Raw Feeding Obligate Carnivores, Diabetic Cat Care

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Diabetic Cat Care

Raw Feeding IS

Species Appropriate!

Parker

There's a lot of controversy about feeding a well-balanced, home-made raw diet to cats. The truth of the matter is, it is big bucks paid by the pet food companies (PFCs) putting "the bug" in the AVMA's ears that's responsible for most of the hubbub. The reality is, when we take care to ensure the diet contains human grade meats, well-ground bone in the appropriate proportions, adequate supplementation, the other ingredients required for obligate carnivores, and make sure that our "handling methods" are as sanitary as possible (just like we do for our families).

Cats are obligate carnivores, and as such, they were designed to eat meat. Cats need calcium and other very important amino acids, enzymes and the like that come from bone. While short-term feeding of a bone-out raw diet might be appropriate when it comes to determining if your cat would be willing to eat raw; a well-balanced raw diet must include bone and other things to meet the gold standard in cat food. In addition to being very close to a diet cats would have in the wild, making a well-balanced home made raw diet puts you in the position of being better able to control exactly what your cat is eating, not to mention, you'll avoid being affected by the latest pet food recalls.

It's no secret, whether it's human or pet foods, manufacturers choose to add a LOT of additives, whether they're fillers or dyes, by-products - not everything in highly processed food is good for us, or for our cats. One way to control the quality of the food you feed is to make it yourself. It isn't an option for everyone, and there are some good alternatives out there when it comes to low carb canned foods but....if you have the opportunity to make a well-balanced raw diet, it truly is worth the effort.

For more information about how a raw diet and TR made the difference for a family of cats, please read Alex's story.

We Need to Return to Basics - An Aussie Vet's experience with lessons learned when it comes to species-appropriate diets.

You have several choices in the way to approach a raw diet for your cat: you can choose ready-to-serve products that you simply defrost, stir and serve; you can purchase ground meat/bone-in products and add your own supplements; or you can grind your own meat with bone and add the supplements to make your own. The first way is the easiest, but the most expensive; the second is middle of the road in both cost and ease of use, and the last option is a bit more work but is significantly less expensive.

The most popular meats for home made bone-in ground raw are chicken (46% fat), turkey (37% fat) and rabbit (25% fat). Beef can be used but may be an allergen for some cats. Raw pork and fish should never be used for cat foods as they may contain live parasites which need to be cooked to be killed.

Cats on a raw food diet tend to have smaller, less frequent bowl movements, and they're usually far less smelly!

If you are considering changing your cat to a raw diet, but are concerned your cat may not like it, Anne Jablonski offers a bone-out raw recipe that is acceptable for short term feeding only. This recipe requires the use of human grade bone meal, available at better health food stores. In some countries, human grade bone meal is no longer available, so alternatives such as powdered egg shells may be used. It's important (as it is with any supplement) to make sure you're using the right one! Anne's recipe will make approximately a week and a half worth of food for one cat and is a great way to test the raw food waters. For some cats, when transitioning to a raw diet, slowly mixing a small amount of raw with canned, increasing the percentage of raw with every meal helps.

We find that some cats have better BG with a small amount of canned mixed in with the food; this is because a raw diet is very low carb, at only 1% based on dry matter.

Ready made products

One quality product on the US market is Bobcat Raw - 100% complete, with all necessary supplementation. Small sizes are available for testing your cats preference and tansitioning tips can be found there. Buddy's Natural Pet food is sold in BC.

There are other complete raw foods on the market, but many will contain ingredients that cats do not need. As always, read the labels - grains, glutens, veggies, or fruits are not species appropriate for cats.

Making your own

If you would like to make your own raw food, Dr. Lisa Pierson‘s website provides great information. Dr. Lisa will also customize recipes for CRF or other special needs cats for an hourly fee. Her site has links to already ground products, grinders, supplements, recipes, and much more.

Anne Jablonski's site has lots of nutritional info, as well as info on making your own bone in raw food, as well as a bone out recipe (for short term or trial feeding), and lots more.

Ann Jablonski's recipe calls for raw glandular supplement which is impossible to get in some countries. After asking Dr. H, fwiw, she says the raw glandular supplement is not absolutely necessary (although anecdotal feedback on forum is that it does make a difference). Nor is the psyllum husk necessary...it depends on your cat's digestive needs.

None of the recipes above call for egg whites to be added to the food, but for those not wanting to waste anything, lightly cooking the egg whites, letting them cool first, then running them through the grinder when processing the meat and bone is a great way to add low-phosphorus protein to the raw and help extend your recipe a bit.

Lastly, some very important advice about well-balanced raw diets for cats - feeding meat alone is not suitable. Either ground bone (preferred), a quality human grade edible bone meal, or egg shell powder is an essential element when it comes to feeding raw; as are supplements such as Taurine, Salmon/Krill oil, raw egg yolks and vitamin B Complex. It is important the ratios of these essential elements are correct otherwise potentially serious health issues can arise. Please make certain prior to simply feeding raw to your cat, you've researched what criteria is required to ensure your cat receives the best home made raw diet possible. To help when it comes to determining the proper ratios, online calculators for raw feeding are available.

Ground Meat Sources

Good sources (in the US) for whole-carcass, ground meats - these just need defrosting and adding supplements. Again, always read labels, as there are many ground products out there that have added, unacceptable ingredients.

Hare Today (East Coast)

Omas Pride (East Coast)

Whole Foods for Pets (West Coast)

Supplements

Supplements for making food are human vitamins, and can be found at most any vitamin shop. Those in capsules are very easy to use, just open and dump. Salmon or fish oil is best in gel caps, as bottles of liquid go rancid quickly, even in the fridge. Ideally Vitamin E should be labeled "Dry E"; it's preferable it doesn't contain soy (hard to find as most are made with soy!), and best in capsules that pull apart.

For a complete supplement all in one jar, Dr. Hodgkins recommends Platinum Performance. This supplement should be mixed first with the water you add to your food, and then mixed evenly into the meat. If not using water, please be sure that the powder is mixed thoroughly throughout the meat, evenly distributed. This product is best when used relatively soon after mixing - freezing is fine if the food will be used within a couple of weeks. Platinum Performance is not available in all countries, and due to ingredients, may not be permitted to be imported; check with your government's health body prior to ordering.

Here is a great video showing just how easy it is to make raw food without having to grind it yourself.

Grinders

Below are links to various grinders that have been used with good results - be sure to compare motor horsepower as well as prices:

Mercantile Station STX Mega Force 3000, 3.4 HP, 3000 watts (not powerful enough for turkey bones but will handle small chicken bones)

Northern Tool

Tasin TS-108

North Coast Pets has a number of grinders and other food making supplies, as well as information.

Whole Prey or Prey-Model diets

There are some folks who prefer to serve whole prey instead of ground raw. Whole prey, with bones intact, are an excellent way to keep gums healthy, teeth sparkling clean and jaws strong. You will find a great deal of excellent information at Raw Fed Cats.

"Supplies" in the form of chicks, rodents, rabbits and quail are found on Rodent Pro which comes highly recommended.