I know this is a dog forum, but.....

MoosMom · 10-19-2009, 09:34 PM

Since Yoshi is eating raw, we want to change the cat too. Anyone here have a cat they feed raw?

Michiyo-Fir · 10-19-2009, 10:15 PM

I know a few people. I don't have a cat right now but if I did I would probably feed raw.

I heard it was pretty much the same except they can't crunch the really big bones that dogs crunch. Also less veggies for the cat.

zimandtakandgrrandmimi · 10-19-2009, 10:33 PM

I have a raw fed cat. and its a little trickier to feed a cat raw because you have to make sure they are getting the reequisite amounts of taurine.

which with me...means snake food. feeder mice and rats in addition to cornish game hens, rabbit and fish for the most part.

briteday · 10-19-2009, 11:25 PM

Our cat is raw fed. She is partial to whole ground chicken mostly. Since she was kibble fed for most of her life it was a bit difficult to make the transition. Taurine is a critical issue with cats. It is an amino acid that they cannot manufacture themselves through metabolism so it must be provided in their diet. Raw meat is a good source, but often not enough. You can buy taurine powder in capsules at the vitamin stores. I open a capsule a few times each week and divide it amongst the 3 small dogs and one cat. There are some new studies showing dogs can be taurine deficient as well. You don't need to supplement to excess, but any excess is excreted by the kidneys.

nekomi · 10-19-2009, 11:50 PM

I'm switching my 6 cats to raw along with the dogs next month. The best site I've found with simple instructions for a "starter" raw diet is here:

http://www.catnutrition.org/foodmaking.php

paux · 10-20-2009, 02:13 PM

I don't have a cat myself but my mom does. All I know is that her cat can't break down large pieces of meat himself so we have to cut his meals into bite sized portions, otherwise he'll just lick it but won't eat it. So that may be something to keep in mind. Sorry I can't help on the actual raw meal ingredients.

MoosMom · 10-20-2009, 03:59 PM

Thanks for the advise. She was an outdoor cat when we found her and at our last home she stayed out a lot and VERY rarely ate her kibble. She's on a grain free formula from Solid Gold, Im pretty sure she was fending for herself for a while and I think she's unhappy with the new house and the fact we don't let her out to do her own thing because of the coyotes.

bully · 10-21-2009, 08:33 AM

cats thrive on a high meat protein RAW diet, best thing in the world for them. I switched from the Science Diet/Eukenuba kibble to Orijens cat food.

My cat lost fat, her eyes cleared up, and her coat sheds way less. I could only imagine how she'd do on RAW. I might try it soon.

Cracker · 10-21-2009, 08:45 AM

THere is a cat RAW forum on Catster as well. Worth looking into.

ioreks_mom · 10-21-2009, 08:53 AM

i have tried and tried and TRIED to get my picky-pants cats to switch to raw...it's a no go. i would love to switch them. the closest i got was to switch my kibble addict cat to an all canned diet. then we moved home and i can't get the food anymore

good luck with the switch. i hope that i am allowed to link this: the cat site has a whole forum about raw feeding in their food section.

MoosMom · 10-21-2009, 07:18 PM

Oh I dont think it will be an issue. She eats anything! She even eats trash. LOL.