also, how much a month approx would it cost to raw feed 2 cats? Tell me all you know! I looked at some sites, but none were really explaining the types of meat to buy.

One last question-one of my cats is a kitten, would a raw diet give him all the nutrients he needs?

THANKS!
Ok, now i’m getting confused. Everyone was saying that a raw food diet is so much better because cats are carnivores and most of the proteins in dry food are plant proteins while proteins in canned food or raw diet are animal proteins.
I don’t want to risk them getting a disease from infected meat so I guess I will continue to offer them dry food at all times, I’m going to use Taste of the Wild Rocky Mountain Feline and then I’ll give them a canned food once a day…That sounds easier anyway. I just was curious about the raw food because everyone said it’s the healthiest for them.
I too know of several cats that lived solely off of dry foods and they lived to be 15+, I just thought maybe raw would be better…but I’m too afraid to do it because I’m afraid I wouldn’t get the right amounts of different nutrients etc.

I currently have my cat (about 8 mo.) on Wellness, which is a great dry food, but am thinking of switching him to a raw diet. I’ve done some research and a lot of the recipes I’ve found online call for bone, which I then have to grind. Unfortunately, I don’t have a meat and bone grinder and its too expensive for me to buy at this point in time. Is there something I can use as a substitute for bone? Maybe bone meal or some sort of vitamin? And if not, is it better to just stay with the Wellness dry food rather than feed my kitty a recipe without bone?

whats are the pros and cons of feeding my dog the BARF (bones and raw food diet? is it cheaper than regular dry food from the store in the long run? ive been kind of reading about it and every website says like feed your dog meat like chicken, but i dont understand. are you supposed to go to wal-mart and by some chicken that humans would season and just give it to the dog?? can someone explain everything and leave some recipes or a website?? thanks soooo much, details appreciated!
i meant for not fir, i dont know how to change it :)

before any gets too heated (at least if this is anything like the cat section!) I DON’T have a dog. I am asking this for future reference… just to store the information away for later.

I sort of recently switching my cat to an all wet food diet (not an easy feat since he loves dry food, was never fond of wet food, and I still live at home and my parents feed their cat dry food, which is left out all day…). I know closely inspect the ingredients before I buy him anything and have a few brands and flavors he likes so I can mix it up for him.

anyway, recently I’ve been wondering if we were wrong about dogs too… are they healthier on an all wet food diet? half and half? no wet food?

we ha a siberian husky who had kidney failure and cancer that went to her brain… she was put down on december 12 2005 and I just want to prevent anything like that from happening to future dogs, I’ve heard all dry food can cause kidney failure?
dry food cleans your pets teeth about as much as a potato chip cleans your teeth…
I have done EXTENSIVE research on my cat’s diet and I was not asking for advice on that, but thanks anyway.

My cat is overweight and is eating the minimum amount of dry food, so I plan on putting him on a raw diet. The Problem? Every recipe is different and some even conflict each other.

I don’t want to kill my cat by using the wrong supplement or too much/little of something.

Is it really that techinal or can you feed them raw chicken with any food supplement mixed in? Then the bones thing, I don’t want to use bone, so must I find a supplement with a ton of calcium? How about Salmon oil… can I do without?

As you see, lots of questions, looking for anyone with experience.

I’m in the process of changing my dog’s diet to include 1 meal per day that has raw meat. For example, tonight she had raw steak mixed with small portions of shredded raw spinich, carrot, broccoli, a few cooked green peas, some cottage cheese, and a few diced peaches. I vary the veggies and fruit depending on what we’re having, but the meat so far has always been steak. I plan to introduce raw salmon next week. She’s a chihuahua so cost isn’t a factor. So far, her allergies seem to have disappeared and she LOVES her evening meal with us. Her other meal is Orijen, a super premium dry food.

My question: I see so many comments from raw feeders who use primarily chicken. I worry about bacteria in raw chicken and pork. Do you feed chicken primarily because it costs less, or is there some fundamental reason dogs need it? There’s chicken (cooked) in her dry food, shouldn’t that be enough?

Thanks in advance, and don’t tell me that wolves eat dead rats, I don’t own a wolf. (lol)

I have a hamster whose name is pudge. You can guess why. I fed him every night, in medium amounts. When I clean his cage, food galore on the bottom. Now I feed him a lot in his dish every other day. I feed him orange slices sometimes. Other than that…. dry food! He is still living up to his name. He has a wheel and uses it mainly to sleep under. I put him in his ball, but he gets tired after 10 minutes or so. (Barely walking, staying still.) Help?!
Thank You!!!
-zoey607 :)
The "Dry Food" I am feeding Pudge is seeds. The brand is Nutraphase Gold.

hes about 20 pounds and hes 8 or 9 years old, he is VERY big when i look at him. my mom feeds him 1/4 a can of wet food twice a day and she will also feed him table scraps and snacks occasionally. him and our other cat have a bowl of dry food that is open for them to eat whenever they want. unfortunately i think he overeats while the other cat watches her figure.

i want him to be slim and healthy and live very long because we love him so much, but if he doesnt get his wet food in the morning and at night he goes on a rampage. we cannot sleep in the morning until he is fed. if nobody wakes up to feed him, he will meow, scratch on the wall, purr very loudly and even knock things off the tables and counter tops. he even knows how to turn the light switch on and has even turned the radio on just to wake me up. but i dont think he should be eating wet food every day. how can i get him off of the wet food diet without all the drama?

We recently got a 14 month old doberman, and have heard about the raw diet, and how the breeder fed all her dogs that. We won’t be able to afford having her totally on raw food, and want to do dry food some days too. What is a good feeding plan for this?

My cat (about six months old) is on a raw food diet called "The Ultimate Diet" from a book I read titled such.
Anyway, it’s going well except my cat won’t eat the raw chicken bone after eating all the meat off of it. He simple thinks it’s just there to hold the meat. Ive tried to get softer bones such as the chicken necks but I can’t buy them anywhere. Because of this, I’ve been feeding him his dry food along with the raw diet so I can be sure he’s also getting the calcium he needs.
How can I get him to eat the bone, or what other bones can I get him that he may be more likely to eat?
Also, I know I can grind up the bone and add it to the meal, but I haven no way of grinding it…no butchers are in my area…
Thanks! :)
They are supposed to eat RAW bones, cooked bones are bad because they are splintery and could make them choke, but raw bones are necessary for calcium.

Hello, I have a 3 yo American Bulldog and have gone through tons of tests in the last month due to her diarrhea, everything negative. She has been on Hills i/d for the last month and she feels great although her stools are still pretty soft (even on a good day!) I am debating the raw diet and need all RELEVANT info on the raw diet. Seems to me though that once you "go raw" that you cannot go back, and I do need to be able to board her and have her eat dry food. Is there a good commercial/rx brand that is similar to raw (as lame as that sounds) or is i/d good enough.

Also, could it be anxiety? This dog is happy and healthy (always gets complements what a "happy" or "good" dog she is, she sleeps in our bed every night, HOWEVER she does run to the door when she hears neighbors (we are in a condo) and seems to be overly concerned sometimes with the activity of the neighbors, which I thought was normal dog behavior. There is no barking problem, if anything she makes one big "woof" and that is it.

THANKS so much in advance, I am driving myself nuts with this and have spent about 800 bucks on the vet!!

I’m starting my 7 indoor cats on a raw food "diet".
I know Innova wasn’t on the pet food recall last month but i’m not taking any chances.
None of this dry food is good for cats.

Can you send me a website link OR a recipe for a raw food meal for cats?

Thanks a million.
WOW .. so much good info here. I’ll start looking through everything! WOW, thank you so much!!

Yeah, i’m wondering how hard it’s going to be with 7 cats. Most of the looong recipes i found were just for 3 or less.

Is it safe?
Is he old enough he is about 7 months old and weighs 13lbs.

How do I start him on a raw food diet? he eats only dry food

What sorts of raw food can I give him?

I decided to try and switch my dogs dry food to a raw food intake. I did google the subject and i didnt find any cons to the raw food diet, plus, i never been comfortable with the dry food..
Anyone here feeds their dog raw food? i do leave in apartment building and we have carpet so i wont give him whole bones.
How can i transfer my dog to a raw diet food? should i do it right away or just add some raw ingredients to his food? My dog always liked veggies, like carrots and tomatoes. Does raw feeding gives dogs upset stomachs?

wet food the rest of the time. I was thinking of using Nature’s Variety raw food, but if anybody else has a better brand or an easy recipe they use that would be great. How often do you feed the raw food to your cat and do you think I need to do it for every meal? I mean, what are the specific benefits? Is it like breast milk, even some is better than none? Thanks.
Val, you don’t know what you are talking about. Dry food is awful for pets!

His owner couldn’t keep him, so we took him in. He’s been fed dry food exclusively and his bowl was kept full. How can I ease him into less food and would canned be better than dry?