Feeding Raw Meat

[northern lass]

Hi, I have read that it is OK to give your cat raw meat. Is this only for Adult Cats or can kittens enjoy raw chicken wings too ? and what about minced turkey ?

Max and Oli are turning their noses up a Felix pouches at the moment (they only eat the jelly) and I guess I would like to explore alternatives. They do have a complete dry food available throughout the day too (so maybe they have too much to eat ?)

Thanks for any advice you can give.

Oh the boys are now 7 months old.

[swerv]

mine have a dried food with occasional cooked chicken[only free range though lol]

tried them on a raw piece of meat they chewed for about 5 secs and spat it out and walked away!! now boy is not fussy he eats EVERYTHING, had to pull polystyrene out of his mouth not long ago.

read a few people on hear feed raw meat, i know that raw mince has to be frozen 1st to get a certain bacteria out.

if you are giving them dry food and they have enough of that they do not anymore food IMO

[babycakes]

I occasionaly treat Denis to raw meat. I cut bits off the joint of meat and also give bits of chicken, he loves it and smacks his lips!! ( there are other threads posted somewhere on this, maybe worth looking at as its a mixed view)

[Mags]

Here's a link to Raw feeding which we discussed a couple of years ago .......I hope you find it interesting..

http://www.catsey.com/showthread.php...ht=Raw+feeding

[angieh]

I remember a vet once recommending I fed Merlin and Smudge (GBNF) raw chicken wings. Tried it and neither would go near. Sensible cats if you ask me. Merlin loves raw beef or lamb mince (frozen first) and I always let him have a bit if I'm using it to cook with, so it's only a treat really but when he was really poorly and I was trying to tempt him to eat anything, raw mince was the only thing he would take.

[Fran]

Yep, most of mine have raw meat as a treat and love it! Some of them will even tackle a whole chicken wing

[dinahsmum]

Here's an old thread on chicken wings. My boys were about 8 months when they first enjoyed chomping!
http://www.catsey.com/showthread.php...cken+wings+vid

[northern lass]

Thanks, there is some great advice in your replies.

I will definately be giving Max and Oli more "real meat" in the future. But I will keep an eye as Max seems to have a delicate stomach, he had cooked haddock as a treat on Friday and spent the night throwing up with a runny bottom, then they had some raw turkey mince on Saturday and Oliver throw that up (at 5am Sunday on my sheepskin rug - or may be it was a bug not the food as they where both poorly (thankfull only for a few hours, but it is worse that the children when they are poorly )

I think (as a new cat owner) you think of only prepared cat food and it takes a bit of effort to find out about what is hopefully healthier alternatives.

With all the ho ha about Free Range, I do worry about the standard of the meat that goes into commercial prepared cat food so feed raw, at least you know where the meat has come from - and we only eat Free Range Organic so feel a bit hypocritical not knowing where the cats food is from.

Saying that, this hasn't stopped my kittens from nicking chunks of birthday cake off the dining room table today - cats - you have to laugh or else you cry

[yola]

My cats aren't bothered about raw meat. I did try it for a while, chicken, fish and liver but they would much rather have said ingredients stewed in water - only to enjoy the 'juice' rather than the meat itself

Now, apart from the odd prawn or tuna water they will stick to their biscuits and nowt else.

I suppose it's all about what they get used to, but obviously cats in the wild will eat raw meat so I don't see why domesticated cats shouldn't.

[Daisy-Doo]

Hi, not sure whether you're considering going completely raw (as in, NO commercial food), but if you are, then may I suggest reading these two sites.
www.rawfedcats.org - Lots of practical info in this one about transitioning cats.

Another one about raw feeding, mainly referring to dogs, but a lot of what's there applies to cats too. If you click on the 'Myths' page, these also make for interesting reading, if you have the time. Carrie also has a page on feeding cats.
www.rawfed.com

I haven't started my cats on raw yet, but hope to if I can find a regular supply of meats at a reasonable price. I raw feed our 5 ferrets, and that alone costs in the region of £35 a month. So money is already fairly tight.