Raw Meat Diet?

Hi folks, have any of you tried a raw diet for any length of time? Benefits? Downsides? I have ordered some frozen raw foods from this supplier and am planning to feed a mix of raw/high quality commercial food.

http://cats.about.com/gi/dynamic/off...ingcatfood.htm

M

My dog is 90% raw ... benifits her teary eyes are nearly gone , her eyes are clear her ears have imoproved , poop is solid and very very small ... oh and her joint and activity level had greatly improved... downside she hates canned food now so when I run out of raw or not enough thawed ... she also is not thrilled with cookie s or busicuts or dry dog food ....

Kandie the cat eats 50 raw 50 canned ... she will be 18 june 30( God willing)
heer coat and activiy level are better ... her eyes are clear... her kidney diesease is stable and slightly improving... downside it has to be ground just right and she wont touch any with grains and begrudingly eats her veggies

Ah, but the nice thing is, Sharky, is that cats are carnivores and absolutely do not need grains or veggies. Rarely if ever will they eat these on their own in the wild.

Sharky, do you use supplements, or do you offer raw meaty bones?

I am using stardard process jt and kidney supplements ... cod liver oil( recent addition) ... slippery elm( new addition( THanks Pat you gave my vet an education)... cats do need a small veggie matter(5-15% depending what research you beleive ) oh and I feed a dog too ( per much research , some on here and my two holistic vets ) no grains are needed but they can be helpful for some chronic issues... I dont do bones just cause they arent readily avail to me but I use mixes with bone... I did try my own raw and that was just too hard ( too many supplement s too many worries did I do that right )

MargaretLo: I have been feeding raw to my cats for about 8+ months now. Started on a Chicken formula and switched to a Lamb formula about 2 weeks ago. I have seen great improvements all around.
A past foster dog had protein allergies, too high of a protein and his skin would flake up! He also had a hard time maintaining weight. He weighed 12 pounds (up from 10 lbs) and ate about 2 1/2 cups a food per day of high quality kibble.
Raw food, I fed less of it, and it cleared his skin right up.

I currently feed Nature's Variety Frozen/Raw Patties.

I feed all my cats prepared raw diets of : Chicken Blend, Dressed Rabbit, Dressed Duck and Turkey organ blend. I have been doing this for years and I am completely convinced this is the way to go.

Benefits:
The cats actually look foward to feedings. They LOVE to eat. No picking at their food.
Overall health is superb. Shiny coats, big strong muscular cats with high energy levels. Cats are all vibrant and happy.
Vet visits for common cat ailments are extremely rare.
No stinky litter-boxes. Solid stools and less of them. Urine is much less smelly.

Drawbacks:
Can be a lot more expensive than nearly all commercial foods.
Can be messy and extra caution is required to keep things sanitary.
Usually need to use a supplement. I use Wysong "Call of the wild"