What to feed my F2?

[admin]

I will have to agree with MK on this one. Have never had any problem feeding raw, whether I bought from hare-Today or bought raw chicken and ground myself.

 

[WitchyWoman]

A very good option is Feline's Pride. I transitioned my domestic short hair kitties to this from a kibble diet and they loved it. My remaining DSH is 18 yrs old and has suffered from inflammatory bowel disease for 4 years and has chronic kidney failure and she loves this food. The prescription diet recommended by the vet nearly killed her. Vet said if I put her on raw I'd kill her. She has thrived on this food. My savannahs eat a whole prey diet.

For another resource with a ton of information on all diets and types of food take a look at holisticat.com

 

[admin]

Thanks for refreshing my memory, Deborah. I forgot about Feline's Pride. It is a very good product as well. They have a very helpful customer service.

 

[Jacq]

It's not really as complicated as you think to feed a raw diet. I have been feeding my 4 cats raw for several years. I bought a Tasin meat grinder, and I grind whole chickens or chicken leg quarters(whatever is on sale)bones and all. I also grind in some organ meats(liver, kidneys and heart), about 10-15%. I also cut up beef, pork and fish(again, whatever is cheap)into chunks and mix that into the ground meat. My cats also have regular access to fresh grass, but if yours don't, I think it is a good idea to sliver dark green lettuce and mix that in as well. I usually grind 2 weeks worth at a time, put it into quart size freezer bags and freeze. All-in-all, it costs me between $50-$60 a month to feed 4 cats. They are all healthy and happy, and they never get sick. Many people advocate using supplements as well, but I believe that if they get everything they need from their diet, they are not needed.

 

[whitekickboxing]

Thank you so much everyone for the great suggestions! I am going to read the suggested links and try it!

 

[admin]

I like Jacqui's thinking - the simpler, the better. I think as long as hearts and liver are in the mix, supplements probably aren't needed, although a bit of extra taurine couldn't hurt. And the hearts and liver should be from the same animal, so raw chicken = chicken livers and chicken hearts. I do not give any supplements at all with whole prey.

 

[Lori Greer]

When I first start raw I was so confused too, but once you read and understand it it is easy. I started out by buying raw already made. I used Natural pet pantry product which all my cats loved. I then started researching meat grinders, best place to get meat(I get mine from Costco) and supplement. I make chicken and turkey for them. I follow a raw cat recipe and their is one listed in the links here under raw feeding. I buy all the supplements from the health food store or you can order on line as well. You can also use the pre mix supplement instead as Paige has mention. My Savannah only likes when I use the recipes to a "T"...I tried the other stuff and he wont eat it, the other two cats don't care. Also, make sure you buy a nice grinder don't go cheap, I tried, urggg. I ended up buying a really nice one and can grind 20-30 pounds in about 10-15mins, done in about 45. So, yes it can be time consuming, but worth it for the cat and I find it cheaper. I have this grinder. http://www.onestopjerkyshop.com/tasin-ts108-electric-meat-grinder-p-47.html

It's probably all seems confusing, but just read and there is a video too on this link; http://www.catinfo.org/?link=makingcatfood

this is the recipe I use. Make sure you scroll down, it's easy recipe and it also tells you how to make the rabbit. http://cats.lovetoknow.com/Raw_Cat_Food_Recipes


Here's a video that is easy to follow as well as the other one;

If you need more help let me know!

FABULOUS demo MK!!! Very nice job!

 

[Lori Greer]

Raw is fine if the quality is high, the only worries would be the bacteria in the food that are normally killed by cooking. You also need to be aware of the potential parasite problems you might get and keep up to date with deworming etc. I generally feed cooked food, or at least food that has been frozen (freezing does not kill the bacteria, and some chickens may carry a lot!, but it does reduce the parasite load).
We often feed the kittens minced, cooked chicken, but will do raw ground beef as well. And some like fish!
Whatever you do, hygiene is important!

I personally believe cats, like healthy humans fend off more bacteria load than anyone will acknowledge. Raw chicken should be rinsed prior to grinding but other than that, it is no different than what they would eat in a wild or outdoor life setting.

As for parasites, we regularly include the appropriate dose of Panacur C (every couple months) to prevent worm issues.

 

[Marissa]

Is there an age that they shouldn't be getting raw, or at least should they have limitations to certain thing?

 

[MK Anderson]

No age limit...Mix it up between food choice is good, but you dont have to. You can feed, chicken, turkey, duck, rabbit, ect. mine like chicken the best. I dont feed grain, fruit or veggies. But some people do feed that.