Hi all, I did try to search “raw” and “raw diet” before starting this thread but it came up with no results – not sure if I was doing something wrong, as I know I have seen other threads and posts with stuff on raw diets on here when first looking – anyway, I hope you will forgive me for asking again!

Don’t laugh, but before I got the kittens and joined this site, even though I have had cats forever, I didn’t even know that people fed raw food to their cats – I knew/know people that make their own food for their kitties, i.e. fresh chicken, fish etc, but it is all cooked.

My kittens are 9 1/2 weeks old and currently on a bland diet from the vets as they had an upset tummy from the food they had been fed from their first home...they can come off the bland stuff soon and I need to introduce something else, so am trying to work out what is really the best thing to put them on but also some reliable UK sources of info where I can read up on feline nutrition so I can make an informed decision.

I don’t really know where to start, as there is almost too much info out there and I would appreciate any advice on the following – feel free to refer me to other posts if they have this info in, but I just couldn’t find them:

- Is a raw diet the best thing for kitties? And if so, why doesn’t everyone feed raw? Is it just that it is time consuming and so most people prefer to feed with pouches etc?

-If I don’t go with raw, what are the best pre-prepared/branded foods (although I’m not made of money so I would like to get the best possible thing at a good rate on the internet somewhere preferably)

-Whatever route I take would I need to leave down dry too? All mine have always been grazers so I have always had a bowl of dry for them as well as their usual meal times.

-I have found loads of interesting info on raw diets and feline nutrition, but a lot of things seem to contradict each other or be written in the US, so I’m finding it difficult to know which places are reliable sources of information.

-Would I need to consult my vets before getting my kitties onto a raw diet? I know I would need to introduce this gradually anyway…

-Oh and finally, I know this might be a stupid question, but if they eat raw, do I need to wipe their faces to stop any bacteria being carried around?? At the moment my kittens get food all round their chins when they eat and don’t always clean it off very well… ??

Anyway, that’s enough questions from me! Looking forward to your responses.

Katie
xx