Raw diet for cats???

[latieplolo]

I thought I'd ask here first, because I trust everybody here is knowledgeable about their animals.I just got my first kitten (I've had family cats before, but never one that was mine all mine!). She's about 10 weeks old, but the family I got her from didn't seem to care enough to remember.I'd really like to go about taking care of her the right way. Our family cats in the past lived relatively long lives as indoor only cats, but my favorite died suddenly at 7 without warning. The vet told us that the other 2 succumbed to liver and kidney disease, most likely due to ingredients in their dry food. This has me considering changing things up for my new kitten.What does everyone think about a raw meat diet for cats? It seems to make sense, based on their evolution. I'm interested, but concerned that it might be a fad diet like so many of the "natural" diets that humans do. It worries me that individual cat owners recommend it based on anecdotes, while vets seem wary of it based on research.What do you think? My kitten, KitKat EDIT: After more research, it seems like cooked meat would be the best option because it kills bacteria and parasites.

[finalfantasyxii]

I am a hospital manager at a vet clinic and was a vet assistant for 9 years before that. None of the vets I've worked with ever recommend raw diet for many reasons. The meat a cat would eat in the wild would me much more fresh than anything you could buy. The way meat is handled before it gets to the market makes me wary of feeding it raw. Also they would eat the entire animal; bones, stomach contents, etc. I would argue that the domestic cat is about as "wild" as humans are - and we don't eat raw meat anymore!Cats are not good water drinkers and are designed to get 80% of their daily water intake through their food. So feeding them a diet primarily of dry food can definitely cause kidney issues later. It is generally recommended to feed a diet consisting of all or almost all canned food. The idea that dry food is better for their teeth is an old wives tale. It does make sense that the better quality food will give your cat a longer, healthier life. Generally speaking, if you can buy it at the supermarket it's low quality. Friskees, Whiskas, Fancy Feast, and other popular brands of food are made primarily with taste in mind and are high in salt, fat and fillers. It's like the McDonalds of the pet food world! Wellness, Blue and Innova are some higher quality foods to try.I do believe that the less processed the better, so supplementing with fresh ingredients can be done - carefully. Low fat, unseasoned meats and fish might be a welcome addition to a cat's diet. The concern is obesity and food intolerance. Fresh ingredients should make up no more than 25% of your cat's diet and the canned food should be reduced to match what you're adding. Also, many cats are lactose intolerant and cow's milk is not a good choice to supplement a cat's diet with. Cheese and eggs are also not the best choices.One could argue for a fully home cooked diet and I do believe, if done carefully and properly, this could be the healthiest of all. But cats cannot live on a diet of meat only and any home cooked diet should be well researcehed because you would want to supplement with appropriate vitamins and minerals. There are things cats bodies don't make, like taurine, and if they are not fed sufficient amounts they will not thrive or can even die. I would also argue that the home cooked meal should be, well, cooked! That's just my opinion based on my experience with animals. To be fair, I will say I have met and talked to many people who successfully feed a raw food diet. It might well be a better choice than feeding Friskies! At least it's not processed and is most likely not full of colorants and salt. I would not call the raw food diet a fad, it's been around at least 10 years. I would never do it myself but that doesn't mean it's bad. I just don't think it's worth the risk.

[latieplolo]

Thank you very much, that was very helpful!I'm going to switch her to canned food. I've been giving her a few unseasoned scraps of cooked meat whenever we have meat for dinner, so I think I'll just keep doing that instead of totally switching her to an all meat diet.

[finalfantasyxii]

Sound like a recipe for a happy kitty!

[latieplolo]

She LOVES the Wellness kitten food! Thanks for the advice.

[finalfantasyxii]

Yay!

[Mr. Crab's mom]

I would like to point out that very few vets never recommend raw diets for dogs or cats. I don't feed my cats raw but I feed my dogs raw because my English Bulldog has allergies to the ingredients in dog food. I did extensive research before trying raw and can't believe the difference. I took all 3 of my dogs to my vet recently to get all of their yearly shots and he asked what I was feeding them because they looked so good. He looked at me funny after I said raw but he commented that it was really working, that they look great. This is the vet I've been taking them too since I got them 3 years ago. He could tell the difference. He told me to keep doing it because it was working, all 3 healthy, and for an English Bulldog that is up in years that is incredible.I don't try to feed my cats raw, they just don't care for it, but I would also watch out about feeding them canned food all the time, I've heard that isn't good for them, if I remember right, something out rotting their teeth out. I would look for a good dry food with the first ingredient is meat.

[finalfantasyxii]

As I said, canned food is no better or worse for their teeth than dry food. The long-term effcts of dry food (renal failure) is much worse! I have worked with many vets over the 10+ years I've been in veterinary medicine and they won't recommend raw food diets because of the dangers associated with raw meat. What if your pet dies from a bacteria found in raw meat? They would feel terrible and you would be upset. That is not to say raw is bad, I think it's just a "cover-your-hiney" thing.Most pets do very well on commercially prepared food unless they have a food allergy or other health condition.Most vets who have kept up to date with nutrition will recommend canned food for a cat so they don't spend their life perpetually dehydrated. Teeth can be cleaned, kidney transplants are very rare for kitties and I would guess are a bit cost-prohibitive!