I've fed my cat raw meat/bones for a year now and never had any probs with growling or instinct changes...they love the food and are exactly the same in .temperment as when i fed kibbles. I do hope you try a raw diet - cats love it. It took mine a few weeks to get used to the crunching, their jaw muscles were weak from 4 years of processed food, but now he crunches through almost anything...see my video
@VicktoryaStone Sure, that's a valid question. You might be able to tell from the video but to the right of our sink we have about 18 inches of countertop that's unused/dead space. We chose to feed him there because we have a dog who would happily steal his food if given half a chance, it's a surface that's easy to clean because he can be a messy eater and we don't use that space anyway so why not? He's also not allowed on the rest of the counter that we DO use, though!
@steveparok00 The danger comes from cooked bones. Those are the bones you need to worry about! If it's been touched by heat in any way, don't feed it! Even if you're feeding raw, you should always make sure you feed food that's appropriately sized for your pet so they don't have issues passing it (i.e. you don't want to feed something too small that they can just gulp down without chewing).
i'm debating if i should switch my cat's diet to can or raw. What i'm afraid of is that if i do switch him over to raw he will start growling when i put my hand near his meat. He have never growled at me before when feeding but i'm afraid once his nature instinct kicks in,he is going to change
@yl0125 If this hasn't been an issue before I can't imagine it being an issue afterwards. I've not had any issues like this with any of pets that have been switched to raw. I'm also part of a local raw co-op that purchases bulk quantities of raw meat. We have 100+ members (most have more than 1 pet) and I've never heard it happening to any of the their pets, either!
@rawtoast Unfortunately, pet food companies spray their foods with animal fat which makes an otherwise unpalatable food more palatable. As you might imagine (and have certainly experienced), this leads to addiction. My cat was (and still is to some extent) addicted to dry food. He will open up cabinets and tear through bags and boxes to get the stuff if it's not sealed in a container. Fortunately for me, though, his transition to raw went smoothly. After his first raw meal, he never looked back!
@sfbowers Yes, I'm all too aware! Some dog food companies even add things like sugar and corn syrup... it's pretty outrageous when you look into it. Unfortunately though, ever since she was weaned she never wanted anything but kibbles. Even mom devoured cans, but not my baby. I'm mostly concerned about her water intake. We've tried a lot of things, but tomorrow we're going to try some (uncooked, unprepared) boneless, skinless chicken thigh I picked up for my own dinner. *crosses fingers*
@rawtoast Good luck! A helpful hint - some cats more readily accept COOKED food than raw food. If she doesn't take to the chicken, try cooking it (DO NOT feed cooked bones!) and then once she becomes more accepting of it, start cooking it a little less each time until she's eating it raw.
I can understand your concern about dehydration. Kibble fed cats are also at risk for diabetes, UTI, obesity and IBS. Check out "Not Fit For A Dog", which is co-authored by three vets for more info! :)
@sfbowers Thanks for the encouragement! I actually did try cooked chicken, the dogs sometimes get a boiled chicken/rice mixer and I gave her some of the chicken from that... no go. I appreciate all the tips though, we're gonna find something that works eventually.
@sfbowers I love watching Cats eat, its so fascinating :D. Btw Its so stupid how people pay lots of money for expensive Cat food that is actually unhealthy for their Cat when they can just buy it cheap raw meat. My Cat just eats raw meat and bones, along with anything it can find :D.
@sfbowers We started our boy off with simple fish and it made his transition easy. He is now willing to try just about anything. For the first time with chicken we put just a little tuna juice in with it and then we just decreased the amount of tuna liquid. Now he hassles our dog that gets fed a raw diet as well for some of her food. And his coat and attitude just shine! We wish we would have done this sooner.
@rawtoast I know it's difficult, my guys were kibble addicts too, but have heart - transitioning them can be done. Check out catinfo.org which is a website about raw feeding and feline nutrition created by a vet she's got some helpful tips on transitioning kibble addicts
This always impresses me, someday my cats may do this. Until then I'm grinding bones and organ meat (they don't like chicken liver) and having to brush teeth still. Oh well, one step at a time!
@LoraMaeHollingsway lol its a Cat, not a baby, Just give it some bones, you don't need to crush it up. Cats are just like wild animals, they are very tough little things.
Not to mention they have a very strong bite for their size, just give it the whole thing.
My 8 month old Kitten can eat a whole damn chicken if we let it.
@kbailie If you're referring to the fact that it's RAW and you're concerned about bacteria, you shouldn't be unless your pet is immunocompromised. Cat's digestive tracts are MUCH shorter than a human's and even if bacteria is present it doesn't have enough time to colonize. Plus, I know the specific farm that I source my chicken from and am confident in its quality. I've been feeding my pets a raw diet for 2 years without issue.
@kbailie Actually, you bring up a really great point! If you're not comfortable feeding this way then you shouldn't attempt it. I researched home prepared diets for a good 6 months before I felt comfortable doing it myself (and I continue to educate myself everyday)! I'm confident that the diet I prepare for my pets is better than any commercial diet I can feed them but it took a lot of research on my part and my husband and I are 100% committed to feeding them this way :)
I've fed my cat raw meat/bones for a year now and never had any probs with growling or instinct changes...they love the food and are exactly the same in .temperment as when i fed kibbles. I do hope you try a raw diet - cats love it. It took mine a few weeks to get used to the crunching, their jaw muscles were weak from 4 years of processed food, but now he crunches through almost anything...see my video
daisyifraisy 5 months ago
Why do you feed him on your kitchen counter?
VicktoryaStone 5 months ago
@VicktoryaStone Sure, that's a valid question. You might be able to tell from the video but to the right of our sink we have about 18 inches of countertop that's unused/dead space. We chose to feed him there because we have a dog who would happily steal his food if given half a chance, it's a surface that's easy to clean because he can be a messy eater and we don't use that space anyway so why not? He's also not allowed on the rest of the counter that we DO use, though!
sfbowers 5 months ago
Are there any dangers from raw chicken bone splintering? Or is that a bunch of BS hype from over worrrisome hippies?
steveparok00 7 months ago
@steveparok00 The danger comes from cooked bones. Those are the bones you need to worry about! If it's been touched by heat in any way, don't feed it! Even if you're feeding raw, you should always make sure you feed food that's appropriately sized for your pet so they don't have issues passing it (i.e. you don't want to feed something too small that they can just gulp down without chewing).
sfbowers 5 months ago
i'm debating if i should switch my cat's diet to can or raw. What i'm afraid of is that if i do switch him over to raw he will start growling when i put my hand near his meat. He have never growled at me before when feeding but i'm afraid once his nature instinct kicks in,he is going to change
yl0125 8 months ago
@yl0125 If this hasn't been an issue before I can't imagine it being an issue afterwards. I've not had any issues like this with any of pets that have been switched to raw. I'm also part of a local raw co-op that purchases bulk quantities of raw meat. We have 100+ members (most have more than 1 pet) and I've never heard it happening to any of the their pets, either!
sfbowers 5 months ago
Raw fed cat 1 Raw meaty bone 0
Beauty!
Misolina 1 year ago
I like cats just not on the top of kitchen work surfaces.
Smithpolly 1 year ago
I can't even get my cat to try canned food... let alone raw... I'd love to but it seems she's too hooked on the kibbles.
rawtoast 1 year ago
@rawtoast Unfortunately, pet food companies spray their foods with animal fat which makes an otherwise unpalatable food more palatable. As you might imagine (and have certainly experienced), this leads to addiction. My cat was (and still is to some extent) addicted to dry food. He will open up cabinets and tear through bags and boxes to get the stuff if it's not sealed in a container. Fortunately for me, though, his transition to raw went smoothly. After his first raw meal, he never looked back!
sfbowers 1 year ago
@sfbowers Yes, I'm all too aware! Some dog food companies even add things like sugar and corn syrup... it's pretty outrageous when you look into it. Unfortunately though, ever since she was weaned she never wanted anything but kibbles. Even mom devoured cans, but not my baby. I'm mostly concerned about her water intake. We've tried a lot of things, but tomorrow we're going to try some (uncooked, unprepared) boneless, skinless chicken thigh I picked up for my own dinner. *crosses fingers*
rawtoast 1 year ago
@rawtoast Good luck! A helpful hint - some cats more readily accept COOKED food than raw food. If she doesn't take to the chicken, try cooking it (DO NOT feed cooked bones!) and then once she becomes more accepting of it, start cooking it a little less each time until she's eating it raw.
I can understand your concern about dehydration. Kibble fed cats are also at risk for diabetes, UTI, obesity and IBS. Check out "Not Fit For A Dog", which is co-authored by three vets for more info! :)
sfbowers 1 year ago
@sfbowers Thanks for the encouragement! I actually did try cooked chicken, the dogs sometimes get a boiled chicken/rice mixer and I gave her some of the chicken from that... no go. I appreciate all the tips though, we're gonna find something that works eventually.
rawtoast 1 year ago
@sfbowers I love watching Cats eat, its so fascinating :D. Btw Its so stupid how people pay lots of money for expensive Cat food that is actually unhealthy for their Cat when they can just buy it cheap raw meat. My Cat just eats raw meat and bones, along with anything it can find :D.
bluegama500 1 year ago
@sfbowers Yeah, My male cat eats whatever falls on the floor, but my female only wants cooked chicken =P
Serostern 1 year ago
@sfbowers We started our boy off with simple fish and it made his transition easy. He is now willing to try just about anything. For the first time with chicken we put just a little tuna juice in with it and then we just decreased the amount of tuna liquid. Now he hassles our dog that gets fed a raw diet as well for some of her food. And his coat and attitude just shine! We wish we would have done this sooner.
PoeticVampire04 11 months ago
@rawtoast I know it's difficult, my guys were kibble addicts too, but have heart - transitioning them can be done. Check out catinfo.org which is a website about raw feeding and feline nutrition created by a vet she's got some helpful tips on transitioning kibble addicts
SuperKizzyCat 1 year ago
Wow, what a healthy looking cat. WTG!
Joseph03743 1 year ago 2
This always impresses me, someday my cats may do this. Until then I'm grinding bones and organ meat (they don't like chicken liver) and having to brush teeth still. Oh well, one step at a time!
LoraMaeHollingsway 1 year ago
@LoraMaeHollingsway lol its a Cat, not a baby, Just give it some bones, you don't need to crush it up. Cats are just like wild animals, they are very tough little things.
Not to mention they have a very strong bite for their size, just give it the whole thing.
My 8 month old Kitten can eat a whole damn chicken if we let it.
bluegama500 1 year ago
I've been wanting to start a raw fed diet for the cat i decide to own, watching videos like this really helps and makes it appear normal.
vincentninja68 2 years ago
raw chicken is really bad....
kbailie 2 years ago
@kbailie If you're referring to the fact that it's RAW and you're concerned about bacteria, you shouldn't be unless your pet is immunocompromised. Cat's digestive tracts are MUCH shorter than a human's and even if bacteria is present it doesn't have enough time to colonize. Plus, I know the specific farm that I source my chicken from and am confident in its quality. I've been feeding my pets a raw diet for 2 years without issue.
sfbowers 2 years ago
@sfbowers lol, i see.... as long as you know what you are doing, then it's all good.
kbailie 2 years ago
@kbailie Actually, you bring up a really great point! If you're not comfortable feeding this way then you shouldn't attempt it. I researched home prepared diets for a good 6 months before I felt comfortable doing it myself (and I continue to educate myself everyday)! I'm confident that the diet I prepare for my pets is better than any commercial diet I can feed them but it took a lot of research on my part and my husband and I are 100% committed to feeding them this way :)
sfbowers 2 years ago
Interesting.
archangeloliver 2 years ago