Food recommendations

[Els]

Most of you already know I will be getting F2 kitten shortly. I will be getting food that breeder uses to feed her to make her transition to new home go smoothly as possible but I'd like to switch to something else (the switch won't happen at least several weeks and will be done gradually). For years, I've fed wellness dry food / canned food. Should I consider something different or better than wellness? I am not sure about raw food though since cats would need to be dewormed from time to time.

Also, any supplements I should consider?

Thanks.

 

[Patti]

I think any high quality cat food is okay. I have used Wellness as well so if it's what you're used to then that should be fine.

 

[DumaLove]

am not sure about raw food though since cats would need to be dewormed from time to time.

If you feed human grade meat that's been frozen for at least two weeks there's no risks of worms.

And yes wellness is one of the better foods out there. Just make sure that any switch you do you do very very gradually and wait until she's been there for at least a month or so.

 

[Els]

I know nothing about feeding raw food so any pointers would be appreciated.

I tried to feed my cats Wellness Core years ago neither one would eat it so I went with different type of wellness dry food. If there's a better brand, I'd like to know about it. What do you feed your SV cats?

DumaLove - I agree. I don't plan to start making the switch to different food for a month at least.

 

[DumaLove]

I feed primarily homemade raw, with Acana dry food as a backup. The main thing for raw feeding is that it needs to be properly balanced. 80% muscle meat, 10% bone and 10% secreting organ, half of which should be liver. If you don't feed a balanced raw then it can worse for your cat than the cheapest commercial food. This site has a wealth of information.
http://www.catnutrition.org

 

[Kristin]

I've been feeding raw for 4 years (not nearly as long as others) but I have never dewormed. My theory is why use chemicals needlessly? I am finishing up my studies in herbalism, so can make a dewormer for my cats but all dewormers, natural or not, are chemicals and there is a level of toxicity in order to get the worms to vacate. It doesn't prevent the worms from happening so doing it preventatively doesn't make sense to me. I would rather do a PCR if a problem arose, but that is just what I do personally.

Cats have very high stomach acid and a short intestinal tract. Their stomach acid kills bacteria and most of the stuff that could be harmful. As Dumalove said, if it's frozen there isn't a risk of worms.

Depending on where you live, you might be able to find some pre made blends of raw, which is easy and similar to canned in the way that you really just have to scoop and serve. The main difference being your food is stored in the freezer/fridge. Pre-made does tend to be more expensive though, so a lot of people decide to make their own. The main rule of thumb is 80:10:10...80% muscle meat (including heart), 10% bone, 10% organ, but 5% of the organ should be liver. You can mix up what meats you use. For instance you could do 80% muscle meat that is chicken and bone, and include beef liver and whatever other organs you can find (keeping in mind that organs are rich)

If you have time, this video will help you understand how to make your own.