Cat food - a rip off

malena

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When I was filling up the storage of cat food last week I got so angry when I began to read on the cans. It is 3-5€ per kilo but it only contains 4-15% animalic products and some of it is full of crap like sugar and such. I can buy red meat for 4.5€ per kilo and chicken for 2.5€ per kilo and then it is all meat. I went home with seven kilo of meat instead for cat food.
My cats has constant access to Iams dry food. For the moment the kitten food since most of them are yong.
When giving them meat - is there something I should think of? If there is anyone of you giving meat to your cats - do you also give the bones. I have a hard time giving them chicken bones since they can be so small and sharp. I also boil the chicken for the risk of salmonella and give them the bullion together with the meat.
The cats would prefer it raw though.
Is there any one of you who has bad experiences of giving your cats raw meat on a daily base.
 

urbantigers

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There are a few on here who feed raw, although I'm not one of them (yet!). It is difficult to make sure it's balanced so I would recommend either buying a pre-prepared food or finding a recipe to follow. You need to make sure you include muscle meat, organ meat and bone in the right proportions. If you're cooking the meat, you'll destroy many of the nutrients so will need to add them back in, esp taurine. If you do a search for "raw" in this forum you should find a few threads.
 

shadowbaby

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NO COOKED CHICKEN BONES. They splinter if cooked and can cause injury to the digestive tract.
 

yosemite

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I'm not a raw feeder but my understanding is that you really must know what you are doing and do your research. Just simply feeding your cat raw meat isn't good enough. You need to add other ingredients (like taurine) and I'm not sure what else, but if you don't your cat will not be getting the proper nutrition and you may do much more harm than good to your kitty.
 

vanillasugar

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Originally Posted by Yosemite

I'm not a raw feeder but my understanding is that you really must know what you are doing and do your research. Just simply feeding your cat raw meat isn't good enough. You need to add other ingredients (like taurine) and I'm not sure what else, but if you don't your cat will not be getting the proper nutrition and you may do much more harm than good to your kitty.
Actually, taurine is present in all raw muscle meat. It shouldn't need to be supplimented to a fresh, raw diet IMO. But there are many nutrients that are lacking if only feeding muscle meat. Raw feeding is great, but as has been said, be sure to cover all the bases.
 

starryeyedtiger

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Please, Please, Please do not feed your cats from a raw food diet! Cats are able to contract the same food-born illness as humans can from eating raw/undercooked meat. Semomenila, e-coli, gastrointestional infections, food poisioning- you name it! And the vet bills for that are not pretty. Also- those illnesses can sometimes be fatal. If you wish to feed your cat meat- please cook it properly and then offer it to the kitty-this goes for all things including fish, chicken and turkey - and make sure there are absolutely no bones or cartliage left in it when you serve it. I highly recommend brushing your kitty's teeth to reduce tartar if you choose to do this....there are also supplements you can offer. Please consult your vet first- cat's have a very sensitive digestive track and any food changes need to occur slowly over time and not rapidly- that could send it's digestive track into shock and be very harmful. If you want to offer your kitty meat- please cook it thoroughly! Many people that push the raw food diet because they see cats outside eating raw meat do not realize that many of them are ill and that they are suspetiable to the same types of illnesses and diseases as humans are from uncooked meat. Good luck sweetie!
 

sharky

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If considering a raw diet RESEARCH ..... Also find a vet who can help you( this has been invalube to me ) ... YES cats can get food bourne illness as you and I can but RAW FOOD ca be done safely . ... I have an immune disorder and neither I nor the cat or dog have gotten sick...BUT I DID THE RESEARCH and Have a VET helping
 
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malena

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For the moment they only have raw beef in small amount as a treat every evening. I started with that to get them to eat antibiotics since they are captured ferals. Thay allways have free accsess to Iams kittenfood and I dont give them more "other food" than that they must eat their Iams. So far I have been kooking for them following veterinary diet recepies for ill cats - to keep their stomachs ok during all the treatments they have had. They used to love my home made boiled catfood but after giving them treats of raw read meat they almost look offended when I give them their normal food.
I spent yesterday finding out about a raw diet and I am tempted.
There is a few things to consider first though and I will talk with the vet about it.
Do I have access to good supplies?
Can I keep this up? - I doubt that they will ever eat anything else once I've started.
Can I combine it with a good quality dry food as a base?
I am aware of the risks but I am not sure they are that big compared with other risks. These cats will eventially have access to outdoor life so I will have to treat them against parasites on regular base as I always have done with my cats.
There is risks with canned cat food also. We had a cat with epilepsy and she has not had one attack since I stopped giving her canned cat-food.
If I do this - the suggested meat resorce is allways chicken and rabbit. Does any one know if other meat aslo is okay?
 

vanillasugar

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Originally Posted by StarryEyedTiGeR

Please, Please, Please do not feed your cats from a raw food diet! Cats are able to contract the same food-born illness as humans can from eating raw/undercooked meat. Semomenila, e-coli, gastrointestional infections, food poisioning- you name it! And the vet bills for that are not pretty. Also- those illnesses can sometimes be fatal. If you wish to feed your cat meat- please cook it properly and then offer it to the kitty-this goes for all things including fish, chicken and turkey - and make sure there are absolutely no bones or cartliage left in it when you serve it. I highly recommend brushing your kitty's teeth to reduce tartar if you choose to do this....there are also supplements you can offer. Please consult your vet first- cat's have a very sensitive digestive track and any food changes need to occur slowly over time and not rapidly- that could send it's digestive track into shock and be very harmful. If you want to offer your kitty meat- please cook it thoroughly! Many people that push the raw food diet because they see cats outside eating raw meat do not realize that many of them are ill and that they are suspetiable to the same types of illnesses and diseases as humans are from uncooked meat. Good luck sweetie!
What you've posted are some very common misconceptions about the raw diet. I encourage you to do some research on the subject before scaring someone off of something you don't fully understand.

Raw diet does require research, which it seems Malena has started. But if done properly, feeding cats a raw diet is pretty much the best thing you can do for them.
To answer your quesitons:
I know some people who feed raw and dry food, but I don't reccomend doing this at the same meal. IF you need to do this, leave at least 8 hours between a dry meal and a raw meal. Dry food takes much longer to digest, and if fed at the same time as raw meat, extends the amount of time the meat takes to pass the digestive tract, increasing the risks for salmonella, etc to affect your cat. (The reason they DON'T in healthy cats is because their digestive tract is so short, it passes through quickly.)
I feed Chicken, Rabbit, Duck, Beef, and occasionally some fish. Feed what's available to you, as long as you're making sure everything is balanced properly.

Good luck!
 

deni

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Never give a cat cooked bones, they splinter too easily. My two get given a marrow bone which I grill lightly with butter on it for a few minutes (the same applies to dogs). Cats like dogs are carnivores, that lovely mushy tinned stuff and to a certain extent the biscuits do not clean their teeth. A few hours gnawing on a marrowbone plus the inevitable dispute afterwards helps their teeth. They are 9 now, have no dental problems and look forward to this occasional treat.
 

deni

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Never feed raw chicken liver! it contains too much vitamin A which is extremely unhealthy. If you must feed them chicken liver cook it gently for a few minutes and cook the vitamin A out. I once knew a poor lady who literally killed her poor cat with kindness, she thought she was feeding her cat the best food she could.
 
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malena

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Thank you all for advises and warnings.
I will make a go for it. I can have a standing order for meat, liver, bones and hart with my local butcher and chickens I breed myself. When the renovation of the house is done I can bring up 35 a year and 20 of them will be roosters wich means that they have no future if they are not perfect in colour and type. I can't eat my own chickens so so far I have given them away to people who can. I have an old farmer who knows how to end their life in an unstressfull and proffessional way. I am just a hobby breeder of a specific brand but it does provide us with eggs and could provide us with meat for the cats and then I really know where the meat comes from.
The rest of what I need I can get from the pharmacy here. I will have to do some calculations of the cost and I want the clearence from the vet before I start and I need a good grinder, but in a month I think I am ready to go.
 

starryeyedtiger

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Originally Posted by vanillasugar

What you've posted are some very common misconceptions about the raw diet. I encourage you to do some research on the subject before scaring someone off of something you don't fully understand.

Raw diet does require research, which it seems Malena has started. But if done properly, feeding cats a raw diet is pretty much the best thing you can do for them.
To answer your quesitons:
I know some people who feed raw and dry food, but I don't reccomend doing this at the same meal. IF you need to do this, leave at least 8 hours between a dry meal and a raw meal. Dry food takes much longer to digest, and if fed at the same time as raw meat, extends the amount of time the meat takes to pass the digestive tract, increasing the risks for salmonella, etc to affect your cat. (The reason they DON'T in healthy cats is because their digestive tract is so short, it passes through quickly.)
I feed Chicken, Rabbit, Duck, Beef, and occasionally some fish. Feed what's available to you, as long as you're making sure everything is balanced properly.

Good luck!
I have researched quite a bit. I've also seen animals come in and out of the vet clinic I'm at with problems directly linked to the raw food diet- from people who had researched it and done it for years. It's not worth the risk...If you want to feed a cat meat- why not cook it first and lower the risks.
 

mellanie

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Cooking meat does not destroy nutrients--this is a very common misconception. As for the risks of raw diets go, I have seen:
bone impactions
lacerations/perforations due to consuming bones
salmonella
vitamin deficiencies
etc...........
I have never seen these problems due to so-called 'inferior' commercial diets.
The raw diet is not risk free!!! If considering it, do LOTS of research!
 

scamperfarms

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well i am a strong advocate on the raw for one of my girls at least. we get the premade and do some of our own as well. she is thriving on it. as its the only thing her system will tolerate.
 

vanillasugar

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It's interesting, my vet is totally supportive of raw diet (if done properly of course). I've heard of many vets who are changing their views of raw.

I've heard many claims of the dangers of raw, and I'm not saying they don't exist, but there are dangers to be considered with ALL food. Feeding a lot quality dry food leads to obesiety and diabetes, as well as other serious health issues. It doesn't happen to all animals, but it happens more often that I think you'll find cases of bone impactions of lacerations, or salmonella infection.

I'd rather feed a balanced raw diet, knowing it's going to keep my cats physically healthy, and risk a freak accident, then risk their overall health by feeding something I consider not as good for them.
 

hunter

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I have been feeding my bengal raw for two years now since he was a kitten but that's how he was introduced by the breeder. I use meat with no bones but supplemented with calcium and also taurine and other supplements but most importantly balanced. Preparing raw is very simple and I only make it every two weeks. One thing I like about feeding raw is, he only goes poop once a day and sometimes a day and a half and almost no smell, I like it.
 

gizmocat

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My vet warned me against feeding Gizmo a raw diet because of the risk of bird flu (which has jumped species from birds to cats in Germany) and salmonella.
I agree that a good, well formulated food is better than 'do it yourself'.
 

sol

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I guess you don't have pre-made raw in Belgium either so making your own raw food is probably the only option you have if you can't find any commercial food you think is good enough (and if the catfood market is the same as in Sweden... it's hard to come by really good catfood).

However you'll have to do some research before you start. There are many useful links on my web page http://devonrex.se/kokbok/internet

I've never had to regret switching my cats to raw food. They've eaten it for 3 years now and they're doing great!
 
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