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meowcat

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All my cats, (except for my little kitty, Mocha) hunt all the time. I feed them all with dry cat food every two days, and they always have water. They mostly hunt bunnies, which are plentiful, and they are not unhealthy at all. But I read that bunny meat has no nutritional value at all, and you can starve to death, even if you eat it every day. Is it safe to assume my cats are getting a healthy diet? They look well, and their coats are still shiny. Even my old boy, Lazarus, who had cat cancer looks healthy.
Any advice?
 

Willowy

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Rabbit meat is VERY nutritious, lots of protein, iron, etc. Just that there's no fat on a wild rabbit (my pet rabbits are very fat, though). So if you (or your cats) ONLY eat wild rabbit meat, you aren't getting any fat, and you'll starve. I'm sure your cats are getting enough fat from their cat food and other sources, so they'll be fine. Plus they probably eat mostly young rabbits, who still have fat in them from their mother's milk (rabbit's milk is almost all fat). And Bear Grylls (LOL) says that if you eat the bone marrow, that will give you enough fat, and I'm sure the cats eat at least some of the bones.

Just make sure to deworm them regularly. Rabbits carry tapeworms (and other types, too).

Any reason you only give them cat food every other day?
 
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meowcat

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Originally Posted by Willowy

Rabbit meat is VERY nutritious, lots of protein, iron, etc. Just that there's no fat on a wild rabbit (my pet rabbits are very fat, though). So if you (or your cats) ONLY eat wild rabbit meat, you aren't getting any fat, and you'll starve. I'm sure your cats are getting enough fat from their cat food and other sources, so they'll be fine. Plus they probably eat mostly young rabbits, who still have fat in them from their mother's milk (rabbit's milk is almost all fat). And Bear Grylls (LOL) says that if you eat the bone marrow, that will give you enough fat, and I'm sure the cats eat at least some of the bones.

Just make sure to deworm them regularly. Rabbits carry tapeworms (and other types, too).

Any reason you only give them cat food every other day?
Because it's cheaper, I suppose. And they would be out hunting anyway.
 

sharky

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rabbit is low in a vital amino acid... Please talk with your vet
 

merrytreecats

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There is some fat on a wild rabbit same as virtually all wild animals. A healthy animal has fat for a number of reasons. Basically if your cat is killing and eating wild rabbits, they are getting the best food they possibly could get. However, if this is the case and they are eating wild prey make sure they get a regular deworming at the vet as wild animals contain a {natural} degree of internal parasites. A deworming takes care of this.
 

sharky

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Originally Posted by merrytreecats

There is some fat on a wild rabbit same as virtually all wild animals. A healthy animal has fat for a number of reasons. Basically if your cat is killing and eating wild rabbits, they are getting the best food they possibly could get. However, if this is the case and they are eating wild prey make sure they get a regular deworming at the vet as wild animals contain a {natural} degree of internal parasites. A deworming takes care of this.
Information given by posters here are not based on your petâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s full history, and are by people who most likely do not have a degree in veterinary medicine. There are many home remedies, as well as approved veterinary treatments for cat health problems that may work for one cat, but be lethal for another cat. Please discuss any potential treatments with your vet first to ensure you are treating the right problem, and not potentially making it worse.

A raw feed animal needs more than just a dewormer...
 

Willowy

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I recently read somewhere that rabbit is too low in taurine to be the sole diet. But, presumably, cats that hunt for themselves know what they need and eat it. Personally I'd give them dry food at least once a day. I don't think feeding them cat food every other day saves any money....they'll just eat twice as much.
 
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