Where do you get raw meat ?

[roguethecat]

that's why I made a very nice turkey without seasoned skin to give away as Thanksgiving "thank you" to the guys, who frowned on it, but the ferals outside appreciate any extra fat. The Rogue ate the heart, though.

Cats can handle and need lots of fat, and as the Rogue hasn't gotten stuck in the cat door yet (it's a tight squeeze, though), I usually go for it when making food (which is intended for Rascal, mainly, who lost his extra pounds when I finally managed to get my sister to stop feeding him dry food).

If you look at the average adult mouse, it's surprisingly fatty.

 

[ankitty]

I personally wouldn't feed Ritz rotisserie chicken or Thanksgiving turkey without first removing the skin--in part because Ritz doesn't need the extra fat, in large part because the skin is likely to contain most of the seasonings, some of which are toxic to cats (garlic).
I did feed the community colony cats cooked turkey, without the skin.
And gave Ritz the raw 'innards' of the turkey. She wanted to lick the bag they came in.....

I didn't feed skin or any part that has too much seasoning. But they really liked it, as if they had never eaten "real" food. 

 

[ritz]

Good, no seasoning.
Yes, the community colony cats need all the fat I can give them, but they don't recognize raw food as well, food.

 

[maureen brad]

Costco Chicken has a very salty brine. They puff it up that way.

 

[ankitty]

 
Costco Chicken has a very salty brine. They puff it up that way.

I didn't mean to feed it to my cats as main meal. I know it's too salty for them (and taste good for us!). It was just a little piece to see if they like real chicken. I had a cat who lived for 18 years, and we fed her all kinds of table scraps in addition to cheap dry food. She was very healthy cat and I wonder if it's because she got variety of food from us and also she was indoor/outdoor cat until she was 6 years old and who knows what she was eating outside. 

 

[holisticgirl]

Don't just go buy meat from the store and feed it raw.  It was processed how many days or even weeks earlier and is full of bacteria.  You need to get it from someone who handles it appropriately and freezes it pretty quickly.  Much like sushi...if you just go buy fish from the store and eat it raw, you are almost certain to get sick.  I got mine from tropical traditions--premade frozen patties of grassfed chicken that also have the right amount of other helpful things for kitty like coconut oil.  There is also northstar bison where i've gotten raw frozen patties too, although they are just meat and my particular cat didn't like that one (but liked tropical traditions).

Also note just today Dr Karen Becker posted a story on the changing tide with raw pet food and how it's catching on despite groundless claims from vet-types.

 

[ritz]

I routinely buy chunks of meat from the grocery store. However, I rarely, if ever buy ground meat from a grocery store. Ground meat has more surface availability in which nasty bacteria can grow.
Raw feeders differ about how much supplementation is needed/required/comfortable with. I only supplement prey model raw with quail eggs about three times a week. I also give Ritz probiotics every day.

 

[ankitty]

I'm thinking that if I get chicken or beef from Costco or a grocery store, I'll use Dr. Pierson's recipe, lightly baking outside. Would it be safe? 

 

[roguethecat]

be careful not to feed any enhanced meat. If it is enhanced, it's noted on the packaging.

 

[ritz]

PS: one way I use to determine if the food has been enhanced is to look at the amount of sodium per serving. It should be under 100 mg; otherwise, the meat has been enhanced with salt and possibly sugar.