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Raw Hamburger
- Thread starter Trinka
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Hi Trinka!
I am a raw feeder (as well as many other members on this forum) and we all do it a little bit differently. But I think we all agree on the benefits in our cats health and energy (and in their litter box!)
If you feed only hamburger meat, as the main or sole source of your cat's food that will not be balanced. It's fine if you're still feeding cat food, and just giving the hamburger as a treat because she'll be getting the nutrients she needs from her regular food. However, if you only feed the hamburger meat, you'll want to add a supplement to it to give more calcium, taurine, and other essential nutrients. Feline Instincts is a good supplement designed to be added to plain meats.
If you don't want to supplement, you should include organs and bones in her diet - that's where they get the taurine and calcium, etc. You can buy ground meat that includes organs/bones from online suppliers or you can buy each item separately from the grocery store and give them yourself. The basic formula is 80% muscle meat (like the hamburger meat, or chicken thighs, whatever she likes), 10% organs (like liver) and 10% bone-in meats (chicken neck and chicken wings are good to start with if she's not used to chewing up bones. She'll build up to eating larger bones rather quickly, though).
Here are some links to some information about feeding raw. They also explain different methods, so it's up to you to decide which you are most comfortable with! You can also find pre-made frozen raw food at many smaller pet stores, and those take the worry out of making sure the diet is balanced..they do tend to be more expensive than making the food yourself, though. I started my cats on pre-made raw before I was comfortable taking the plunge into making it myself! My cats much prefer the homemade food over the pre-made food, too.
http://rawfedcats.org/practicalguide.htm
http://www.catnutrition.org/index.php
Good luck! You're already ahead of the game if your cat likes raw meat. Many people spend months trying to get their cats to eat it...
I am a raw feeder (as well as many other members on this forum) and we all do it a little bit differently. But I think we all agree on the benefits in our cats health and energy (and in their litter box!)
If you feed only hamburger meat, as the main or sole source of your cat's food that will not be balanced. It's fine if you're still feeding cat food, and just giving the hamburger as a treat because she'll be getting the nutrients she needs from her regular food. However, if you only feed the hamburger meat, you'll want to add a supplement to it to give more calcium, taurine, and other essential nutrients. Feline Instincts is a good supplement designed to be added to plain meats.
If you don't want to supplement, you should include organs and bones in her diet - that's where they get the taurine and calcium, etc. You can buy ground meat that includes organs/bones from online suppliers or you can buy each item separately from the grocery store and give them yourself. The basic formula is 80% muscle meat (like the hamburger meat, or chicken thighs, whatever she likes), 10% organs (like liver) and 10% bone-in meats (chicken neck and chicken wings are good to start with if she's not used to chewing up bones. She'll build up to eating larger bones rather quickly, though).
Here are some links to some information about feeding raw. They also explain different methods, so it's up to you to decide which you are most comfortable with! You can also find pre-made frozen raw food at many smaller pet stores, and those take the worry out of making sure the diet is balanced..they do tend to be more expensive than making the food yourself, though. I started my cats on pre-made raw before I was comfortable taking the plunge into making it myself! My cats much prefer the homemade food over the pre-made food, too.
http://rawfedcats.org/practicalguide.htm
http://www.catnutrition.org/index.php
Good luck! You're already ahead of the game if your cat likes raw meat. Many people spend months trying to get their cats to eat it...
Well said, Brooke! Trinka, I use the supplement from Feline Instincts and my cats LOVE it! Many others here buy the premade kind, but mine don't like that--they won't eat bones either, so it's just as easy for me to mix my own with the supplement.
Brooke- checking out the links you posted. My fav quote from http://rawfedcats.org/practicalguide.htm : "Cats that are used to grazing on doom nuggets (as they’re affectionately called by many experienced raw feeders) whenever they please are a bit like kibble junkies."
doom nuggets. I cannot stop laughing What a perfect name.
I think I'm switching Sophie to raw soon (due to her kibble woes)- talking to the vet this Tuesday before dumping the doom nuggets for good I think!
If Sophie agrees of course.
After reading about the disgusting things they put in the food - its beyond horrific.
Thanks for the great info!
doom nuggets. I cannot stop laughing What a perfect name. I think I'm switching Sophie to raw soon (due to her kibble woes)- talking to the vet this Tuesday before dumping the doom nuggets for good I think!
If Sophie agrees of course. After reading about the disgusting things they put in the food - its beyond horrific.
Thanks for the great info!
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You're already ahead of the game if your cat likes raw meat. Many people spend months trying to get their cats to eat it...
thanks - i am guessing we will be going the raw route then as she likes anything raw and goes crazy for it (like most cats go for treats). will defineatly look into gettimg some form of a supplement as well -is ground pork ok to as the supplement to as well then
with the feline instincts, would i get some ground beef and mix the supplemnent and give it to her just like that - i am new at this so sorry if i sound kinda dumb
with the feline instincts, would i get some ground beef and mix the supplemnent and give it to her just like that - i am new at this so sorry if i sound kinda dumb
Feline instincts doesn't recommend the use of pork due to possible presence of worms in the meat. If you decide to use pork, the stuff I have read recommends that you freeze it first to kill any worm or larvae. In the links that Brooke posted about raw feeding it said pork was ok, as was fish, which FI also doesn't recommend--so I guess it depends on who you talk to. I routinely use a ground turkey that is frozen and comes in a one pound tube for $1.59--I eat it too--makes a yummy garden burger mixed with an egg and some red peppers and spinach cut up in it. A cheap meal for me--and a healthy raw one for my cat kids.
You'll find different opinions about pork and fish, but I stay away from both of them. There are so many other options, though: chicken, turkey, beef, lamb, rabbit, venison, quail, pheasant, duck...mice (if you aren't too squeamish!)
Stay away from things like ham, bacon or other meats that have seasonings or flavors added to them.
Stay away from things like ham, bacon or other meats that have seasonings or flavors added to them.
No, I feed mostly course ground meat/organ/bones and a couple days a week I give them some big chunks of meaty bones and to gnaw on, and supplement with extra taurine.
My plan when I set out making their food myself was to eventually move to whole prey, but when I give them chicken legs or rabbit bones or whatever, they don't usually keep them on their plates - Walter (of course) runs through the house like a wild animal, with bones hanging out of his mouth, showing off his "fresh catch" before he finds a safe place to eat it. Thank God I have tile floors so I can wipe up the mess. I can only imagine how messy whole prey would be, so for now, I've given up on that plan!
Plus, there's the whole squeamish factor for me...ground and chunked meat is not nearly as gross as plunking a whole bird (or even a mouse) on the floor and having the cats tear it up ...and then having to clean up the aftermath
Maybe some day I'll have a mansion with a "feeding room", just a big tile room with a drain in the middle that I can hose down after each meal!
My plan when I set out making their food myself was to eventually move to whole prey, but when I give them chicken legs or rabbit bones or whatever, they don't usually keep them on their plates - Walter (of course) runs through the house like a wild animal, with bones hanging out of his mouth, showing off his "fresh catch" before he finds a safe place to eat it. Thank God I have tile floors so I can wipe up the mess. I can only imagine how messy whole prey would be, so for now, I've given up on that plan!
Plus, there's the whole squeamish factor for me...ground and chunked meat is not nearly as gross as plunking a whole bird (or even a mouse) on the floor and having the cats tear it up ...and then having to clean up the aftermath
Maybe some day I'll have a mansion with a "feeding room", just a big tile room with a drain in the middle that I can hose down after each meal!
Here are some other supplements you could look at, not sure of their availability in Canada:
Alnutrin, WildTrax, Wysong Call of the Wild. Google search "supplements for raw cat food" and I'm sure you'll find a few more. These are just the ones I know off the top of my head.
Note that Alnutrin is made for meat that includes ground organs, too. You'll want to be sure that the supplement you find is designed to be added to just meat if that's what you plan to use.
Good luck!
Alnutrin, WildTrax, Wysong Call of the Wild. Google search "supplements for raw cat food" and I'm sure you'll find a few more. These are just the ones I know off the top of my head.
Note that Alnutrin is made for meat that includes ground organs, too. You'll want to be sure that the supplement you find is designed to be added to just meat if that's what you plan to use.
Good luck!
I'll have to get a video of Walter and his bones one of these days!
I buy my meat in bulk from a farm. (actually, SL member PitRottMommy found them for me, and I'm saving a bundle this way!) I buy about 40 pounds at a time, shipped frozen in 2 pound rolls. With my 4 cats, that lasts about a month. There are many online suppliers that specialize in raw meat for pets here in the US...not sure about Canada, though.
I buy my meat in bulk from a farm. (actually, SL member PitRottMommy found them for me, and I'm saving a bundle this way!) I buy about 40 pounds at a time, shipped frozen in 2 pound rolls. With my 4 cats, that lasts about a month. There are many online suppliers that specialize in raw meat for pets here in the US...not sure about Canada, though.
I'll have to get a video of Walter and his bones one of these days!
I buy my meat in bulk from a farm. (actually, SL member PitRottMommy found them for me, and I'm saving a bundle this way!) I buy about 40 pounds at a time, shipped frozen in 2 pound rolls. With my 4 cats, that lasts about a month. There are many online suppliers that specialize in raw meat for pets here in the US...not sure about Canada, though.
I buy my meat in bulk from a farm. (actually, SL member PitRottMommy found them for me, and I'm saving a bundle this way!) I buy about 40 pounds at a time, shipped frozen in 2 pound rolls. With my 4 cats, that lasts about a month. There are many online suppliers that specialize in raw meat for pets here in the US...not sure about Canada, though.
I don't think I can do the whole prey thing either.
