Autistic person, FIV+ cat: Raw feeding possible?

[purrbuddy]

My cat Smokey is a sweet, mellow, loving grey fluffy FIV+ DLH from a cat shelter. He is indoors only, but I exercise him daily with interactive wand toys.

I am autistic and live mainly independently with supports (caseworkers who help me on some errands, advocate for me with doctors or therapists, etc.)

My awareness is challenged.

I am concerned for Smokey's teeth. They are fine now (I looked closely at his hind teeth), but his diet is canned Friskies. He is a very7 chemically-sensitive cat (can't tolerate flea topicals, and house-cleaning soltions must be mild.) He was bald when I got him due to sensitivities, and now has a full, luxurious coat.

Would feeding ground raw help Smokey's teeth stay healthy? He happily ate whole prey when we had a house, but in my apartment, he now only will eat "pate" type canned. Any chunks or bits, and he refuses it. (even with Forti-flora as a topper... and even briefly heated a few seconds in microwave)

I feed my dog raw, but it is a prepared ground raw mix. Sometimes I toss in a few turkey hearts or duck necks. My awareness is challenged, so I cannot really do a complete DIY raw, so the ground mix suffices. (It's got bone and organ meat in the mix)

Is there a brand of ground raw that has the bones ground super-finely? Smokey might accept that.

Would trying to brush Smokey's teeth with a fingertip-brush and enzyme toothpaste for cats be good?

Do you think a few raw meals per week would be good for Smokey? He gets forti-flora daily.

Thank you for any simple ideas.

 

[Columbine]

Tooth brushing is the ultimate and surest way to ensure dental health, so that's definitely a good plan regardless of food choices.

If you feel happier feeding a raw diet then feel free to do so. I'm in the UK so I can't comment on brands, but there are some raw foods that use bone meal instead of ground bone. If you don't mind making your own food, it's possible to buy boneless ground meat for pet food (NOT grocery store ground meat ) and add in your own supplements - either with a pre mix, or by following a BALANCED recipie (such as those in the [thread="272287"]​[/thread]).

You might find these articles interesting too:-
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[Willowy]

Can you find a supplier for Rad Cat? It's very finely ground and a lot of cats like it. It's fairly expensive though. I think they have a store locator on their website.

 

[zed xyzed]

I would looking into Nature's Variety Raw and Stella and Chewy's raw. they come in frozen large kibble form the Chewy's is a larger kibble.

 

[purrbuddy]

Columbine, thank you for the links on dental information. I will check those out! Finding a dental routine will help Smokey I think. I want him to stay well.

Willowy, thank you, I will look into RedCat. I am (very) low-income,  however. But I'll go peek at their website. Thank you!

Zed, thank you. I'll check those both out, the NV and Stella & Chewy's. I'm wanting something ground very finely, so he won't reject the bits of coarsely ground bone.

 

[Kat0121]

 
Columbine, thank you for the links on dental information. I will check those out! Finding a dental routine will help Smokey I think. I want him to stay well.

Willowy, thank you, I will look into RedCat. I am (very) low-income,  however. But I'll go peek at their website. Thank you!

Zed, thank you. I'll check those both out, the NV and Stella & Chewy's. I'm wanting something ground very finely, so he won't reject the bits of coarsely ground bone.

I would suggest Rad Cat too. It's not cheap but it's not unreasonable if you only have the one cat to feed. All 3 of mine love it and I'd feed it exclusively if I could afford to. IMO it's worth every cent. They ate the Primal raw but didn't love it and they hated the Nature's Variety raw. The Stella and Chewy's freeze dried didn't fare much better and the raw did about the same as the Primal. Meh. All of my cats are very picky though. 

http://www.radfood.com/

http://www.radfood.com/where_to_buy

 

[lisahe]

@Kat0121 and @Columbine hit all the high points but I'll mention a few things:

-Toothbrushing is a great thing for cats! Our cats enjoy it and see it as a daily treat because they love their toothpaste. (I buy CET, which is hard to find right now but sold on the Drs. Foster and Smith site. (link here!)

-Our cats love Rad Cat. Rad Cat is undergoing a change (it will be treated for bacteria) so if you do try it you might want to be sure you get the HPP treated food so you wouldn't have to transition Smokey to it, effectively, twice. (Rad Cat's site is here, with info.) With Rad Cat, it pays to check around at independent stores to see what the prices are. In my area, a large tub of it can vary in price by $3-4, which makes a huge difference to me! I pay a low enough price that I'd feed more if it if I weren't afraid the cats would get tired of it. The one downside to Rad Cat is that it has to be portioned out. Rad Cat doesn't have bone; it has ground egg shell instead. It's not noticeable in the food.

-Our cats eat a lot of Primal, which is very convenient if you use the freeze-dried instead of the frozen food. No freezer space needed! No need to remember to thaw the cat food! Primal (any kinds) have ground bone.

-Our cats also hated Nature's Variety. But lots of people say their cats love it.

Good luck!

 

[purrbuddy]

The Primal is freeze dried? Maybe I will try that as well as the Rad Cat, to see what Smokey likes. I'll add Fortiflora or Advita as a topper.

Does feeding ground raw have enzymes which help keep teeth clean, or no? (I can't feed DIY raw) Thank you for sharing your experiences!

 

[lisahe]

 
The Primal is freeze dried? Maybe I will try that as well as the Rad Cat, to see what Smokey likes. I'll add Fortiflora or Advita as a topper.

Does feeding ground raw have enzymes which help keep teeth clean, or no? (I can't feed DIY raw) Thank you for sharing your experiences!

Yes, Primal sells freeze-dried and frozen foods. (There are more proteins sold in frozen form but our cats will only eat freeze-dried.) If you write to Primal, apparently they'll send you samples.

No, I don't believe raw food has enzymes that clean teeth. Alas!