# raw fed kitten????



## lmgakg (Jan 1, 2011)

Hi everyone...I am sort of thinking that I will end up with a kitten, they are 4 wks now, my aunt had a stray that had kittens in her shed!!!! Apparently it says sucker on my forehead...  

I feed my dogs and my cat raw and am comfortable, but because these are brand new babies, I don't know how I should start or if there is anything I should know. They are still nursing, so we are leaving them with the mama now but in a few weeks, it will be time to find homes... The mama, nicknamed Two-toe because she only has two toes on her right paw, a birth deformity, catches her own food mostly, my aunt does put kibble out, but she loves best when Aunt Lisa comes to visit because I always bring her a special treat!!!

Thanks for any advice or tips!!
Lisa


----------



## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

there are plenty of cat owners....on this board....

let's see if they come out to play


----------



## lmgakg (Jan 1, 2011)

I know....I am hoping!!!! These kittens are about the size of a chicken wing right now....and their teeth are soooo itty bitty tiny!!!! They really are adorable and I'm totally NOT a cat person, but I have a daughter...so I have to accept cats!


----------



## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

i wonder if little tiny baby kittens would be started on ground chicken with bone....or smashing it with a hammer....i don't have cats...so i don't know..

'course, you could always put down a wing and see what happens....

i'm sure i'll get yelled at for that suggestion LOL


----------



## Maxy24 (Mar 5, 2011)

I think kittens pick it up pretty easily and since you already know how to feed raw I think it'll be easy. The hardest part will just be finding bones small enough for a kitten. I know someone on a cat forum who weaned her bottle fed kitten onto raw using mice. She started with pinky mice but had him on adult mice by 7 weeks. I think you could probably do it without mice, use cornish hen for bones...ribs and parts of the wing are probably doable.


----------



## lmgakg (Jan 1, 2011)

magicre said:


> i wonder if little tiny baby kittens would be started on ground chicken with bone....or smashing it with a hammer....i don't have cats...so i don't know..
> 
> 'course, you could always put down a wing and see what happens....
> 
> i'm sure i'll get yelled at for that suggestion LOL


hahaha, I thought about that. I'm sure they would go nuts, I fed the mom sardines with my hands and then didn't wash them before handling the kittens, they were chewing on my fingers like crazy!!!! I just (even after watching my 3 munch bones like nothing) can't see these little teeth being able to do anything. They are just so small. I guess maybe they will grow in 3 weeks, but unless they double in size, I mean, they were trying to eat that smell off my fingers and I could not even feel the teeth... ground I could see...they try to get a piece of food every so often, its' kitten chow, sometimes they can crunch a piece, sometimes it just keeps coming back out until enough times that it's soaked in spit and becomes soft.


----------



## lmgakg (Jan 1, 2011)

Maxy24 said:


> I think kittens pick it up pretty easily and since you already know how to feed raw I think it'll be easy. The hardest part will just be finding bones small enough for a kitten. I know someone on a cat forum who weaned her bottle fed kitten onto raw using mice. She started with pinky mice but had him on adult mice by 7 weeks. I think you could probably do it without mice, use cornish hen for bones...ribs and parts of the wing are probably doable.


Really???? You think cornish hen at 7-8 weeks??? Just for perspective, a cornish hen (I have about 12 of them in my freezer now) is about twice the size of the kitten. I'm laughing at the thought of this little guy trying to pull a cornish hen around!!!!  I will definitely have to video that for you guys, even if just for a laugh, cuz it would be soooo darn cute!!! I won't separate them from the mom for a few more weeks, they are nursing and mom is really good with them considering she is a stray. 

Thanks!


----------



## Scarlett_O' (May 19, 2011)

I just started my 10 month old on RAW, she is only 5lbs though so more the size of other 4 month olds I have had!

I have gotten a TON of great info on a yahoo group called "rawcat" They have helped me to move Ducki over to RAW(not that she or I needed any persuasion...she LOVES me for it!LOL) I do know that as a farm(indoor/outdoor) cats my friend's cats start eating moles, rats, mice, birds, baby rabbits and more that her adults bring to the house at about 4/5 weeks old!


----------



## Roxy (Jan 19, 2011)

We found out kitten at about 4 weeks old.
We started him right away (with giving milk as well) with ground chicken, beef pieces, fish, tripe and I also gave him some canned food just because I wasn't sure exactly what a kitten that young should be on. He's a bit over 2 months now, a champion chicken neck cruncher and chicken feet chewer! (the only time we get 10 consecutive minutes of peace) 
I'm making sure to give him lots of WHOLE pieces because I read that if you grind the meat then the taurine content lessens. Quite literally though, there is nothing I can put in front of this cat that he won't attempt to eat. I even have to get him a bully stick when I buy them for the dogs just so he leaves them alone!
If you start him as soon as you get him, I wouldn't worry about him being difficult or not being able to get through bone. 
Maybe growing up with (and bossing around) 4 dogs has made him more tough but from what I've seen, kitten seem to be natural little carnivores :becky::becky:


----------



## lmgakg (Jan 1, 2011)

Wow, yeah, my other cat has to get the same things the dogs get, and he is much more of a garbage disposal than the dogs!!! So, I can just give him a wing and see how he does??? You give him regular milk????? Dairy really grosses me out....and I thought that milk was bad for cats?? Is that the old kibble fed way in me coming out?


----------



## Roxy (Jan 19, 2011)

nope! I gave him kitten replacement milk because at 4 weeks I think they would normally still be drinking from mom. 
I wouldn't hesitate to give him a wing, I thought my guy was going to have a hard time with the neck but he really did a good job with it. My boyfriend and I were just sitting there with our mouths wide open. The chicken feet too, he managed to do a good number on until we took it away (too big for him I think, he stole it from the shepherd's bowl).

I don't know if dairy really is bad for cats... ?
I know some people swear against it but then others give it almost daily to their cats. It would probably be interesting to find out for sure!


----------



## Maxy24 (Mar 5, 2011)

> Really???? You think cornish hen at 7-8 weeks???


Not the WHOLE hen lol. Just ribs and wings like I said, give the rest to your adult cat.

I think the milk is bad for cats thing is because many cats can't digest it, they are essentially lactose intolerant, so they get diarrhea. Some cats can though so it wouldn't be bad for them, though I don't know if it's really good for them either.


----------



## lmgakg (Jan 1, 2011)

Roxy - okay, yes, at 4 wks, they are still drinking from mom. Luckily, mom is around and is happy to feed her babies, so I don't have to worry about that. I don't know if I could feed a chicken foot, they really creep me out looking at them!!! What about organs...do I basically just treat the kitten the same way I did with introducing meats and organs when I put the other boys on raw??? Same time frames and such, just smaller portions to match his baby size obviously???

Maxy24 - lol, right, I only give like a wing and a chunk of the meat to my adult cat.....well, okay I may give the whole hen to the kitten just for kicks and a video op!!!!  But I wouldn't let him eat the whole thing!!!


----------



## Roxy (Jan 19, 2011)

Yeah the milk was temporary!
What I would really like to find is some solid information about what a cat should eat compared to a dog and why. 
I've heard quite a few contradicting pieces of information about the %% of meat/organ/bone.
Does anyone have any example daily meats for cats?


----------



## Maxy24 (Mar 5, 2011)

Check out this site:
Raw Fed Cats

When I fed raw I basically did any meat I wanted but had to use chicken or rabbit for bones. I fed liver and kidney. It's 10% bone, 10% organ (half of it liver), and 80% meat, just like dogs. I started with chicken meat, once he could do large chunks I moved onto bone (smashed a wing with a mallet) and then organs. A kitten might not have trouble starting with bone early though, his jaws haven't gotten weak from years of kibble. With adults you feed 2-4% of their weight. For kittens I've heard you should predict their adult weight and feed 2% of that and I've also heard to feed 10% of their current weight. I'd feed 3 times a day for a while, then you can cut to two if you want to.


----------



## carolspets (Jun 16, 2009)

Oh I have used this recipe with very small dogs: *** Unauthorized ad removed by moderator - RFD *** but I'll bet it would work with kittens too. I'd skip the rice and just add more eggs, including the shells. It's hard for cats, as they usually eat small rodents that have very small bones but egg shell is an awesome source of calcium and glucosamine (the inner shell lining). You can substitute ground chicken or turkey for the beef...and mix it up a bit. Raw milk, direct from the cow, unpasteurized, is good for cats and dogs in small quantities.


----------



## lmgakg (Jan 1, 2011)

carolspets said:


> Oh I have used this recipe with very small dogs: _*** Unauthorized ad removed by moderator - RFD ***_ but I'll bet it would work with kittens too. I'd skip the rice and just add more eggs, including the shells. It's hard for cats, as they usually eat small rodents that have very small bones but egg shell is an awesome source of calcium and glucosamine (the inner shell lining). You can substitute ground chicken or turkey for the beef...and mix it up a bit. Raw milk, direct from the cow, unpasteurized, is good for cats and dogs in small quantities.


I can not get my dogs or cat for that matter to eat the shell of an egg....any suggestions for that??? Do you crunch it up or give it whole? My Rott acts as though I'm giving him nails to eat when I try to give him a shell, it's the most ridiculous thing you've ever seen!! 

My cat (adult) eats chicken legs, wings, any other part, he used to eat turkey necks - I don't buy those any more, he'll eat cornish hens, pork ribs, beef ribs - not the bone, just the meat, he eats whatever the dogs eat!!!


----------



## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

i'm not sure i would feed a barf diet to a cat. my understanding of cats, which is small, admittedly....even tiny, is that they are true carnivores and thus would only want to eat meats.....be they red or white...

cornish hens sounds like an awesome place to start, given the bird is smaller, so the bones are smaller....quail, i bet would be okay, too, four week old kitten teeth are pretty sharp.....

when i give my dogs eggs, i grind the egg and the egg shell or i don't feed the shell. they get enough calcium from all the other proteins they eat.....i've put whole eggs down and my dogs simply don't know what to do with them, except roll them with their noses. funny to watch, but not very nutritious if that's all my guys will do


----------



## lmgakg (Jan 1, 2011)

Personally, I don't like the BARF diet, it just doesn't make sense. Although when the bunnies get their carrots, the dogs/cat usually get one as well...but it's just a treat! So, grind the egg as in like a food processor????? I just like the idea of having another option to mix things up a bit once in awhile.


hahaha, exactly, my Rott would be soooo confused with a whole egg and he would end up looking at me and crying!!!!!!!!!! My maltese would try to do something with it...although I'm not sure he would be able to figure out what to do!!!!


----------



## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

what are bunnies when it comes to food...aren't they herbivore/vegetarians? they don't eat meat, do they? ya know? i have no idea LOL

here's what i do. i crack an egg on top of their food, so they have a nice gooey mess....

since they get enough calcium from bone, they generally don't need the shell....i could be wrong, but i always thought the shell is for dogs who can't or won't eat bone....

i just throw the shell away, although my girlfriend used to put it in her garden. she said the veggies grew better...i never did that, for it seemed to me it would then be an attractant to little furry animals who would eat my flowers and her veggies


----------



## lmgakg (Jan 1, 2011)

Yes, bunnies are vegetarians!!!! grains and veggies, that's all they eat. Ok, someone said the inner lining of the shell has glucosimine (spelling????) which I thought was good for large breeds???? 

Actually the shell in your garden, if you crunch it up and sprinkle it at the base of any plant that has a slug/snail issue, creates like a force field that they can't cross!!! They can't move across the rough sharp points, so they can't get to your plants to eat it, coffee grounds also work well. I have wild bunnies and squirrels and the eggs don't prompt them to munch at all. Egg shells are also good for people who make compost, so I could see how they would help veggies grow better too!


----------



## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

Eggshell membrane may outperform glucosamine for joint health

this is what i found about glucosamine and eggs, which i never knew before....see? an old dog CAN learn new tricks!

not sure i would feed it on a daily basis, is what i was saying...since eggs are pretty rich...

ah, so that's why she did that....thanks for the explanation...


----------



## lmgakg (Jan 1, 2011)

Everytime I talk to you, I become smarter. Where were you when I was in college???????  

Hmmm, so maybe I will try to food process a shell and see what happens....or maybe if I crunch it up good and hide it in ground meat...

I rarely feed eggs, maybe a couple times a month or if I bought too many and they are about to go bad....but if I can get him to eat the shell at those times, I will!!!! Currently, when he has a shell, his top lip curls up and his teeth show and when the shell touches his gums, he starts sticking his tongue out and shaking his head. He spits the shell out and then tries again and does the same thing. I have to put my drink down because I'd end up spitting it all over the floor watching him!!!!! He's really hilarious...which is probably why I keep giving them to him!!!!!


----------



## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

lmgakg said:


> Everytime I talk to you, I become smarter. Where were you when I was in college???????
> 
> Hmmm, so maybe I will try to food process a shell and see what happens....or maybe if I crunch it up good and hide it in ground meat...
> 
> I rarely feed eggs, maybe a couple times a month or if I bought too many and they are about to go bad....but if I can get him to eat the shell at those times, I will!!!! Currently, when he has a shell, his top lip curls up and his teeth show and when the shell touches his gums, he starts sticking his tongue out and shaking his head. He spits the shell out and then tries again and does the same thing. I have to put my drink down because I'd end up spitting it all over the floor watching him!!!!! He's really hilarious...which is probably why I keep giving them to him!!!!!


i think it works both ways..... i never knew this. i always thought egg shell had calcium....and that's why it was fed. well, from now on, i guess i'll be blending the entire egg, for my guys won't eat the shells either....although it is funny to watch them roll the egg around the floor....

i'm always forgetting to feed them eggs.....i think tonight they will get scrambled egg plus egg shell 

i'm glad you make me think.....i don't do it often enough LOL


----------

