New cat - a few questions please!

golden_eagle

picklepick wrote: »

golden eagle, its perfectly fine to feed raw meat. cats have much stronger digestive systems than us humans. make sure its very fresh chicken though.

chicken bones will splinter when they are cooked which is why u should never feed cooked chicken on the bone. uncooked chicken bones are soft however and the cat will chew them no problem.

you mentioned parasites... a kitten should be wormed frequently anyway, regardless of being on a raw diet or not.

mine get a raw chicken wing each on a sunday when we have the roast. they love it. my littlest is only 5 months and he gets through it no problems

id remove the skin though as thats where all the fat is

Thanks for that Picklepick. I have been thinking about it for ages whether to feed the raw meat or not. Will definitely give it a go. :T

Petal_3

Hi there

If considering feeding raw - do some reading first as it's not as simple as it seems - I get mine from http://www.food4-cats.co.uk/ . You need to have about 80% muscle meat, 10% organ meat and 10% bone for a completely balanced diet (from what I have read and advice on other forums).

Mine all love it and it's so easy and economical for 4 (soon to be 5 I think!!)

~x~

Fire_Fox

joshtbh wrote: »

I remember her saying that about Kibble as well, that it's an old wives tale. I remember that as I thought at the time "what the hell is this kibble she's talking about" and I still don't know.

I see what you're saying about raw meat but it wouldn't be very hygienic at all to give her raw meat in my house i'm afraid as it's all beige carpets where she tends to stay!

Sorry: kibble is dry pet food. Some raw feeders put a large old bath sheet or beach towel down, feed on that and then chuck in the washing machine. I dare say you could use a dust or bed sheet or similar really any clean, washable item.

I confine Noah to the laminate kitchen area when he has a chicken wing. The first couple of times he tried to go onto my rug, but I find he doesn't if he doesn't feel disturbed. You could also feed in the bathroom if it's vinyl, as long as it's very clean obviously.

golden_eagle

Petal, I was only thinking of using raw meat as an occassional treat so hopefully it should be ok?

Fire_Fox

golden_eagle wrote: »

Firefox, is it safe to feed raw meat? I guess it's stupid given that in the wild they eat raw meat but I feel a little worried to feed my kittens raw meat in case they get parasites or something. Also, if I remember correctly it's not recommended to feed chicken to dogs. I think it's because the bones can splinter and the dog can choke on it. Does it not apply to cats? Would love your input on the subject.

Just as Picklepick says ... I'd just add that I was slightly freaked out yet fascinated the first time I gave Noah a raw wing, my head knows it's natural (as does my little carnivore!) but raw meat to me is not to be eaten. :rotfl: I got over it and am working towards all raw using a mix of raw sprats, raw chicken wings and the Food4Cats products Petal linked to.

The ready-made stuff is great for convenience and no mess, Noah literally licks the bowl clean!! Raw wings are better for his teeth and keep him stimulated physically AND mentally, which is key for an indoor cat. :T If you are just using it as a treat there is no need to feed organ meat. I was only intending it to be a treat, but Noah loves raw so much ....

We don't have a problem with parasites in meat in this country, but many worm cysts will apparently be killed by the freezing process. If you want to keep your cats meat fresh it's common sense to freeze any spare, and the Food4Cats products are delivered frozen. It's not thought to be wise to feed refrigerated human mince as a regular thing, as it's got a large surface area for bacteria and has been sitting around too long.

golden_eagle

Fire_Fox wrote: »

the Food4Cats products are delivered frozen. It's not thought to be wise to feed refrigerated human mince as a regular thing, as it's got a large surface area for bacteria and has been sitting around too long.

I have read in another post somewhere about Food4Cats where they delivered half defrosted meat and the person had to give it away as what was once frozen shouldn't be re-freezed. Have you had similar experience? What happens if you are not in to accept the delivery and it's a warm day?

Fire_Fox

golden_eagle wrote: »

I have read in another post somewhere about Food4Cats where they delivered half defrosted meat and the person had to give it away as what was once frozen shouldn't be re-freezed. Have you had similar experience? What happens if you are not in to accept the delivery and it's a warm day?

The food arrives in plastic coated 'sausages' in a polystyrene box: according to the website if the food is only a tiny bit defrosted it's fine to freeze. The guidance never to refreeze anything that is defrosted is aimed at humans - we have a long gut and easily get food poisoning. Cats and dogs have a short gut and very strong stomach acid; cats in particular tend to refuse food that isn't fresh.

If the food arrived a lot defrosted I would contact the company for a refund just as if anything I ordered was 'damaged'! You can choose the day of delivery and you can ask for a different address (e.g. next door who has your house key). You also accept that if you aren't home on the day you requested you take responsibility for any loss.

UKTigerlily

You could try a dog water bowl also, my Cat will drink from the dogs bowl but not her own. Also, if you're planning on leaving her alone while at work for a while, which I assume not as you only have 1 kitten, but if you are, you may want to buy & get her used to an auto feeder now, unless you have someone coming in to feed her as she needs 3 meals a day at her age, also 2x 100g pouches won't be enough, my old cat has that & she's a Mog!

Petal_3

Hi again! :j

I have only had 2 deliveries from food4cats and they were both fine. There is a big label on the box that says "please leave if customer not in, sender accepts responsibility for loss" or words to that effect.

Just to let you know that their sample pack is £10 all in and has quite a bit of meat in it. If you then decide to place an order, the £10 will be refunded back to you. I tend to get the chicken mince, chicken wings, beef mince, rabbit mince (they also have wild rabbit but I think some people have found some shot in this), beef mince, diced pork tongue (gross but the cats LOVE it) and you can also get other diced meat. The minced meats contain bone and organs - look at the ingredients on the website.

My only dilemma now is that I like to eat "ethical" meats.....I don't know where their meat comes from but I can't imagine it's organic & free range!

Fire_Fox

Petal wrote: »

Hi again! :j
diced pork tongue (gross but the cats LOVE it) and you can also get other diced meat. The minced meats contain bone and organs - look at the ingredients on the website.

My only dilemma now is that I like to eat "ethical" meats.....I don't know where their meat comes from but I can't imagine it's organic & free range!

:eek: I might try the tongue next time, thanks! I try to be ethical too, but I've resigned myself to the fact that I can't be, still look after Noah's health and my bank balance. It's still somewhat ethical to buy these products as there is less packaging than cat food pouches and less energy wasted in production.

I am debating semi-DIY raw: buying a whole chicken and butchering into meal-size chunks, two thighs, two drumsticks, wings, four to six breast portions with bone in and two from the back of the bird. All you need is some poultry shears or a good cleaver! Then alternating with raw oily fish, heart and liver (both can be bought ready chopped) alongside. I think I'd still buy in the rabbit variety mince tho.

Some raw feeders are getting a lot of meat free from their butcher - one on Purrs board said she got free organic chicken wings!! Others are getting poultry necks and backs ordered in specially.