# Cats and prepared raw?



## Brightelf (Sep 5, 2001)

Has anyone ever done this, fed your cat the dog's premade raw?Was there any changes to their condition after the switch to raw? I ask about premade raw, because I may feed that, I am not yet certain. Do you just put a small amount in the bowl and feed a few times per day? How receptive was your cat to the premade raw? Any differences in the litterbox use? Does the bone ratio in premade seem to be right for the cat's pooping habits? Do you also sometimes feed a chicken wing, for tartar control? Do you ever get a blood panel done at the vets-- if so, how did things look on the premade raw? Thanks for any input!

I have no cat yet, but, Jess tells me that Grimm does great with her fe-lions!


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## Barb E (Jun 6, 2004)

My friend has 7 cats all on raw ( Rad Cat ) and I know for her there was a HUGE change in litter box when she got them all switched over. Way less stool and smell, just like for dogs.

It can be difficult I hear to switch cats to raw, which seems odd to me - but cats are after all......well cats









I would guess, and it's only a guess, that the dog/cat raw diets would not quite be interchangable - seems they have enough difference in dietary needs. But hey







I'm just a Joe - ok a Jill and not a nutrionist!!


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## Brightelf (Sep 5, 2001)

Thank you for your help, Barb! I like reading others' experiences on this. I'll go check out the link now. Thank you!


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

Patti, 

All three of my cats are fed raw, not pre-packaged though, they are following the same diet plan as Stark (prey model).

If you have any questions regarding %'s or cuts to feed, please ask. I have been feeding my cats raw for about 5 years now.

I will say that their litter box has very little stool in it and does not smell as bad. Also, their coats are shinnier, silkier, and their teeth are nice and white with pink gums. They also have more energy than most cats I have met (this may not be due to diet, but I think it plays a part). Also, none of my cats have ever had any medical issues to date (*knocks on wood*) and I contribute this to their diet.


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

Cleo ate Nature's Variety raw (same for cats and dogs) for many years. She did very, very well on it. Switching her over was no problem but she only liked one protein: beef!


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## Brightelf (Sep 5, 2001)

Thank you, Elizabeth and Ruth! This is all good experiecne to consider. As I said, I have no cat yet, but the research stage is intriguing.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Elizabeth...could you please post your diet plan again?! I have an 11 lb himalayan that I"m switching to raw. Last time I tried he wouldn't touch it but I browned a bit of beef heart, chicken liver, mixed it with cooked turkey from yesterday and gave him a chicken wing (the small ones you use to make wings with) and he's eating!!! Woohoo~!!

I know I'm suppose to start with one protein but it's what I had available. 

What kind of RMB's do you give your cats? I need something I can buy in a grocery store for him.


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## Brightelf (Sep 5, 2001)

Yes, please tell us what your diet plan is like for your DIY rawfed kitty! I'm curious.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

I found it Patti!! Elizabeth's Kitty Diner Extraordinaire!

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1245391&page=2#Post1245391


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## Brightelf (Sep 5, 2001)

Ooooohhhh.. you suoer-sleuth you, Michelle! Great detective work







! Thank you!


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

> Originally Posted By: Jax08I found it Patti!! Elizabeth's Kitty Diner Extraordinaire!
> 
> http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1245391&page=2#Post1245391


Thanks for saving me all that typing! Hahaha..

We call my cat's food "frank-a-meal" because we are trying to form a whole animal (their prey) using a few different protein sources.

When I weaned my two cats to raw, I ground my meat and bones and added a bit of goats milk (kinda like what Lauri is doing for her puppies) for a week or two, it was like making my own soft food for them. It was more thicker towards the end of the week than at the beginning.

Then I started with chicken wings because they have really soft bones, I got lucky and my cats took to it right away. Never a moment of hesitation, the only thing that I have had problems with is getting them to eat fish whole or in big chuncks, I have to mush it up for them (yummy







) into a sorta paste/soft food looking meal.


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

> Originally Posted By: Jax08Elizabeth...could you please post your diet plan again?! I have an 11 lb himalayan that I"m switching to raw. Last time I tried he wouldn't touch it but I browned a bit of beef heart, chicken liver, mixed it with cooked turkey from yesterday and gave him a chicken wing (the small ones you use to make wings with) and he's eating!!! Woohoo~!!
> 
> I know I'm suppose to start with one protein but it's what I had available.
> 
> What kind of RMB's do you give your cats? I need something I can buy in a grocery store for him.


I don't buy my pet's food at the grocery store, so I really don't pay attention to what the local stores carry.

I get my meat from a local farmer and butcher.

My main source of RBM for the cats is baby chicks (whole), quail and chicken wings. I get a really good deal on the baby chicks so I use this a lot, and just vary the MM more. I have a hard time finding rabbit but if I did I would try to use that, although it is a little harder bone so I usually give it to Stark and give the meat to the cats.


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## phgsd (Jun 6, 2004)

I tried to do raw with my 2 boys for a while. My younger cat (6 yrs old) tends to throw up anything he's not used to, even small pieces. As a kitten I did occasionally give him raw, but I guess he lost his ability to digest it over the years. If you give him more than about 1/2" chunk of meat he will throw it up. I tried mixing tiny bits of meat in with a can of food (grain free, he doesn't throw canned foods up), in the hopes that it'd help build up his digestion, but then he'd just throw everything up. 
He likes some types of raw meat - will eat beef and turkey, but won't touch pork...
My older guy (13 yrs old, rescued over the summer, mostly blind) eats anything and everything, and seems fine with it.

I decided to try some of the Nature's Variety raw medallions. Neither of the cats really liked them much. I tried for a week or so but the food just sat in their bowls, I ended up feeding most of them to the dogs. 

I have sort of given up on feeding mostly raw, have just been working little bits of meat into their diets so hopefully over time my younger guy will be able to tolerate it better. They get mostly grain free canned and I try to give a few small pieces of meat spread apart throughout each day, hopefully in time I can increase the meat more and more.

I can comment on the difference in my old guy between Pedigree (what he was eating at the shelter) and grain free cans/kibble. When I got him, he was very overweight, his eyes were runny, he smelled bad, his coat was ugly and he had really bad dandruff. Now he has a beautiful shiny coat, no goopy eyes, he looks really good, plus he's lost a lot of weight. He could still lose a little bit more.

Oh and he is playing again! When I first got him he'd just sleep all day long, he didn't move much. I tried to get him moving (making him follow me around the house a few times before feeding!) and his energy went up. He actually gets the zoomies about once a day now and runs and plays - it's adorable.

Again he isn't entirely raw fed, but hopefully I can switch them eventually.


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

I gave Cleo some tiny chopped up pieces of turkey liver, kidney and heart tonight and she gobbled it up. These days she tends to throw up when she eats raw but luckily she kept it down tonight. 

Patti, there is some good info here on feeding raw to cats: http://www.holisticat.com/well-fed/


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## mspiker03 (Dec 7, 2006)

If Rei is ever on here again (The Stig with Janka)...she feeds (or did feed) her cat(s) raw. I would pm her though sine she isn't on much these days.


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