Raw Cat Food Information

[MelissaAlice]

OMG those pictures .. Max was so little back then!!!

 

[Xandria]

OMG those pictures .. Max was so little back then!!!

LOL. He was itsy bitsy. he's still... not small, but very svelte and slender. Fine boned, like a good little aristocrat. heeee.

 

[Thunderheader]

Great information Xandria, I am going to slowly introduce raw to my boys..thank you.

 

[MereB]

Quick question. Why doesn't anyone seem to ever use fresh fish? Lots add fish oil etc but never the actual fish and I just wondered why. I would have though the original source would be a more natural option.

 

[Xandria]

@MereB fish, in tiny amounts, is okay as a treat, but not a regular diet. Fish depletes their bodies of necessary taurine. Fish oils, like krill, are a good source of vitamins, that's all, which is why they are added to the food.

 

[MereB]

Thank you @Xandria
I found this after I posted but it says Thiamine depletion not Taurine
Why Fish Is Bad For Your Cat | Cats & Dogs Naturally

It’s a good thing fish is an insignificant food source for cats, because a consistent diet of raw fish can be quite dangerous for a cat. Why? Some fish contain thiaminase, an enzyme that will destroy thiamine (vitamin B1). Thiamine deficiency causes severe neurological symptoms, such as, seizures, stupor, head tilt, ataxia, coma, and left untreated can be fatal. Cats have a higher requirement for thiamine compared to dogs. According to the NRC, an adult cat needs 5.6 mg per kg (2.55 lbs) and an adult dog requires 2.25 per kg. Deficiency is very rare in cats that consume a daily species appropriate diet of raw meaty bones and organs, and that’s because B vitamins are plentiful in animal tissues (chicken liver and beef liver have the highest percentage of B1).

NOTE: Atlantic salmon, trout, cod, flounder, which are common fish that might be fed to cats or dogs, does not contain thiaminase. But, whitefish, goldfish, catfish, bass, smelt, tuna, mackerel, herring, does contain thiaminase

Either way it's safe to say I won't be adding fish to her diet any time soon as I can't afford to be feeding her Atlantic Salmon :wideyed:

 

[Xandria]

@MereB -- right, Thiamine... geez... teach me to reply before I've had my morning coffee!!! Thank you. I see that you're in Australia -- my guys love kangaroo, which I imagine you can buy at reasonable prices. The other meat to stay away from is pork as it upsets their tummies quite often.

Save the Atlantic salmon for YOUR plate ;-)

 

[MereB]

@Xandria I hear you on that. I try not to do anything before I've had my morning coffee, it generally won't end well otherwise. :dead:

Kangaroo is pretty cheap. Human grade ranges from $13 to $23 per Kg (1kg = 2lb3.2oz US for those playing along) depending on the cut in the big supermarkets. Most of the fresh prepacked pet meats are made up of mostly, like 90%, kangaroo plus "other meats" which is generally beef and the one I use costs me $4.18 for 1kg. There's a large franchise butcher chain that sells only chicken, called Lennards, here in Western Australia and they grind up the stripped chicken carcass's into a pet mince that's only $2 a kg, even after I throw in some chopped chicken livers and hearts it's actually cheaper per serve to feed Akira fresh raw food than the sachets/tinned foods.
I will make a note of no pork, it's not a meat we eat often so it should be fine.
I did so much research before we even went to see the breeder the first time and I'm STILL learning new things :bookworm:

 

[captain_tinky]

Another great place to find supplements is on vitacost, they're cheap too!

 

[Marissa17a]

One quick question? I'm a new future mommy , I had asked my breeder what type of food she feeds her babies she told me a raw diet & gave me the recipe but I noticed that there was no vitamins in her recipe & just Atlantic sea kelp is that okay , she told me she likes natural ingredients, I know I shouldn't question my breeder but I just want to know if that's fine or do u need vitamins ? Please let me know thanks :joyful:

 

[Marissa17a]

One quick question? I'm a new future mommy , I had asked my breeder what type of food she feeds her babies she told me a raw diet & gave me the recipe but I noticed that there was no vitamins in her recipe & just Atlantic sea kelp is that okay , she told me she likes natural ingredients, I know I shouldn't question my breeder but I just want to know if that's fine or do u need vitamins ? Please let me know thanks :joyful:

 

[Xandria]

Hi, @Marissa17a -- could you post the recipe here? But most diets definitely need other vitamins and nutrients, particularly Taurine.

 

[Marissa17a]

Hi, @Marissa17a -- could you post the recipe here? But most diets definitely need other vitamins and nutrients, particularly Taurine.

The raw diet she sent me below

Raw feeding recipe

This is the basic recipe we use. You can multiply or divide from this this to make bigger or smaller batches.

8 pounds of chicken (whole chickens or leg quarters bone in if grinding or deboned if you can't grind them)

1 pound of chicken livers (chopped in 1-2 Inch chunks)

1/2 pound of chicken hearts (cut in half)

1/4 pound of chicken feet (ground is best but can chop very small) chicken feet are optional, much easier with a grinder. They are a fantastic source of glucosamine and biotin though.

Tablespoon of Salmon Oil

2 eggs (with shell ground up if deboning chicken or without shell if grinding bones in chicken.)

1 small can of sardines in water or tomato juice (do not add tomato juice, just the sardines)

1/8 teaspoon of Atlantic kelp granules
Only 8 to 10 pounds of chicken

You can also add other organs, just keep the organ meats to 10% of the total weight with livers being at least 5% of the organ weight total. It's very important to not grind the heart and organ meats like the liver and kidney because they loose vitamins with grinding. Just chop them into chunks they can chew up.

 

[Xandria]

@Marissa17a The recipe looks good but I'd ask your breeder about adding Taurine.

 

[elfedorro]

@Marissa17a @Xandria As far as my research went chicken hearts are abundant in taurine. Smaller the heart the faster it beats and pumps the blood. Hence chicken hearts are best source of taurine as opposed to pigs, cows etc. I'd say that's the reason behind omitting taurine supplement.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Xandria]

Right, @elfedorro -- DUH, OMG. I think I need food. ha ha ha. Yes, you are right. So I'd say the recipe, as is, is good to go. Thank you for chiming in!

 

[Marissa17a]

Right, @elfedorro -- DUH, OMG. I think I need food. ha ha ha. Yes, you are right. So I'd say the recipe, as is, is good to go. Thank you for chiming in!

Thank you to the both of you !!:cat::smuggrin:

 

[bila]

hi all,
started Storm on raw diet only(the recipe is very very close to what Xandria posted) 2 weeks ago...he can't get enough of it every time....but for the past 2 days he hasn't pooped(no change in his energy levels or his mischievousness thou)
anybody seen this in their sphinx(es) ?
thank you and greatly appreciated.

 

[Spartan]

Very nice thread.... I'm considering what to do now for my baby girl when she comes next month. I've downloaded the pdf and spreadsheet. I hope to study them soon.

I was thinking of doing a daily rotation of raw and dry food for her and our furry cats as well.

I/we have never made cat food this is all new to us but I told her if she really wants to do a great cattery one day this is a skill she must have at it will save us a lot on expenses - I think.

 

[Xandria]

@bila -- there might be too much calcium in the diet? I'm just guessing. Too much calcium can stop a kitty up. On the other hand, it could be a transition thing too. I'd add a tablespoon of pure pumpkin (not the pie mix) into the food. That usually helps "right" a system. Also, make sure there's enough water in the raw food mix. Adding extra water at feeding time is always good.

 

[bila]

looks like it was just an adjustment thing.He went 3 days without taking #2...now he seems to settled on once a day or every other day.
I've added physilium to the recipe as well.

 

[Xandria]

@bila -- that's great news. They should be going about twice a day on a raw diet. There's no need to add psyllium unless the poop isn't firm, so I don't think you need to go there. Give it a little more time to sort out in his system

 

[Izidora]

Pooping every 2-3 days is normal on raw. If it goes longer than that, it can be constipation and you should watch out...if the poop is too dry, you can add some extra liver because more organs make their poop more loose. If the poop's too runny, you need to add more bone.

 

[Ailin]

I'm thinking about using this recipe for my Bella. What do I need to buy to be able to grind up the whole chicken?

 

[Xandria]

@Ailin -- You will need a grinder. A good one. Commercial grade if you can swing it (contact some local restaurant suppliers). You'll also need knives that will cut bone and a solid cutting board. Again, your local restaurant supplier may be very helpful.

It is a lot of work, just forewarning you. You may wish to buy pre-ground chicken and make a test batch first.