Raw food diet?

[fecto's mum]

I have a neutered Ragdoll tom who has a very sensitive digestion. He is currently on a grain free diet. RC Sensitive/Sensible dry food, Catessy pate, Catzfinefood and Forthgale wet food. I am thinking of trying him on a raw diet, mainly beef and chicken mince. Has anybody tried this? He is 7. I've had him 1 year, owner no longer wanted him and threw him out!

[angieh]

Poor Tom - glad he found a loving home with you. All cats can be tricky with food - I have recently started to try my two with Nature's Menu which is raw food in convenient frozen nuggets. Pip, who is not a fussy eater, likes them but Kizzy hasn't touched them yet although I do keep offering her one or two. Just haven't hit on a smell she thinks worthy to try yet perhaps. I am still living in hope. Generally she eats either RC Digestive Comfort or Pro Plan kibble. I don't think either would want to eat raw "full time" but I may be proved wrong. I'm just using it as a daily treat atm. I understand that Ragdolls have specific needs?

[fecto's mum]

Thanks Angie, I do know of 2 other Ragdolls that have sensitive tummies so maybe it is a defect with them. I have 4 other cats so The Big Foozy's diet is quite expensive compared to their's. I could just try him on raw food some of the time. The vet said the damage has been done to his tummy because he hasn't been fed properly for a long time plus it was last January when we got him and he'd been out in the snow and cold. He's a beautiful cat and very loving, I just want to do what's best for him as he had such a rotten home before.

[Velvet]

Why not do a mix of both. Ive a few who will eat a small amount of raw poultry & beef & two i give half a raw (pre frozen& tboroughly defrosted) chicken wing (others have no interest) they will happily gnaw their 'bone' for about half an hour & then lose interest - the youngest dog will eat whats left.

Im a great believer in - if it aint broke why fix it.

We have three with sensitive digestion & feed ProPlan Delicate & Felix as Good as it Looks x

[dinky]

Hi fectos mum, I have a young male colourpoint persian as well as four other young white cats.I don't know much about Ragdolls other than that they are beautiful, but perhaps you could feed a mixture of raw beef, minced chicken and dry food. This is what I feed my cats.Mine have finely cut beef in the mornings and at lunch ,they each have a raw chicken neck. They eat it all amidst much growling to make sure their neck isn't grabbed by another. Chicken mince is also great but be careful if you buy the pet chicken mince as it can contain large chunks of bone. I buy chicken pieces and mince them myself.All my kitties also have free access to Royal Canin Kitten dry biscuits. Just go slowly in introducing the raw food so it doesn't upset the kitties tummies.Good luck.

[Feliss]

My two are on raw from Natural Instinct, which has all the goodness they need for a full diet, though they have dried in a puzzle ball for variety. Unfortunately they've gone off it a little bit, I was going through a poor patch and went to tins for a few weeks. Going to keep persevering though as I know it's good for them.
Give it a try, preserve for a bit if he's not sure, and try all different things and in different ways. Bound to have success with something. Even that you're thinking about it is wonderful I think :) He's fortunate to have found you.

[fecto's mum]

Thanks folks, made a mental note of all suggestions. I think I'll try him a little bit of raw food. Barnaby has RC kitten food and the others like Felix AGAIL but if Big Foozy gets to either of them it really upsets his tummy, Noone of them like Pro Plan or James Wellbeloved. Our local pet food place has just started to do the frozen nuggets so I will try those. Dinky, he is beautiful but fussy!

[Elaine]

Hi, why not contact some of the raw food suppliers, see if you can maybe blag a few free samples to try them on?
There are loads out there...
http://rawtogo.co.uk/
http://honeysrealcatfood.com/
http://www.naturesmenu.co.uk/prize-choice/
http://www.ukbarfclub.co.uk/index.php?_a=viewDoc&docId=32

Or maybe even try
http://www.lilyskitchen.co.uk/cat
Not raw but home cooked foods.

[fecto's mum]

Thanks Elaine, will give them a whirl. I've checked out Lily's Kitchen, too expensive I'm afraid. It would be cheaper to feed him on cooked chicken.

[Velvet]

Thank goodness all of our cats eat whatever is put in front of them. We have a wee dog that isn't so easy to feed but her health isnt 100% so have to go with the flow

[Peanutsfriend]

I talked to people who feed raw. I don't have the time or patience. They love it Say the cats are healthier. So if you can, do.
I fear bacteria in it. Big question in my mind.

[Marigold7]

Mine get a variety including raw chicken, kibble, tinned food with raw porridge oats. They are ebulliently healthy and happy. My big boy scavenges anything he can find, including cake if I am careless leaving it out.

[fecto's mum]

What benefit is raw porridge oats? I've never heard of that. I feed raw beef mince to my eldest boy Fecto but I don't think he could cope with oats. Maybe one of my other cats would like them.

[Velvet]

Misty & Henri both got a small bowl eat today of raw red minced beef. The other five looked at it as if i had gone mad ��

[Marigold7]

What benefit is raw porridge oats? I've never heard of that. I feed raw beef mince to my eldest boy Fecto but I don't think he could cope with oats. Maybe one of my other cats would like them.

I have always fed raw porridge oats mixed with either meat cooked or raw or tinned wet food and i bred Siamese many years on this. Oats are rich in vitamins . Mixed in well. Prefer this to any commercial food and it does not cost too much which is a consideration on a pension etc. Often I mix in a raw egg or three too.

[Marigold7]

I talked to people who feed raw. I don't have the time or patience. They love it Say the cats are healthier. So if you can, do.
I fear bacteria in it. Big question in my mind.

Does not take any extra time or effort. I feed the dogs the same way and we share a chicken! Dogs and cats do not process eg bacteria the same way we do.

[fecto's mum]

We give the dogs raw eggs mixed in their food, never thought about the cats. Our eggs are free so you can't get much cheaper than that. May try oats, they are dirt cheap if you get the supermarket own brand. We share a chicken with the cats and dogs. One chicken will do us 2 meals and plenty for Fecto and Big Fooze and the dogs have the carcass.

[Peanutsfriend]

When I first got my old Willie. He was young and fresh off my sister's farm. He insisited his eggs were raw.
That was pretty gross trying to feed him cooked ones.
I had other cats so I just kept offering down the line of eyes.
Right now, nobody will eat raw. Not even Willie. He is older and pukey now, 13
Meuzette, who is dead and gone, did.
My black cat Ray, my only female. Might but she has moode swings. Some head troma with her. She been slammed up agaist walls and beat up so her sight and teeth and hearing is gone. She fails off whatever she is sitting on at the time.
Anyway back to raw....I would if it passed the troops over here. Eight say it is a no go.
Oats, I have to try those...
Jill and her eight cats >^..^<

[Phoenix]

Ebony refuses wet food including raw so I feed her and Mum's boy Tom on Purina One senior (because Tom can't eat the adult food) :)

[Peanutsfriend]

Ebony refuses wet food including raw so I feed her and Mum's boy Tom on Purina One senior (because Tom can't eat the adult food) :)

I use to use Purina ONE kitten when my oldest female cat was alive. Now I feed Purina Beyond Chicken.
They now say they don't like wet food as well. I bought baby food today for their wet food.
I don't know for how long.. :D That will be up to them.
Jill

[fecto's mum]

Fecto is the only one who eats raw food. Barnaby will only eat dry. Big Fooze likes cooked ham or chicken, Inky only likes cooked ham, Swirl eats a bit of wet food but mostly dry. So saying, they are all big, fat and furry.

[Peanutsfriend]

I had people tell me dry food is like eating cheetoos for us. I told them that is ok, I eat cheetoos and I am fine :p
They will eat what they want to eat.
Not sure if we're right. Sometimes it is better just to enjoy the life we are given. Weather we are cats are people:-D
Jill

[fecto's mum]

One thing is for sure , Jill, if my cats don't want to eat something, they won't, end of. I believe in letting cats be cats, not what I think they should be.

[Marigold7]

We give the dogs raw eggs mixed in their food, never thought about the cats. Our eggs are free so you can't get much cheaper than that. May try oats, they are dirt cheap if you get the supermarket own brand. We share a chicken with the cats and dogs. One chicken will do us 2 meals and plenty for Fecto and Big Fooze and the dogs have the carcass.

Takes me back to when I had a smallholding and the eggs in summer! OH MY! I used to freeze them; whisk them up, pour into a freezer bag inside a loaf tin or plastic box and freeze, then take out of the box to store.. fed the cats all winter like that.

Cannot remember when I started feeding oats.. used to get the by the great sack

[Marigold7]

Thank goodness all of our cats eat whatever is put in front of them. We have a wee dog that isn't so easy to feed but her health isnt 100% so have to go with the flow

Cannot afford faddy and my cats and dogs know it!

[Yulecat]

I feed my dog raw. It doesn't work with my cats. Hiro throws it back out, and only feeding raw to one doesn't work for me. So they now eat either Orijen or Cosma nature. Both grain free -- Suki is allergic to grains.

[Marigold7]

Ran out of raw chicken so opened a tin for my two indoor cats.... they took one sniff and turned their furry backs on it then one went and peed in the dog's bed.....must shop tomorrow!

[farthing]

I talked to people who feed raw. I don't have the time or patience. They love it Say the cats are healthier. So if you can, do.
I fear bacteria in it. Big question in my mind.

Personally I would never feed raw, having looked into it and found that even the BARF diet states it should not be fed to immunocompromised animals, says to me bacteria is an issue. Can you imagine if a commercially produced food stated this.
I feed bozita, a high meat content wet food. The cats do well on it and enjoy it, once I manage to wean the newbies off whiskas and such like.

[Feliss]

Bacteria is not all bad!! And not a massive issue in raw feeding, not for healthy cats. Sure if your cat is immunocompromised it's not worth taking any risk but you'll also be doing a lot more than just watching what they eat.

You can be pretty safe in eating almost all meat raw, except chicken. I have eaten all kinds of meat raw and never had a problem, so why would my cats when they're designed to eat wild animals?

[farthing]

I will never feed raw, I know cats are probably less at risk compared to dogs, but I feed good quality cooked food and have no issues with their diet.

[Marigold7]

Whatever you are happy with works for you and the same for me. I have fed raw and mixed many years now; it is after all natural for them to eat raw so we enjoy it all. The best time for me as I live on a small pension was when I lived near enough to a chicken factory to buy chicken necks at E3 for 10 k. Food grade and well inspected and checked these days. I still prefer they get raw to anything processed as I prefer unprocessed for myself. Now we all share a chicken. I eat the white meat. cooked, and the cats and dogs eat the rest, raw... Family!

[dinky]

Marigold, my cats also LOVE a raw chicken neck and have one daily There is always a great deal of growling and guarding of one's chicken neck My dogs have always had a raw diet of beef, chicken mince and necks, chicken hearts and green tripe and have done well on it. My cats have a mix of chicken mince , beef mince and commercial food. I say, whatever works for the cats, their owners and the budget has got to be good.

[farthing]

I have no real problem with people who feed raw, I believe they are doing what they think is best for their animals.
I do get angry when I read comments, that if you don't feed raw it means you aren't doing the best for your animal.
I'm not a numpty by any means and I do not believe raw is the perfect diet, like I don't believe whiskas or a dry diet is, however I would not critise as I do believe people do what they think is best.
Having looked into it I feel there are issues with raw, which for me, especially having mainly oldies and poorlies to feed, is too risky to consider.

[farthing]

I also need to add, I lost a 7 year old, apparently healthy cat to toxoplasmosis.... So there are risks from bacteria and other parasites and not all cats are 'protected'!

[fecto's mum]

I know as a shepherd that toxoplasmosis is very prevalent in kittens but quite rare in adult cats. Toxoplasmosis causes ewes to lose their lambs and is dangerous to pregnant women. I feed raw mince to Fecto, who loves it. The dogs get raw chicken pieces. If I could get chicken mince at a good price I would feed that to the cats as well. All 6 cats eat different things. I am discovering Huggins prefers fish, chicken and raw mince. I try to feed all my cats on what they prefer, except Big Fooze who has to have grain free. He loves tuna and boiled ham.

[Yulecat]

Bacteria will probably don't stand a chance in (healthy) cats stomach with all the acids in the there.