Raw = All or Nothing? Next best thing?

[carakitty]

Is feeding raw something which must be done every meal to see the benefits? Does feeding raw as a treat once a week still benefit the cat?

I'm sceptical about the precautions and time needed to feed raw and am looking for the next best thing to a raw diet. I was looking at the package of FreshPet Vital Grain Free at Petco today and am considering looking into it further. It does seem really pricey though.

Can the Primal pet foods freeze dried nuggets really be left out dry for grazing? It seems like the prepackaged raw food is pretty expensive too.

 

[Yoda mom]

@Condo commando @Xandria et al raw feeder suggestions ?
I always thought it's not advised to mix Raw diet with kibble ?

@carakitty , there are many benefits to feeding raw but for my schedule amd if I ever need to evacuate in storms , have a pet sitter etc I chose to go with a kibble and give canned food daily .

I feed Nutrisource cat and kitten in the blue bag - no recalls - and no skin or poo issues x5
Switched from Acana and Orijen and my crew does better om Nutrisource just feed n go

Here is link Search Results for Query: Raw diet | Sphynxlair

You can use the top right search box for more on the subject , specifics

 

[Condo commando]

Hi there @carakitty - feeding raw requires the usual common sense precautions in the kitchen that you use whenever you handle raw meat for humans. What I do is I clean the kitchen counter before and after in case anything falls on it. I use glass or aluminum bowls and kitchen tools and avoid plastic which is porous. However, I use plastic containers for the finished food because the dollar store sells 8 ounce containers in a pack of 5 or 6 for $1 which is just too good a deal to pass up. Nobody has gotten sick. I just replace them when they look worn out.

As far as the time needed, there are 2 very important time savers:
1. You can buy the food already ground AND premixed in the right proportion of bones, organs and meat.
2. You can buy a premixed supplement powder for making cat food that includes all the vitamins and minerals.

The 3 ingredients for making food are the food you bought in #1, the supplement you bought in #2, and water.

The tools you need are a small bowl, a large bowl, a whisk, and a spoon.....in other words it's stuff you already have in your kitchen.

Every week I dethaw enough food for the coming week, mix the ingredients and portion the food out in the little containers for daily feeding. I'm in the kitchen 45 minutes to an hour and that includes handwashing whatever I used.

I can't emphasize enough, the main concern with raw food is - is it balanced? When you buy whole ground prey, it usually has too high bone content. This is typical if you go to a butcher shop and ask for whole ground chicken or something like that....they'll give it to you, but it's not what you want to feed. The recommended percentages for feeding pets are: 80% meat, 10% bone, and 10% organs. Here's a link for a pet food supplier that I buy from that follows the 80-10-10 rule:
Grinds

The supplement powder, despite the name which makes it sound like it's optional, is actually required. The one I use is Alnutrin for meat & bone:
Know What You Feed Your Cat - Shop Online

Doing it this way the price is comparable to canned food. You have to remember that you are adding water to the food. So 1 pound of meat with water becomes 1 pound and 4 ounces. When you buy canned pet food, it has even more water added but they call it gravy LOL. That 5.5 ounce can of cat food is probably 4 ounces of whatever and 1.5 ounces of water.

Hope this helps....anything that's not clear please ask.

 

[Zab]

Were I live there's been discussions about how the dry kibble and raw moves differently through the cats tummy, is there something to this? I know too little. What I do know is that my Ossi loved raw for a while and during that time there was less poop and less smell. I guess it's very natural food for a cat!

 

[Condo commando]

Were I live there's been discussions about how the dry kibble and raw moves differently through the cats tummy, is there something to this? I know too little. What I do know is that my Ossi loved raw for a while and during that time there was less poop and less smell. I guess it's very natural food for a cat!

Yes, raw is digested fast, kibble slow.

I live in a small apartment and when I cook the smell of food stays for hours. But my 2 cats can go poo at the same time and nothing. It's a miracle!

 

[Fabian Li]

Actually I wanted to ask about the same question. Currently, I'm feeding Minka with purely raw food. Do you guys think it's okay for it?

 

[Condo commando]

Actually I wanted to ask about the same question. Currently, I'm feeding Minka with purely raw food. Do you guys think it's okay for it?

Hi, I'm not sure if I understand the question....if you provide raw food and kibble, they should be spaced out so that the cat has fully digested the other one.

 

[Fabian Li]

@Condo commando, meaning to say.. Only raw food for them. No kibble. Pure raw.

 

[Condo commando]

@Condo commando, meaning to say.. Only raw food for them. No kibble. Pure raw.

That's fine yes. All my 2 get is raw food.