Raw Feeding and Vets...

portdevoix

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Dec 30, 2004
Messages
144
Purraise
1
Location
Washington, DC
WHY is it that every time I mention the possibility of a natural homemade diet (raw or cooked, although I am more inclined towards feeding them raw) for my boys, the vet growls? What do pet food manufacturers know that Mother Nature doesn't?????

 

pat

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Jul 1, 2003
Messages
11,045
Purraise
58
Location
Pacific NW
Originally Posted by portdevoix

WHY is it that every time I mention the possibility of a natural homemade diet (raw or cooked, although I am more inclined towards feeding them raw) for my boys, the vet growls? What do pet food manufacturers know that Mother Nature doesn't?????

Probably due to those cats he's had to treat who because ill from a raw diet that despite owners best efforts was not supplemented adequately or ended up giving them salmonella. Same for a homecooked diet...takes proper "recipe" and dedication...just tell him to quit growling, you *are* dedicated, show him the recipe you wish to use, get his sign off that yes, it's balanced and adequate and go for it.

If you are going to go for the raw diet, use organic meats, do your best to handle it properly and supplement it properly.

Just in case you've not yet visited these sites, I would check them out re feeding raw:
Littlebigcat dot com
blakkatzdotcom
felinefuturedotcom
and catnutritiondotorg
 

mellanie

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
Oct 22, 2002
Messages
175
Purraise
2
Location
ontario
Your vet gets upset when you mention raw food likely because of the poor sick animals she has seen, from improper feeding of raw food diets. Myself, and the vet I work for, have seen what a bad raw food diet can do to a cat. My boss will never forget the beautiful pair of siamese kitties she had to euthanize due to illness caused by a 'homemade' diet. Myself, I am reminded of the kitten I met who went blind due to a taurine deficiency.......

Having said that, not all people feeding raw food are doing it wrong; it's just that when you see how very wrong it can go, you become very biased against it. Cats in the wild do kill and eat prey; they generally eat that meat right away; it does not get get contaminated through processing, get shipped, then sit around in a fridge or freezer for who knows how long, etc...
 

sol

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Sep 27, 2003
Messages
590
Purraise
4
Location
Sweden
I would say vets get to see the bad side of raw feeding (and homecooked diets). If one makes good catfood the cat doesn't get sick and it doesn't need to see the vet other than when it's time for vaccinations and when I get my cats vaccinated I know I don't talk about what they eat. We talk about the cats general health, not the food.

If one makes a poor homemade diet the cat'll get sick and you'll have to take the cat to the vet.

So I believe the vets get to see the bad side. There are good and bad homemade diets. The cats that eat a good diet aren't present in the vets statistics about cats getting sick of their food.

I think a properly prepared homemade diet is better than any other food, but any commercial catfood is better than a poorly prepared homemade diet.
 
Top