info on the pre-prepared raw foods?

[sesa70]

I have always been intimidated by feeding raw. If I am being honest it scares me! LOL!

But, I do have a cat who is the pickiest eater ever, and has a tendency to throw up, alot. I think its because she loves kibble and eats it too fast. I have tried to switch her over to just canned, but she simply won't eat it. I tried probably a dozen cans of cat food and she would eat just one out of all of those.

I was in a higher end pet store the other day, and the lady was very strongly suggesting a frozen, prepackaged raw diet. I ended up buying a bag, and its chicken and salmon with organ meats, bone, and veggies all ground up in it. Is this good? I suppose it doesn't matter too much at this point because my cat refuses to eat it. I will probably end up feeding it to my dog :) But I have never heard of this type of raw food, I always assumed you were going out and grinding up grocery store meats for your pets.

[Mirzam]

It is expensive and not species appropriate, cats are obligate carnivores and do not need veggies, neither to dogs for that matter. Cats that have been on kibble are notoriously hard to change over to raw. Raw feeders generally do not grind up meat for their animals, you just through them a piece of meat (with or without a bone) and let them get on with it. They don't need the meat ground up; one of the benefits of a raw (prey) diet is that the action of tearing off meat cleans the teeth. Take a look at a raw fed dog or cat's teeth they are pearly white!

Feed raw is easy just follow the rule of 80% meat, 10% bone and 10% organ meat of which no more than 5% should be organ. 

[Ola_]

Originally Posted by sesa70 

I was in a higher end pet store the other day, and the lady was very strongly suggesting a frozen, prepackaged raw diet. I ended up buying a bag, and its chicken and salmon with organ meats, bone, and veggies all ground up in it. Is this good? I suppose it doesn't matter too much at this point because my cat refuses to eat it.

Believe it or not that is a fairly common reaction to prepared raw food, especially for pets who are choosy about what they eat.  If you think about it, the more different stuff is in there, the more likely it is that your cat will object to something in there.  And since it's all ground up together you (or she) can't just pick out the good bits and leave the rest in the bowl.

But I have never heard of this type of raw food, I always assumed you were going out and grinding up grocery store meats for your pets.

Actually it's none of the above - most raw feeders don't grind up food but rather give whole pieces or meat and bone.  Some animals prefer bigger pieces, others prefer smaller ones.  For an average sized cat I'd try a bone-in chicken thigh (see how she feels about skin-on or skinless), and maybe some chicken hearts or something equally snack-sized.

Often to get picky pets to eat raw you need to convince them that it's really food - after all they're used to the strongly scented and flavoured pet food that they've had all their life.  So maybe try searing the meat very quickly in a hot pan (let it cool a bit before feeding) or sprinkle some parmesan on it.  Another trick that sometimes works is dropping something onto the floor "accidentally" - it makes it much more appealing if you aren't supposed to have it.

Here's a website that has some more info which may be helpful:

http://www.rawfedcats.org/practicalguide.htm

[tinuviel_k]

Originally Posted by Mirzam 

Feed raw is easy just follow the rule of 80% meat, 10% bone and 10% organ meat of which no more than 5% should be organ. 

I believe she meant to say "10% organ meat of which no more than 5% should be liver."

[Mirzam]

Originally Posted by tinuviel_k 

Originally Posted by Mirzam 

Feed raw is easy just follow the rule of 80% meat, 10% bone and 10% organ meat of which no more than 5% should be organ. 

I believe she meant to say "10% organ meat of which no more than 5% should be liver."

I did! Thanks for spotting that.