Is this a good raw recipe?

[clary7]

That's awesome. Yes, I was listening to a podcast on raw feeding and I learned that a big reason why vets don't like it is because pet owners often just decide to 'wing it' without feeding a proper nutrient balance and then the pets come in later with a bunch of problems. That was actually the video that made me realize that if I wanted to start raw feeding, I need to do some thorough research, which is also why I wanted to post the recipe I found here to get some second opinions. I'm glad this forum seems to be supportive of it, as I know many pet owners are still skeptical.

 

[Box of Rain]

That's awesome. Yes, I was listening to a podcast on raw feeding and I learned that a big reason why vets don't like it is because pet owners often just decide to 'wing it' without feeding a proper nutrient balance and then the pets come in later with a bunch of problems. That was actually the video that made me realize that if I wanted to start raw feeding, I need to do some thorough research, which is also why I wanted to post the recipe I found here to get some second opinions. I'm glad this forum seems to be supportive of it, as I know many pet owners are still skeptical.

And as much as I'm highly enthusiastic about raw feeding (done properly), I do understand the valid concerns of veterinarians.

It isn't terribly difficult to create a nutritionally balanced diet, but it does require a certain level of conscientiousness.

In my own case, I was so concerned about making a big mistake that I read every academic work on canine nutrition that I could access--and especially those which compared high-protein/high-fat diets with the standard high-carb kibble diet.

I also made nearly a score of sample recipes based on the PMR ratios for dogs (80% "meat," 10% edible bone, 5% liver, 5% other "secreting organs") and used the nutrient database of the USDA to compare these sample meals against the standard of the National Research Council.

Doing so gave me confidence that feeding PMR fully met my dog's nutritional needs. I'm not suggesting one needs to go to this level of due diligence, rather that when I did so (for my own piece of mind) that the numbers panned out.

With cats one needs to be aware of things like taurine being an essential nutrient that they cannot synthesize themself--so must come from diet, such as dark meat turkey, heart, dark meat chicken, certain seafoods, and (not surprisingly, the best source) rodents like mice and rats. Barn cats know what they are doing on many levels

Also cats seem to do better with 6% bone, which is similar to--there is a theme here--the bone content of mice and rats.

I do aim for some diversity of high-taurine proteins myself, as opposed to only feeding one (such as chicken) unless it is necessary due to food intolerances.

Anecdotal reports seem to suggest feeding only one protein increases the risks of developing a food intolerance in an otherwise healthy cat and it seems reasonable to diversify the menu for a host of reasons, including both nutritional ones and the interest of the cat in his or her food.

Bill

 

[clary7]

This is so good to know. Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge!

 

[daftcat75]

Aaah okay, got it.

Honestly I hear so many stories of people who feed responsible raw diets shocking their vets by how healthy their pets are. It's just a testament to how good it is!

I'm excited for the change and will definitely be incorporating some of this into my cats diets.

For every responsible feeder there are several who are "winging it" or "off-roading." They started with a good recipe. But "my cat won't eat the batch with B vitamins" or "my cat has an egg sensitivity" and what started balanced and complete can go off the rails and cause a slow (or not so slow) decline into nutritional deficiency/insufficiency.

Then there are the ones who think cutting up chicken meat and mixing with eggs is going to be enough. Months later they are discovering the hard way that their prepared diet is calcium deficient.

This is why I suggest to keep canned in the diet until you're certain of your supply, production, and demand e.g. your recipe is both sound and sustainable, and your cats want to eat it. The canned will help smooth out any mistakes you might be making in the early going.

 

[clary7]

I have a follow up question. The recipe calls for fish oil. Is it okay if I use omega 3 fish oil? I already buy this for my dog so I’m wondering if this works for the cats too or if I need to buy something else.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082BCP45S/?tag=thecatsite

 

[Furballsmom]

I found this, which is to say I think it's all the same;
Fish oil is derived from the tissues of oily fish, such as mackerel, herring, tuna, and salmon. Fish oil supplements contain oil that is extracted directly or concentrated and put in capsule form. The active ingredients in fish oil are omega-3 fatty acids (eicosapentaenoic acid [EPA] and docosahexaenoic acid [DHA]).

 

[clary7]

I found this, which is to say I think it's all the same;
Fish oil is derived from the tissues of oily fish, such as mackerel, herring, tuna, and salmon. Fish oil supplements contain oil that is extracted directly or concentrated and put in capsule form. The active ingredients in fish oil are omega-3 fatty acids (eicosapentaenoic acid [EPA] and docosahexaenoic acid [DHA]).

Okay. So just so I’m clear, for feeding my cats raw, does that mean I can use the product I sent above?

 

[Furballsmom]

I believe so, I think it's all the same, I really do.