Personally, I believe that any quantity of fresh, raw meat, no matter how tiny, is beneficial to the cats. It will keep those who do eat it used to the flavor, texture, and aroma of fresh meat while you work on persuading the “hold out” to at least try it.
Partial Raw Diet for Cats
Adult cat switching may be time-consuming and irritating. Some of the mine converted on the first meal, but most took roughly two weeks. I had one that lasted two months and another that lasted a full year before I was able to get them completely off commercial and onto raw only.
Begin, as you are, by serving little pieces of basic meat. Pork and rabbit seem to be perennial favorites, closely followed by turkey. (The only meat I will not eat is ground hamburger meat.)
If your one cat still refuses to eat these foods, try feeding him cooked meat or baby food. Gradually introduce him to ‘blander’ and blander foods that are less cooked. Remember that raw meat has very little odor, and cats that have never tasted it will simply not identify it as a food source.
If he would accept canned food, try combining it with some minced meat or even something like sardines in olive oil. As a final option, you may try some tuna. (It is too readily addicting, and tinned fish, save from sardines, is typically a lousy option.) However, you may simply use it to get him started.
Once everyone has consumed the meat, you can begin to add other ingredients. You might even get a chance to hear what he thinks of baby food carrots, squash, and yams. These are usually very popular with cats. If so, combine it with some of the canned meat.
As previously stated, it can be a time-consuming process, but once completed, it is well worth the effort.
Raw Diet For Kittens
I don’t start weaning until my baby is at least 6 weeks old. I use the same formula for kittens as I do for adults. One of the benefits of natural feeding is that there is no “special” diet. I’m thinking about grinding it a little finer – I’m currently using the coarse grinder disk. (Ensure that they have access to water.)
Raw Diet: Wysong
Wysong is a manufacturer of a variety of items. They produce:
- I’ve never tried dry food since it includes a lot of maize.)
- Raw freeze-dried is a full diet that may be given dry or rehydrated. Many individuals use this as a stepping stone to a completely raw diet.
- Canned meals, including entire diets and pure canned meats, come in a broad range of flavors (I.e., beef, chicken, duck, venison, rabbit, etc.)
- Vitamin supplements, mothers milk replacement, and a supplement you may add to fresh meat to round up a raw diet.
Other ‘excellent’ dry meals with little grains and human-grade components include:
- Felidea
- Wellness
Raw Diet for Cats Pros & Benefits
Raw-feed cat foods are designed for easy digestion. A raw meal requires much less energy to digest, and the body utilizes more of the raw meal.
Short-term modifications will include:
- Increased activity level
- Obese cats lose weight and gain muscle.
- Thin cats gain muscle mass.
- The overall situation has improved.
- Almost always, dental health improves.
- The poop is small, firm, and odorless.
- The air is cleaner.
- Urine is more concentrated and is less likely to cause UTIs.
Cons: Do Vets Recommend a Raw Diet for Cats?
The majority of mainstream veterinarians are anti-raw. The danger exists, but it is minor. I’ve heard of animals getting parasite infections from consuming ‘high’ grade commercial meals. So it basically comes down to picking which danger is the least of two evils.
Normal, healthy cats are built to hunt, consume, and digest raw meat. They can withstand typical levels of organisms and bacteria present in raw meat.
I wish someone would do long-term, scientific research on all of the illnesses caused or significantly exacerbated by the life-long use of commercial meals including known carcinogens and other poisons, low-quality meats, and completely unsuitable components.
- Raw Diet: Pork Warning
Trichinosis in pork, according to my study, should be avoided!!! AVOID AT ALL COSTS!! I would never serve raw pork to my daughters. In fact, when we do eat pork, I grill the pork chops till they are practically burnt!!! I am extremely new to feeding raw meat and consider myself a “rookie” in this area. However, I am attempting to educate myself along these lines. When I say I give my daughters raw meat, I don’t want to encourage anybody else to do the same unless they’ve done their homework and are confident in their choice.
- Raw Diet: Bacteria/Germs
There is an acceptable middle ground. To begin, it is critical to understand that Lysol is very harmful to cats. It is not permitted in my home. In fact, I only use bleach or vinegar to clean. Lysol accumulates in their fat and liver, causing serious health concerns.
There should be no serious risks as long as you handle the meat properly. If they push things off the plate, just place them on newspaper and roll the entire thing up to trash away after they’re finished.
Do not purchase a ground hamburger, though, since it is likely to have greater amounts of germs, etc.
I ground entire chicken and bones, organ meat, vegetables, flax seed, and other ingredients together and freeze them in Gladware containers. Simply defrost it overnight on the counter and feed it at room temperature.
By the way, handling dry meals is definitely riskier than touching raw foods! At least in terms of bacteria. While the majority of the meal is cooked and sterilized, the coating of digest and oils is not, and you definitely don’t want to know what those oils are comprised of!
- Raw Diet: Constipation
When feeding raw, it is critical to provide fiber to the cats; otherwise, they will get constipated.
Some people use psyllium, but I believe it is simpler and safer to just add pumpkin or cooked winter squash, such as butternut or acorn. I alternate the other vegetables, such as yams, carrots, green veggies, and so on, but even if I’m only making a small batch, I always include a butternut squash.
I use 85-90% meat/organ/bone and 10-15% vegetables. So I add 1 to 1 1/2 pounds of vegetables for every 10 pounds of meaty bone and organs. Winter squash accounts for over half of that weight, with the remainder, made up of other vegetables.
Because squash is a fermentable fiber, it aids digestion while also supplying fiber to replace the hair and feathers found in complete prey. This will assist them to avoid being constipated.
If you do take psyllium, be sure to drink enough water; otherwise, you may aggravate constipation. I simply avoid psyllium completely.
- Raw Diet: Vitamin Deficiencies
For a long time, I was afraid of germs and parasites, which kept me from feeding fresh raw meat. Then I came to feel that unheated, well-balanced raw food for cats is indeed the meal their bodies are designed to consume.
Giving actual fresh human-grade meat is fantastic in my opinion. However, offering solely this unsupplemented as a significant portion of a meal may result in severe deficiencies, such as a cat being extremely unwell if not given enough calcium and taurine. Raw meat has significantly more calcium than cooked meat, but raw heart contains the greatest taurine, therefore if you aren’t feeding your heart, you need to supplement it with taurine. Also, if you aren’t offering pulverized bone, you should provide calcium in another form, such as calcium carbonate (from a pharmacy, just a small sprinkle every meal) or crushed eggshells, which some people give. I’m not sure how much eggshell is good, but to prepare it, just wash the egg, drain the contents (yolk and white), remove the membrane from the shell, and crush it to a fine powder. It is not necessary to cook it. However, raw egg yolk (NOT white, as Mary said) is extremely beneficial for cats and should be fed no more than twice a week with other food. And where can you get salmon oil? This oil is similar to the oil found in a cat’s natural prey, and you could just mix a bit with a raw chicken meal to add some EFAs. I am now a huge fan of raw foods. I know how much it can aid the immune system and digestive systems, and I would hate to see a cat go without it!
