Raw feeding kittens + a vet's opinion

http://www.cve.edu.au/files/feedingcats-richardmalik.pdf  <-- Just ctrl+f "recommendations for feeding cats".

I have 2 kittens, a 5 month old and a 3 month old. In my search for the best cat food I found out about raw feeding and the website www.rawmeatybones.com, which is how I found the article linked above. My kittens know how to eat kibble but I've since pretty much completely cut it out of their diet. Dr. Richard Malik recommends that kittens up to a year old be fed predominantly premium commercial wet and dry food. He states that premium commercial kitten food is "calorically dense and the best way to get them to grow rapidly". He also says that raw food should only be given a few times a week instead of the usual food to get them used to the texture and taste, but should be less than 10% of their overall diet. For adults 1 year and over he recommends cutting dry food out completely.

Recently, I've been feeding my kittens a lot  of raw, following Frankenprey guidelines (80% muscle meat, 10% bone, 5% liver and 5% other secreting organs), as well as canned but that article is making me question if I should reintroduce a high quality dry food to their diets and ease up on the amount of raw I feed. I just want the best for my kittens and would hate to think I might be stunting their growth or something because I'm feeding them incorrectly. Dr Richard Malik is a raw feeding advocate so to see him suggest dry food for kittens is confusing/concerning.

Would love some advice and opinions from experienced raw feeders, particularly those who've raw fed kittens! 

I have 3 who are about 4 1/2 months old now..    I've had them since they were 9 weeks and have fed them raw (Nature's Variety - the "old" formula) with a little supplemental Wellness Core Kitten Grain free (dry) if I know I'm going to be out for a long period of time (otherwise they just get the raw).

Took them into the vet for their rabies 2 weeks ago and in the 2 months I've had them, all have gained over 2 lbs (they were all about 2 lbs when they came home with me and now are all over 4).   The vet was very pleased with their growth and health and had no problems with me feeding a completely raw diet.

So go with what you think is best, but they don't need canned or dry.

I started my kittens a little later than yours (7 months), but I didn't notice any adverse effects on weight gain. In fact, shortly after I transitioned them, Sophie went through a huge growth spurt. We were free feeding Royal Canin Babycat dry and 2-3x per day of Babycat canned. I moved them to Wellness CORE grain free and then weaned them off of dry to 100% canned, then to raw. I saw a noticeable difference in coat health; it went from glossy only when I brushed to glossy and soft all the time. Both cats seemed to gain muscle mass and had more energy.

Honestly, as long as their diet is balanced, I wouldn't worry. Mine were voracious eaters, with appetites that slowed down around 9 months. At one year, Sophie and Tux are ~10 & 12lbs which is pretty average for DSH. And just remember, if your kittens were living in the wild, they would be eating raw!

I started my kittens at around 14 weeks old. At their most recent check-up, Apollo gained a little more than one pound in a month, while Artemis has gained a little less than a pound in a month - which is more-or-less on par with the "one pound a month" growth rate. My vet also has made no comment on their growth. 

If it's true that raw is less nutritionally dense - and kittens do have smaller stomachs and need to be fed more often - then one way to balance out the possible fewer calories kittens consume on all-raw diet is to feed them more often. For example, if they eat 4 meals on wet/dry, see if you can offer 5 meals of raw. I also always try to make sure that I give enough during mid-day meal(s) that there's a little left over in the bowl, so I know they're eating as much as they want, rather than just as much as I'm giving them. 

My only thoughts on this are that in nature, cats do not have access to commercial cat food. I have a feral colony of 10. As any kittens young enough are pulled, these are the cats that were raised by their mums and usually turn up here at some point over the winter, so at least 7 - 9 months by the time we trap them. They're not stunted. (We live in a rural area, so it's far more likely they're raised on prey rather than garbage).

I also don't feed the ferals dry food other than in winter when canned freezes inside of half an hour.

It makes no sense to me that prey model raw with omega 3s added wouldn't meet a growing cat's need. In fact, there's a published study on it. The research used balanced ground raw, not PMR. But....

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...wQFjAA&usg=AFQjCNFVekGNTmBu-ie0bmp4XGJpRFsOqg

(Sorry, on my mobile. If I click to get the direct link, it will just download the PDF file).

Mason and Julie were 10 months old when I started them on raw, Gadget was already a year.  All 3 were still growing at the 1 year mark, and everyone comments how big my cats are.  They are not fat, but they are big cats.  People have asked if Mason has something else in him other than domestic cat (he's 100% regular ole cat).  So yeah, no growth stunting with mine.    Furthermore, "rapid growth" doesn't mean healthy.  That's why we have growth charts that we measure children by, to assess for problems and rapid growth is a sign of a problem.  So I'm not sure why this vet thinks rapid growth is a good thing.

It sounds like you're doing a great job.

Feeding raw 100% should be fine. My kitten was eating 100% raw since she was 9 weeks old and is doing great. My vet is extremely happy with her progress. Although I have to say my cat at 10 weeks old was eating double or triple than what she is eating now at 9 months old. I would just feed the kittens 5 times a day and as much as they want. 

I agree with what the other posters have said.
I will add that raw feeding can be just as nutritionally dense as kitten food depending on the meat you feed, and even if the meat is wild game or breed for the purpose of food.
Rabbit is relatively low in fat; lamb, high in fat.
Similarly, some canned/pouch cat foods are quite low in fat (Soulistic), others quite high (Buffalo Blue).
You can mix low fat/high fat meats/protein in the same meal/same day. I've learned that if I give Ritz only rabbit, she never stops begging for food--too low in fat for her/for a cat. So I mix rabbit with quail (and include the skin) or pork.

LDG said:

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...wQFjAA&usg=AFQjCNFVekGNTmBu-ie0bmp4XGJpRFsOqg

(Sorry, on my mobile. If I click to get the direct link, it will just download the PDF file).

Click to expand...

I'm having a lot of fun reading this! Thanks for the link. I think it'll be useful if I ever have to deal with an anti-raw feeding vet in the future. 

And thanks for the reassurance, guys.