To go raw or to stay dry...

[SarahLovee82]

Hey all, poking around on posts I see a lot of folks seem to feed raw. I want to do some research on it but can you guys tell me what you know? What are the benefits for sphynx eating raw... Thanks.

 

[Lickleone]

What ever decision you make they should not just have dry.. I leave out dry for him to nibble on but he has wet food in the morning and in the evening.. never just dry they need the wet

 

[NinaGato]

I use a grain free dry but they get a high quality wet food everyday also. Raw diet didn't work out well for everyone in my clan but then again there are lots of new diets out since I tried 7-8 years ago.

 

[SealySphynx]

We feed prey model raw here, not the ground up pre-made mush that includes veggies and sometimes grains as well. All my babies (cats and dogs) get here is meat, more meat, a little edible bone, and a little organs in the ratio of 85% meat, 5% edible bone, 5% liver, and 5% other squishy organs (cats) or 80% meat, 10% edible bone, 5% liver, 5% other squishy organs (dogs). This is what I believe to be the best and most natural diet for dogs and cats alike. If you're interested I can send you some links for more info.

 

[Crinkuls]

I just think its personal preference. I personally couldnt cope with "raw". I dont even like the look/smell of wet food. My last Sphynx was 12 when she died of a cancerous tumour the size of a tennis ball and was only EVER fed good quality dried. This was left down 24 hours a day. Never had any problems and her teeth/gums never needed anything doing to them.

:Laugh:

 

[MollysMom]

I feed raw, and it is a pre-mix powder that is meant to mimic the composition of a mouse when it is mixed with raw muscle meat. She absolutely loves it. We decided to do raw because I have the time to put into it, and it is supposed to help them have more firm and less smelly poops.

 

[SealySphynx]

I feed raw, and it is a pre-mix powder that is meant to mimic the composition of a mouse when it is mixed with raw muscle meat. She absolutely loves it. We decided to do raw because I have the time to put into it, and it is supposed to help them have more firm and less smelly poops.

No offense, but why not just feed them a real mouse? Sealy and Hadyn both eat them along with a ton of other stuff.

 

[Nofuratu]

No offense, but why not just feed them a real mouse? Sealy and Hadyn both eat them along with a ton of other stuff.

Feeding real whole mice would be expensive. Killed and frozen of course....it was expensive when I had my snake.

Re Wet food- you HAVE to feed wet food. Sure plenty of cats eat nothing but dry and no wet and live to be a great age. But genetically, with regards to their kidneys and the cycle of decreasing potassium as they age which leads to chronic dehydration, and eventually kidney disease....cats need lots of moisture.
Some people get lucky and have a cat that drinks a lot, or just has great kidneys..
but as a whole cats need wet food.
and after age 5 there is a lot of evidence suggesting they need an added potassium supplement like tumil K.

 

[SealySphynx]

Sure, if you only ever fed mice and didn't have a cheap supplier it would get expensive. You don't have to feed only mice though. Besides if you really wanted to, some people raise their own mice for food for their pets. Then you'd have to humanely kill it yourself which is something I can't handle myself, but the option is still there. Anyway, how much does a can of quality grain free cat food cost, $1.50 each?

What I was getting at, is why mix meat with some supplement to mimic a mouse when you can feed the mouse. It's not like cats only eat mice in the wild anyway. Their diet should have more variety than mice anyway, or at least be made of mice from all different ages. Your cat gets different nutrients from a baby mouse than it does from an old mouse. Plus it's not like your cat is going to be eating ground mushy anything in the wild anyway.

I agree with Nofuratu though, if you're not going to do raw at least give your cat wet food. That and maybe even a pet fountain too which helps make your cat want to drink more water.

 

[MollysMom]

Sure, if you only ever fed mice and didn't have a cheap supplier it would get expensive. You don't have to feed only mice though. Besides if you really wanted to, some people raise their own mice for food for their pets. Then you'd have to humanely kill it yourself which is something I can't handle myself, but the option is still there. Anyway, how much does a can of quality grain free cat food cost, $1.50 each?

What I was getting at, is why mix meat with some supplement to mimic a mouse when you can feed the mouse. It's not like cats only eat mice in the wild anyway. Their diet should have more variety than mice anyway, or at least be made of mice from all different ages. Your cat gets different nutrients from a baby mouse than it does from an old mouse. Plus it's not like your cat is going to be eating ground mushy anything in the wild anyway.

I agree with Nofuratu though, if you're not going to do raw at least give your cat wet food. That and maybe even a pet fountain too which helps make your cat want to drink more water.

We choose to feed her this because of cost and convenience, but also because we like the raw diet benefits. The muscle meat that it is mixed with varies including duck, goose, elk, moose, etc., so she gets plenty of variety. The powder contains all human-grade ingredients including bovine bone powder, taurine, krill, chicken liver, etc. And the meat that it is mixed with (by myslef) is cut into chunks, not "ground". Please don't assume just because I am not feeding the same as you are that it is not good, and respect the differences that people have in what they feed. The question was about feeding raw, and I was trying to point out that there is more than one method to do it.

 

[SealySphynx]

We choose to feed her this because of cost and convenience, but also because we like the raw diet benefits. The muscle meat that it is mixed with varies including duck, goose, elk, moose, etc., so she gets plenty of variety. The powder contains all human-grade ingredients including bovine bone powder, taurine, krill, chicken liver, etc. And the meat that it is mixed with (by myslef) is cut into chunks, not "ground". Please don't assume just because I am not feeding the same as you are that it is not good, and respect the differences that people have in what they feed. The question was about feeding raw, and I was trying to point out that there is more than one method to do it.

Yes, it is another way. I myself wouldn't want to be adding powders that I have no control over what goes into them, especially when they don't need all or any of the stuff that's in the said powder. I believe in feeding my pets as natural as possible for *all* of the benefits they get out of it not just one or two. I just have never heard of anyone adding a powdered supplement to perfectly good muscle meat - especially chopped not ground - that is supposed to make the food the same as eating a mouse. Unless you are just meaning that the powder makes the meal similar to eating the whole animal (with the bones and organs) rather than just muscle meat. Then that makes more sense, I don't feed that way but that at least makes sense to me. You really don't have to get so defensive over what you feed you know, I even stated in my post the first time I asked about it that I wasn't looking to offend you.

 

[MollysMom]

Yes, the idea is to make the whole meal similar to the composition of a mouse, including bones and organs.

 

[SealySphynx]

Got it, makes sense now. If I wasn't able to feed the way I do now, that idea would be my second choice.

 

[dobby_the_elf]

One benefit we've had feeding raw: pardon the nature of this comment, kinda tmi I know, but here goes. Before, Zero's poop smelled SOOOOOO incredibly bad it would LITERALLY make our eyes water and we would be gagging. Even if we (we meaning my husband, because I couldn't get that close without vomiting) immediately cleaned his box the second Zero was done pooping, the smell would linger for a couple hours. We had to open all the windows and leave a couple times. It was so bad. As soon as we switched to raw, the smell was instantly gone.

Also, on a much less gross level, all of the cats started playing and cuddling a lot more. Zero stays cleaner between baths too, I guess because the old food made him more oily?

 

[Amyleigh1028]

I also feed prey model raw. I have been feeding it to my dog for nearly a year now, and have seen major improvements, even though she was in perfect health before we started! The bones cleaned her teeth right up, she was happier and had more energy, her coat looked better, just an all over improvement. I just got my kitten over the weekend though, so this is my first time feeding a cat raw. I'm excited to try the small whole prey, like mouse, quail, baby rabbits, etc. My kitten was fed wet and dry food before I got her, unfortunately. But when I put the raw down for her she took right to it, like she had been waiting for it her entire life! She's a little pig, but it really can come out a lot cheaper than wet and dry food. And to prevent a mess, I feed her in a crate/plastic cat carrier. It prevents it from being drug all over the place! Some people are able to train their cats to stay on a mat! I've had my kitten since Sunday evening and she already jumps inside her crate and let's me know when it's time to eat! And all the meat and different things you get your hands on to feed gets rather exciting. Well to me at least!

Good luck! Now is the time to try it while your little one is still young and they generally aren't so picky.