Natural Diet Information Resources

[Auntie Crazy]

This thread is for anyone interested in naturally feeding their cats. It is Coaster's idea (thanks, Coaster!) and a catforum member collaboration that will, hopefully, give you all the info and resources you need to feel comfortable feeding your cats the diet nature created them to eat.

FEEDING METHODOLOGIES

Grinding: All ingredients are ground and mixed together. Advantages = Every meal is nutritionally balanced, easy to feed after (fairly lengthy) preparation. Disadvantages = Doesn't do anything for dental health, doesn't make cats work for their food, taurine is destroyed in the grinding process and must be supplemented back in.

Frankenprey: A variety of animal parts are fed in chunks. Advantages = More natural method of feeding than grinding, good for dental health, cats get their chewing workout, fairly easy to source, cost effective. Disadvantages = Requires a feeding schedule to maintain diet balance, may require more daily prep than either grinding or whole prey.

Whole Prey: Whole animals are fed. Advantages = Most natural and nutritionally balanced method of feeding. Disadvantages = Sourcing and cost of the food, "squeamish" factor.

HOW MUCH OF WHAT TO FEED

To determine how many ounces to feed your cats on a daily basis, multiply the cat's weight by 16 to convert it to ounces. Then multiply that total by 2%, 3% or 4% (*N1). Divide that by however many meals you feed each day to get the ounces to feed per meal. Most folks feed three times a day, some feed two; never feed less than two.

That tells you how much to feed. If you're not offering whole prey, your next step is determining how much of WHAT to feed. You can do this using daily numbers, but it's easier to calculate by the week, so take that daily total from above and multiply it by 7 to get a weekly total. Now multiple that weekly total by:
80% = ounces of meat to feed each week (*N2)
10% = ounces of bone to feed each week (*N3)
5% = ounces of liver to feed each week
5% = ounces of non-liver organ (spleen, kidneys, etc.) to feed each week

That sounds like a lot of calculations, but you only have to do this once and after feeding raw for just a short time, you may even become comfortable estimating the weight by eye. The numbers don't have to be exact, they're just guidelines, although you don't want to go over too much on the bone (your cat might become constipated) or on the liver (Vitamin A overdose). Keep an eye on the body wastes - diarrhea means too little bone, constipation means too much. Also keep an eye on your cat's weight - if it goes up too much, cut the amount you feed per meal back a bit; if it drops more than you want (or faster than half a pound or so a week), increase the amount per meal.

*NOTES:
N1 - Your starting percentage depends on your cat's current weight and activity level; the leaner the cat and the higher the activity level, the higher the percentage you start with. If you're not sure what percentage is best, start with 3% and adjust as needed. You should be able to feel your cat's ribs, but not actually see them; if you can't feel them, slowly reduce how much you feed; if you can see them, slowly increase how much you feed.
N2 - For rawfeeding purposes, skin, hearts and gizzards are considered muscle meat. They count toward the 80% muscle meat percentage, not the 5% organ requirement. Skin is quite fatty, so watch your cat's weight and cut back if necessary (I actually don't feed skin); heart is a great source of taurine and makes a wonderful addition to your cat's menu; gizzards are great for exercising your cat's jaws or slowly down a really fast eater.
N3 - Weight-bearing bones are more difficult for cats to break, so try to stay away from them. Chicken rib, neck and wing bones are good, as are quail bones. Start small and easy and work your way up. Wacking a bone with a hammer is a perfectly acceptable way to help get your cat used to eating bones. (NEVER, EVER feed cooked bone, as they can splinter and cause serious complications.)

More notes:
- The harder a muscle works, the higher its taurine content. For example, chicken thighs have more taurine than chicken breasts, and heart, of course, has the greatest taurine content.
- Rabbit is a very lean protein source. Cats require more fat in their diet than we do, so, while rabbit is great as a part of the diet, it shouldn't be the sole protein source.
- Beef, pork and venison are perfectly acceptable meat ingredients, but some cats may be reluctant to eat them.
- A few folks believe when organ products and meat products are fed together, they should be from the same source (i.e. chicken liver with chicken leg quarters, beef kidneys with beef chunks). Many folks don't, and I haven't heard or read of any biological reason that proves such matching is necessary, so I am comfortable not making the effort.

EXAMPLES
I know what I wanted most when I first started was examples, so here are two. The Frankenprey version is what my cats are currently eating and the Frankenprey/Grinding example is what they started out eating (keep in mind I have five cats):

Frankenprey only:

Breakfast: Around 8ozs of beef round (comes in precut stew pieces), pork loin chunks or beef heart chunks I cut and packaged myself.

Lunch: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, they'll get something with bone in it - chicken wings, half a quail, a quarter of a Cornish Hen, or half a chicken breast with ribs.

Tuesday and Thursday, I serve 5 ozs of beef liver and 5oz of beef kidney.

Saturday and Sunday, they'll eat either a turkey drumstick with the bones and skin removed or a chicken leg quarter with the bones and skin removed.

Dinner: Alternating between a turkey drumstick with the bones and skin removed and a chicken leg quarter also with the bones and skin removed. The drumsticks range in weight from 11ozs up to 18ozs each (as packaged), while the chicken quarters vary from 8oz to 14oz.

Every now and then, I'll try something different, like bison meat or a whole mouse, just for the fun and variety of it.

Part-Frankenprey / Part-Grinding:
(In this example, the weekly totals of bone, liver and organ are ground separately, mixed thoroughly, and then divided by 7, packaged and frozen.)

Breakfast: About 8 ozs of the prepared ground mix.

Lunch: About 8ozs of beef round (comes in precut stew pieces), pork loin chunks or beef heart chunks I cut and packaged myself.

Dinner: A chicken quarter or a turkey thigh with the bones and skin removed, weight (after prep) ranges anywhere from 8oz up to 14oz.

I don't have any recipes for ground-only diets, however, the Cat Info and Cat Nutrition sites both have good recipes.

SOURCING MEATS

Online Vendors: Rodent Pro / Hare Today / Prey 4 Pets

Alternate Sources: Ethnic markets are often good sources for hard-to-find organ meats.

Barter groups and coops. There’s usually an annual cost, but everything you get is fresh – a benefit to your pets and your family.

Tell friends and relatives who hunt and fish that you are interested in animal parts they don't want. Talk to restaurants and caterers and ask for organs and other meat pieces they throw out. Also try the restaurant suppliers.

Your local butcher. Ask for the meats and organs they would normally throw out, including items that are nearing expiration.

For the non-squeamish…

Taxidermists. Local animal breeders and farmers (don’t forget to ask about culls and still-born animals).

Slaughterhouses, meat and poultry packers and distributors. Ask for organ meats that normally get tossed. Also ask what else they throw away.

Livestock auctions (the animals can be butchered for you).

Cost-Cutting Tips: Ask about bulk purchasing everywhere. Watch for sales and marked-down meats, even in your local grocery store. (I get chicken liver and beef heart for less than a dollar a pound sometimes.)

Join a Costco, Sams Club or other similar club store.

Craigslist and Freecycle. You can watch for deals as well as advertise that you’ll pick up hunting and fishing remains, cleaned-out freezer meats, etc.

HANDY TOOLS

Kitchen shears, medium and large carving knives, freezer bags and/or plastic containers. A scale that registers down to the half ounce (mine is actually a baby scale). A knife sharpener (skin dulls a knife fast!!). A chest freezer. If you grind any bone, you'll need a meat grinder; if you grind just meats, a good-quality blender will do.

[~Siameseifuplz~]

Good idea!

Here's some:
http://www.rawfedcats.org/
All basic info on how to feed raw and why to feed raw specifically for cats.

http://www.rawfed.com/myths/index.html
Covers myths about raw feeding including safety, focuses on dogs but most of it applies to cats as well.

http://rawfed.com/myths/cats.html
same site as above but it's their page on cats and how they have a few different requirements than dogs such as smaller bones, taurine and no fasting ever.

[Khari]

I like this idea

When I first started to transition my cats to a raw diet 7 months ago I started my journey on the internet doing much needed research on the diet. I also have spoken to quite a few people that have been feeding their kitties a raw diet for many years. I also found a new vet that believes in raw diets for pets (I was in the process of finding a new vet anyways). I was so lucky to find one close to home. And I have also found a great holistic vet that believes in a raw diet for pets as well.

I'd like to share info I have found and I will post them slowly over a few posts. We may not all agree on the type of raw food diet to feed our cats but I think it is a great idea to put the info out there for newbies to make their own decision. I personally feel a raw food diet is much better than commercial pet food

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/rawcat/

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/rawpaws/

http://www.bluegrace.com/RawFeedingFAQ.pdf

http://www.catinfo.org/

http://www.catinfo.org/zorans_article.pdf

http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/sampleraw.htm

http://www.rawlearning.com/rawfaq.html

http://www.norjacats.com/NorjaPreyModelRawDiet.html

http://www.serve.com/BatonRouge/nutriti ... t_food.htm

http://edenrise.com/dotters/raw/links.html

[Khari]

http://www.homevet.com/petcare/document ... rdbook.pdf

http://www.cfa.org/articles/health/role-of-diet.html

http://www.serve.com/BatonRouge/taurine_chmr.htm

http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/reprint/120/9/995.pdf

Chart to help calculate prey model diet meat/bone/organ ratio (NOTE: Enter in your cats ideal weight)
http://public.sheet.zoho.com/public/moo ... Ozjg%3D%3D

http://edenrise.com/dotters/raw/rmbprep.html

http://edenrise.com/dotters/raw/meals.html

http://edenrise.com/dotters/raw/tools.html

[Konafa]

Originally Posted by Auntie Crazy

Breakfast: Around 8ozs of beef round (comes in precut stew pieces) or pork loin chunks I cut and packaged myself.

Lunch: Usually a chicken quarter with the bones and skin removed. The as-packaged weight on a chicken quarter varies from 8oz to 14oz. If it's closer to 8oz, I'll feed more for dinner, if it's closer to 14oz, I'll feed less.

Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, they'll get something with bone in it for lunch - chicken wings, half a quail, a quarter of a Cornish Hen, or half a chicken breast with ribs.

Twice a week, lunch will be 6 ozs of either chicken or beef liver and 4oz of chicken or beef heart. Also twice a week, lunch will be 6ozs of chicken, beef or pork kidneys and 4oz of chicken or beef heart.

Dinner: For this week, most likely a turkey drumstick with the bones and skin removed. These drumsticks range in weight from 11ozs up to 18ozs each (as packaged). Every now and then, I'll try something different, like bison meat, just for the fun and variety of it.

Another example that includes grinding could look like this:
(In this example, the weekly total of bone, liver and other organ is ground separately, divided by 7, and then combined together and fed as a single meal each day.

Breakfast: A mix of ground chicken wings, chicken liver or beef liver, chicken kidney or beef kidney and enough chicken hearts to bring the total meal weight to 8 ozs.

Lunch: About 8ozs of beef round (comes in precut stew pieces) or pork loin chunks I cut and packaged myself.

Dinner: A chicken quarter or a turkey thigh with the bones and skin removed, weight (after prep) ranges anywhere from 8oz up to 14oz.

HI! Is this type of diet suitable for kittens? Thanks.

[Auntie Crazy]

Originally Posted by Konafa

HI! Is this type of diet suitable for kittens? Thanks.

Kittens can eat anything adults eat but with double the calculations (4% - 8%), until they're about a year, year and a half (watching their weight and adjusting as needed).

[Konafa]

Thanks for a reply. So I can feed fish and meat for example to kittens. Because someone told me that meats and fish cause bone deformities to kittens.
ANd I can even feed them eggs...omelet for instant?

[Auntie Crazy]

If meats and fish cause deformities in kittens, what would kittens eat? *puzzled look*

*shrug*

Stay away from fish - feed it only as a treat (if at all). Fish are becoming increasingly loaded with mercury, and they're not good for cats anyway.

As long as you stick close to the 80% meat / 10% bone / 5% liver / 5% other organ guideline and feed a good variety, you should be all set.

An omelet is cooked eggs - are you cooking the food before you give it to your cat? 'Cause if you are, that's a whole different ball game - cooking destroys the very nutrients that make raw so healthy for your cats. Some folks do it anyway, but they have to make up for the missing nutrients with supplements.

[furryfriends251]

i found a cool site tonight though i haven't gone through much of it.

http://fnes.org/

[Khari]

Originally Posted by furryfriends251

http://fnes.org/

What an awesome site. Thanks for sharing