Raw Saftey Questions... Need Tips

2crazykittens

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As some of you know I have been dabbling in feeding my kittens raw foods. I started getting into it mostly because of the recent issues my Simon seems to be having. I am unsure that his problems are diet related, but I feel that raw foods would be better for both cats overall. I do have some questions though because I don't want to do this in an unsafe manner, so here it goes.

1. Does grocery store meats have to be frozen first before feeding?

2. I am scared about feeding bones, what is the likely hood they would choke or worse?

3. Should I be feeding them on place mats? They eat in their room currently which does have carpet. They don't tend to be messy eaters though.

4. What is the best to feed them in glass/porcelain or stainless steel?

5. Is it safe to feed both a little canned and Raw at the same time?

I ask the latter question because I am currently feeding the cats a 50/50 diet right now. I am doing this because I am trying to keep my costs down until I am brave enough to maybe make my own raw foods. I also have them on a 50/50 because it is convenient and my vet won't likely feed them their raw when they are being boarded.
I don't have anyone else to watch my boys when I go away so it is the vets kennels for them. (they don't seem to mind though).


I just want to make sure I don't get the pets sick, so I thought I would ask you fellow raw feeders for your input.

I did notice that the dogs stool was a little runny after eating some fresh quail I bought from the grocery store today, but I have heard that can happen when feeding new proteins.
 

vball91

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1. This depends on your comfort level. While it is safer to freeze grocery meats for 3 days, I think a lot of us on here don't bother to do that. I have fed meats straight from the grocery store and have not had a problem.

2. How are you planning on feeding bones? Ground up or whole? If ground, I would recommend the finer grind. If whole, you can do things like ensuring they are only getting small, soft bones and cutting in smaller pieces.

3. Some cats do seem to run around with raw meat. Not sure why. If your cats don't do that then a placemat isn't necessary.

4. Glass/porcelain or stainless steel is fine. Just avoid plastic which can get much more easily scratched up and start harboring bacteria.

5. Yes, it's absolutely fine to feed raw and canned, even in the same meal.
 

ritz

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Welcome to The Raw Side. It seemed overwhelming to me at first, but within a month or two I had it down to a science! (Now, homemade yogurt is something entirely different....)
1. I don't freeze meat before portioning it out into individual (daily) servings. I may, if I can't get to preparing the meals before the 'sell by' date expires. Speaking of which, and I guess I have a high threshold for comfort, but: I frequently buy meat/poultry that is at its sell-by date and marked down in price. In that case, I immediately portion it out into daily servings and freeze or freeze the package right away, until such time as I can prep it. Ritz hasn't had any problems.
2. Unlikely that the cat would choke on bones; just cut them into small pieces. Note that some bone is simply too hard to chew, regardless of size, for example: beef and goat.
3. That depends on YOUR comfort level with possibly meat juices running onto your carpet. Personally I would lay the bowls on several place mats.
4. I feed Ritz in a stainless steel bowl. Porcelain and perhaps glass can develop hairline cracks, invisible to the eye but visible to bacteria.
5. It is fine to feed 50/50 raw and canned; many raw feeders do for the reasons you state.

And yes, any new food can cause cat/dog's digestive system to be a little out of wack for a time.

What are you doing about organs (liver, kidney)?
 
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2crazykittens

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The quail had been totally gutted unfortunately.
However I can get organ meats from the same store I bought the quail and Cornish hen at.
  Right now the cats are eating Primal raw turkey formula and a variety of flavors in the Extra Meaty brand which is identical to Fancy feast classic pates, the grain free versions.

I really was excited to see the birds available at the grocery store and I really wanted to see how the cats would take to it. The grocery store also carries rabbit, venison and other specialty meats.

When it comes to feeding a prey model diet, I am totally lost at how to do that and make sure that the cats are getting the nutritional balance they need. I just thought that they might enjoy a real meaty treat eating the real thing.
I don't have a lot to give them in the way of treats so I wanted to have something they can truly sink their teeth into!
 

peaches08

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I just thought that they might enjoy a real meaty treat eating the real thing.
I don't have a lot to give them in the way of treats so I wanted to have something they can truly sink their teeth into!
 
I feed Cornish hen cut into chunks with poultry scissors (made to cut through joints/bone) without supplementing them, as I do canned water-packed sardines.  I only do this a couple of times a week and I do this as a treat as well since I don't have anything else to give them as treats.  So long as it's less than 15% of their weekly intake, you're probably fine.
 

ahlysha

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I have eight (8)cats and am wanting to go to a raw diet for their health.
I can't afford a meat grinder, and was contemplating the store butcher fine grinding the meat.
What of prepackaged fine ground turkey, et cetera?
 

ritz

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If you can get the butcher to grind the meat as you wait, then I suppose it is okay, less time for contamination assuming the parts of the grinder are sanitary.
Have you considered prey model raw, also known as frrankenprey. This method is simply chunks of meat/poultry, plus the appropriate amounts of secreting and nonsecreting organs (kidney and liver).
Here is a link to discussion about the various ways of feeding raw.
 
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