Anyone have experience with whole prey for dogs/cats?

[Shellybean02]

Since nobody answered this thread for my previous question, I changed the topic to whole prey... anyone feeding their dogs or cats whole feeder animals? I feel like that would be the most balanced and natural diet for my new kitten. I'll switch her to wet food and then gradually transition to whole prey. I was wondering how you feed it though... the specifics. Sorry if this is a repeat thread, thanks in advance!

 

[cassie]

If you want you can just feed your kitten meat like ground beef or baby food and maybe mash up a little peas or carrots in it. Personally, I wouldn't feed whole anything or raw anything for health reasons, but that's me.

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

If you feed raw, the most important thing is to make sure it is a balanced diet. The nice thing about premade diets is that they are fully balanced diets. It can be more challenging to feed raw or homemade diets.

A while prey diet would certainly be balanced in types of meats (organ vs muscle) but if you are buying the prey from home bred sources, you may still need to supplement. Many people start feeding raw and give too much of the same thing (like only chicken breasts or only ground beef) and this would not be considered a balanced diet. Cats are also obligate carnivores, so they do not tolerate veggies the same way other species do. However, things in moderation are ok for them (I learned today that cats very much enjoy zucchini and it is recommended in weight loss plans for them).

Of course with any raw diet, there are risks associated with the raw meat such as parasites (depending on your whole prey) and bacteria like salmonella. I am not a huge fan of raw myself, but these things are important to mention.

 

[Shellybean02]

I decided to go with Nature's Variety kibble/freeze dried, maybe I'll get some Ziwipeak freeze dried for variety. Since my kitten's food(Nature's Variety) has a bit too much plant matter, and I like the fact that raw has many benefits, I give her NV for breakfast & dinner, but raw meat for lunch. I feed her the right amounts of food for her weight. I've run into a bit of a situation, though: she doesn't want kibble anymore. I think she likes the chicken so much she only wants that; but I don't exactly have what it takes to balance out 80% meat, 10% meaty bones, 5% liver and 5% other organs for EVERY DAY... what do I do to show her that she has to eat kibble? I can't find high protein canned food to replace the chicken either. What do I tell my baby???

 

[Shellybean02]

Update: I added some juices from the chicken to her kibble and she ate some. I don't want to leave it out for too long, should I refrigerate it until later? Honestly I would feed complete raw because the benefits outweigh the risks if done properly; but I'm not prepared for that kind of feeding. Her food is wet every day to prevent dehydration. If she still refuses to eat kibble, I can't just give her meat. Also, she didn't have a problem with the kibble before. She's about nine weeks old I believe. What do you guys suggest?
Anyone know a wet cat food with 30% or more protein?
Thanks all!

 

[cassie]

If you could find a wet cat food with 30% protein, you wouldn't want to feed it. If you really want to do what is best for your cat, follow the advice of Louis J. Camuti DVM. Dr. Camuti was a noted n-nonsense veterinarian in New York City for many years. His practice was almost exclusively made up of cats. Dr. Camuti was no fan of meat by-product meal or a lot of the other ingredients found in commercial cat foods. He suggests you primarily feed your cat jarred baby food beef. Occasionally add some mashed vegetables to it. You can feed organ meats such as liver or kidney once in awhile and maybe half an egg once or twice a week. Feed your cat twice a day. Don't leave food out. Since many of Dr. Camuti's patients lived to be over 20 you can assume he knows what he is talking about when it comes to how to feed your cat.

 

[cassie]

I meant to say no-nonsense, not n-nonsense.

 

[Shellybean02]

How much protein would that provide? It needs to be high but not too high, so my kitten can grow. Also I'd leave out the veggies or fruits, cats are 100% carnivores. I'll look up more on the topic though, thanks

Meanwhile, how do I get my kitten to eat her breakfast and dinner? She tries to hold off until lunch to get meat... she didn't have a problem with her kibble before; she just prefers the raw chicken. I need her to understand that she has to eat it all, like she has been doing for a few days up until recently. Quick responses are appreciated, I wouldn't want her malnourishing herself

 

[junebuggena]

Stop feeding her the chicken and only offer the kibble. Or chop up the chicken and mix some into the kibble for each feeding.

 

[cassie]

How much protein would that provide? It needs to be high but not too high, so my kitten can grow. Also I'd leave out the veggies or fruits, cats are 100% carnivores. I'll look up more on the topic though, thanks

Meanwhile, how do I get my kitten to eat her breakfast and dinner? She tries to hold off until lunch to get meat... she didn't have a problem with her kibble before; she just prefers the raw chicken. I need her to understand that she has to eat it all, like she has been doing for a few days up until recently. Quick responses are appreciated, I wouldn't want her malnourishing herself

A healthy cat is very unlikely to starve itself. Cats are carnivores but not 100%. They do eat the stomach contents of their prey. Your cat would be better off if you skipped the kibble and just fed the meat, but she's your cat Have you read the list of ingredients in that stuff? The reason the protein percentage differs so much between dry food and wet food is because of the way it is calculated. If you moisten the dry food and then calculate the protein percentage it would be much less. The percentage is calculated on the total weight of the food.