Raw Diet
**Ultimately, it is up to each individual to chose what diet they feel is best for their pets. This is the story of our experience, combined with extensive research for our search for the best possible food for our beloved pets.
My personal story
I fed commercial diet including kibble and canned food for many years and my cats seemed to do fine. So I thought. I bought all the most expensive foods and thought I was treating my cats like royalty. Then, I changed for the better thanks to my friend Carole Uhler at Destyny Sphynx. I saw Carole's cats for over 5 years and they were always in good condition, beautiful skin, good weight, firm, non-smelly stools and were good producers with large healthy litters. Then, there were a multitude of pet food recalls that occurred in the past few years. It was scary that the pet food market was not regulated, had poisonous, harmful ingredients and I had no idea what was really going into my cats' food. I finally decided to try feeding raw in 2008 and I noticed my cats stayed cleaner, skin condition improved, less stool and less smelly stool. Some of my cats that had been overweight lost weight and are in much better condition.
Feeding raw requires me to obtain the ingredients, but once I figured out the best places to go it becomes very easy. It takes maybe 2 hours of time from start to clean-up time. A lot of people state they do not have enough time. It only needs to be done once a month. I certainly have 2 hours a month to make my cats raw food. Same amount of time it takes me to make a homemade cake.
My Recipe
I use Carole's raw recipe, which can be found here: http://www.destynysphynx.com/rawdiet.html There are other recipes, but this one really requires no supplements. (Example: Rather than adding Omega 3 to meals, feed the salmon cubes. It is better form and they enjoy eating them!)
Here is another recipe that is species appropriate: http://www.catnutrition.org/recipes.php
IMPORTANT!!!! Raw diets must be specifically designed to contain certain proportions. You must do this correctly or your cat will not be receiving proper nutrition. You have to be cognizant of all the minerals and nutrients needed to maintain a healthy cat.... especially taurine.
Why should I feed raw?
First and foremost, it is a species appropriate diet for felines. Think logically about what they would eat naturally. Mice and birds! They are obligate carnivores - they need to eat meat. Unlike dogs or humans, they do not need any vegetables of any sort.
Once you feed raw, your cat will look better, be in good weight, and be healthier and their stools will be less. And, not that it matters to most caring pet parents, but the cost is so much less than any commercial diet. Commercial diets are riddled with problems, recalls and inappropriate content such as wheat gluten, corn and other unnecessary fillers.
Ways to Feed Raw
There are different ways to feed raw, here we feed using ground up meat and bone. Some people feed the whole prey model. This works well with dogs, but cats tend to drag food off and eat it or even hide it. For sanitary reasons here, we choose to use the ground up meat bone, etc.
Special Note:
Poultry and beef heart is very high in taurine. Do not feed beef, venison and especially rabbit (which is low in usable taurine for cats) as a sole protein source.
Myth: There are good dry foods
Unfortunately, the only thing dry food is good for is convenience for humans. It is absolutely not good for your cat. It has a lot of the wrong ingredients, and the right ones it may have - they have been processed and lost a lot of the nutritional value. Some of the protein is added and it is not from animals - but plants!!! Cats cannot process plant material. It is not the same.
Worst of all - dry food has the wrong moisture content. It does not have enough moisture to truly be healthy. This contributes to a multitude health issues such as kidney issues and urinary tract crystals.
If you are not going to feed raw, at least do your cats a favor and feed them canned wet food.
Note: Never add any moisture (water, milk, broth) to dry food as it causes bacteria to grow.
Myth: Kibble is good for cat's teeth
WRONG. It is not good and because kibble contains carbs, it is actually bad for your cat's teeth. The kibble shatters before it can really work the gums. The raw diet contains bone and the cats actually have to work their mouths and teeth. This keeps their teeth clean and in tip top shape.
Myth: Vets are against feeding raw and only support feeding commercial diets
Vets who have had experience feeding raw food and have actually seen the results have and will support the raw food diet. Unless there is actual experience with the raw and seeing the results, I would hesitate to take the person's advice.
Myth: My cat will get sick from salmonella or some other bacteria.
WRONG. Cats have short digestive tracts and are naturally equipped to eat raw safely. Their digestive systems are highly acidic.
Myth: Homecooked meals are just as good and more natural
These are deficient in minerals and nutrients because the food is cooked, especially taurine. Anything natural is best... this means the less nutrients you have to add back in, the better. If you want to make a home cooked foods, please research carefully to make sure you are feeding a completely balanced diet and watch their condition.
About Garlic and Onions
These are BAD and TOXIC to cats. Make sure you do not add them to your raw diet. Garlic is considered a natural remedy for many things - but do not feed it to cats! Some more bad foods: http://www.messybeast.com/bad-foods.htm
My Experience with Electric Meat Grinders
I started off with a Maverick meat grinder and it was ok. It was a less expensive model and it would get stuck. They no longer make this model, so improvements may have been made.
Then I purchased the Northern Tools $130 grinder. http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_36989_36989 It worked very well, and it probably the best grinder for that price range. However, I had to cut up the leg quarters into several pieces with the meat cleaver. Northern Tools offers insurance on the meat grinders so it can be fixed for up to 3 years. I would recommend getting a larger meat grinder with at least 750 horsepower. If you decide you do not want it, you can always resell it on Craig's List. I sincerely regret not getting the larger one first.
I just invested in the Weston #32. The Weston #22 probably would have worked as a great machine, but I decided to go all out. The Weston #32 is expensive, and heavy, but will be well worth it. Other friends have this and have been happy with this machine. Here is one place to get this machine. http://www.northcoastmarines.com/barf_hardware.htm On this website you can see the meat being ground and how easy it is. Shop around, you can find good deals, especially if you get free shipping. The shipping can cost $50-$80 on these grinders.
Other Equipment and Items I Use
 | Meat cleaver that is good and heavy is a must!!!! Especially if you have a smaller, less powerful grinder |
| Cutting board (place cloth underneath so it does not slide around and absorbs shock some) |
| You might need an extra freezer to store your raw food. |
| Ziploc Bags or Containers |
| Disposable gloves |
| Bleach |
| Large Stainless Steel Bowls to place meat and mix in |
| Space in Refrigerator to put meat in so it stays cold while working on batches. |
Supplements
Supplements are not really needed for the raw diet. I do NOT use L Lysine. I do add Immoplex Glandular.
Here is one link for the Immoplex Glandular: http://www.luckyvitamin.com/p-9322-nutricology-immoplex-glandular-60-capsules
If you have a sick cat, you might want to supplement additionally or if your raw diet is missing something, (like Beef Heart) you might need to add taurine.
Note on Raw Food Safety
| I clean and then bleach the kitchen counters and every piece of equipment BEFORE and AFTER I grind. |
| I use disposable gloves while grinding and change them frequently. |
| I do my grinding in small batches so the meat is out at room temperature as little as possible, no more than 10 minutes. |
| When feeding, meat should not be left out for more than 20 minutes. |
| Area around where the cats eat raw must be disinfected after eating. I use good ole bleach and water. |
| I do a lot of dishes from this, if I am short on time, I use good quality paper bowls to feed, so I can maintain sanitary conditions. |
Continue your research... here are some links:
http://rawfed.com/myths/research.html
http://www.rawfed.com/myths/cats.html
http://www.seefido.com/html/cats_and_barf_diets.htm
http://www.preciouspets.org/truth.htm
http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/KnowledgeBase/knowledgebasedetail.aspx?articleid=147&click=73587#help6
http://www.bornfreeusa.org/facts.php?more=1&p=359
http://littlebigcat.com/index.php?action=library&act=show&item=004
Join a Raw yahoo groups for information!
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/rawcat/
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/rawpaws/
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/rawfeeding/
Others I know that are successfully feeding raw!
http://www.destynysphynx.com/rawdiet.html
http://www.nakedkitties.com/rawfeeding.cfm