eggs and raw diet

akane

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How healthy are eggs for cats and approximately how many would be a good supplement to a partially raw diet?

I have a cat with allergies and that was just never very healthy on dry cat food. The only things she can and will eat are California Natural and Solid Gold's Indigo Moon which gets expensive so I've been slowly moving them both toward a raw diet. I leave the dry food out all the time but they don't eat much of it anymore and split maybe a can a week between them of either regular evo or the evo 95% meats. The majority of their diet is made up of whole quail (feathers, bones, internal organs, I mean everything...) which I raise and butcher myself, the occasional good quality beef product, and the leftovers from duck and deer hunting seasons. I also have lots of chickens producing lots of eggs to the point I'm sick of eating eggs. Then every now and then they catch their own mice, birds, and chipmunks in the cat fenced yard.
 

sharky

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Eggs are a tricky one... since you are raising your own chickens they eggs will be safer raw than commercial ... I had feed raw eggs for a few decades but now am hesitant due to issues arising from raw eggs

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=1&aid=1029

This is a very conventional site but has alot of good info
 

mschauer

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Raw egg yolks are commonly included in raw diets for cats. Raw whites and raw yolk shouldn't be combined however because the avidin the the whites will bind with the biotin in the yolks and prevent it's absorption. You can include the whites if you lightly poach them first as that will deactivate the avidin. Or just feed the yolks.
 

dwmeowmix

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I found that out the hard way! I was using the whole egg and then my kitties started to itch and itch and then I read about the whole biotin issue. Since I quit using the whites, their fine now.

If you have a sensitive kitty I'd be careful using eggs. They are a common cause of allergies in cats. I don't pretend to know much about egg allergies so I'd do some research before feeding eggs to a sensitive kitty.

DWMeowMix
 

anlina

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The avidin/biotin issue is way overblown. The study that concluded that raw eggs are bad involved feeding lots of egg white over an extended period of time (18.5% egg white diet for 25 weeks, or a 32% egg white diet for 12 weeks). Yes, egg whites do contain avidin which does bind biotin, but there's so much biotin available in the yolks, as long as you're feeding whole eggs your cats will be fine.

I wouldn't feed exclusively eggs, but I would be quite comfortable adding an egg to my girls' meals several times a week (if only any of them liked the texture of raw egg.)

http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/content/abstract/107/2/330
 

anie

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I've added a raw egg once in a while to my cat's food, and he had no problems with it. It's just that he's decided he doesn't like the taste of egg anymore which is why I don't give them now. Maybe I should try scrambling or poaching them like you've suggested!
 

missymotus

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Originally Posted by Anlina

The avidin/biotin issue is way overblown.

Yes, egg whites do contain avidin which does bind biotin, but there's so much biotin available in the yolks, as long as you're feeding whole eggs your cats will be fine.
This comes up on the raw email list, and explanations are as above. I feed mine whole eggs, once or twice a week.
 

dwmeowmix

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Originally Posted by Anlina

The avidin/biotin issue is way overblown. The study that concluded that raw eggs are bad involved feeding lots of egg white over an extended period of time (18.5% egg white diet for 25 weeks, or a 32% egg white diet for 12 weeks). Yes, egg whites do contain avidin which does bind biotin, but there's so much biotin available in the yolks, as long as you're feeding whole eggs your cats will be fine.

I wouldn't feed exclusively eggs, but I would be quite comfortable adding an egg to my girls' meals several times a week (if only any of them liked the texture of raw egg.)

http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/content/abstract/107/2/330
I was adding the whole eggs into my kitties raw mix even though the receipe I use (found here: http://www.catnutrition.org/recipes.php) calls for just the yolks. I had been doing this for the past year. I'm not talking about throwing an egg in their food once in awhile I did it consistently as part of the (ground) receipe. All my kitties have little sores in their ears from itching and they all also have dry crusties on their noses and eyes. From reading the info in your link it sounds like a biotin deficency. I don't know...what do you guys think?

DWMeowMix
 

mschauer

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Originally Posted by DWMeowMix

I was adding the whole eggs into my kitties raw mix even though the receipe I use (found here: http://www.catnutrition.org/recipes.php) calls for just the yolks. I had been doing this for the past year. I'm not talking about throwing an egg in their food once in awhile I did it consistently as part of the (ground) receipe. All my kitties have little sores in their ears from itching and they all also have dry crusties on their noses and eyes. From reading the info in your link it sounds like a biotin deficency. I don't know...what do you guys think?
Since the symptoms are similar to that of an allergy how to know which it is? Maybe when the symptoms present, add a biotin supplement and if the symptoms go away, with no other diet change, then it's biotin deficiency. Otherwise it's an allergy???
 

dwmeowmix

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I would have thought allergies too if it hadn't affected all 4 cats. Which made me suspect something else was going on and food was the only thing all 4 babies had in common. So, take the egg whites away, leave the yolks and add a biotin supplement temporarily and everyone quit itching. I asked my vet about it and she really didn't have an opinion. Just said "could be". Drives me nuts when their purposely vague like that.
 

mschauer

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Originally Posted by DWMeowMix

I would have thought allergies too if it hadn't affected all 4 cats. Which made me suspect something else was going on and food was the only thing all 4 babies had in common. So, take the egg whites away, leave the yolks and add a biotin supplement temporarily and everyone quit itching. I asked my vet about it and she really didn't have an opinion. Just said "could be". Drives me nuts when their purposely vague like that.
Aw! I missed that it was all the kitties that started itching. Sure seems unlikely that it was allergies then unless all the kitties are related.

I think I'll keep leaving out the whites or maybe just include them occasionally.
 
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akane

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They won't eat cooked whites. If I cook an egg they take the yolk out of the middle and leave the whites scattered about. They do love eggs but these are truly fresh eggs. Store bought eggs taste completely different from the fresh eggs that come from free ranging chickens.
 
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