Is TCfeline premix good?

I have to thank many people here for the informations on the pros and cons of commercial cat food and raw diet.  (Althought the thread seems to have disappeared).  I'm thinking maybe I should start giving my cat some home prepared cat food sometimes.  Do you think TCfeline is a good premix that I can add to cooked meat?  

http://tcfeline.com/2010/08/20/cat-food-premix/

Hi, Space!

The premix you're looking at is intended for use with fresh, raw - NOT cooked - meats and organs and would likely be inadequate for a home-cooked diet. Cooking degrades some nutrients and destroys others... these must be adequately supplemented to cover the loss.

Do you mind if I ask you why you want to cook your cat's food?

AC

I want to give my cats home-made raw, but I'm a bit worried about bacteria.  Meat purchased from the stores probably still have lots of bacteria unlike commercial raw.  If we feed our cats with raw meat from the stores, would these bacteria tend to replace the good bacteria in guts?

Absolutely not, no way, no how. In fact, as you make the transition, your cat's digestive system will become healthier and stronger. You can offer probiotics and digestive enzymes, in accordance with package instructions, if you want to; they'll cause no harm and there is evidence they may help smooth the transition. You can also rinse the meats before you feed them, but, really, a healthy cat can handle the amount of bacteria that are present in our food supply.

Best regards!

AC

Thanks AC.  I guess I worried too much.  Do you think it's a good idea to add  premix to raw meat?  

I'm sorry, Space - I don't have enough personal or even second-hand experience with premixes to give you an opinion that would mean much. Some of the ingredients seem unnecessary to me, but I'm a bit of a purist. *shrug*  One definite plus for this particular premix is that it is mentioned specifically by Dr. Pierson in her Making Cat Food guide, and that's a very strong endorsement.

There are four different TC Feline premixes, so you'll need to pay particular attention to the specific meat / organ requirements for the mix you chose. And, in case you didn't already know - never buy pre-ground meats from the grocery stores (too many bacterial concerns). Purchase large or whole cuts of meat and either have them ground while you wait and prepare and freeze them immediately when you get home, or - better yet - grind them yourself.

Regards!

AC

space1101 said:

I have to thank many people here for the informations on the pros and cons of commercial cat food and raw diet.  (Althought the thread seems to have disappeared).  I'm thinking maybe I should start giving my cat some home prepared cat food sometimes.  Do you think TCfeline is a good premix that I can add to cooked meat?  

http://tcfeline.com/2010/08/20/cat-food-premix/

Click to expand...

That premix is intended to be added to nutritionally incomplete raw food diets, but it is intended for raw food diets, so it won't replace taurine for example.

Dr Lisa Pierson, the most quoted raw advocate on this site and where most internet information comes from, does recommend cooking raw meat purchased from grocery stores but also against creating random untested recipes:

Dr Lisa Pierson - Raw Advocate

I recently came across a post on an internet group stating how "wonderful" myMaking Cat Food  page is - including the recipe provided below.  However, the poster then went on to outline what she was feeding to her cat which was not even close to the recipe discussed on this webpage!  This poor cat was being fed a terribly UNbalanced diet because his owner was using her own 'creation' based very loosely  on the recipe below.

She had completely missed the boat on this very critical issue and was harming her cat  - plain and simple.   Do it and do it right, or don't do it at all.

I buy only whole  meats from the market... knowing that the above precautions were no guarantee that I would be feeding a safe diet, I now bake the chicken/turkey thighs to the point where they are ~25-50% cooked on the outside and 50-75% raw on the inside.

I definitely suggest doing this for any animal that may be immunocompromised due to illness, advanced age, or if they are receiving any immunosuppressive medications, or antacids.

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Certainly 50% cooked would reduce the risk of serious contamination compared to completely raw, but per the FDA the meat has to reach a minimum internal temperature to destroy all pathogens, and this would certainly require taurine supplementation.   So a supplement specifically designed for cooked meat feeding would be warranted, not one for nutrient deficient raw.  

Thanks for the information.  I'm worried that I might be doing it incorrectly, and possible pathogens also make me feel I'm taking some kind of risk.   I wonder if it's a good idea to give them raw fish for sashimi once in a while.   Sigh...

If its safe to feed a human raw, its safe to feed a cat, no problemo.        I've had steak tartare and carpaccio before and am a big fan of sashimi, but only if its really fresh and really high grade meat.   You'd have to hold a gun to my head before I willingly ate hamburger meat from Walmart raw though, lol!  

However, we're warned not to eat TOO much fish, especially big ol' predator fish like tuna, and I believe the same rules apply to kitties.  A little though is high in taurine, omega3s, and other good schtuffs.  

Thanks Ducman, I will try sashimi once in a while then. :-)