General questions about raw feeding

[sirthumpsey]

We have adopted a little kitten which we will be picking up this weekend and I have a couple questions about diet and such...

I must admit that I am rather intrigued by the idea of raw feeding...I mean that is what they would be getting in the wild (unless they were being fed scraps) 

Is it safe to feed kittens raw meat? I am not sure of her age but her eyes have already changed from blue to green...my guess is around 10 weeks...Is there a way to start it? Would you only do red meat or would pork and chicken be okay?

I know with rabbits and babies starting solids you would give a new food every few days....Is that the same with kittens and raw meat?

I just have so many questions...but I'm sure I will think of more as this thread goes on. 

Thank you for any responses...

Jo

 

[speakhandsforme]

Yay!! Welcome to TCS and our raw feeding forums

I'll try to answer your questions in order, and I'm sure others will be along shortly to provide more info. I feed my adult cats raw, but one of them started to eat it at around 8 months (I think?) so hopefully I can provide some specific insights.

1. It's totally safe to feed kittens (and cats, and dogs) raw meat! In fact, it's the best diet for them, speaking from an evolutionary standpoint. At your kitten's age, she would already be eating bugs, lizards, birds -- anything she could catch, basically. The goal of raw feeding is to match as closely as possible what she'd be eating, so we generally feed something like 85% muscle meat, 10% bone, 5% liver and 5% kidney/pancreas. (I'll get into methods in a minute )

You just have to take basic safety precautions like in any kitchen that handles raw. Keep the temperatures right, try to avoid letting it sit out for too long, rinse it off when you first unpack it, etc.

2. There are generally two ways of feeding raw: commercial and home-prepared.

Commercial pet food companies make raw cat food, mostly meat and bone, frozen in portion sizes. A few brands to check out are Primal, Nature's Variety, and Bravo. You can get these at specialty pet stores or have it shipped to you. It's usually convenient for most cat owners, but it's fairly expensive.

You can also make homemade raw, and it's not as hard as it sounds You just need a variety of meats, a good set of knives and a cutting board, plastic bags, and a kitchen scale. I fed my cats chicken (and liver), turkey, beef (and kidney), pork, and goat, cut into bite size chunks and frozen in baggie'd portions, then thawed at meal times. I buy it from the grocery store, and sometimes an ethnic grocery if I want goat. That's what I have local access to.

Others who post here feed all sorts of things: quail, grouse, rabbit, deer and game meats, even frozen whole mice and chicks. Essentially, if it's an animal and it's not poisonous, you can feed it to your cat -- if she'll eat it!! :lol3: There are websites where you can order frozen meat and have it shipped to you, like Hare Today: https://www.hare-today.com/

For homemade raw, we have a variety of resources here to help you determine what to feed your cat and how much to feed her. :rub:

3. I'm not sure what you mean by giving a new food every few days, but it's generally a good idea to transition slowly into any new food. :nod:

I'm so glad you're interested in feeding raw!! And happy for your sake, because kittens are usually incredibly easy to transition to raw. They haven't become addicted yet to the flavorings in kibble and canned food, so they aren't set in their ways (which cats are, a lot :lol3.

The best way to find out if she might like raw is to just cut her off a little piece of whatever you're preparing for dinner that night (if you eat meat) and letting her eat it. I can tell you most kittens gobble it right down, they love raw.

Keep us updated!! Here are some more resources for you to browse: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/240809/raw-feeding-resource-thread

PS -- A quick teeth check at the vet will help you know how old she is. They'll be able to tell to within 2-3 weeks how old she is at that age.

 

[speakhandsforme]

Oh, something I forgot to add, not related to raw feeding: Have you considered getting another kitten? At such a young age, it's very beneficial for her to have a playmate and companion, both for her to learn "cat manners" and you to have sanity. Two kittens are actually far easier to take care of than one, because they're SO full of energy and rambunctious, and they entertain each other -- instead of requiring YOU to be the entertainment, or the breakable/shreddable things in your house. :lol3:

Just something you might like to consider

 

[ritz]

I rescued a six month old cat (acts like she is 4 months!) from the streets and have been fostering her for about two weeks.  She is super affectionate and friendly, so previously owned (dumped before or after she hurt her leg?!)  She is fed high quality wet food, but I also give her pieces of meat Ritz doesn't want.  Lacey loves it.  (Going to a Forever Home tomorrow.)

 

[sirthumpsey]

I have considered it but it took so much work to convince hubby to get the first cat and he is so opposed to a second kitty....

and id have to convince him about the raw food.....could you do like a half raw diet?  Also what would be the serving for a ten week old cat? 

but you have given me alot to think about and I will talk to my hubby about it tonight and see how it goes...

 

[ldg]

Welcome to TCS, Jo! ...I bet your little baby will have hubby wrapped around his? her? little paw in no time at all.

I rescue/work with feral cats, and if they're not in a colony, they're out there eating mice or rats or rabbits or whatever is in abundance where they are. So when weaning little kittens, mom brings them food - and they eat it. So there's no issue feeding little kitties raw food.

Of course... you do have to make sure it's balanced, and especially for the growing kittens, ensuring that they have the right amount of calcium (which isn't an absolute measure, but one relative to the amount of meat being fed - calcium and phosphorus work together. Meat is high in phosphorus, bone is high in calcium, and they need to be eaten in the right proportion) is important. :nod:

There's another member here with little kitties that is feeding raw. She decided not to use bones (though there are other members that do!). Her thread is here: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/245515/penelope-and-delilah-on-raw

She's using a supplement called Call of the Wild by Wysong. http://www.wysong.net/products/cotw-dog-cat-supplement.php

It's got everything in it to make just meat "complete and balanced." It's a very easy way to start raw (if you don't want to pay for commercially prepared frozen raw foods that are also already complete and balance with the right amount of bone or calcium per amount of meat, etc.), while you learn about other methods of feeding raw.

I feed my cats home made raw. They get chicken breast, thigh, turkey breast & thigh, pork, venison, rabbit, lamb, duck hearts, turkey hearts, chicken gizzards (hearts and gizzards are considered muscle organs, not secreting organs, and aren't part of the 3-5% "other secreting organ" you'd feed if providing whole prey model raw). My cats (mostly) like liver, so that's not a problem, and I use kidney or sweetbreads (thymus) for the "other secreting" organ.

The Raw Feeding Resource thread, stickied at the top of the forum, is a great place to start. http://www.thecatsite.com/t/240809/raw-feeding-resource-thread

And please, as you have questions, ask away!

 

[sirthumpsey]

Thank you for your reply LDG...It's a black tort so it's probably a girl...We get to take her home this weekend...

And about having her wrapped around his finger...All the girls (pets and children) have been wrapped around his finger...

But I did start talking to hubby about it and he said, "yeah sure the stuff in the can"   

I guess I really should have known better...lol but the whole thing is very interesting to me. 

But in theory I could give her a raw meat snack? or just one meal? 

...Wait do cats get three meals and a snack?  I know alot of people will just put a dish of dry food down and leave it all day and let the cat snack all day (don't they end up eating more?)

 

[txcatmom]

But in theory I could give her a raw meat snack? or just one meal?

I'm new to this but my four are getting a raw "snack" midday.  It is commercially prepared raw so it is balanced.  I might replace one of their meals with raw, so that would be 50% raw and 50% canned food.  I've been advised here that that is just fine.  (Mixing raw with dry food you may need to be more careful about, but canned + raw isn't a problem from what I have read.)

 

[ldg]

I think most of us feed three meals a day. My cats get no snacks, but I think most people feed snacks? :dk:

I feed them in the morning, just before our dinner, and then just before we go to bed. I think if you can work in another meal (or two) for a young kitty, it's a good idea until they're though the major growth spurt(s), then just slowly wean them down to the number of meals and timing that's most convenient.

 

[auntie crazy]

I think most of us feed three meals a day. My cats get no snacks, but I think most people feed snacks?

I feed them in the morning, just before our dinner, and then just before we go to bed. I think if you can work in another meal (or two) for a young kitty, it's a good idea until they're though the major growth spurt(s), then just slowly wean them down to the number of meals and timing that's most convenient.

This. Except I'd recommend not dropping below three meals a day.

I don't feed snacks, per say, but in addition to their regular meals, the cats do get sardines Friday morning before breakfast, crickets dumped in the tub on Saturday to be picked off at their convenience and half an egg Sunday mornings before breakfast.

AC

 

[sirthumpsey]

crickets....hmmm are they already dead? 

I never even considered feeding a cat bugs...thought hadnt occured to me. 

Do you get them from the pet store or in the yard?

 

[ldg]

Those who feed crickets typically feed them live. That's why AC dumps them in the bathtub for the kitties to eat at their leisure. :lol3:

Crickets are high in choline, so they're a great addition to the diet.

I know our local pet store sells live crickets. I think they're usually sold to people with... snakes? :dk: Our cats love bugs (we live in a really rural area). Unfortunately, we live in an RV, so I've got nowhere to release crickets for them to hunt down, or I'd feed them too.

 

[auntie crazy]

crickets....hmmm are they already dead? 

I never even considered feeding a cat bugs...thought hadnt occured to me. 

Do you get them from the pet store or in the yard?

Oh, Sirthumpsey, you just gave me a very solid laugh! I'm ex-military, but I'm also a grandma who's beginning to feel her age. As much as I love, love, love my kitties, the one thing you *won't* see me doing is crawling around in the grass trying to catch crickets. LOL!

I buy them live, a couple dozen at a time, from a local Petco. 

AC

 

[ritz]

Crickets are really cheap, too--and great entertainment for humans and cats a like.  About 11 to 14 cents per large cricket.  They will last a couple of days in a bag if you don't have time to release them in the bathtub right away.  If they start chirping behind a closed door or cabinet, oh boy, watch out !

 

[catspaw66]

Those who feed crickets typically feed them live. That's why AC dumps them in the bathtub for the kitties to eat at their leisure.

Crickets are high in choline, so they're a great addition to the diet.

I know our local pet store sells live crickets. I think they're usually sold to people with... snakes?

Our cats love bugs (we live in a really rural area). Unfortunately, we live in an RV, so I've got nowhere to release crickets for them to hunt down, or I'd feed them too.

People with lizards and frogs buy crickets, also.  They are good live bait for fishing, too.

 

[sirthumpsey]

We don't have a bathtub...just a shower...So I don't know where i'd put them...hmmm.

But that is really cool. 

Alot of our windows don't have screens so sometimes flies will come in...so shes been trying to catch them but I don't think she has had much luck...lol