Processing Squirrel for cat consumption?

[ChickenfootDuckbutt]

Before anyone gets started I would like to state that I DO understand the risks of parasites and fleas/mites ect.


A friend of mine called me just 10 minutes ago, and asked if I would a squirrel he had JUST accidentally hit (since I feed my cats squirrel when I can get it), and since the guy that usually squirrel hunts every year for me, isn't hunting this year do to health problems. I told him why not?, if it's fresh, why let a body go to waste?.


I have never processed anything, well I did a turkey ONCE lol, as well as quail and mice for the cats.

is there anything special I should do?, wash it?, I don't plan on leaving the body whole, because it'll be going to my two indoor cats, as well as my few outdoor cats.


I know how to skin and all that, but as far as preparing the meat, I'm at a loss lol

 

[bustermommy]

Do you raw feed? If so, I think all you need to do is cut it up into suitable portions for the number of cats you have. I know that with the whole prey model of raw feeding, you don't skin, gut or anything. Since it was roadkill, I probably would hose it off, even if you're doing whole prey raw feeding.

 

[ChickenfootDuckbutt]

Yes, I raw feed

the outdoor cats I have are used to hunting already, so I can just open the body and let them have at it, but the two indoor cats have only just now graduated to whole, furred mice(pre-killed or humanely culled by me, ofcourse, or recently ones they catch themselves), they'll play with things like whole squirrels, but have not quite grasped the concept of "it's food" yet.

Paint and Emry hve re-lapsed a bit with rawfeeding, I had gotten them to the point that a squirrel was interesting, but when I was in the hosptal I had a friend watch them, and she fed them dry cat food for two weeks -_- I'm trying to get them backup to where they were.

the squirrel is actually in pretty good shape, and I must admit if I was a cat, I would eat squirrels O-o they have a very interesting scent, even raw lol.

 

[pinkfoxfarm]

personally id dehead, skin and remove the stomach and tada...
ive foudn with my cats (there indoor raw eaters) that prey with fur on unless its mouse tends to be "play" remove the fur though and sudenly its food...not quite sure why, mine theyll eat as is...but with rabbit squirrel ect they seem to prefer furrless.

if there still unsure try searing it, in the early stages of raw, many cats prefer the meat "warmed through" or seared