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Cat Forum / Cat Anecdotes / October 2007ping Marina
hi, Tell Gramby about feeding raw meat and why you do it, and anybody else also, Lee > hi, > > Tell Gramby about feeding raw meat and why you do it, and anybody else also, Ever since she was weaned, Miranda has only eaten meat. She has never recognized any commercial cat food, wet or dry, as anything edible. So I feed her meat. Caliban used to get wet food, but I gradually started him on only the meat, too, since it's just easier to feed them both the same stuff. If you don't buy any expensive cuts, the cost is about the same as if I was feeding them a premium commercial food. And the cheap cuts are actually better, since there's fat and sinews and such, that give them a good workout for the teeth. I actually started feeding my previous cats, Frank and Nikki, meat regularly. I just wanted to give them food that resembled their natural diet as much as possible. Another reason to feed them the meat raw is because cooking will destroy the taurine. OTOH, I give them a supplement daily (the only thing made just for cats that Mir will eat - luckily, she loves those pills and views them like treats) and it contains taurine and calcium, among other things, so I could cook their food. But it's easier to give it raw, and Mir doesn't even really like cooked food. If you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them. Oh, and Mir will be three years old next month. She's never been ill, she's a very healthy and active and (I think) happy kitty. And she's never eaten commercial cat food.  SignatureMarina, Miranda and Caliban. In loving memory of Frank and Nikki. My Willow Kitty just won't gain and hold weight. The vet wants her to hold 4 pounds for a month before getting her "fized". She started helping herself to raw meat and I figured, why not. Piglet who hates "people food" is also likeing the raw meat. Do you ever add vegetables or anything like that with it? >> hi, >> [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] > and active and (I think) happy kitty. And she's never eaten commercial cat > food. > My Willow Kitty just won't gain and hold weight. The vet wants her to hold > 4 pounds for a month before getting her "fized". She started helping > herself to raw meat and I figured, why not. Piglet who hates "people food" > is also likeing the raw meat. Do you ever add vegetables or anything like > that with it? No, no vegetables. Cats are carnifores. But both Mir and Cal occasionally eat some veggies - sweet corn is one favourite. But that's just if they happen to be there and begging for it when I 'm eating veggies. ;) Caliban also loves bread and other carbs, but I try not to give him lots of that (not always easy, since he tears apart the bread bag if I forget to put it away in the cupboard). Mir has always been a slender, healthy cat, but Caliban did gain his excess weight on meat, because I was just giving him too much and he will eat *everything* in his bowl (Mir doesn't). SignatureMarina, Miranda and Caliban. In loving memory of Frank and Nikki. I think I popsted here that the greastese use of the microwave was protecting bread and my plate from the "foodgrabbers" in my house. >> My Willow Kitty just won't gain and hold weight. The vet wants her to >> hold 4 pounds for a month before getting her "fized". She started [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > excess weight on meat, because I was just giving him too much and he will > eat *everything* in his bowl (Mir doesn't). > If you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them. Oh, and Mir will > be three years old next month. She's never been ill, she's a very > healthy and active and (I think) happy kitty. And she's never eaten > commercial cat food. Do you grind up the meat and bones in a meat grinder? Or do you just feed them chunks of meat cut at the butcher's? I'm thinking you're doing the latter since you said you give them a calcium supplement. About 6 months ago, I was thinking about feeding my cats a homemade diet, but I couldn't find any reliable information about it that I trusted. I read lots and lots of contradictory information and advice, all written by very opinionated people who were certain their way was the right way. So I couldn't engage anyone in dialogue either, because they wouldn't take anything other than their own way of feeding seriously. Generally, it seemed that the people who fed raw meat were more knowledgeable about feline nutrition. But I didn't want to deal with raw meat, which kind of grosses me out. (Hats off to you for being willing to deal, especially being a vegetarian!) A lot of the meat sold in the US has salmonella, so it's a bad idea to handle it raw unless you're conscientious about cleaning, and that includes the meat grinder - and that sounded like a royal pain. Then I looked into feeding home-cooked meat, but the info about supplements for cooked meat was almost impossible to find. I found a lot of websites with recipes for homecooked cat food, but they didn't seem to know a thing about nutrition - I mean, the recipes would call for stuff like *paprika*, but not taurine. WTF?? The raw-foods cabal wouldn't even give advice on supplements for cooked food, because to them, cooked food for cats was an abomination. <sigh....> Eventually, I gave up. I now feed my cats a premium brand that was never involved in any of the poisoned-food recalls, and I can only hope they never will be. The cats do seem healthier now, especially Roxy - she no longer has a chronically runny nose and her eyes look great. Joyce www.catinfo.org This vet knows her stuff. I know many diabetic kitties who follow it. A good choice too is Feline's Pride but way more expensive with shipping and all. http://www.felinespride.com/flash/intro.html I know a lot of cats on Nature's Variety medallions. At many specialty pet stores. I know a couple on Feline Instincts. http://www.felineinstincts.com/ > Do you grind up the meat and bones in a meat grinder? Or do you just > feed them chunks of meat cut at the butcher's? I'm thinking you're > doing the latter since you said you give them a calcium supplement. I wish I had a butcher's to go to for meat, but I'm afraid it's mostly pre-packaged from the supermarket. Once in a while, I will take myself to to the market hall nby the farmer's market, where they have a whole section of butcher's stalls. But it's mostly prime cuts. What used to be a normal shopping place for workers a 100 years ago is now more of a place for well-to-do people to buy luxury foods. So I mostly buy the pre-packaged in whatever form - mostly beef cut into strips or chunks, or a big slab of beef that I then cut up into smaller pieces. It doesn't have to be ground. In fact, Mir has stopped eating ground beef if I buy it. I suspect it's too full of bacteria because it's already been too far processed. Initially, I did have a problem with cutting the meat up, but I've hardened myself. Now I can even cut up a pig's heart, and those usually have some clotted blood inside. That was one hurdle to pass. :/ > About 6 months ago, I was thinking about feeding my cats a homemade > diet, but I couldn't find any reliable information about it that I > trusted. I read lots and lots of contradictory information and advice, > all written by very opinionated people who were certain their way was > the right way. So I couldn't engage anyone in dialogue either, because > they wouldn't take anything other than their own way of feeding seriously. I know, it's a jungle out there. I'm not saying my way is the only right way ;) but I'm saying Miranda has lived exclusively on raw meat for nearly three years, and she's a very healthy, active cat. > Generally, it seemed that the people who fed raw meat were more > knowledgeable about feline nutrition. But I didn't want to deal with [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > unless you're conscientious about cleaning, and that includes the > meat grinder - and that sounded like a royal pain. Yes, it does. But there's no need to grind the meat up (unless you have the bones in there, too). I'm lucky in that we don't really have salmonella in Finland. My niece knows a breeder of Russian Blues who feeds her cats raw chicken wings exclusively. > Then I looked into feeding home-cooked meat, but the info about > supplements for cooked meat was almost impossible to find. I found a [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > them, cooked food for cats was an abomination. <sigh....> Eventually, > I gave up. I understand why you gave up. It's hard to weed out the good advice from the bad. I just always try to keep in mind what cats eat in the wild - small rodents, raw, and they eat most of it, including bones, skin, etc. But then, I didn't have any choice, because Mir just doesn't eat anything else. > I now feed my cats a premium brand that was never involved in any of > the poisoned-food recalls, and I can only hope they never will be. The > cats do seem healthier now, especially Roxy - she no longer has a > chronically runny nose and her eyes look great. Glad to hear she is doing so well. :) SignatureMarina, Miranda and Caliban. In loving memory of Frank and Nikki. sign of a real cat slave, Lee > > Do you grind up the meat and bones in a meat grinder? Or do you just > > feed them chunks of meat cut at the butcher's? I'm thinking you're [quoted text clipped - 65 lines] > -- > Marina, Miranda and Caliban. In loving memory of Frank and Nikki. I bought chicken wings for the cats, and Scooter today. After watching the four of them attack the chicken, makes me want to sleep with my socks and shoes on! > sign of a real cat slave, Lee >> > [quoted text clipped - 68 lines] >> -- >> Marina, Miranda and Caliban. In loving memory of Frank and Nikki. Sometimes we forget that our cats are *supposed" to be able to eat birds and rodents, it's their natural food after all. The canned and dry food we feed is just a substitute. Kitty got another collared dove from Boyfie on Wednesday evening. He's starting to learn they are good food so he had eaten the head and neck before he presented it to her. She left her gooshie food in preference for it. It took her 24 hours to eat it all, leaving only the wings and a few tail feathers, plus some body feathers which I hoovered up tonight. The bones are crunched up and most of the feathers are eaten too. She has no problem with constipation ;-) This is the second collared dove she has eaten since she was ill a few weeks ago, and she isn't ill any more. She is perky again and has gained weight which she had lost. Tweed >I bought chicken wings for the cats, and Scooter today. After watching the >four of them attack the chicken, makes me want to sleep with my socks and [quoted text clipped - 71 lines] >>> -- >>> Marina, Miranda and Caliban. In loving memory of Frank and Nikki. > Sometimes we forget that our cats are *supposed" to be able to eat > birds and rodents, it's their natural food after all. [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > > Tweed I'm glad Boyfie's doing his best to keep KFC healthy. SignatureAdrian (Owned by Snoopy & Bagheera) Cats leave pawprints on your heart http://community.webshots.com/user/clowderuk > This is the second collared dove she has eaten since she was ill a few weeks > ago, and she isn't ill any more. She is perky again and has gained weight > which she had lost. That's wonderful news!! I'm really happy she's doing better! And she's obviously actually *doing* better, not just feeling better, if she put on some weight. Go Boyfie! Keep those doves coming. He's an angel. Joyce Two days ago I fed the three cats and Scooter Dog each a raw chicken wing. I always run around barefooted. The crunchy noise they made was still enough to make me want to wear combat boots to bed. It was almost the same feeling as alfred hitchcocks movie "the Birds" a noise you just couldn't get away from. May be awhile before I do that again. > Sometimes we forget that our cats are *supposed" to be able to eat birds > and rodents, it's their natural food after all. [quoted text clipped - 95 lines] >>>> -- >>>> Marina, Miranda and Caliban. In loving memory of Frank and Nikki. > Sometimes we forget that our cats are *supposed" to be able to eat birds and > rodents, it's their natural food after all. [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > > Tweed I'm so glad to hear Kitty is doing so much better now. I was wondering how she is doing these days. And Boyfie is a perfect gentle-cat! Best wishes, Polonca and Soncek thanks for answering this, when I reread my original post I realize I left out the please, sorry, Lee > > hi, > > [quoted text clipped - 26 lines] > -- > Marina, Miranda and Caliban. In loving memory of Frank and Nikki. > thanks for answering this, when I reread my original post I realize I left > out the please, sorry, Lee No problem. :) SignatureMarina, Miranda and Caliban. In loving memory of Frank and Nikki. > hi, > > Tell Gramby about feeding raw meat and why you do it, and anybody else also, > > Lee When I got Benjamin, the carthusian (RB) - he would not eat anything but little pieces of beef heart. Some years I was buying half beef hearts and cutting them in little peaces. I tried to get him on other food, but up to 4 days he then didn't eat anything. So I gave in and gave him again beef-heart pieces. Now, I have never again a cat as picky as Benji. Today all my cats are on a mix on raw meat and premium wet food. Kibbles are always available in a huge bowl. They love ground meat, little pieces of beef or pig`s heart, liver or plain beef or pig meat. Here in germany they offer little bags full with chickens heart or liver which the cats love also. They are all healthy and happy. Good luck. Bettina |
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