Raw or Cooked for home made cat food?

jem2998

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Hi everyone,

I am going to begin making home made food for a cat who is likely going to be diagnosed with diabetes. Do any of you make your own food? Do you use raw or cooked meat? Any online resources for recipes? I know I will need to purchase some supplements...

Thanks in advance for sharing your thoughts!
 

sharky

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With any medical issue TALK with your vet... you may want to google and then take what you find to talk with your vet ...


I have done part raw ...part homemade/ commercial canned per vet instructions( mine happens to have a degree in animal nutrition)... with a crf ( kidney ) cat ... with her it worked well ...

raw is easy but also easy to mess up the balence ... homemade is alot of work as you need more supplement s ....

right now my cushings dog eats mostly freeze dried and dehydrated raw ... easier for me and her and a bit safer ...

raw there is a higher risk of infection via certain bacteria
 

maxy24

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I would go with raw over cooked, raw is really the ideal diet for a cat (in my opinion). Some people are fine with feeding bones, some people supplement calcium instead, some smash the bones up in the meat before feeding, some grind bones, it's up to you.

In the future I hope to feed a raw food "prey model" diet. Prey model means that none of the food is ground up, you simply give the cat whole pieces of meat w/bone, organs etc. and supplement a few things like fish oil.
Some people feed raw food but buy a grinder and grind up all the meat, bones etc.

I have not done all my reading yet though so check out these sites:
http://www.catnutrition.org/index.php
http://www.rawfedcats.org/
 

yosemite

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Before you do anything, talk to your vet. IF the cat is diagnosed with diabetes, then discuss food decisions with your vet. No recipes here or anywhere else at this point are going to do you much good. Once you get a firm diagnosis and your cat is indeed diabetic, then proceed with the assistance and advice of your vet.
 
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jem2998

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Thank you all for your advice. I did speak with my vet about food options, and will continue to discuss this issue with him. My potentially diabetic cat is going to have her blood tested again in a couple of weeks.
 

missymotus

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Originally Posted by Maxy24

http://www.rawfedcats.org/
That's one of my favourite sites, also check out the yahoo groups in their links page.

Be aware that many vets don't know too much about nutrition, or raw feeding so you may be better off going to a holistic vet if your choice is raw.
 

chris10

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Originally Posted by missymotus

Be aware that many vets don't know too much about nutrition, or raw feeding so you may be better off going to a holistic vet if your choice is raw.
I have had a lot of vets yell at me for feeding raw to my cats. Finally found one in the area that agrees with me. The downside is that she is more expensive than most. But I don't get an ear full of cat poop like I did at the other vets.

If your vet takes more of a traditional approach at treating ailments with diets then you are most likely to get the answer of a diabetic food. They come in a dry and wet form, which dry is feed more often than wet. But IMO dry food and diabetes don't really go together. With some research you may come to that conclusion.

Like sharky said raw is fairly easy. If you use some of the recipes in the links provided IMO everything will be fine. Cooking will require more supplements.

Good luck
 

fuzmugly

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Originally Posted by sharky

raw there is a higher risk of infection via certain bacteria
I disagree to a certain extent. Raw meat is safe for an animal's system, their stomach is far more acidic than ours. Extra diligence is needed in the sanitation department. Raw meat from a freshly slaughtered, healthy animal, is not contaminated. We contaminate the meat with our unsafe handling practices; whether it be in the slaughter house, at the butcher, or in our own kitchen. Sanitizing knives, cutting boards, and countertops is a no brainer. Be sure to wash your cat's bowl once they are done eating their raw meal. Also do not allow the uneaten meal to sit out for an extended period of time. Once a food enters different temperature zones it is more or less likely to allow bacterial growth. Yes, sharky is right working with raw meat you are adding a bit of risk. But, utilizing proper safe handling procedures minimizes this risk a great deal. Here is a link from the USDA concerning safe food handling procedures: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets...ness/index.asp
 

sharky

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Originally Posted by FuzMugly

I disagree to a certain extent. Raw meat is safe for an animal's system, their stomach is far more acidic than ours. Extra diligence is needed in the sanitation department. Raw meat from a freshly slaughtered, healthy animal, is not contaminated. We contaminate the meat with our unsafe handling practices; whether it be in the slaughter house, at the butcher, or in our own kitchen. Sanitizing knives, cutting boards, and countertops is a no brainer. Be sure to wash your cat's bowl once they are done eating their raw meal. Also do not allow the uneaten meal to sit out for an extended period of time. Once a food enters different temperature zones it is more or less likely to allow bacterial growth. Yes, sharky is right working with raw meat you are adding a bit of risk. But, utilizing proper safe handling procedures minimizes this risk a great deal. Here is a link from the USDA concerning safe food handling procedures: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets...ness/index.asp
I know the risk seems minimal but some on here, using proper techniques( thank you for the link) have had cats dies from raw diets so that is my * disclaimer* per se...
 

nance

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If indeed your cat is diabetic....I can tell you from experience you won't find anything better for his condition than raw food....all the vet recommended diets are ok for their BG levels..but my cat wouldn't eat it for long...I started making my own and he just loved it...I should have started making it sooner...but I questioned it for along time.....but when I started feeding him raw I was amazed at how easy it was to control is BG....IMO...its the best for diabetic cats
 

mschauer

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Originally Posted by sharky

I know the risk seems minimal but some on here, using proper techniques( thank you for the link) have had cats dies from raw diets so that is my * disclaimer* per se...
As a raw feeder I'd be very interested in what happened. First exactly how many cats have members reported have died as the result of being fed raw? Exactly what was the cause of death and how did they know raw food was responsible?

I'm sure all us raw feeders can learn something from this.
 

sharky

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Originally Posted by mschauer

As a raw feeder I'd be very interested in what happened. First exactly how many cats have members reported have died as the result of being fed raw? Exactly what was the cause of death and how did they know raw food was responsible?

I'm sure all us raw feeders can learn something from this.
I will allow the members to discuss it if they want... I only have their takes and warnings( through Pms ) which I deemed a caution since they have far more experience with cats than I( some have dealt with personally around 500 cats in 50 plus yrs )... Also when i voiced my concerns with multiple vets (holistic and conventional ) the vets all agreed caution should be used...
 

fuzmugly

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Originally Posted by sharky

I will allow the members to discuss it if they want... I only have their takes and warnings( through Pms ) which I deemed a caution since they have far more experience with cats than I( some have dealt with personally around 500 cats in 50 plus yrs )... Also when i voiced my concerns with multiple vets (holistic and conventional ) the vets all agreed caution should be used...
I can surely understand hesitating to talk about a loss you have only heard about. I think it would be fair however to disclose just how many cases of death possibly linked to raw food (by members of tcs) you know about.

I would also be curious to know if raw has been directly linked to a death on this site. I think a postmortem autopsy would possibly be the only way to prove this.

Here are a couple sites with tips for non-toxic cleaners, enjoy!

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/mak...aning-kit.html
http://www.michaelandjudystouffer.co...es/vinegar.htm
 
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