Eggs
Raw yolks are OK. Cats may get a lot of protein and minerals from them.
Raw egg whites are not recommended. They are safe in tiny doses, but on a regular basis, an enzyme in the white will bond with specific nutrients, causing the cat to become deficient.
You may gently boil the eggs, float them in hot water for 5 minutes to deactivate the enzyme in the whites, or just skip the whites altogether.
Archetype
Archetype IS raw; it is freeze-dried to eliminate moisture but not heated, retaining the natural proenzymes and helpful natural probiotics of a fresh raw diet; and its components are extremely fresh and of high quality. It’s already complete, with bone (balanced out phosphorus; calcium), organs, fiber, and so on; you don’t need to add anything more except water (it’s MUCH better to hydrate since it’s easier to digest effectively and dry it might cause constipation). If your cat can take the mixed meats, I would offer this instead of the heat-processed meal if your cats perform well on it; if you hydrate it, you may serve it as a solo diet like any other cat food.
Chunks vs Ground Meat
When you first start out, it may be incredibly confusing and daunting. Although “whole” prey is ideal, most humans and many cats are just incapable of doing so.
Small meaty bones (chicken necks, wing tips, etc.) and chunks of flesh are all useful for chewing, but this must be done under supervision, and some senior cats simply don’t like it.
It is critical to understand that, like commercial foods, there is no one correct technique to feed raw. I feel it is necessary to give a balanced diet, which contains some vegetable stuff… even if it’s only to increase fiber and simulate prey stomach contents
A ground diet is a kind of compromise between convenience and health. Everything is done at once by grinding the bone, organ meat, and any supplements/veggies you wish to integrate, and you can just serve out the meal. This may be supplemented with bigger meat portions for various meals throughout the day/week.
Keep things simple, I was advised when I had finally lost it. Consider what your cat might eat if it were in the wild. This is a little cat… It would feed on tiny rodents, insects, and lizards, with the rare rabbit caught by competent hunters. These are all entire little meals. They are unlikely to hunt down and consume anything bigger than a full-grown rabbit, much alone a cow, deer, or sheep, thus when we feed these larger foods, we must ‘condense’ them into little packets including organs, calcium, stomach contents, and so on.
Bone
When it comes to bones, cooked bones of any kind (beef, pig, poultry, etc.) are harmful and splinter. Raw bones are the ONLY form of bone that should be fed. I believe that beef/pork/lamb (all the bigger animal bones) are merely utilized as chewing objects rather than being eaten or crushed. I’m just sticking with what I think is reasonably natural, or as natural as a domestic-sized cat can be. I’m mostly using ground chicken/bone, but I’ll be putting ground bone in rabbit shortly. I’ve also made use of duck. I don’t use cattle, lamb, hog, or any other big animal, and I don’t use turkey since the bones are too huge and difficult to grind correctly. I have and will utilize turkey meat, but it must be supplemented with calcium.
Chicken Wing
Actually, raw chicken wings are excellent for tooth health. I’ve been feeding my completely raw to my kitties for about a year. The oldest ones’ jaws are still rotting from years of eating dry food. My two youngest, on the other hand, have been on raw from weaning and their teeth are still fantastic. Although they are still young, many Persians seem to have tartar and teeth issues before the age of a year.
You might try chicken ribs (the bone and cartilage left behind after removing the breast flesh) or simply the wing tip. People also utilize chicken necks for the same reason. And, since there is generally no skin left on the necks, your cat may be more tempted to gnaw on it. Gizzards are also quite chewy, and although they are not as good as a bone for chewing, they will help keep tartar at bay. Some of my cats can eat the whole gizzard, but I carve it into digestible parts for the majority of them. My cats all appeared to go crazy for the raw gizzards. If you do offer the gizzard, be in the room while he or she nibbles on it. They risk choking if they do not eat it thoroughly. While I’m making things in the kitchen, I feed them their gizzards. Another thing to try with the bone/wings is to make sure they are at room temperature. In a baggie, I reheat my raw food mix for a few minutes in warm water.
Frozen Mice
Pinkies are exactly what they sound like: little, hairless pink creatures. They don’t appear like animals until you look closely. The mature mice have hair because, well, they’re mice.
I merely prepare approximately 6 mice in a baggie and float them in warm water until they are thawed and no longer chilly. I normally wipe them off, pat them dry, and then serve them on a dish!
My mature female eats 6 little adult mice every supper, although I began her on pinkies at first since she wasn’t sure about the fur. However, after tasting mouse flesh, she was able to identify the hair in the older mice.
It’s a whole meal, and none of my other adults have tried them yet, but the tiny kittens devour them.
Livers
I try to use the same species whenever possible. When I make a chicken batch, I use chicken livers. I use duck livers when cooking with duck.
I don’t feed beef liver to my group because most of them can’t handle it and vomit shortly after eating it. Also, if I put too much liver in, the kitties get sick. So it’s a balancing act for me!
I usually use chicken livers because I feed mostly chicken and can easily find them.
