question for breeders?

I was having an argument (?) with a friend recently about my decision to start my cats on a raw diet.
He argued with me til he was blue in the face that not only was it not necessary (he thinks a cats digestive system has evolved over the years to a dry food grain based diet) but that it was dangerous. He believes that an ideal diet consists of dry food with an egg on top (?).

He went on to say that no breeder or informed cat parent would feed their babies raw?

Is this an accurate satement? I think he's nuts but I wanted to ask...

I personally DON'T Feed raw 100% of the time but I do give my cats occassional raw - as treats or supplement to their daily dry.

I do know breeders who ONLY feed raw 100% of the time....

In Australia the majority of breeders feed at least some raw to all their cats and kittens.

Many cat owners here feed meat at least a few times a week, I feed mine raw twice a day and a little dry at night.

Originally Posted by Abymummy

I personally DON'T Feed raw 100% of the time but I do give my cats occassional raw - as treats or supplement to their daily dry.

I do know breeders who ONLY feed raw 100% of the time....

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Same here. Many breeders feed raw. And many breeders choose not to feed raw because there are dangers.

Seems many breeders/owners feed raw - some for certain breeds and some for problems the cats had on commercial foods.

I don't feed raw, but will give them bites of raw hamburger sometimes.

Well, then I have to be a very uninformed cat parent and breeder. I've raw fed my cats for 4 years and it's the best thing I've ever done when it comes to making decisions about my cats health.

Being a biologist I think it's absolutely logic to mimic the cats natural food. Being a biologist I also know that evolution takes not years but hundreds of thousands of years so I don't believe a second that domestic cats have physiologically adapted to eat foods containing lots of grains. I will keep on believing that until someone shows me scientific facts on the opposite.

I was just at a cat show and asked a few Aby breeders about diet. Most said that their abys like variety in their diet, and will typically get raw food as a "big treat" rather than regular meals.

And sure enough, the breeder that we spoke with about our new cat did the same thing -- regular dry food (a mix of 3 things in variable quantities, to keep it interesting for the cat) and the occasional raw food "big treat." Chicken gizards/liver, a bit of raw chicken or beef, etc.

Cat's digestive systems, despite what your friend told you, has not changed. Ask your vet if you're really curious. A mostly-grain-based diet would be a great way to give your kitty indigestion, diarrhea, bad fur, and be generally unhappy. Their body is made to eat meat pretty much exclusively, and they do that in the wild. Their digestive tracts are short and grain passes right through them without being digested, leading to little nutritional value. And due to that short digestive tract, foods that would otherwise be bad for people are fine for cats (raw chicken as a prime example).

The biggest problem with an all-raw diet is that it can lead to gum problems, as their teeth aren't getting cleaned from chewing on something crunchy. Like dogs and a "milk bone." Having some crunchy foods with some grain is good for their teeth. And don't feed them cooked food, as bones can be splintery AND they'll develop a taste for your dinner (which can be toxic for cats as you add ingredients, like garlic/onion for instance).

It also doesn't help that an all-raw diet would get pretty expensive pretty fast!

RAW has BONES either whole or grd which CLEAN TEETH>..

DRY food in general DOES NOTHING for teeth except add to plaque build up ...

I have done wet/ dry ( for most this is both easy and econmical) , all raw ( cheapest by far ) , all homemade and then a mix of wet , homemade and sprinkling of dry ... the later work at the moment since the dog has liver issues///

Originally Posted by EggyToast

I was just at a cat show and asked a few Aby breeders about diet. Most said that their abys like variety in their diet, and will typically get raw food as a "big treat" rather than regular meals.

And sure enough, the breeder that we spoke with about our new cat did the same thing -- regular dry food (a mix of 3 things in variable quantities, to keep it interesting for the cat) and the occasional raw food "big treat." Chicken gizards/liver, a bit of raw chicken or beef, etc.

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It appears that your Aby breeder and I agree on the same If you don't mind, would you pm me the cattery name?

we have breeding cats and rescue cats. raw diets are amazing but the ground up versions don't do as good a job of scraping the teeth clean. so we supplement with kibble twice a week and give them whole quail or pidgeon once a week. we would love to feed whole necks and wings but space is a issue. also hard to get the liquid supplements like ACV, Amino Acids and Red Palm Oil into diet otherwise.

Originally Posted by Sol

Well, then I have to be a very uninformed cat parent and breeder. I've raw fed my cats for 4 years and it's the best thing I've ever done when it comes to making decisions about my cats health.

Being a biologist I think it's absolutely logic to mimic the cats natural food. Being a biologist I also know that evolution takes not years but hundreds of thousands of years so I don't believe a second that domestic cats have physiologically adapted to eat foods containing lots of grains. I will keep on believing that until someone shows me scientific facts on the opposite.

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That's exactly what I said! I was a biology student in college and while I only recieved my A.S. It sounded ludicrous that someone would think that evolution would occur so rapidly.

thanks for all the input guys.

I've been feeding my kittens raw almost 100% for almost a week now. they still get dry food in the early morning if they won't let me sleep in though . They seem to love it and their booties aren't so stinky
Now the real challenge will be to get my 3 y o to eat it. She's extra snobby...

persevere. some cats can be pretty stubborn but a healthy animal can take a little hunger

Originally Posted by aliciahorsley

persevere. some cats can be pretty stubborn but a healthy animal can take a little hunger

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It depends on the species. Cats are a species that needs to eat often. If a cat doesn't eat for 24 hours they can develop fatty liver disease (this is more common in somewhat overweight cats) which can be cured if caught early and treated but is otherwise fatal.

Originally Posted by Siggav

It depends on the species. Cats are a species that needs to eat often. If a cat doesn't eat for 24 hours they can develop fatty liver disease (this is more common in somewhat overweight cats) which can be cured if caught early and treated but is otherwise fatal.

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Normal weight, healthy adults are low risk when it comes to fatty liver disease and they can starve longer than 24 hours. Obese cats and kittens should however never starve that long.

Personally I don't think starvation is needed at all, you can get a hungry cat without withholding the food completely.

siggav, didn't meant to withold food completely. sorry if i was not clear.
thanks for clarification, sol.

For the time being I have caved and am allowing Bea (my 3 y o) to keep her regular diet although she's getting more wet food than dry. She's still getting used to the kittens so I don't want to push too much on her at once.

The kittens are getting SO soft though! it's really quite remarkable... and I've noticed that Chloe isn't drinking as much water so that also makes me happy. She was drinking a lot of water and it was making me nervous despite her clean bill of health.

My friend, who has two show Siamese, JUST started feeding them little bits of raw at dinner, and already, their bodies are becoming more lean, more muscular. They play a lot, so I think obviously, it's good for them.