I have a phobia of raw chicken but like the idea of teeth cleaning benefit of chewing on a bone, do you think that a rabbit leg/various other bits of rabbit carcass would be ok.

Anything that they have to gnaw and chew at would be great for their teeth - everyone recommends chicyken wings cos the are easy to get hold of and cheap.

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Thanks,I know my local farm shop sells fresh rabbit so it's easy to get hold of, should I freeze it first as I'm sure I read some where to freeze it first or can they have it fresh and freeze the extra.

however you want to do it - you don't have to freeze it first but can if you want

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One of my cats eats fresh rabbit as part of her diet. I buy a whole one and freeze what I won't use that day. I give her roughly a whole front leg 4 times per week and she never finishes off all the bone.

The first time I introduced it to her, I chopped it into 2 inch pieces (with bone) and just gave her 2 bits with some mince she likes. I've built it up very slowly from there and now she chomps on a whole leg.

I was advised to introduce bone very slowly as there's still a risk of them getting it stuck; I've seen her gag on the bone a few times which worries me.

I gave them half a back leg each yesterday, and they went crazy running round growling and hissing trying to defend their prize and they loved it, they didn't eat the bone as I think they were full from they meat they had off of it but yeah they are definate rabbit lovers but not in a huggy fluffy bunbun way So I took the plunge last night and have ordered the taster pack from food4cats to see how they get on.

I feed my cats on a partially raw diet. There are a few things to consider:

• Plain raw meat does not contain the levels of taurine and other important nutritional items that keep your cat healthy. Taurine is particularly vital as it keeps the cat's eyes, kidneys and heart healthy and can make them live a lot longer. Many commercial cat foods don't contain taurine either. Whether you choose raw or packaged food make sure your cat is getting taurine. Do this by checking the packet for taurine as an ingredient, or you can add taurine, or complement the raw diet with a premium dried biscuit with taurine (such as science plan).
• Whilst cats are well equipped to deal with the bacteria that we as humans can't cope with in raw meat, if you're feeding them meat from other mammals be careful choosing your source. For example, rabbits may have had their gut and intestinal tract removed but certain worms and microbes can end up forming cysts in the actual muscle/tissue of the rabbit and end up being eaten and passed on to your cat. One solution is worming them regularly (every 3 months) and alternating between drontal and milbemax. Basically milbemax kills all but one and so does drontal but the one each doesn't cover, the other does. Hopefully that makes sense. Your best bet is to buy fresh meat that is classed as suitable for human consumption. I've also been told storing it in the freezer for 3 months is enough to kill most of the bacteria/microbes.
• One of the potential benefits of feeding raw is that you can ensure your cats are eating organic food. i.e. without lots of nasty hormones in. This can however prove very expensive.

I've had no problems with raw feeding because I've been careful only to give them fresh meat. I mostly feed them raw chicken - and they seem to prefer things like chicken thighs as opposed to breast meat which is good because it's cheaper! Just make sure you're getting all the vitimans and minerals they need into their diet. You also need to make sure you're fastidiously clean. My two are terrible for picking up raw chicken and placing it on the floor before they eat it so I'm forever having to clean the floor with antibacterial wipes. Hard work but my two love it so much it's worth it!

Wrong I'm afraid, all meat contains Taurine but in different amounts. The meats that are heavely worked like legs contain more taurine than chicken breast. Heart contains the most taurine except for clams (go figure). If you freeze meat the Taurine is reduced so feeding just frozen chicken could result in Taurine deficiency but feeding other frozen meat will not.

All complete cat foods add Taurine only complementary don't.

I wouldn't class Science Plan as premium.

All game (rabbits, venison, boar, and wild birds) should be frozen down to -20 for 7 days before feeding raw to kill any parasites. Freezing, no matter how long for and to what temperature, does not kill bacteria it only slows its growth.

Chicken breast is the worse thing to feed on a regular basis as it is deficient in most things that a cat needs (fat, minerals and vitamins).

Just general levels of cleanliness are required. Make sure that you clean work surfaces and chopping boards before and after preparing raw meat, clean bowls and floor surfaces daily. You don't need to use antibacterial wipes or liquids as this helps to promote resistance. Just plain hot soapy water is as affective as bacterial cleaners for surfaces (as promoted by the NHS during the swine flu alert). Remember this is just to project you and your family from any bacteria the cat will have no problem. I don't go chasing round the drive cleaning when my cats are tucking into a rat that they have caught to protect them from germs!

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Karen

www.kiskasiberians.co.uk - The home of Hypoallergenic Siberian Cats


www.rawfed.com - Information on Raw Feeding

Well I stand corrected. But strewth what did I do to offend you? Could have been a bit nicer in the way you said it rather than 'wrong I'm afraid'! And apologies for not being stuck up but I call anything that costs £7 for 12 sachets 'premium' food. I thought it was in the forum rules that we ought to be nice to each other. There's always a polite way to point out to someone that they're incorrect without belittling them. Have a nice day.

I thought that I was being quite reserved and I didn't write what I wanted to about the Taurine deficiency quote. It is wrong to scare people about Taurine with mis-information.

Premium is not about price it's about quality of ingredients. If there was a food on the shelf at £10.00 per kilo but was mainly grain it would not be classed as premium it would be viewed as expensive!

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Karen

www.kiskasiberians.co.uk - The home of Hypoallergenic Siberian Cats


www.rawfed.com - Information on Raw Feeding