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These are thoughts I wrote down a few years ago on raw feeding and my experiences. I've kept most of it up to date but I am SO happy to find a forum that have others who have gone on this journey as well. I truly felt alone when I was doing this, and was so unsure of myself. Hopefully my notes will be helpful to others.
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For some background. I have two cats.
Pico (female. born 2002, currently age 11) - switched to raw at age 6 or 7
Harley (male. born 2008, currently age 5) - switched to raw immediately after adoption; around 4 - 5 months old
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THE BEGINNING:
A few years ago, I had never heard of raw fed dogs or cats. Growing up, I simply assumed that they ate kibble. I grew accustomed to people commenting on Pico my “fat cat” and how “lazy” she was. After I adopted Harley, I knew something was wrong when he kept vomiting after every meal. I went online in search of alternative diets and stumbled across something that would change the way I see my cat’s food (and how I see my own food).
I decided to so some reading on the subject of raw feeding and came across several articles and very useful websites. At first I was really turned off by the loaded words some of these raw feeding sites used. Several times I dismissed the idea of raw feeding because of the bias, guilt tripping language and over-the-top images (and in my opinion, does the movement a huge disservice). However, I eventually returned to the subject and was able to sort out my thoughts and gave my critical thinking skills some serious exercise; and in time I saw that the underlying message is still valid and strong. Eat healthy.
I began to wonder “what went into my cats' food?”, and read up on the different ingredients that went into my cats’ dry/wet food. I learned that dead/deceased/decomposing animal meat not fit for human consumption was used in the making of commercial kibble. I knew that dry food could and would never have the same amount of nutrients and health benefits as eating raw meats, and it really hit me when I thought, “Why would I feed something to them that I wouldn’t eat myself?”
Pico at that time was obese and Harley was a sickly kitten. I was so surprised at how quickly I was conditioned to accept the belief that a cat (an obligate carnivore) eats kibble? Is that what they would eat in the wild?
By no means did I seek to emulate all the “wild” needs of my cats 100%. After all, they are domestic. But somewhere along the line, humans began to feed ourselves processed foods and by convenience, extended that mass production to our pets. And similar to humans, this created the image of a “fat, lazy house cat”, much like our own stereotype of McDonalds and obesity. Well, that was something I did not want for myself nor my fur babies. So I made a commitment to raw feeding, but I was definitely ill prepared for the experiences that came my way.
Firstly, what I understood goes into dog/cat food kibble:
In short, parts of a dead animal that doesn't make it into packaged meat fit for human consumption, is then used to make commercial dry food for dogs and cats. This means that rotting meat, feet/hooves, head, sometimes undischarged packaging, some diseased meat all get put into a machine that pressurizes all the ingredients. To kill all the bacteria, these by-products are heated up, but at the same time ends up destroying any naturally found nutrients in the meat anyway. The machines then dry up any moisture so that the kibble becomes a compact nugget. To market this product, they throw in some artificial nutrients or vitamins and add flavour (take your pick of chicken flavour, beef flavour etc). Liken this to fast food for us humans; it tastes really good, highly addictive, makes you keep going back for more, but there is really little to no nutritional value. In fact, the additives end up making your cat really thirsty! They eat, then drink, then bloat (some, like my Harley) then vomit. I’ve been informed by a local holistic vet that many of them are noticing that chronic illnesses are related to dry food consumption.
Repeat this process daily and it’s no surprise that pets have organ failure or weakened immune systems. They simply are not getting the needed nutrients from their food! Then you take your pet to the vet. It’s convenient and profitable, so it’s no wonder commercial pet food companies don’t do much to raise awareness of the benefits of raw feeding. I believe 100% that raw is a crucial preventative medical step!
Beginning the transition:
I started by immediately changing my cats over to wet food. However, I learned that wet food is still not the solution since there is no "hardness" to it, your cat is unable to maintain healthy teeth and strong jaws. There is nothing to "crunch" or gnaw on. It's like giving them baby food all the time.
I gave my cat's meal times - once in the morning, and once at night. It seemed to make sense to me, as humans, being healthy consists of several SMALL meals a day rather than an open 24 hour buffet of processed food.
I spent hours each night reading on raw feeding. But ultimately, I decided to consult my own vet, I wanted his validation. However, as I would find out, and that most of the raw community had warned me about was that most vets DO NOT condone raw feeding.
These were the main reasons I encountered: 1) they cite popular myths about raw food and bacteria like salmonella and e. Coli – and though these are serious concerns for humans, as long as you are handling meat in a way you usually handle for humans, it should be fine. I will explain this myth in detail later.
2) "Nutrition" only makes up a small part of veterinary education (here in Canada), and as Vet-Ed is sponsored by the commercial pet food industry, many are “taught” the benefits of dry food brands. (again, this may vary from location to location, however even in the US, many of the most “reputable” organizations in pet care are backed by the biggest names in commercial dry food. Thus, everyone from pets, to owners, to vets, become victims of corporate profit. (again, not that it’s bad to be in corporate, but this systems seeks to reinforce the dry food status-quo – which for me, is not okay).
Thus I personally concluded that I trust my vet wholeheartedly to diagnose my kitties, treat them, and give them the medical care because I do not have the knowledge, nor the means. But I will not seek them out for nutritional advice. I will work in partnership with my vet and do “preventative parenting” on my end to ensure happy, healthy cats! A balanced partnership between medicine and a natural lifestyle is what makes the most sense to me.
I learned that you MUST be prepared to be patient, persistent and be able to put up with nay-sayers. You must also become more stubborn than your cats!!
================================================== ====
MY LEARNING/EXPERIENCE JOURNEY:
Eating healthy, just like for humans, is an important part of living a more fulfilling life. It isn't just about exercise and playing with your kitty, it's about what you put into their bodies. To first address the fear of bacteria or salmonella in raw feeding, we have to remember the biological differences between cats and humans. Cats (and dogs) are obligate carnivores. That means that they only need to eat meat. I mean... I knew that... but it never clicked in for me when I was feeding kibble.
As I will explain below, these are things that I learned that made sense to me when I was sorting through the overwhelming amount of information I came across. I hope my “nutshell” version will be helpful!
Contrary to the ads you see on TV, cats and dogs do not need veggies of any kind in their diet because they will get those nutrients from the "prey" they consume. In addition, a carnivore's digestive tract is also a deal shorter than a human’s digestive tract; this means that they can eat raw meat and even old meat without much fear of getting sick. It takes a less time for the food to travel through their system, hence not having enough time to absorb the bacteria into their bodies. Lions and leopards in the wild hunt and eat off the ground; some even scavenge because they are naturally equipped to handle it. Humans cannot, we are omnivores and have super long intestines, that’s why we have to cook our food. Frankly, the chances of getting sick from parasites or bacteria are more common from dried kibble (not being processed with enough heat to kill the parasites) than raw feeding. What you can do is ensure that you are handling the meat properly (washing your hands) and the surfaces it comes in contact with (cutting boards, containers, dishes etc). Otherwise, there really is nothing to fear.
The nutrients found in raw food can also help build a stronger immune system and natural moisture from their meat will reduce the amount of water they need to consume. You will notice (and I did first hand) that after switching to raw, your cats will consume less water in general because they are getting it directly from their food!
I read that in time, you should be able to feed your cats meaty bones (meat with small bones, nothing larger than a chicken thigh). The bones contribute calcium which aids in the development of bones and teeth (makes sense... that applies to us two-legged folk too). While your kitties are gnawing the meat off the bones, they get nutrients from the bone marrow and the blood and not to mention it keeps their teeth clean as well! Cats will also be strengthening their jaws this way.
After years and years of eating dry kibble, Pico (my old cat) had little to know jaw strength. It took her a great deal of time to learn to eat bone in meats. I was so sad to see this but it only reinforced my commitment to raw feeding.
I also learned that this is why it is important to avoid feeding wet food or ground meat. Grinding meat introduces air into the meat with destroys many valuable. Unless there are extenuating circumstances, even kittens can handle meaty bones. I find that it is easier to transition to meaty bones than to find a supplement for calcium.
Again, I wanted to test out raw feeding to see how it went. If anything, I could always switch back.
After beginning the transition between wet food to raw (about a week into), I noticed dramatic changes almost immediately. Pico had more energy; she began to play like a kitten again. There was a renewed interest in her toys. Her coat was noticeably softer and she was beginning to be much more affectionate. Harley gained more strength and stopped vomiting!! BUT the biggest noticeable change was their poop.
Bottom line... why does cat poop stink!? Because of the lack of nutrients found in dry food, there is nothing to be absorbed so it all get ejected out of the system anyway!
ADVANTAGE #1: That's right. The POOP.
The poo factor alone was enough to convince me to switch permanently! Everything was a lighter color, and there was generally a LOT less of it. Their stuff didn't smell at all! (unless, of course, you put your face right up to it). Scooping poop is like a dream now haha!
However transitioning was a slow process (this is where patience kicks in). I encountered many problems because my cats took differently to the switch.
This brings me to DISAVANTAGE #1: Time. The process is not immediate. You will need to commit some energy and time (and patience) to go to a raw diet. Sometimes your cats will not like what you give, so you'll have to give them dry food once or twice so they won't starve. (I liken it to quitting any addiction; you have to come off it slowly). You need to start small.
At first Pico was making faster progress than Harley, then she was stuck eating raw chunks for a while and Harley surpassed her. Pico didn’t touch bone-in meats for weeks. It was quite possible, in hindsight, that she did not yet have the jaw strength to eat the bones (after all, she did spend 7 years on dry kibble!). I started transitioning in October 2009, and as of April 2, 2010 (six months), Harley was fully on raw. Pico was on raw/wet combination diet.
My cats are SLOW, so please don't be that intimidated. From what I read transitions don't usually take this long. I've heard cats switching right away, the longest switch I've read took 1 year.
What I did for Pico when she wouldn't take to bones was to give her meat with very little bone in it and break the bones with a tenderizer (I used quail and cornish hen). Over the course of a few days, I tenderized it less and less. Some cats (like my Pico) loves to LICK their entire meal for like 10 minutes straight before eating it LOL. I think it's their way of cleaning food before the meal.
I’ve learned that if raw feeding is new, slight gagging and choking is normal. I just give them a minute and they cough it up and chew it properly. Having lived on kibble for so long, it takes a few tries for kitties to grasp the concept of bones.
ADVANTAGE #2 and #3: HEALTHY BODIES and ENERGY
After several weeks on a mostly raw diet, Pico had already lost some of her fat, and became fitter. From her new found energy, I noticed that she had been playing more and exercising more often. I began to give Harley bone-in meats.
This stopped his vomiting completely because he was forced to tear and chew his food before swallowing. Before, he would GORGE on dry, get thirsty, drink water and the food expanded and he would throw it up.
I introduced Salmon oil into their diet. Salmon oil is still being debated on whether or not it is beneficial for cats. I decided to try it. Harley LOVES it.
But...
It caused Pico to regress. She hated the salmon oil and absolutely REFUSED raw food. I ended up going ALL THE WAY back to dry food so she wouldn't starve herself. So I went back to square one. After about a week, she was back on a relatively raw/wet diet. But I began to worry because I noticed her daily food intake was cut in half. She wasn't eating as much as she used to. Pico used to eat about 1.5 cups a day of dry food so I panicked. I desperately messaged my vet, read articles, and consulted other cat lovers.
Finally, one day, when I took her to get micro-chipped at a shelter, the workers told me that they fed their cats only half a cup of dry food a day!!
I was relieved. The salmon oil turned her off, but in the end, it was because of her new raw diet, her food intake decreased to a NORMAL level.
What I learned? An easy way to "measure" how much to feed your cat is just to think LIKE a cat. If they were in the wild, they hunt. Maybe kill one or two mice/birds a day. That is how much I would give my cats on a daily basis. What I call, a "mouse-ful".
ADVANTAGE #4: Healthy Habits / Eating smaller portions (fed twice a day), less thirst for water intake.
As one of the articles called it, I shut down the “24 hour kibble buffet”. My cats were no longer allowed to graze on kibble as they pleased. No wild cats graze either! I allotted morning and dinner time as my two feeding times for my cats. If it was a busy day, I feed once but double the amount.
Now, if one cat doesn’t finish or walks away, he/she will not get any more that day. Tough love, but after one or two missed meals, my kitties got the picture. Eat it or go without. This cuts off the nagging, stealing and food going bad issues (with raw, you can't leave it sitting there too long). If your kitty doesn't eat it within the 20 minutes you put it down, take it away and don't offer it again until later. During non-meal times, we would give them treats here or there. Sometimes when I'm preparing my own dinner, I'll feed the unwanted chunks of meat I cut off to them as a treat. Both of my cats adjusted to this with no issues.
Back to my transition story, I began buying a variety of meats to help entice my older cat to eat.
That leads to DISADVANTAGE #2: Cost. In the beginning when you are experimenting, raw food is going to be a little more pricey because you don't know what your kitty will like. Also overall, dry food is about $5 a bag which can last up to a month. Raw is not THAT much more expensive, but you'll have to budget it. Purchase in bulk, what is on sale, and ask family/friends for expired (but not rotten) frozen meats. Freeze your food for about a week to kill any bacteria. You'll get into a habit of it eventually and it will become easier.
Currently, I spend about $10/week for two cats so it works out to about $20/month per cat.
DISADVANTAGE #3: Beginner Prep: When to feed and how much. Now, some cat enthusiasts measure out the exact OUNCES of what to feed. Some break things down into percentages of meat, muscle meat, organs and bones. For me, I like to follow the general percentages and feed a variety of raw. Like humans and in my own lifestyle, I don't like counting calories or looking at the fats percentage in my food or sugar intake. I simply use my common sense and make regularly healthy food choices.
One easy way of thinking that I use to solve this problem, is to think about a cat's natural prey. A mouse/bird. When you feed, estimate a large mouse sized amount and the ratio/percentage of organs/bones in a prey’s body. Not every cat in the wild is going to find a perfectly balanced meal every time. If you want to get exact about the numbers, more power to you, but I don't think it's necessary.
Ideally I would be feeding them mice but it gets expensive in the city, so I’ve decided to feed what is called the "Frankenprey Model".
I follow as a general guide (per month):
80% meat (pork, chicken, beef, rabbit, lamb, venison, gizzards etc. Meat also includes HEARTS with are ESSENTIAL for taurine!!)
10% meaty bones (like quail, chicken wings)
10% organs (half of this is liver)
Optional additions: Salmon Oil, raw eggs.
Treats: PureBites Treats (I ONLY buy treats with ONE ingredient)
Sometimes, when I'm eating dinner (if I have turkey or roast chicken, or if I'm cutting up steak for myself), I will give a piece as a treat for my cats. However, I ensure the following:
- if I give raw, I ensure it is not marinated/seasoned
- if it is cooked chicken/turkey, I ensure no sauce is on it, and to make sure that it is not too hot.
Temperature can also play a role. Some cats (like mine) enjoy their meat chilled and fresh out of the fridge. Some cats may need you to de-thaw it to room temperature. Either or is normal.
Also one more thing I learned/noticed was that once my kitties began to tap into their instinctual need for raw food, they would drag their meat onto carpet in a secluded corner. This makes for messy clean-up. How I solved this problem was to eliminate the use of “cat bowls” altogether. I ended up thinking how ridiculous a bowl was to begin with! Instead, I purchased a pack of plastic/rubbery washable placemats from the dollar store (one with enough friction so that it wouldn’t move), also non-porous for easy wipe-cleaning. So now, all I do is throw down a slab of meat on their place-mat and they eat off it just fine! I’ve also positioned them in a corner so they can feel safe when eating.
ADVANTAGE #4: Personality/physical changes.
Honestly, if I just tell you, it won't hold any meaning. You have to SEE the little changes along the way in your cat/dog. Pico is more of a lap cat now, wanting to be cuddled and played with. In all of 7 years she was on kibble, I have never seen her so affectionate!! Harley’s health is back to normal, his immune system is strong, he no longer vomits, and his teeth are pristine from gnawing on bones. Before raw, I thought all cats were lazy bums, the change was so noticeable!!
Friends who come over now, ALWAYS comment on how soft my cats’ fur is. A breeder friend even said that the sheen on their coats is tournament worthy! Both cats have incredibly healthy teeth (as praised by my vet) and other than check-ups, I have NOT had to take either of my cats into the vet for any illnesses after switching to raw!! Prior to switching, I recall taking each cat to seek medical help at least twice a year. I am also amazed constantly by how many people I met that have discovered raw feeding due to a health complication in one of their pets.
In the end, you need to look at these pros/cons and decide if you can afford the time and energy to switch. I want my babies to live long, happy, exciting and healthy lives. Sure it costs me a little more time/energy/convenience/money, but I love seeing their progress and their changes. But most of all, I was angry that I had been misled and blindly following prescripted expectations of pet ownership and responsibility and was shocked and very happy to have snapped out of thinking with the status quo.
DISADVANTAGE #4: The Looks. This brings me to, The Looks. You know, people think you're nuts when you says your cat is on a raw diet. It's just a cat (the same stigma many people who choose to feed organic only food to their families). This disadvantage was the hardest for me - facing the enormous amount of opposition and skepticism. Not knowing if I have a support system and especially feeling like I am doing it all alone.
What have I done to address this challenge? I’ve talked to my husband and a few people who I trust will “cat sit” when I have to travel. I talk to them about how important raw feeding is to me and even if they don’t agree with it, that it would mean a lot to me for their support. I try not to overwhelm people in conversation with information but instead, encourage them to ask questions and I’d try to fill in the blanks.
Inevitably, I also discovered that travelling poses another challenge. 1) Unlike kibble, you can’t leave meat out all day. And 2) Who am I going to find to feed them?
Well firstly, I would try my best to find or hire someone to feed raw or put kitty to a raw friendly boarding home. For me, I have family and select friends who will do it for me. If all avenues fail, I don’t see a huge problem with going back to wet food for a few days. However, if you reintroduce dry, even for a few days, I would be very afraid that my cats would regress and I’d have to start the transition all over.
As of today, BOTH Pico and Harley are fully on raw!!
Before and After: Teeth
Before and After: Weight Loss (A healthy cat has a natural waist, you should not be able to SEE ribs, but if you touch, you should be able to find them easily).
What Carnivores Need
Protein and Fats - From meats (including the fats)
Small amounts of Fiber - found in fur, feathers or viscera (I feed my cats liver)
Taurine - Found in hearts (I feed mine chicken hearts)
Calcium - For bones and teeth (I feed my cats bone-in meats)
Iron - From bone marrow, liver, and blood (my cats love the blood)
Omega 3 - For shiny coats, stronger joints and immune system support. (I will occasional give them some Alaskan Salmon Oil in their food, Omegas can also be found in raw egg.)
I DO NOT cook the meat or bones! It destroys essential nutrients and cooked bone can harm your kitty.
I DO NOT feed pasteurized milk. Most cats are lactose intolerant. If you give milk, ensure that it is raw.
Eventually, it really IS as simple as dropping a slab of meat into their mat and walking away once your cat has transitioned. You need to be more persistent and more stubborn than your cat (and any nay-sayers!)
I’m a true believer that if you go raw, go all the way (as best you can).
Do the research, ask the questions, decide if the raw diet will work for you.
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For some background. I have two cats.
Pico (female. born 2002, currently age 11) - switched to raw at age 6 or 7
Harley (male. born 2008, currently age 5) - switched to raw immediately after adoption; around 4 - 5 months old
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THE BEGINNING:
A few years ago, I had never heard of raw fed dogs or cats. Growing up, I simply assumed that they ate kibble. I grew accustomed to people commenting on Pico my “fat cat” and how “lazy” she was. After I adopted Harley, I knew something was wrong when he kept vomiting after every meal. I went online in search of alternative diets and stumbled across something that would change the way I see my cat’s food (and how I see my own food).
I decided to so some reading on the subject of raw feeding and came across several articles and very useful websites. At first I was really turned off by the loaded words some of these raw feeding sites used. Several times I dismissed the idea of raw feeding because of the bias, guilt tripping language and over-the-top images (and in my opinion, does the movement a huge disservice). However, I eventually returned to the subject and was able to sort out my thoughts and gave my critical thinking skills some serious exercise; and in time I saw that the underlying message is still valid and strong. Eat healthy.
I began to wonder “what went into my cats' food?”, and read up on the different ingredients that went into my cats’ dry/wet food. I learned that dead/deceased/decomposing animal meat not fit for human consumption was used in the making of commercial kibble. I knew that dry food could and would never have the same amount of nutrients and health benefits as eating raw meats, and it really hit me when I thought, “Why would I feed something to them that I wouldn’t eat myself?”
Pico at that time was obese and Harley was a sickly kitten. I was so surprised at how quickly I was conditioned to accept the belief that a cat (an obligate carnivore) eats kibble? Is that what they would eat in the wild?
By no means did I seek to emulate all the “wild” needs of my cats 100%. After all, they are domestic. But somewhere along the line, humans began to feed ourselves processed foods and by convenience, extended that mass production to our pets. And similar to humans, this created the image of a “fat, lazy house cat”, much like our own stereotype of McDonalds and obesity. Well, that was something I did not want for myself nor my fur babies. So I made a commitment to raw feeding, but I was definitely ill prepared for the experiences that came my way.
Firstly, what I understood goes into dog/cat food kibble:
In short, parts of a dead animal that doesn't make it into packaged meat fit for human consumption, is then used to make commercial dry food for dogs and cats. This means that rotting meat, feet/hooves, head, sometimes undischarged packaging, some diseased meat all get put into a machine that pressurizes all the ingredients. To kill all the bacteria, these by-products are heated up, but at the same time ends up destroying any naturally found nutrients in the meat anyway. The machines then dry up any moisture so that the kibble becomes a compact nugget. To market this product, they throw in some artificial nutrients or vitamins and add flavour (take your pick of chicken flavour, beef flavour etc). Liken this to fast food for us humans; it tastes really good, highly addictive, makes you keep going back for more, but there is really little to no nutritional value. In fact, the additives end up making your cat really thirsty! They eat, then drink, then bloat (some, like my Harley) then vomit. I’ve been informed by a local holistic vet that many of them are noticing that chronic illnesses are related to dry food consumption.
Repeat this process daily and it’s no surprise that pets have organ failure or weakened immune systems. They simply are not getting the needed nutrients from their food! Then you take your pet to the vet. It’s convenient and profitable, so it’s no wonder commercial pet food companies don’t do much to raise awareness of the benefits of raw feeding. I believe 100% that raw is a crucial preventative medical step!
Beginning the transition:
I started by immediately changing my cats over to wet food. However, I learned that wet food is still not the solution since there is no "hardness" to it, your cat is unable to maintain healthy teeth and strong jaws. There is nothing to "crunch" or gnaw on. It's like giving them baby food all the time.
I gave my cat's meal times - once in the morning, and once at night. It seemed to make sense to me, as humans, being healthy consists of several SMALL meals a day rather than an open 24 hour buffet of processed food.
I spent hours each night reading on raw feeding. But ultimately, I decided to consult my own vet, I wanted his validation. However, as I would find out, and that most of the raw community had warned me about was that most vets DO NOT condone raw feeding.
These were the main reasons I encountered: 1) they cite popular myths about raw food and bacteria like salmonella and e. Coli – and though these are serious concerns for humans, as long as you are handling meat in a way you usually handle for humans, it should be fine. I will explain this myth in detail later.
2) "Nutrition" only makes up a small part of veterinary education (here in Canada), and as Vet-Ed is sponsored by the commercial pet food industry, many are “taught” the benefits of dry food brands. (again, this may vary from location to location, however even in the US, many of the most “reputable” organizations in pet care are backed by the biggest names in commercial dry food. Thus, everyone from pets, to owners, to vets, become victims of corporate profit. (again, not that it’s bad to be in corporate, but this systems seeks to reinforce the dry food status-quo – which for me, is not okay).
Thus I personally concluded that I trust my vet wholeheartedly to diagnose my kitties, treat them, and give them the medical care because I do not have the knowledge, nor the means. But I will not seek them out for nutritional advice. I will work in partnership with my vet and do “preventative parenting” on my end to ensure happy, healthy cats! A balanced partnership between medicine and a natural lifestyle is what makes the most sense to me.
I learned that you MUST be prepared to be patient, persistent and be able to put up with nay-sayers. You must also become more stubborn than your cats!!
================================================== ====
MY LEARNING/EXPERIENCE JOURNEY:
Eating healthy, just like for humans, is an important part of living a more fulfilling life. It isn't just about exercise and playing with your kitty, it's about what you put into their bodies. To first address the fear of bacteria or salmonella in raw feeding, we have to remember the biological differences between cats and humans. Cats (and dogs) are obligate carnivores. That means that they only need to eat meat. I mean... I knew that... but it never clicked in for me when I was feeding kibble.
As I will explain below, these are things that I learned that made sense to me when I was sorting through the overwhelming amount of information I came across. I hope my “nutshell” version will be helpful!
Contrary to the ads you see on TV, cats and dogs do not need veggies of any kind in their diet because they will get those nutrients from the "prey" they consume. In addition, a carnivore's digestive tract is also a deal shorter than a human’s digestive tract; this means that they can eat raw meat and even old meat without much fear of getting sick. It takes a less time for the food to travel through their system, hence not having enough time to absorb the bacteria into their bodies. Lions and leopards in the wild hunt and eat off the ground; some even scavenge because they are naturally equipped to handle it. Humans cannot, we are omnivores and have super long intestines, that’s why we have to cook our food. Frankly, the chances of getting sick from parasites or bacteria are more common from dried kibble (not being processed with enough heat to kill the parasites) than raw feeding. What you can do is ensure that you are handling the meat properly (washing your hands) and the surfaces it comes in contact with (cutting boards, containers, dishes etc). Otherwise, there really is nothing to fear.
The nutrients found in raw food can also help build a stronger immune system and natural moisture from their meat will reduce the amount of water they need to consume. You will notice (and I did first hand) that after switching to raw, your cats will consume less water in general because they are getting it directly from their food!
I read that in time, you should be able to feed your cats meaty bones (meat with small bones, nothing larger than a chicken thigh). The bones contribute calcium which aids in the development of bones and teeth (makes sense... that applies to us two-legged folk too). While your kitties are gnawing the meat off the bones, they get nutrients from the bone marrow and the blood and not to mention it keeps their teeth clean as well! Cats will also be strengthening their jaws this way.
After years and years of eating dry kibble, Pico (my old cat) had little to know jaw strength. It took her a great deal of time to learn to eat bone in meats. I was so sad to see this but it only reinforced my commitment to raw feeding.
I also learned that this is why it is important to avoid feeding wet food or ground meat. Grinding meat introduces air into the meat with destroys many valuable. Unless there are extenuating circumstances, even kittens can handle meaty bones. I find that it is easier to transition to meaty bones than to find a supplement for calcium.
Again, I wanted to test out raw feeding to see how it went. If anything, I could always switch back.
After beginning the transition between wet food to raw (about a week into), I noticed dramatic changes almost immediately. Pico had more energy; she began to play like a kitten again. There was a renewed interest in her toys. Her coat was noticeably softer and she was beginning to be much more affectionate. Harley gained more strength and stopped vomiting!! BUT the biggest noticeable change was their poop.
Bottom line... why does cat poop stink!? Because of the lack of nutrients found in dry food, there is nothing to be absorbed so it all get ejected out of the system anyway!
ADVANTAGE #1: That's right. The POOP.
The poo factor alone was enough to convince me to switch permanently! Everything was a lighter color, and there was generally a LOT less of it. Their stuff didn't smell at all! (unless, of course, you put your face right up to it). Scooping poop is like a dream now haha!
However transitioning was a slow process (this is where patience kicks in). I encountered many problems because my cats took differently to the switch.
This brings me to DISAVANTAGE #1: Time. The process is not immediate. You will need to commit some energy and time (and patience) to go to a raw diet. Sometimes your cats will not like what you give, so you'll have to give them dry food once or twice so they won't starve. (I liken it to quitting any addiction; you have to come off it slowly). You need to start small.
At first Pico was making faster progress than Harley, then she was stuck eating raw chunks for a while and Harley surpassed her. Pico didn’t touch bone-in meats for weeks. It was quite possible, in hindsight, that she did not yet have the jaw strength to eat the bones (after all, she did spend 7 years on dry kibble!). I started transitioning in October 2009, and as of April 2, 2010 (six months), Harley was fully on raw. Pico was on raw/wet combination diet.
My cats are SLOW, so please don't be that intimidated. From what I read transitions don't usually take this long. I've heard cats switching right away, the longest switch I've read took 1 year.
What I did for Pico when she wouldn't take to bones was to give her meat with very little bone in it and break the bones with a tenderizer (I used quail and cornish hen). Over the course of a few days, I tenderized it less and less. Some cats (like my Pico) loves to LICK their entire meal for like 10 minutes straight before eating it LOL. I think it's their way of cleaning food before the meal.
I’ve learned that if raw feeding is new, slight gagging and choking is normal. I just give them a minute and they cough it up and chew it properly. Having lived on kibble for so long, it takes a few tries for kitties to grasp the concept of bones.
ADVANTAGE #2 and #3: HEALTHY BODIES and ENERGY
After several weeks on a mostly raw diet, Pico had already lost some of her fat, and became fitter. From her new found energy, I noticed that she had been playing more and exercising more often. I began to give Harley bone-in meats.
This stopped his vomiting completely because he was forced to tear and chew his food before swallowing. Before, he would GORGE on dry, get thirsty, drink water and the food expanded and he would throw it up.
I introduced Salmon oil into their diet. Salmon oil is still being debated on whether or not it is beneficial for cats. I decided to try it. Harley LOVES it.
But...
It caused Pico to regress. She hated the salmon oil and absolutely REFUSED raw food. I ended up going ALL THE WAY back to dry food so she wouldn't starve herself. So I went back to square one. After about a week, she was back on a relatively raw/wet diet. But I began to worry because I noticed her daily food intake was cut in half. She wasn't eating as much as she used to. Pico used to eat about 1.5 cups a day of dry food so I panicked. I desperately messaged my vet, read articles, and consulted other cat lovers.
Finally, one day, when I took her to get micro-chipped at a shelter, the workers told me that they fed their cats only half a cup of dry food a day!!
I was relieved. The salmon oil turned her off, but in the end, it was because of her new raw diet, her food intake decreased to a NORMAL level.
What I learned? An easy way to "measure" how much to feed your cat is just to think LIKE a cat. If they were in the wild, they hunt. Maybe kill one or two mice/birds a day. That is how much I would give my cats on a daily basis. What I call, a "mouse-ful".
ADVANTAGE #4: Healthy Habits / Eating smaller portions (fed twice a day), less thirst for water intake.
As one of the articles called it, I shut down the “24 hour kibble buffet”. My cats were no longer allowed to graze on kibble as they pleased. No wild cats graze either! I allotted morning and dinner time as my two feeding times for my cats. If it was a busy day, I feed once but double the amount.
Now, if one cat doesn’t finish or walks away, he/she will not get any more that day. Tough love, but after one or two missed meals, my kitties got the picture. Eat it or go without. This cuts off the nagging, stealing and food going bad issues (with raw, you can't leave it sitting there too long). If your kitty doesn't eat it within the 20 minutes you put it down, take it away and don't offer it again until later. During non-meal times, we would give them treats here or there. Sometimes when I'm preparing my own dinner, I'll feed the unwanted chunks of meat I cut off to them as a treat. Both of my cats adjusted to this with no issues.
Back to my transition story, I began buying a variety of meats to help entice my older cat to eat.
That leads to DISADVANTAGE #2: Cost. In the beginning when you are experimenting, raw food is going to be a little more pricey because you don't know what your kitty will like. Also overall, dry food is about $5 a bag which can last up to a month. Raw is not THAT much more expensive, but you'll have to budget it. Purchase in bulk, what is on sale, and ask family/friends for expired (but not rotten) frozen meats. Freeze your food for about a week to kill any bacteria. You'll get into a habit of it eventually and it will become easier.
Currently, I spend about $10/week for two cats so it works out to about $20/month per cat.
DISADVANTAGE #3: Beginner Prep: When to feed and how much. Now, some cat enthusiasts measure out the exact OUNCES of what to feed. Some break things down into percentages of meat, muscle meat, organs and bones. For me, I like to follow the general percentages and feed a variety of raw. Like humans and in my own lifestyle, I don't like counting calories or looking at the fats percentage in my food or sugar intake. I simply use my common sense and make regularly healthy food choices.
One easy way of thinking that I use to solve this problem, is to think about a cat's natural prey. A mouse/bird. When you feed, estimate a large mouse sized amount and the ratio/percentage of organs/bones in a prey’s body. Not every cat in the wild is going to find a perfectly balanced meal every time. If you want to get exact about the numbers, more power to you, but I don't think it's necessary.
Ideally I would be feeding them mice but it gets expensive in the city, so I’ve decided to feed what is called the "Frankenprey Model".
I follow as a general guide (per month):
80% meat (pork, chicken, beef, rabbit, lamb, venison, gizzards etc. Meat also includes HEARTS with are ESSENTIAL for taurine!!)
10% meaty bones (like quail, chicken wings)
10% organs (half of this is liver)
Optional additions: Salmon Oil, raw eggs.
Treats: PureBites Treats (I ONLY buy treats with ONE ingredient)
Sometimes, when I'm eating dinner (if I have turkey or roast chicken, or if I'm cutting up steak for myself), I will give a piece as a treat for my cats. However, I ensure the following:
- if I give raw, I ensure it is not marinated/seasoned
- if it is cooked chicken/turkey, I ensure no sauce is on it, and to make sure that it is not too hot.
Temperature can also play a role. Some cats (like mine) enjoy their meat chilled and fresh out of the fridge. Some cats may need you to de-thaw it to room temperature. Either or is normal.
Also one more thing I learned/noticed was that once my kitties began to tap into their instinctual need for raw food, they would drag their meat onto carpet in a secluded corner. This makes for messy clean-up. How I solved this problem was to eliminate the use of “cat bowls” altogether. I ended up thinking how ridiculous a bowl was to begin with! Instead, I purchased a pack of plastic/rubbery washable placemats from the dollar store (one with enough friction so that it wouldn’t move), also non-porous for easy wipe-cleaning. So now, all I do is throw down a slab of meat on their place-mat and they eat off it just fine! I’ve also positioned them in a corner so they can feel safe when eating.
ADVANTAGE #4: Personality/physical changes.
Honestly, if I just tell you, it won't hold any meaning. You have to SEE the little changes along the way in your cat/dog. Pico is more of a lap cat now, wanting to be cuddled and played with. In all of 7 years she was on kibble, I have never seen her so affectionate!! Harley’s health is back to normal, his immune system is strong, he no longer vomits, and his teeth are pristine from gnawing on bones. Before raw, I thought all cats were lazy bums, the change was so noticeable!!
Friends who come over now, ALWAYS comment on how soft my cats’ fur is. A breeder friend even said that the sheen on their coats is tournament worthy! Both cats have incredibly healthy teeth (as praised by my vet) and other than check-ups, I have NOT had to take either of my cats into the vet for any illnesses after switching to raw!! Prior to switching, I recall taking each cat to seek medical help at least twice a year. I am also amazed constantly by how many people I met that have discovered raw feeding due to a health complication in one of their pets.
In the end, you need to look at these pros/cons and decide if you can afford the time and energy to switch. I want my babies to live long, happy, exciting and healthy lives. Sure it costs me a little more time/energy/convenience/money, but I love seeing their progress and their changes. But most of all, I was angry that I had been misled and blindly following prescripted expectations of pet ownership and responsibility and was shocked and very happy to have snapped out of thinking with the status quo.
DISADVANTAGE #4: The Looks. This brings me to, The Looks. You know, people think you're nuts when you says your cat is on a raw diet. It's just a cat (the same stigma many people who choose to feed organic only food to their families). This disadvantage was the hardest for me - facing the enormous amount of opposition and skepticism. Not knowing if I have a support system and especially feeling like I am doing it all alone.
What have I done to address this challenge? I’ve talked to my husband and a few people who I trust will “cat sit” when I have to travel. I talk to them about how important raw feeding is to me and even if they don’t agree with it, that it would mean a lot to me for their support. I try not to overwhelm people in conversation with information but instead, encourage them to ask questions and I’d try to fill in the blanks.
Inevitably, I also discovered that travelling poses another challenge. 1) Unlike kibble, you can’t leave meat out all day. And 2) Who am I going to find to feed them?
Well firstly, I would try my best to find or hire someone to feed raw or put kitty to a raw friendly boarding home. For me, I have family and select friends who will do it for me. If all avenues fail, I don’t see a huge problem with going back to wet food for a few days. However, if you reintroduce dry, even for a few days, I would be very afraid that my cats would regress and I’d have to start the transition all over.
As of today, BOTH Pico and Harley are fully on raw!!
Before and After: Teeth
Before and After: Weight Loss (A healthy cat has a natural waist, you should not be able to SEE ribs, but if you touch, you should be able to find them easily).
What Carnivores Need
Protein and Fats - From meats (including the fats)
Small amounts of Fiber - found in fur, feathers or viscera (I feed my cats liver)
Taurine - Found in hearts (I feed mine chicken hearts)
Calcium - For bones and teeth (I feed my cats bone-in meats)
Iron - From bone marrow, liver, and blood (my cats love the blood)
Omega 3 - For shiny coats, stronger joints and immune system support. (I will occasional give them some Alaskan Salmon Oil in their food, Omegas can also be found in raw egg.)
I DO NOT cook the meat or bones! It destroys essential nutrients and cooked bone can harm your kitty.
I DO NOT feed pasteurized milk. Most cats are lactose intolerant. If you give milk, ensure that it is raw.
Eventually, it really IS as simple as dropping a slab of meat into their mat and walking away once your cat has transitioned. You need to be more persistent and more stubborn than your cat (and any nay-sayers!)
I’m a true believer that if you go raw, go all the way (as best you can).
Do the research, ask the questions, decide if the raw diet will work for you.
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. And they're crankier. So, yup, even just a bit really makes a difference!
