I've noticed that every once every few days there's another topic about raw feeding. There's a lot of great info that is lost because most times these topics get to the bottom of the page and people just forget about them.
So I was thinking to make one "official" topic which maybe a moderator could pin to top so everyone can see and where we could each write resources and our experience. It would be a lot easier for new members to find and the great info will all be in the same place.
I've been researching raw for about a month or so. This actually started when I got a puppy and stumbled upon info about kibble that horrified me. I had no idea about the crap it had in it and how bad it was for our animals. The pup tootk to it right away but the cat didn't even look at the meat so I though he can't really be switched. About a month later my pup died in a stupid accident (I'd rather not talk about the details). I was devastated and got terrified of the idea of losing my cat. So I read everything I found in regards to cat nutrition, how it should be done, what should be fed etc. I tried again, this time with baby steps and lo and behold, my cat is now eating raw meat and I'm in the process of introducing bone and organs.
I've found a lot of resources that helped me better understand this process of raw feeding. It's the best way to feed your pet but it can lead to serious problems if you don't do it right!
http://www.catinfo.orghttp://www.rawfedcats.orghttp://www.ukrmb.co.uk/http://www.catnutrition.orghttp://www.rawlearninghttp://www.rawfed.comhttp://www.rawlearning.comhttp://feline-nutrition.org/http://www.rawmeatybones.com Some of the above contain general info about raw feeding (cats, dogs, ferrets etc) and some are just cat only. For those of you looking for specific info and don't feel like browsing the above sites in depth (altho I really recommend that you do):
Benefits of raw feeding:
http://www.rawfedcats.org/benefits.htmhttp://www.catnutrition.org/http://www.ukrmb.co.uk/showcontent.toy? ... nid=175912Raw Meaty Bones and Prey Model Raw
http://www.rawmeatybones.com/petowners/whatisrmb.phphttp://www.rawfedcats.org/nature.htmhttp://www.ukrmb.co.uk/showcontent.toy? ... nid=175914BARF
http://www.barfworld.com/html/learn_mor ... tory.shtmlAnti-BARF
http://www.rawmeatybones.com/petowners/whynotBARF.phpTransitioning from kibble to raw
http://feline-nutrition.org/nutrition/h ... a-raw-diethttp://www.rawmeatybones.com/petowners/ ... ngcats.phphttp://www.catinfo.org/docs/Tips%20for% ... -14-11.pdfGround recipes:
http://www.catinfo.org/?link=makingcatfoodhttp://www.catnutrition.org/foodmaking.htmlAnti-grinding
http://www.rawfedcats.org/nogrinders.htmAnother great place with awesome people is the facebook group Cat CRAP (Completly Raw and Proud) -
https://www.facebook.com/groups/CatCrap/I know most people like to ground the meat but I preffer not to. I'd rather cut it into small pieces so my cat cand excercisehis jaw a little. It's more work but it pays of in the end. A very popular recipe is the one posted on CatCRAP(thank you Louise for sharing it) :
"2 x 2kg (4.4lb) oven ready chickens
800g (28oz) of sheep/ ox/ pig heart
400g (14oz) of organ meat (200g min liver, and the rest kidney/ spleen as available)
6 eggs if I have them (whole eggs, none of this only feed the yolk nonsense)
A splash of salmon oil (if I remember, not essential but it is quite good for them)"
You can, of course, change the quantities while keeping the same proportions.
A cat should eat 2%-3% of it's body weight. It, of course, deppends on the cat, level of activity, age and other factors. Some might eat more, some less. Best thing to assess if you're feeding the right quantity is to eyeball his weight: if he's losing, you're feeding too little, if he's gaining you're feeding too much.