About blood

[space1101]

Do you guys think blood is good for cats?  Those of you who feed frankenprey, do you include blood in their diet?  

 

[carolina]

Do you guys think blood is good for cats?  Those of you who feed frankenprey, do you include blood in their diet?  

I am told that adding blood to the diet makes the kitties throw up. It is ok when blood is present in the meat, but not to add extra into the meal or as a treat.... This is my understanding, at least.... I see no reason to it. What is your thought? Are you thinking to give more iron to the kitty? Is that the reasoning behind it?

 

[space1101]

I found a chicken breeder, who can provide me with organic chickens, but I have to cut up or grown the chickens by myself.  I don't know how I should give the whole chicken, and I wonder if it is bad to include the blood...  Maybe there is toxin or unwatned stuff in blood??

Do frankenprey feeders normally buy bone-in-meat without blood from supermarket?  

 

[ritz]

I think there is a certain amount of blood (juices) in all cuts of the raw meat I buy from the supermarket, but not a whole lot.  Defrosting (esp if done several times) increases the liquid, though not the percentage of blood.

Ritz loves the juice/blood.

I think if there were any toxins in the blood, the chicken would have died because of that toxin.  But I'm not a vet and don't play one on TV....

I buy frozen whole quail, and that seems to have a lot of blood/juice; by a lot I mean probably less than 1/8 cup.

And I know some commercial raw (like RadCat) seems to have a fair amount of blood/juices.  RadCat has good reviews.

I've never bought live chicken--will the grower kill it first?  If so, I would think some of the blood would escape through the wound or anus before you get it.

 

[space1101]

Thanks Ritz. The grower will kill it, but he asked me if I want to keep the blood, so I wonder if I should..

 

[ritz]

Personally, I'd say thanks but no thanks.  Good point Carolina about iron, too much can cause problems I would think.

Though any blood that remains in the carcass, I'd certainly give to your cats.  The amount is insignificant. 

 

[Willowy]

I'm told that if you don't bleed the meat properly, it'll spoil. . .I suppose that wouldn't matter if you were feeding it fresh, but if you want to store it that would be a factor. And I don't know if it would still be suitable for animal consumption (just "spoiled" for humans), or if it really goes bad if the blood is left in. Or how fast it would go bad. Usually most of the blood is lost in the butchering process, though.

I'm sure there's a home butchering website somewhere that explains everything.

"Meat juice" isn't blood. It has some red cells in it (which is why it's red) but is mostly water leaking out of the meat. You probably notice that it's a lot thinner than blood. So a kitty could lick that up without getting an upset tummy like they would get from drinking straight blood.

ETA: Oh, so he does bleed the meat but captures the blood. Eww, no, I wouldn't, for many different reasons. But even without other reasons, I think feeding it separately (not in the meat) would probably make the kitties sick. And cleaning up blood vomit would be really disgusting. . .

 

[carolina]

I'm told that if you don't bleed the meat properly, it'll spoil. . .I suppose that wouldn't matter if you were feeding it fresh, but if you want to store it that would be a factor. And I don't know if it would still be suitable for animal consumption (just "spoiled" for humans), or if it really goes bad if the blood is left in. Or how fast it would go bad. Usually most of the blood is lost in the butchering process, though.
I'm sure there's a home butchering website somewhere that explains everything.
"Meat juice" isn't blood. It has some red cells in it (which is why it's red) but is mostly water leaking out of the meat. You probably notice that it's a lot thinner than blood. So a kitty could lick that up without getting an upset tummy like they would get from drinking straight blood.
ETA: Oh, so he does bleed the meat but captures the blood. Eww, no, I wouldn't, for many different reasons. But even without other reasons, I think feeding it separately (not in the meat) would probably make the kitties sick. And cleaning up blood vomit would be really disgusting. . .

There is a huge difference in between those juices that are in the meat, and feeding them a bunch of blood - in addition to it.
The meats I feed all have juice - some of them, are quite juicy, I just mix it in and serve..... Rad Cat Lamb is a prime example..... Hare Today, another - Meat IS juicy, the freshest the meat, the juiciest. Every time you defrost the meat, cut it, you will see juice and blood.... I always feed that.
But that is very different than getting 1/2 cup of blood, putting it into a bowl and feeding it to the kitty - that is a
If it is in the meat/food, yep, it gets served.... I don't wipe, or removes any of it - my kitties love those yummy juices!!

 

[space1101]

Thanks guys, I won't get the blood then.  I was just thinking that cats who hunt outside normally would eat the entire prey so I thought I should give my cats the same.  XD