Hello everyone,
As some of you will be aware, I am due to get 2 tabby kittens in 3weeks and 4days (counting down!) And I was wondering if a raw meat+veg diet would be appropriate for them, and if so what age (they will be 8 weeks when i get them both) and would i introduce them gradually, mixed in with the food that the fosterer has been giving them?
I cook a healthy balanced diet for my 5 year old son, he does not eat anything that has been processed etc. In fact one of his favourite foods to snack on is sprouted chick peas! We both eat well, as a trained chef (tho not professional anymore!) i understand the need to eat well, so the way i see it is :- I dont feed my son on food that has come out of a tin/pouch, so why would I feed my 2 kittens it!
So I would be extremely grateful for any advice on the above questions, about which raw meat/veg, when to introduce it and at what age.

I love this forum so much! I find myself checking it out everytime i log on to the net! Thanks guys!
Emma xx xx

Could you tell us what food they have been reared on by the breeder in order that we can answer your question, thankx

Hi, sorry I could not cos I dont know myself! They are being cared for my a cats protection fosterer, I could phone her tomorrow and find out. I did not know that it would make a differance what food they have been reared on! I I guess this is why I ask you guys on here!
Thanks xx

Yeah it does make a difference what they are used to, you cant just chuck them straight on a raw diet. Unless that is you want a very bad poo problem, lol. These things have to be introduced gradually. Find out what they have been used to first and then come back on this thread and let us know. There are some knowledgeable peeps on here with regard to nutrition but I think the background is essential in order to advise you further

Bet you cant wait to get them little fur balls home!

My two are nearly 16 weeks and I have to chop their chicken up into pieces about the size of a 20p, I did start off with proper dinky bits (when first got them at 12 wks) that they didn't have to chew much but they're getting the hang of it now, looking forward to the day when I can give them whole wings!

They eat mince fine - beef and turkey so far. We don't feed 100% raw, only in afternoon/evenings when more time to prepare so we don't give veg.
I think I read not to give them raw pork, presumably for same reasons it can be bad news for us?

They were fed on crappy tinned food by the breeder and the difference in their coats is quite remarkable, they are our little silk pillows, it does make a difference and of course their deposits don't smell these days - wonderful!

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I wasnt going to LOL!!! I will deffo phone the fosterer tomorrow and let you know.

Bet you cant wait to get them little fur balls home! [/quote]

And; IM SOOOOOOOOOOOO EXCITED!!!! I really cant wait, 3 weeks feels like such a long time! HA!

Thanks for the help so far, I will post again tommorrow when i know what she is feeding them/will be feeding them! Thanks again xx

That sounds great. did you introduce raw to them gradually, mixed in to the daily routine with the tinned? I just want to make sure my kittens have the best, they will certainly get lots and lots of love from us, but I want them to be as healthy as possible, I feel a raw food diet is the way to go...I just want to make sure that, in the next 3 weeks whilst i wait for them, i have all the information possible to give them the best start in life, after their mummy of course!. Thanks xx

I think it's important to keep in mind that a cat's nutritional needs are different from us humans, i.e. cats don't need vegetables. Their digestive system is specialised for a diet consisting of meat, bones and organ meat (and whatever little veg is in the stomach of their prey, potentially). There's a whole lot of threads about raw feeding on this forum if you do a search on 'raw'.

I found this website (The Feline Future Cat Food Company) helpful when I was reading up on cat food, and this is also where I order the supplement I use with the raw meat to ensure my cat gets enough calcium etc. (he won't eat bones yet!)

Good luck with cooking for your kittens, and please post pictures of them when they arrive!

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Have a look at my photoblog!

Fit for the sunshine so it followed her, a happy tempered bringer of the best, out of the worst.

I will deffo do the 'raw' search and will take a look at ([url=http://www.felinefuture.com/]. I will get my neighbour (who took the pictures of them on her phone) to email me them, and as soon as she does that I will deffo post them on here!
Thanks for all the help guys x

Yes, it took a good two weeks but I was surprised just how well they took to it. I started off just offering them bits of chicken from my fingers like a treat and they loved it, after a couple of days we put some on a flat plate and then moved it into their bowls. We were moving them onto applaws and nature's menu at the same time and we didn't have a single tummy problem.
There are loads of raw feeders on here (probably not this late, I'm only up cause my Brother is coming in from Barcelona and his flight landed 5mins ago!) I had no clue before I got the kitts and have got lots of advice from here.

I bet you just can't wait! We were lucky and only had a 2 week wait for our two monsters.

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