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

Hi there

You have to be careful about going solely raw. Cats need (just like us) certain minerals and vitamens to stay healthy. So unless you really, really do your research and are prepared to make sure that your cats get the right proportions it might be better to be pragmatic.

What I mean is a combo of very high quality commercial food as well as getting them used to eating raw as part of their diet.

There are a number of websites that will instruct you about raw and also members on here that feed raw.

Here are some useful web sites:

~ WELCOME TO RAW FED CATS ~

English Rabbit Meat

Cat nutrition « The Cat’s Whiskers

Here are some good quality wet commercial foods that do not contain grain:

Bozita and Cosmo - obtainable from Pet Supplies, Pet Food, and Pet Products on Sale Now at zooplus.co.uk

Tesco Luxury

Natures Menu - Pets@Home

Alamo - this is not complete but a nice treat

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I would endorse what Saikou has said.

Hi Katie,

I completely agree with you in that the information you can find on raw feeding can be quite confusing. I found the same when I started researching this, but in the end I think you just have to read up on it as much as you can and then make your own, informed decision.

For me it has been a gradual process, where I started with high quality cat food (Orijen dry and Applaws wet) while I was getting my head around feeding raw. I also still keep this as backup for times when I run out of raw or if the cat is SUPERHUNGRY and his food hasn't defrosted yet..

Then, I moved on to feeding raw meat - including organ meat such as liver, but not including bone. Because of the bone not being included I supplemented the diet with this The Feline Future Cat Food Company

Then, I gradually started introducing the kitten to bones. Chicken wings first - the smallest part right at the end. He was having problems chewing it, and it took around 4 months of trying until he finally got it. I guess his jaws had to grow strong enough too. Now, he eats nothing but raw meat, organs and bones. No supplements. Rabbits are his favourite!

To answer your questions:

- 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?

Yes, it is the best diet for all cats and kittens. I think a lot of people are just not aware that cat food is not the best. Also, it's slightly more time consuming and more expensive. I also think people are put off by the whole RAW meat thing, bacteria, hygiene 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)

I used Orijen and Applaws, but there are other good brands out there. The important thing is that it's got as much meat (not derivatives!) as possible, and that it's not got grains.

-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.

When I first started feeding raw I too felt bad for not leaving any dry down, so I always had a bowl available for him to snack from. I've noticed though that it just doesn't get touched anymore, so have stopped doing this. Now he gets fed between two and four times per day, depending on if I'm working from home or not. It doesn't hurt them to go hungry a little while. In the wild, catching prey isn't guaranteed and I bet they would go long periods without catching anything. If you are worried though, what you could do is leave some frozen food down so that they can eat that as it defrosts. That way it stays fresh for longer.

-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.

Janee has linked some good websites, and the yahoo group Saikou linked is also very useful. I'd say I got the best information from that yahoo group. Feeding raw really isn't as complicated as a lot of websites make it out to be (with recipies, grinding, supplements etc).

-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…

No, that's not necessary. I find a lot of vets don't understand about raw feeding and would probably advise you against it (and then recommend a cat food they get commission for selling).

-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… ??

I've never thought of this before! I should think that if you don't have a habit of kissing them on the mouth it should all be fine.. They'll grow out of the messy eating too so no worries

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I can't really think of too much to add to what has been said, I am feeding mine raw at the moment, although one of my cats is not picking it up so well and wont eat the bones.

One massive benifit for you is I find raw feeding to be a massive saving on cat food. I think I spend about £10 per week on meat for 4 cats. I think that is cheap cheap cheap!

out of interest, how much a day and what are you feeding them?

i do intend to raw feed once we're moved and settled so i'm keeping all info i can on it xx

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all, thanks so much. this info is really helpful.

these posts have been great and i think i will try starting them on some high quality cat food to begin with as suggested, as they need something soonish when they come off this i/d bland stuff and i dont think i will have my head round the raw diet by then! they were on asda pouches and go cat kitten food when i got them ( not the best i know) and apparently the vet thought the go cat was what was upsetting their tummies so im definitely going to be stocking up on some better quality wet food and perhaps try and lay off the dry a bit.

and then i will try introducing raw over time and see what they think...im sure i will be back on to let you know how its going and to get some more advice!

thanks everyone, have a good evening

The just have raw for dinner and will eat about 3 or 4 chicken thighs between them, or 2 drumsticks and 2 wings, or a packet of lambs kidney, or a packet of chickens liver. Tonight they had ox tongue... yuck!(it was reduced to 30p when I was food shopping this eve).

I still feed origen dry for breakie, but not much gets eaten. This is just to help if I am missing something. I am still learning at the moment, so i don't want to go fully over yet.

In Asda they do 2 packs of chicken thighs for £4, containing about 12 thighs each. They eat alot of these.
I feed organ meat (lambs kidney and chicken livers) about twice a week, one pack will do dinner for all four of them and costs about 60p.
I also give them tinned tuna and sardines as a treat. And feed them any raw meat that I bought for me and bf, that is about to go out of date. They are brilliant for using up stuff that would otherwise be wasted.

thats great, thanks for that hun!! much appreciated xx

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