Raw for CRF kitty

Originally Posted by Dusty's Mom

I found this website

http://felineinstincts.com/privacy/F...ilureDiet.html
.
.
.

My main question is that the recipe at the above website doesn't include bone, yet I've read elsewhere that meat contains more phosphorus than bone and other places suggest a higher bone to meat ratio for CRF cats.
Now I'm confused..

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Originally Posted by Dusty's Mom

My other question is where do you get your raw chicken meat? Your local butcher? Mail order? .

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Originally Posted by Dusty's Mom

I found this website

http://felineinstincts.com/privacy/F...ilureDiet.html

Does anyone have experience with a CRF cat and raw diet?

I'm giving her some raw chicken liver, which he loves. She used to be quite a hunter, often eating a whole bird, feathers, beak, feet and all, so I think she would adapt well to raw chicken.

My main question is that the recipe at the above website doesn't include bone, yet I've read elsewhere that meat contains more phosphorus than bone and other places suggest a higher bone to meat ratio for CRF cats.
Now I'm confused.

My other question is where do you get your raw chicken meat? Your local butcher? Mail order?

All this is quite new to me. I'd appreciate any suggestions.

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http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/r.../message/57755 Control of incoming phosphorus, dietary phosphorus, is important when treating kidney disease, whether human or feline. It's not so easy to
do with cats but it is important. Ailing kidneys have trouble managing
phosphorus as well as they once did, it has to do with the phosphorus
molecule and the metabolic steps needed to manage it so doesn't appear
up for debate. On the other hand, ailing kidneys (at least in cats)
tend to lose potassium and hypokalemia tends to accelerate kidney
damage.

That isn't it in a nutshell but those two parameters are important.
Blood work shows the status of phosphorus and potassium accurately
enough. The lab range for phosphorus covers growing kittens as well as
adult cats. Growing kittens naturally have higher phosphorus blood
levels. Adult cats and especially older cats should be at the lower
end of the range. Simply being in range isn't good enough for cats
with kidney problems. Vets learn this in school but tend to forget it
and may not pick up on rising phosphorus levels until they're too
high. They may also wait too long to note dropping potassium. Being
within range isn't enough, the level should be solidly in midrange.
Catching things early is of real benefit in kidney disease.

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http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=60035 A raw diet is great for CRF kitties, but the phosphorus amounts can vary quite a bit so you would still need to pay attention to that. There are some premade ones that fit the bill (Nature's Variety raw medallions are low in phosph and it's widely available, but there are plenty others out there too). If making her own food, there are some things that can be modified to keep phosphorus levels in a decent range. For one, I would not grind bones with the meat and instead use a calcium supplement for balance. This can be tricky because you need to know the phosphorus of the particular meat and then be able to calculate how much elemental calcium should be added to get the ideal 1.2-1.4:1 ratio. I would also add just egg whites and leave out the yolks. These modifications are determined by the severity of her renal disease

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