My Vet Isn’t Very Enthusiastic About Feeding Cats Raw Meat Diets.?
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Oct 16th, 2009 |
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I have asked so many people about who feed their cats raw. They all claim it’s worked wonders for their cats. I joined a rawfeedingyahoo group as well. Why in the world is it that my vet is the only one who disagrees?
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It’s not just your vet. It;s the majority of vets. They are even against canned over dry.which is insane with the damage dry food is doing to cats
The reasons that I see is because they get all their nutrtional info from ’scientists’ that work for hills. Hills has the most agents in the field amd sponsers the most vet schools
Edited to add info for cat lovers post
‘ because they really don’t. It is because they see the problems from people who try raw food diets’
Cats are very different from humans with respect to their susceptibility to ‘food poisoning’. Cats have a much shorter transit time through their intestinal tract than humans do (about 12 hours, or less, for the cat versus 35-55 hours for the human). This is a very important point because the more time bacteria spend in the intestines, the more they multiply, eventually leading to intestinal upset.
Cats are designed to eat raw meat.
A properly handled and prepared raw meat diet has much less bacteria in it than many commercial dry foods. Commercial pet foods may also contain high levels of mold toxins from grains which are never a danger in a grainless raw meat diet.
‘ and don’t have a clue as to the difficulties involved. ‘
Not hard at all
here’s the link for the quote I gave above and how to preparehttp://www.catinfo.org/makingcatfood.htm
Most vets have very little nutritional education, and most of it, if not all of it, comes from Hills. (The maker of Science Diet)
I’m to the point that I almos trust her more than my own vet.
Wanting to feed them what Mother Nature intended…
The thing with sharing with your non-raw approval vet that you are feeding raw is that if you ever have a problem they will blame the food, and possiby miss the real culprit. Plus you may never hear the ned of it…
My vet actually recomends raw feeding so I’m OK there, but I would not tell another vet what I do. When asked I’d say something vague about feeding a “natural” diet.
The newfoundland guy above with the dog obviously did not feed a proper diet.
I would really recommend you to join the group on holisticat.com (no affiliation) it is a mere $20 per year, but you will find absolutely top notch info there.
The place is run by a math professor who is a fanatical researcher
In the meantime, are there vets in your area who would condone raw food? You could start by trying to find holistic vets.
Also, if you join holisitcat and read the archives and all the stories of kitties with serious medical issues who are now OK, you won’t give a rats *** what your vet says
Just keep it to yourself
BTW, I’ve fed 3 cats raw for over 3 years. They are just gorgeous and super duper healthy.
There is no way I’d ever feed commercial again. We haven’t had a piece of kibble in the house for close to 4 years. The occasional can of Wellness (Great brand) also went.
Now we are 100% raw.
Your cats are so lucky having for a mom
Maybe I’ll see you at holisticat then? (My user name is Evita)
Fortunately many vets schools now have small animal nutritionists on their faculties and they will get some education in what cats and dogs should eat. For many years the only education was through ’seminars” put on by pet food manufacturers. Plus the students got free food for their own pets. As licensed veterinarians of course they get the food as the wholesale price if they use it for their animals, give their staff discounts on it and make a profit by selling it to their clients.
In their defense in not recommending raw diets to clients you have to consider it is not something they can control. They don’t educate themselves and how to make the diets balanced and beneficial to the pets and they can’t control the quality of the meat people use for their pets.
I have feed my cats raw for seven years and I am careful about the source of their meat. I never buy packaged ground meat where the risk of contamination is high. I use meat from a small market where the meat is ground when needed and I know the butchers are scrupulous about cleaning the grinders. If you can get your cats to chew on bone and eat chunks of meat risk of contamination is minimal
Actually..
While I agree that most vets know next to nothing about nutrition and push nasty products on unsuspecting clients, I do believe that some of the concerns about raw diets are valid. Raw food can contain salmonella, and while it might not hurt your cat, it can easily be passed over to us humans. My vet has compiled some interesting literature on the subject and its made me think twice.
Feeding a raw prepared diet is not the same as a cat catching prey and eating it right away……
And not all commercial raw diets are created equal or properly. For one recommended by a vet, see http://www.catinfo.org
For good reasons. And it is not because vets make great profits selling commercial food, because they really don’t. It is because they see the problems from people who try raw food diets and don’t have a clue as to the difficulties involved. It is a lot of work to do a raw food diet to provide all the trace minerals and other ingredients that cats must have, and also make sure there are no bacterial problems with the meat. If you joined a raw food feeding group, do you expect any of them to give negative comments? The ones that left did for reasons you will not know.
Cats are very stoic, so if you mess up with the diet, it will not be evident easily. A raw food diet can be done, but it is not trivial.
My vet doesn’t voice her opinion when it comes to what my animals eat. All she cares about (and all she SHOULD care about) is the fact that my animals are healthy, and remain that way.
Awesome answer, Jordan S! I totally agree!
My opinion (and the holistic vet who pointed me towards the raw diet) is that it’s much easier to go with a commercial raw diet than to try to mix it up on your own. The raw diet that you buy isn’t just meat – there’s other stuff mixed in to give your cat the vitamins and nutrients he or she needs.
I found a really good one – Nature’s Variety. My cats LOVE it and it’s quite inexpensive considering how good it is for them. Their website gives info on where to find it in your area – http://www.naturesvariety.com
I started feeding my Persian this a few months ago and the shine in his coat is incredible! Also like how it comes packaged. It’s these little one ounce frozen medallions. So you only thaw out what you need to feed at that moment. Not like canned food where you have to refrigerate it then forget it’s in there and end up tossing it out. DEFINITELY no waste cuz they gobble up whatever you give them!
vets have deals with pet food companies so they try to push the product. i’m pretty sure this is the only reason why.
i know that my vet has a huge stock of science diet…
i have switched my cat to innova evo, and it’s awesome. she’s lost so much weight and is really active now.
Your Vet isn’t the only one. None of my Vets believe that feeding raw is any better or safer than a high-quality kibble. With the dangers of intestinal damage, the incidence of bacterial contamination, balancing the calcium and phosphorus and the problem of getting enough taurine, unless you are a scientist, getting it all right the first time can be diifficult.
The majority of vets don’t promote a raw diet soley because it harshly effects their profits!! rawfeeding does work wonders. Vets get paid to sell junk foods like Science diet and Euckanuba to their clients. Isn’t it time your pet’s health came before someone elses profits?
Don’t listen. just feed a raw diet then when he comments on your cat’s excellent over all and oral health, just tell him proudly, it’s the raw diet.
Rawfeeding:rule of thumb, supplement EVERY meal with a side of poultry hearts. They are high in taurine.
becuase eventually if u keep feeding him raw meat he will die. It happened to me and my cousins different cats