Does anyone feed a BARF diet to their Cats?

[Elaine]

Excuse me if I am being a bit thick here but if the BARF diet is the most natural way to feed your cat/dog, which I would tend to agree with, why is it that you also have to give so many supplements as well?

[Hreow]

Presumably because you do not feed whole animals? The stomach-contents would add vegetable matter and perhaps the missing minerals, vitamines etc., I imagine.

[Kim]

Originally Posted by Elaine

Excuse me if I am being a bit thick here but if the BARF diet is the most natural way to feed your cat/dog, which I would tend to agree with, why is it that you also have to give so many supplements as well?

I don't think you do need to Elaine! I personally chose to give Caleb garlic for example as a natural remedy to keep fleas at bay, I give him cod liver oil as he tends to get dandruff, which incidentally is so much better than when we first had him.

[Fran]

Originally Posted by Elaine

Excuse me if I am being a bit thick here but if the BARF diet is the most natural way to feed your cat/dog, which I would tend to agree with, why is it that you also have to give so many supplements as well?

Hreow has hit the nail on the head! In the wild, dogs/cats would choose/acquire their own diets and their meals would be balanced over a period of time. They would naturally assimilate all the nutrients they needed without obviously needing supplements. Because we actually feed a raw diet to our animals, it is not quite the same as them hunting their own food. We can only aspire to give them the nearest possible to their natural diet. This often results in a deficit of nutrients as not many of us would give them a whole dead animal to eat

[borderdawn]

Originally Posted by Fran

Hreow has hit the nail on the head! In the wild, dogs/cats would choose/acquire their own diets and their meals would be balanced over a period of time. They would naturally assimilate all the nutrients they needed without obviously needing supplements. Because we actually feed a raw diet to our animals, it is not quite the same as them hunting their own food. We can only aspire to give them the nearest possible to their natural diet. This often results in a deficit of nutrients as not many of us would give them a whole dead animal to eat

I give mine Rabbits whole.
Dawn.

[Fran]

Originally Posted by borderdawn

I give mine Rabbits whole.
Dawn.

Yes mine have 'whole' occasionally but in the natural environment most of their meals would be whole not just an occasional one.

[Donna]

Do you just literally put the bunny in their bowl????

Sorry, but I have no knowledge of raw feeding (couldnt do it myself), but have found this thread interesting!

[Fran]

Originally Posted by Donna

Do you just literally put the bunny in their bowl????

@ Donna!! I just don't bother with the bowl bit

[Donna]

Originally Posted by Fran

@ Donna!! I just don't bother with the bowl bit

oops sorry!!

Do you take the fur off first???

[Fran]

Originally Posted by Donna

oops sorry!!

Do you take the fur off first???

I don't feed rabbits to my girls as I keep two pet bunnies at home and haven't got the heart to feed rabbit to them. I have feed whole duck and pheasant to them though. We did de-feather them first ( is the term dress them?) but I know people who feed whole rabbits complete with fur to their dogs