# Cats and raw feeding



## Makovach (Jan 24, 2012)

For those of you who have cats, I would LOVE some help. 

I am seriously thinking about getting a kitten. I've been throwing the idea around for about a month or two now. We were going to adopt my uncles cat that he threw out of the house. Sadly, when I was going to get her, she had ran off and he hasn't seen her in weeks. 

I have a friend that has a litter of rescue kittens in need of good homes. There are three males. Two orange tabby and a brindle/white.

We are going to discuss it for a few more days, but I'm pretty sure we may go ahead and give one a home. 

I know I will need the basics, like a litter box, litter scooper, scratching post, litter ect. 

As far as litter goes I want to go the most natural route. I do not like clay kitty litter. I don't like the dust, the smell, them tracking it everywhere... I just hate it. I want low dust, no fragrance, I want it to be safe if my dogs decided to do the poop scooping for me (Which will most likely not happen, but there is always a small chance) and most importantly, I want it to be as natural as possible (no chemicals/dyes ect)

Has anyone heard of/used Yesterday's News litter? Cat Litter | Yesterday's News® Brand Cat Litter
it is Made with recycled paper, Unscented, 99.7% dust free, and Non-toxic (safe if ingested). 

Also looking at Original | Swheat Scoop

Now the fun part. Diet. Every animal in my house is on a nature intended raw diet. The kitten will be no exception, and will be fed PMR as well as the dogs. My big question is, What is the difference? Is there a difference? Do you feed the same 2-3% of adult weight? Do you start them on chicken? What about the taurine? Do they have to be transitioned as slowly as dogs? Should I get a few cans of canned food in case he wouldn't eat the raw, of should I try it ground first? I'm sure I have a lot more questions, but those are the main. 

I appreciate any help! I want to know exactly how to do things before I would bring him home.


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## AveryandAudrey (Sep 20, 2010)

Sorry to hear that the car ran off. I hope you can home a kitten. I fed my last cat prey model raw, and the kitten I'm syringe feeding right now will be weaned to raw as well. I'd advise you to look for a feline raw forum for this. I can give you my experience, my last cat was a rescue, got him at 4 weeks old (stray kitten) and started him on kibble, learned about raw a couple monthes later and fasted him over night, then in the morning a set out little chicken meat chunks and a chicken wing tip. He took to it great, loved it! I never measured food out much honestly I don't with my dogs either, all 3 dogs are an raw. With cats tuarine is required! They have to have it. I fed beef heart, and chicken liver as organs. Chicken wings, ground turkey, he liked it all except the hunted dove. Go figure the cat didn't like dove. *rolls eyes* and he did great on the raw. I fed him 2ce a day, I never got to give him rabbit nor quail but I do plan to try those for this kitten. I have 2 chihuahuas and basically cat raw feeding is the same as that. I have heard some cats that have been kibble fed for years just won't take to raw, but I think it will work great if you get a kitten. I know many adult cats do take to it, so I'm not ruling out adults as I adore adult cats.
As for litter, I hate clay! A have used yesterday's news. It was ok, iit did get a heavy urine smell even with my cat being neutered and the box being changed often. But I did like that it wasn't clay. I plan to start Tiny Tom (my 3 weeks kitten) on blue buffalo walnut litter. I have heard good things about it so I'll try it. I haven't tried swheat scoop.


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## GoingPostal (Sep 5, 2011)

You don't have to transition slowly, taurine is needed yes but it is in many things, if you are feeding a varied diet you are probably fine, hearts are supposed to be high in it so most people feed a lot of them, my cat eats mice, chicken, cgh, duck, rabbit, turkey and rarely quail when I can trick her into eating it. She can't handle red meats like beef or pork at all. Having some canned on hand is fine, just start with boneless meat and soft bones so the kitten can work up some jaw strength. For a kitten feed as much as they want, my cat eats between 4-6 ounces a day and she is a senior 10 pound kitty. I wouldn't like yesterdays news for my cat litter, the amount that they pee it would just be a pain imo, you would go through a lot as it doesn't absorb like clumping and the dust is breaks down into does track a bit, I use it sometimes for my ferrets but actually I've found for pellets that petco's brand works better, I use swheat scoop for the cat, worlds best cat litter is another option if you want clumping.


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## brandypup (Jan 23, 2012)

Yea kittens! Yea you! 

I dop not like sweetscoop, it's a good litter but it was too I guess hard and fifficult with my many cats. I do use the yesterdays news with kittens. I also like pine but my cats dont. I use a non clump litter. 

Keep a couple cans of food on hand just for the what if. but I have never had a kitten refuse raw. It's like they are natural to it. I do grind my food. I have teeth challanged cats. (and a great grinder) I do put chucnks in there and whole gizzards and whole chicken hearts for my non teeth challenged cats and anyone wanting a challange. 

I do rbms, heart, liver and kidney, eggs in that weight order. Normally chicken necks for affordablitly and ease of grinding. I will dump a sardine or mackeral into some as well. And also ground beef. I feed a lot of variety of species for heart, liver and kidney. I have also introduced quail becuase of my potentail FIP kitten. One of my stomach challenged cats tosses the quali after eating. I also use canned 100% pumpkin every now and then. 

I only use fish oil as a supplement due to stomach challaged cat tossign anything else I put in. 

I like this site
Making Cat Food by Lisa A. Pierson, DVM :: homemade cat food, cat food recipes


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## Makovach (Jan 24, 2012)

Thanks so much for your help

I enjoyed reading her site. Though I didn't agree with partially cooking chicken and turkey. I also think that the cats should have more variety than chicken and turkey thighs and rabbit. I also do not plan to feed ground as I do not have a grinder, and I'm pretty sure the kitten will be able to get the hang of whole raw. I can see a cat missing most/all of its teeth eating raw, but a kitten with a mouth full of chompers should be able to eat whole prey items right? Other than that, I liked the site and it gave quite a bit of insite!

I think for the canned food I will keep on hand for him it will be EVO 95% meats. 

Another link I found while bouncing around was Raw Fed Cats . Just incase any one else is researching. 

Any tips on litter boxes? What keeps the dogs out the best? before I have taken totes and cut a whole big enough for the cat to get in, but the dog to stay out and put it over the litterbox upside down. 

I am looking more into the worlds best cat litter, as I do want a clumping litter.

Random question, but has anyone ever had experience training a cat to walk on a leash and potty outside? My other cats I've rescued were hand raised and just did what the dogs did. I wonder if it would be hard to start with an 8 week old kitten.


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## brandypup (Jan 23, 2012)

Yes, I do not think there is one site that I totaly agree on. But yes that is definitly valid points. I have fed whole necks, wings to the cats before. I think a kitten would take to it well. Maybe smash it with a hammer the first few times. My cat Bones actually ate whole rbm after watching the dog several times. 

Wodls best gets really good comments on it. Too expensive for me and my clan. There is coupons on their web site. I do prefer clumping I just dont use it. 

It's very hard to keep a beagle out of a box. I have no insight lol. What I did with my last dog was take out the bottom of a closet door, too small for her to get through and kept the box in there. 

Yes to the leash. very easy. Just put it on and watch the fall over and pretend to die. Very funny. They try to take it off or play with it. My cats enjoyed walking but it's not like walking a dog. It's more just holding the leash and letting them explore at their pace. Just watch the fit, they can get out of some by wiggles. I saw a bungie cat leash and harness that was very cool. I also clicker trained my last foster cat to sit and jump to something.


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## Kat (Jul 12, 2011)

I tried the shweat scoop, my male didnt really care - he will crap in any litter there is. But my female hated it so much, she would pee on my sisters bed until I switched back to our original litter. (dont worry, i got a urinalysis to make sure it wasnt an infection or crystals, she just didnt like the litter). And, I didnt really like it that much either, sometimes it was hard to get it off the little box if the cat peed by a corner, it turns to cement almost, it was a pain to clean.

The cat rescue I used to volunteer for used yesterdays news and worlds best cat litter. I prefered the yesterdays news, the worlds best cat little smelled like a babies diaper to me when the cat went to the washroom because of the corn lol. 

I wish I could feed my cats raw, I have tried so many times in the past few years, but they would not take to it, no matter how slow I went. But starting off as a kitten is different since they wont be kibble junkies. 

I dont know how it would work in terms of weight for feeding though...


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## Makovach (Jan 24, 2012)

brandypup said:


> Yes, I do not think there is one site that I totaly agree on. But yes that is definitly valid points. I have fed whole necks, wings to the cats before. I think a kitten would take to it well. Maybe smash it with a hammer the first few times. My cat Bones actually ate whole rbm after watching the dog several times.
> 
> Wodls best gets really good comments on it. Too expensive for me and my clan. There is coupons on their web site. I do prefer clumping I just dont use it.
> 
> ...


I am also looking into a CitiKitti. It is something you put over your toilet and it comes with three pans. The first of compleatly covers, the next has a hole in the center, and the last has just a ring around the seat. I'm guessing its worth a shot. I've read reviews and a lot of people said that their cats took to it fast and well. I'm guessing starting from a kitten it shouldn't be too hard. 

When I had Kudoz, Knada and Achilles (three maine ****/ bengal mixes alone after their mother got hit by a car three days after giving birth) I compleatly hand raised them. They wore a collar from the start. When we went outside, they wore harnesses. They used to go on walks with us and walk right into the vets on a harness/leash. I didn't really do anything though. I think it was mostly because they had been doing it since they were 3 weeks old.

I'm getting super excited, which I shouldn't. We still have to discuss weather or not we will be getting a kitten :/


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## Scarlett_O' (May 19, 2011)

I have 2 adult cats that I moved to raw without problem, one was on decent kibble/canned before and one was on some multi-coloured crap when I got her at 2. Started them both off with a cann of tuna mixed with chicken, pork, turkey heart and liver(all diced small and soaked in about 1/2 cup of chicken broth....I would prep up 4-5 days at a time.)

They both can now get what ever thrown at them and eat like champs!:thumb: 
(My girl Ducki will be 2 in Aug and has been on raw for a year in June, and Pidgin will be 3 in July and has been on raw for a year in Aug.)

For litter we use stall pellets, buy a 40lbs bag for 5-6 bucks.....last the two of them months on end, super easy to clean, And since they are raw fed the only smell I smell is the pellets!:wink:


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