Is Raw Cat Food Safe For Cats? (A Vet's Perspective)

[@nicoleleung3518]

Too bad that all the research on diets is almost all done by commercial pet food companies that have a vested interest in NOT encouraging homemade diets...I really hope to see more peer-reviewed research on raw diets so we pet owners and other vets can be much more informed. I'm so glad I was able to find a vet nutritionist that specializes in homemade (cooked and raw) food so my cat's food is balanced. I even have a whole PDF of the food analysis.

[@nazmafirdaus8289]

Will you please help me with the home made food for my kitten😔😔😔

[@fathimanasreen5994]

hello Nicole , would you mind sharing the vet nutritionist’s contact info? I’d like to consult for my cat thank u 🌻

[@tippyperez]

Yes please! Do ylu mind sharing your nutritional vets info? I need one! :( ty!!

[@gir6939]

Hi Nicole, can you please share your information with me ? thanks

[@ktrump5882]

Great point. Very important to know. Be weary of Giant Companies with their main focus being making money.

[@EnragedTofu]

My traditional fed cat almost died in Nov 2020, but after antibiotics, I switched from that to raw and she’s like a fuller, more vital feline. It is insane the difference raw makes for my cat. It turns out she absolutely LOVES & THRIVES on raw beef & cow organs. She’s 18 this year, btw.

[@alvodin6197]

Traditional meaning dry food? I think meat and raw feeding is traditional for cats, not fucking kibble.

[@MickDickerson]

Thanks for your insight! I just went through a pretty scary situation with a cat that adopted me 3mths ago that had kittens two months later. Being a new cat owner, I just bought kibble. But then the vomiting, diarrhea, vomiting and weight loss began and surprising how much it effected her and her kittens in a very short time, very alarming. But with a bit of research, then I made the switch. Still cooked so far but she’s loving her chicken and her and her kitties are doing well, crisis averted with a very minimal effort. She’s eating me out of house and home but they’re worth it. Make the switch, you won’t regret it.

[@PoliteTia]

😀

[@daisycocoa2557]

@@MickDickerson..get those cats spay/neutered if you really care about them

[@jaeshasway]

@@MickDickersonPlease make sure you’re using a specific Vet approved recipe as cats have particular nutritional needs and you can’t just give them cooked they need Taurine, Zinc, Omega’s and more. Kudos to you for adopting a pregnant stray and taking her and her kittens in. ♥️

[@AngelwithAttitude7]

I had two Persian cats, both had severe ringworm. I kept catching it. I tried everything. The veterinarian tried everything. Nothing worked. A year went by still dealing with it. Until I put them on a raw diet and within two weeks, the ringworm was gone. I stand by a raw Diet.

[@user-deeznutzs]

It’s important to understand where your meat is coming from. If you’re feeding your cat raw chicken or raw ground beef it’s likely to get e-Coli or salmonella or some other food borne disease.

[@claudeclawsonne4510]

@@user-deeznutzs The world is simply crawling with salmonella and e-Coli. A cat's not going to expire from eating raw chicken. Animals in the wild turn to piles of feces for emergency food rations and water all the time. You don't seriously think the cats're out back of the barn barbecuing mice so they don't get sick from raw meat, do you? I eat raw eggs all the time and they don't bother me. If I get a bad one, well them's the breaks, but it's not going to kill me. And if you only knew the levels of e-Coli you've ingested in your life to date i reckon you'd expire from horror.

[@skelazon]

@@user-deeznutzs You're wrong. :) You're scared of the WRONG THING. You should be scared of highly processed, lacking nutrients, full of corn/gluten KIBBLE.

[@tyreemunoz7787]

You don't need to worry about salmonella and E coli a cat's body can handle that. I mean think about cats that are living on the streets they eat mice and birds. They're not going to go "oh I need to cook this before I eat it" no thay will just eat the mouse or bird without thinking about whatever diseases it might carry.

[@tonyprice2256]

@@tyreemunoz7787 Right. That is mainly because the cat's stomach acid is by far stronger than human stomach acid.

[@geehanel-abbassi7220]

Soon as i saw the title, as a raw food feeder, instantly click! I respect this vets opinion, but I will never go back to feeding my cat commercially dry food. Dr. Wooten if you are reading this, you have very valid concerns! The first one being nutritional imbalances. If you are measuring out organs and muscle meat yourself, it is easy to mess up. Luckily, there are premade raw foods out there that are up to AAFCO standards and are completely balanced for you. “Completers” are also sold that are a complete balance to add to a protein(s) of choice. But i 100% agree is to try and seek out a nutritionist source to help balance yourself! And the biggest concern being safety. What i would say is that if you normally handle raw meat for years, it’s basically the same. I can agree that people/cats who are immunodeficient, is to be CAUTIOUS. I wouldn’t necessarily turn anyone away from trying. I really appreciate you highlighting to seek out a board certified veterinary NUTRITIONIST and not a regular vet, as someone with a nutritionist background will know the best!

[@moonchild7327]

What premade raw foods brands to do you recommend?

[@tcc5750]

@@moonchild7327 Instinct is popular and good; it has frozen raw and freeze-dried so that you rehydrate yourself when ready.

[@moonchild7327]

@@tcc5750 thank you!

[@qteezy6501]

Facts

[@netzoned]

For those that use dry food, for whatever reason, always add the equivalent amount of water, and let it stand and soak in before feeding. The first ingredient should always be a meat or meat meal. Even cheap wet food is better than any dry food, mainly because of much lower carbohydrates.

[@nightingailinflorida5458]

I had a cat that was diagnosed with kidney disease. I had friends with cats with all kinds of chronic diseases. Did some research and decided to switch Micaila, my cat, to a raw diet. The vet wasn't happy with my decision. Micaila adapted very well to the diet. To my and the vet's amazement, Micaila's lab results improved and eventually her lab results went back to being normal. The two cats I have now are on a raw diet. Rafael was originally feral and Divia was a barnyard cat, but they both are now indoor/ outside cats. They occasionally catch and eat prey. They get their vaccines and regular check ups. No fleas, no parasites: they have clean teeth. They aren't on any flea or parasite prevention meds. The litter box doesn't smell. It's amazing what difference a balanced raw diet can do for a cat's health.

[@petiteetincelle1246]

Well done! More people need to be made aware of the damages done by industrial food, and… multiple annual shots!

[@ladyriethegoldendelmo5441]

@meandmeatmeoverthere yea theres a reason why pet foods are cheap but raw meat so expensive. anyways any good place online I can buy raw meat and like if I feed a small cat. whats the size portions I need to feed per day?

[@ElegantOverlord]

what did you feed them?

[@SBegum-dn4mk]

How do you prevent fleas and how often do you take them for check ups

[@shadowsilverlight1651]

😂😂😂 the reason your vet was mad cause it cut into their profit....no sick animal, no need for vet. vets are about a paycheck.

[@cherrybomb6852]

Super surprised (in a good way!) that you decided to kick this hornet's nest! I definitely appreciate the nuanced opinion, and you definitely have valid concerns. I'm a raw feeder myself, and I know that some members of the raw feeding community have had terrible experiences with their vets as soon as the vet learned that they feed raw. I hope more vets like you step forward so that raw feeders can feel like they can trust their vets again!

[@johnsouza5262]

Hello my name is John Souza from hongkong,to what I know is cats have a ancestral eating like their relatives the tigers and lions a dall wild cats but the only thing for cats is birds and rats what do you feed them raw with.

[@rgaskinDVM]

Yup the vets examine the raw fed cat and pronounce them very healthy. Matter of fact the cat looks so good the vet asks what is being fed. Once they find out it is raw food things go south.

[@GazeboDweeb]

Seems to me like those people should get new vets. But, ultimately, if you feed your cat a species appropriate nutrient dense diet, it's likely you won't need the vet. Their industry is bought and paid for by Pharma like ours so, the corruption is everywhere.

[@SerPounceToebeans]

That's because the veterinarian needs your pet to get sick by feeding them dry/canned food so they can get money. It's a shady and dirty business practice, definitely not a true animal lover... I can't tell you how many times I had to change vets because they didn't like me feeding my cat babies raw and being too healthy. But luckily I was about to find a food veterinarian who also feeds their pet raw. Not all of them are like that, you just have to keep looking.

[@e2U]

haha, your analogy seems right on, especially when you look at the corrupt system (Goveernment) "WHO" push and wantsthe sheepal to believe that eating FAKE-FOOD, filled with the crop "THEY" subsidize to the tune of many billions a year (maize) with over 30 different names (high-fructose corn syrup-where fructose is the most harmful to the body due to that fact that it is processed in the liver, contributing to the release of Insulin, that turns it into FAT, in the liver, and it's much much sweeter tasting tot our taist buds, so less is more sweet and less costly....and so much more, is at all healthy and necessary to good health, haha, we may be living in a world of man-made constructs/science used to provide a narrative of freedom and choice, while offering them the control over the future?

[@willow8186]

My vet swears by a 100 % raw diet for both cats and dogs. You can literally see the disapproval in her face when you tell her you don’t feed your own cat a raw diet.

[@kellyjohnson3617]

I’ve been feeding my cat raw for one year. She is doing so much better. When I got her she was a rescue and badly malnourished. She was constantly throwing up the food the vet recommended. So she was not putting on weight. I tried out Darwin’s which is a very high quality raw food. My vet approved that one to try. They provide a low priced sample of their food that is almost two months of food for $15. It comes frozen. I make her food in the bathroom so her raw food and my food prep is separate. Now I make her food. I follow a very specific recipe for her food. I use a raw food supplement and don’t grind her food but cut into chunks. I make it outside on the patio with designated utensils and bowls and chopping boards and such that are only for her raw food. I put it in glass jars and freeze it immediately. Afterwards I put the big bowl I make it in in the tub and let her lick it clean as a treat. Then wash all the prep stuff n the bathtub so again minimizing the bacteria my food prep could be exposed to. Cuz there are a lot of meat juices everywhere when I make it. But she loves it. Snd I supplement with Darwin’s and other commercial raw foods that don’t have the supplements in them(so I add the supplements myself, using Alnutrin that I buy from Hare Today online). My local pet store sells meat mixes that are from game animals like elk, rabbit, antelope, duck, Guinea fowl, etc. I like she can get a variety of meats so she’s getting a variety of nutrients. I also make a green gravy for her every meal with fermented goat milk or fermented bone broth, snd I add a multi enzyme and probiotic. The green gravy mix included a freeze dried oat snd barley snd wheat grass, kelp, a freeze dried mushroom mix, nutritional yeast. Basically trying to give her what she might get from an animals gut or what she might eat if she were an outdoor cat. I give her actual animal fur toys like catnip mice made from deer skin snd actual feathers to play with that she basically will chew in snd swallow some, so I get her the natural feathers instead of the dyed ones. She is so healthy now. Her muscle tone has returned so she looks like a normal cat again. She has boundless energy snd her eye goop from conjunctivitis is gone(even though the vet said it never would go away. But I put a smidge of lysine and taurine in her green gravy and that seems to have done the trick for that. If the pinkness in her eye starts coming back I up the lysine for a few days snd it’s gone again. So yeah, I did a lot of research snd it’s more work snd expense but not ridiculously more work. I make up one months worth of food snd it maybe takes an hour. More like 30 minutes. But that’s been well worth to see her transformation. She is a five year old kitty but she acts more like a kitten. When I adopted her they charged me the senior price cuz she had so many health concerns. Now they are all but gone or so well managed that you hardly notice them. She rarely vomits now. And her loose stools and farts are completely gone. She doesn’t cry in pain when she uses her box. I completely believe it’s from switching her to raw. I still give her commercially made high quality wet and a high quality kibble as treats cuz she is told for commercial food. But if I give her those more than once or twice a week, she vomits. So I have to be careful. But I try to give her freeze dried raw treats or even my homemade ones as much as I can. Anyway. That’s been my experience with this kitty. Hope it’s useful to anyone else

[@valseanne1521]

I love how much you love your cat, you give more attention to your cats diet than what I do with myself haha

[@umtum]

Can you give me your recipe? Making raw is confusing to me

[@nighthawk_predator1877]

Hi. I saw your request for info. I a. Not that person who mentioned their cat's diet but i can steer u to a youtuber i have watched and gained a great deal of info from concerning raw feeding. The channel is called "Jess Caticles". Jess is a cat nutritionist. She is awesome. GL

[@kaylirobles35]

This is by far my favorite comment. Really makes me excited to explore the raw diet for my cats

[@kristyknox1734]

Love what you have done for your cat. My rescue was 5mths malnourished too, throwing up too. She is now 9mths & feeding raw was the best thing I have done for her. Just like a baby tiger now. It is so awesome to see the complete change in her. 😻🇦🇺💯

[@invincibel4007]

Thank you for being open to considering the raw diet. In my opinion, peer reviewed studies may be a good place to start but too many rely on them when individual cats can give a better idea of what's going on. I finally got to feeding raw when I ran out of options with my cat who would vomit after eating anything else. She was a skinny cat who did not have much energy, with lesions all over because she was always scratching. She always looked like she didn't feel well and was getting worse. I thought I might lose her although she's only six. Feeding raw solved all her problems! She is now a normal weight and has tons of energy. The itching is a thing of the past, as are the vomiting and diarrhea. I am beyond happy.

[@StarleneBreiter]

The same happened with my Miss Kitty, she would throw up so often, daily even. She rarely ever throws up now. I was that human jumping out of bed, to that sound, taking her to the bathroom so she wouldn't do it on my bed!

[@JosieHyung]

My cat is having the same issue and I’ve been trying to find better dry foods for him but he’s still having problems every now and then so I’ve been wanting to try a raw diet or making his food by myself. Trying to find the right information to get started... if you have any tips you could give me that would be great!

[@invincibel4007]

This is what I did. I followed a video on how to make homemade cat food on Dr. Andrew Jones' channel on YT. Here's the link to the video from Dr. Jones: kzbin.info/www/bejne/o5CTfn17aauniLM. He's great for helping us pet people take care of our animals. It's a simple recipe that I changed just by not cooking the ingredients. It's an easy way to get started doing raw. Once you get started with Dr. Jones' recipe, you might want to seek out more info on a raw food. Here is a good one for that: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rJPXoIGuqc16rqM.

[@invincibel4007]

Dr Andrew Jones has a video about making homemade cat food. fyi, you don't have to cook it.

[@ff06645]

Can you please share your recipes? As now i am facing the same issue with my cat and I am so worried about her

[@robbinhartman4361]

Nulo freeze dried raw turned my very sickly rescue kitten around. She was found barely alive on the side of the road at about 6 weeks. Didn’t think she would make it through the night. Vet started her on Iams kibble & wet foods. After 6 weeks she still wasn’t thriving. I added Nulo in one meal a day ( now 2) and the transformation has been astounding! Thick full shiny fur and bright eyes. Best part-she’s healthy now

[@moonchild7327]

Do you let her eat wet food with the freeze dried raw? I want to try feeding my cats raw but I’m not sure about going completely raw.

[@robbinhartman4361]

@@moonchild7327 yes she gets a variety of foods so I don’t miss any vitamins she may need. She is thriving!

[@fredygump5578]

@@moonchild7327 When I transitioned my cat to raw, I put canned food and raw food in his bowl. He was overly excited by the smell of the canned food, sometimes eating too fast and throwing up.... but when given both, he ate all the raw food while leaving most of the canned food.

[@kaylidoherty5013]

Love nulo!

[@fredygump5578]

@catastrofy Huh? Who are you talking to? Whole Mackeral in tomato sauce? What's going on?

[@PetFoodPuzzleGuy]

As a former Hills rep for 34 years this was a great balanced approach to a controversial topic. It would be interesting to know the prevalence of urinary and renal occurrences in raw patients vs canned vs dry.

[@GazeboDweeb]

Are there tigers and lions in the wild getting these illnesses? Ask a Zookeeper what they feed their felines. You won't see ANY kibble in there. It's too expensive for their animals to get sick and too risky. They feed them RAW animals. The ONLY reason we HAVE urinary issues is BECAUSE of their kibble krap.

[@nightingailinflorida5458]

Would love to see some good quality studies on this also. After losing one cat to renal problems and having another cat diagnosed with kidney disease I decided to switch her to a raw diet. To the vet's amazement, her lab values gradually returned to normal. The two cats I have now, are on a commercial raw diet and are quite healthy. They don't even need flea prevention meds. I'll never go back to the canned or kibble food.

[@PetFoodPuzzleGuy]

@@nightingailinflorida5458 the studies will come but they are expensive and the raw market is still very tiny. You bring up a point I keep trying to say! The pet food companies have trained the pet parent to look at ingredients. So the game is played by just looking good! But the micro nutrients in these glamour diets that cost a fortune are actually more excessive than Purina Cat Chow!!!!! so though I N not a raw supporter, I agree with you 100% that it is better than feeding these awful foods everyone trusts! But like Science Diet, there are foods that actually do control micronutrients to help keep kitty healthy! as far as homemade diets, years ago Hills produced a handout with a homemade diet to every prescription diet they made. Some vets still have them, but Hills found people would skip items and get lazy and they realized it was not working the way it should have, especially since these cats and dogs were ill. Today with balanced raw products, that’s the safe seat way to go. Fir me, Science Diet is the safest for canned and dry. Renal disease probably has more peer reviewed studies than any other disease. The innovations to feline k/d in the last 5 years is proof of that! It’s that no one looks at the phosphorus and sodium in the foods they are feeding! That’s the simple solution!

[@pwood6532]

Hello former hills rep.i am a vet who has used your diets on my pets and my patients for over 20 yrs!!thankgod for the staff feeding program as i currently have 15 cats on Hills rx food.The Biome is a gamechanger.K/D IS A MIRACLE DIET!AND...i once saved the lives of 13 cats at a rural shelter...they had cryptosporidium and the diarrhea was sooo intractable they were going to be pts by shelter.the high fibre in t/d solved it when drugs did nothing!!!thank god for Hills rx diets!!

[@PetFoodPuzzleGuy]

@@pwood6532 well doctor, thank you very much for your encouraging words. I always considered it an honor and a privilege to represent such a company that had done so much to benefit dogs and cats and the people who love them. It was a great run of 34 years and I miss it. That’s why I started my KZbin channel. I just had to share what I’ve learned in over three decades and she’d done light on the lies being told as marketing. And thank you for you giving 20 years to helping animals, a wonderful calling!

[@rustyhowe3907]

My old cat Milo died only yesterday at 17.5 years, he was fed his whole life on raw after a stint of yo-yo diets of supposedly top of the line brands that made him more and more sick and left him overweight and miserable. Raw changed all that including the needed weight loss and a high play drive (RIP my toes, lol), and even at the end of his life he still had all his perfectly white shiny teeth, soft and silky coat and never saw a kidney stone or other ailment in his entire life spare chronic kidney disease which apparently came on WAY too late than normal (16.5 years) but old age got him before the disease did. Thank you to all the raw feeders who helped me make his meals appropriate, you're all treasures to me for helping Milo get the the finish line of life as it should be.💖

[@BevUranus]

Sorry for your loss Rusty, I too lost the love of my life, my Jupiter 3 weeks ago, from Cancer she was 14.6 years old, my next cat I will definitely try a raw diet ♥

[@rustyhowe3907]

@@BevUranus Oh my sincerest condolences and thank you for your very kind words. It's impossible to handle when our fur friends get such a devastating diagnosis, nothing will 100% stop that but we can give them every chance possible by giving them the right tools for success as much as we can. Good luck with your next kitty and I hope they thrive off your kindness and consideration for them.💖

[@ElegantOverlord]

What did you feed him? I'm trying to get my cats on better food

[@rustyhowe3907]

@@ElegantOverlord I had to start my cats out slowly with some shredded chicken, added along pork, lamb and beef (mince or chunks is fine and add whatever other types of meat you can find like rabbit, venison etc) then added chicken heart and liver, beef kidney, liver and heart. Threw in 2 sardines or whatever fish I could wrangle up along with 2 eggs (raw or cooked up to you), 2 mussels and 2 oysters (mash these into the mince), two tablespoons of cottage cheese and that's twice a week. This set of ingredient is of course not something to serve up all at once. A chicken foot twice a week for dental. That's a good place to get you started, a channel here on youtube called Paws of Prey is a good channel to go as well. Start your cat off with just a few shreds of new food and mix it into their old food to just get them used to the new stuff. Hope this helps.

[@ElegantOverlord]

@@rustyhowe3907 Thank you so much!! I had my cats try sardines for the first time yesterday! I'm like so terrified of unbalancing my cats diets, so a bit nervous about all that. Do you buy yours from a butcher or no? I am going to go to the vet soon for them, anyway.. I appreciate your advice!

[@rogerdana7950]

Safety is always a concern with our cats, but if you look at the ingredients in commercial food there are a lot of concerns. With raw food, the only concern is if the food is spoiled. Cats have a key sense of bad food. I have had cats all my life and I have lost cats due to the food they ate. My current cats are 21 years of age and 16. Pure raw diet for the most part of their lives. It's a good idea to look for a good pet raw nutritionist.

[@cricklicklers9382]

I make my own raw using a nutritionally balanced recipe. I make about 10 lbs at a time and freeze it in ice cube trays so my measures are consistent. I unload the trays into freezer bags and take out about 2-3 days worth to thaw and keep in the fridge. I grind 1/4 of the chicken thigh bones with the meat, remove 2/3s of the skin, add livers and gizzards, egg yolks, vitamins and minerals, pumpkin, blueberries, and taurine. My cat is thriving. Her fur is gorgeous and her eyes are bright. She looks like a 5-6 year old cat and she’s about 11. I have a quality kibble I leave out for her but it remains untouched 98% of the time. Sometimes I have to travel overnight and that’s when she’ll eat a little kibble but that’s also the only time her poop smells. Homemade raw made with a quality grinder is a really great way to go.

[@lexirolle8213]

Is there a special way to thaw it? I’m considering switching my cats to raw and my vet is very opposed to it. She keeps trying to get me to put my cats on Purina pro plan but the ingredients are horrible

[@ivonned32]

Your humbleness makes it easy to listen to any advice you give and makes it easier for one to calmly make a decision for our selves and beloved cats💓

[@MonsieurSchue]

Thanks for the video! One of the other very noticeable benefits from feeding raw is actually their feces are NOT smelly anymore. This is something if you don't feed raw then you'll never know or not believe. Obviously the urine stream is better too because raw food contains a lot of liquid. I do believe the view that raw is a "species appropriate diet" for cats especially after experiencing that. Obviously this is a strong benefit for human/ pet parents too (who wouldn't love a non-stinky litter box?! lol) Raw food healed my two cats' problems; one with IBD and one with severe skin allergy. The one with allergy was pretty much all year around and the steroids based allergy shots and pills in the end gave him adverse effect for his legs. Contrary to what many people (most vets) think, I do have quite a few friends to switch to raw food and successfully reversed their cats (early) kidney disease. So kidney disease patients can definitely have raw food too. Again it's just because raw is a species appropriate diet while especially the kidney prescription food is just adding excessive salt to make your kitty thirsty and force him to drink water. As for costs, I echo a few other comments here. You can opt for a pre-mix route and just do your own cat food. If you're a completely newbie, just get the ground meat and add in pre-mix powder and water, mix them all nicely and that's it! It really won't take that much time and honestly it can be cheaper than wet food. I live in Canada so I have relatively less choices (and at times more expensive). In US you have TCFeline, Know Better Pet Food, EZComplete and Alnutrin. Just google them up and try any of them. Making your own cat food is really easy as 123. The real challenge is our fridge is not like commercial fridge and won't get to the same level of low temperature; make sure you freeze the meat long enough to kill any microorganisms.

[@DeborahofJesus]

I found the same exact thing. When I get too busy to make raw, and my cat goes back to regular cat food, no matter how high the quality, the feces smell comes back again.

[@crystalinedreams6039]

"if you don't feed raw then you'll never know" i changed my cats diet to strictly science diet canned & kibble with a few better quality treats given daily & have not smelled a thing from my cats or their litterboxes since then. that was 25+ years ago & not only do they not stink they have been very healthy as well. yes it is more expensive but to me the health increase alone is a good reason to spend a bit more for their food. i have checked out many raw diets & do not feel comfortable with some of the additives they tell you that you need to buy to put in with the raw meat.

[@spiralflash6169]

Thank you, Dr. Wooten, for being open-minded and tackling this controversial topic!

[@QueenBee-xd1xk]

Just want to give my experience with raw. I have a 9-year-old cat who is born in my house and his only ever eaten raw food (Darwin's Pet) since she was weaned. I just took her to the vet this week for a checkup. She has never had a dental cleaning has no tooth decay and no tartar at all. That by itself is revolutionary. Her blood panel is all in normal range. And most importantly she's literally and I am not exaggerating never in her 9 years of life had any illness any health problems any digestive problems not even a cold. She is in an ideal weight her coat is healthy and shiny. The other thing about raw food that I think is a testament in itself is the cat's poop. Meaning the cats digest so much of the nutrition and material from the raw food that they poop out these tiny dry little sawdust like pellets that have no odor and no moisture. Because their body is actually using all of the nutrition, there's no byproduct to poop out.

[@PursuingHeaven]

My last girl came to me when my partner and I got together. She was 10 years old and used to living with him in the beautiful mountains of Oregon. She spent a lot of time outside and was used to catching and eating a lot of wild prey. As soon as we brought her to live in California she went down hill and we almost lost her twice. After researching I realized she was not getting proper nutrition and hydration because she was no longer getting raw prey and she was eating mostly dry kibble that had grain. I put her on a raw whole prey diet that ensured she was getting proper hydration and raw enzymes and switched her to just a little Origin dry kibble per day and she lived to be about 23 yrs old. There is no excuse for giving your cat grain. The very little vegetation they get in the wild is in the stomach of their prey and if you ever watch a cat eat after catching a mouse they rarely eat much of the digestive parts of the animal. They are obligatory carnivores and should be eating whole prey.

[@dmndangel]

I do the freeze dried raw food from Stella and Chewy. It’s probably more expensive then if I did a truly raw diet, but I didn’t want to put in the time and also worried about making sure it was balanced. My kittens have been on this pretty much since I got them so can’t really comment on changes in energy or coat, but! The big win for me is that all litter box smells disappeared! Big big win in my opinion.

[@kenziescout2343]

I also fed S&C before our vet talked us into kibble. I would love to hear what a vet thinks of the balance of S&C food!

[@sakuramoonas]

I feed Feline Natural freeze dried and raw. I had to start giving my one kitten kibble because she wasn't eating enough. I've been using it as a topper rehydrated on dry. She loves it so I've been slowly getting rid of the dry. She seems to appreciate her frozen raw more now also. She used to snub her raw for kibble, but it's the other way around now.

[@melissamascorro9682]

Hi! How much do you spend do you think a month? I have a cutie cat that was a stray and want to switch to raw but terrified of doing it myself and getting it wrong!

[@dmndangel]

@@melissamascorro9682 Hey! Between the two cats, I basically go through a bag a week, so that's basically $40 a week. That is definitely not cheap! Would obviously be less with just one cat, but I think the complaints about cost are valid. Still, I'm happy with it. I thought about switching the dogs over to raw, but with larger dogs (we have pitbulls) it was cost prohibitive to go completely raw. So the dogs get half raw (farmer's dog) and half kibble.

[@macmarles3243]

What about the brand Primal?

[@TazHall]

Thank you for sharing your honest thoughts doctor! Regarding the concern of parasites from eating raw prey, you can hit up companies that sell Frozen prey for boa constrictors. I've actually fed those two some foster kittens and they wipe them out head to tail. Some companies also sell frozen quail, rabbits and chicks. One even sold baby guinea pigs. Of course the company has to be clean and reputable. As for why the raw was so much better for your patients and the commercial, let's be honest doctor. Please understand that most of these foods contain additives, plant-based starches and materials cats can't properly metabolize and causes lots of stones and crystals, chemicals preservatives, and the meat and byproducts that are are rendered, meaning ultra pasteurized until they are cooked into oblivion with next to zero nutritional value and all possible nutrients are destroyed. I'm thinking it's the same process as ultra pasteurized milk, it's basically dead milk. We are basically feeding our cats zombie food. That's why you have to replace all the nutrients back with this inferior artificial stuff that lacks the subtle trace elements and absorption qualities needed. I don't claim to be an expert but I am University educated and this is worth investigating doctor. I hope you are open to taking a look at this because it is very important. I think we need to have a little more faith in the pet owners. We can learn. You can simply give us recipe cards to try out and the vets can monitor the animals blood work and stats to make sure it's balanced. Research and data can also be collected from these individual cases and you can track the patterns. I've also seen a trend where my friend who is normally allergic to cats doesn't react very much to my raw fed cats so it seems that he is indirectly allergic to the commercial pet food that is in the cat's system. That is my theory and I await further confirmations since I've only tested this twice. It is also to be noted that he also detoxed and improved his diet as well. If this is true then raw food will also help to get rid of the cat allergy problem and open up even more homes for adoption. That's how we can work well together with our vets but please don't underestimate the people's ability to learn. It's the same like having a child. We can't get a child and just give them cereal everyday. Why should we expect that of any animal? It would be great if vets and pet stores could facilitate raw food workshops to teach people how to prep it and even how to train cats to eat frozen prey to take the pressure off chicken, fish and beef production. It will give more business to people who sell Frozen prey items too! If we got to put our heads together with our vets and really dig and learn, we would be a powerhouse.

[@fionnawheatley9095]

Recommendation in Australia is to use human grade meat only.

[@andreathiessen]

My 8 month old kitten is on a raw food diet :) This diet was recommended by her breeder, so she weaned directly to raw and has never had kibble. She is very healthy and shiny and never sheds! I have been very impressed. I don't trust myself to formulate the right nutrient ratios for her (and also I'm a bit squeamish) so I use a commercial frozen raw food called Big Country Raw (I believe it's only available in Canada). It is NRC compliant and includes bone, organ meat and a small amount of veggies. I rotate her through all the proteins they offer for cats, and I've been very happy with it so far! Thanks for posting this balanced and honest video, it made me feel more confident in my choice to feed raw to my cat!

[@JH-zr8lo]

I started my two 6 month olds on 80-10-10 homemade, raw, they inhaled it like a duck to water. I just adopted a 15 week kitten and she too wolfed it down. I mostly stick to what's market available: chicken, pork, turkey, and always add salmon and fresh liver everyday to their mix. Kibble for treats and occasionally top with can food for variety. Its more of an effort but the more you learn, the less intimidating it is. My crew are like kettlebells with paws, great muscle tone, strong and fabulous fur, & minimal shedding.

[@chocolate4135]

I've been feeding my cat raw meat since she was a kitten. I've also been feeding my cat raw meat, good canned cat food, sometimes good dry cat food, frozen raw cat food. My cat still goes out and hunts mice, birds, lizards, large bugs. My cat likes raw fish, raw pork, she eats the ends off of chicken bones, she likes raw rabbit. My cat goes outside when she feels like it and comes in the house when she feels like it. My cat is now a strong healthy adult cat with healthy fur 🙂

[@kimberlyh.5023]

Killing birds ain't a good thing.

[@MegInWhispers]

please consider keeping your cat indoors. domestic cats have decimated native bird populations because of their unnecessary hunting because owners let them out.

[@nightingailinflorida5458]

@@MegInWhispers My cat, Rafael was feral, while he has learned bedtime means having to come inside, he's indoor/outdoor during the day. And, yes, he hunts, but not the cardinal family in our backyard. Second generation of cardinals are being raised without harm. Cats can learn. We have plenty of birds in our neighborhood, but the bees, dragonflies and other beneficial insects are being decimated by pesticides.

[@logicfirst7959]

As for me, the case was decided when you mentioned your own experience as a doctor in favor of feeding raw. thank you for this informative video

[@deborahmcclain8134]

Thank you for a carefully-balanced discussion that addresses the concerns of groups on both sides of this issue, then leaves the decision to the pet parent. Well done!

[@sergiola310]

Great video. I feed my scottish fold a raw diet mostly Feline Natural & Stella & Chewy's but when i took him to the vet , he had high liver valves - so he went on a dandelion , milk thistle formula & now hes great. I still give him those along with some wet food from Hill's, & Instinct -umm he eats better then me !

[@ApexPrimals]

I feed mine all three diets. Raw, kibble and wet food. He’s muscular, bright and active

[@66REDD66]

We do too. We have 8 and they eat raw chicken thigh/breast, pork, sometimes steak. Raw ox liver, ox kidney and ox heart. They have packets of felix or gourmet and they have Hills adult chicken kibble. All 8 are glossy and healthy and happy and do not poo much. 👍

[@nikkis7375]

Always so interested in this topic! I really hope there are more peer reviewed studies in the near future! I’ve heard a handful of vets highly recommend raw diets, but also say it is very important to make sure you have certain nutrients like you said!!

[@spiralflash6169]

Not likely since those studies are usually funded by the big pet food manufacturers...

[@sakuramoonas]

Yeah there is not as much money in raw compared to canned or dry food. Plus the average american wants something fast and easy. Only raw studies you find online are big corporations saying why raw is bad.

[@GazeboDweeb]

We don't need studies for something that is so common sense it's silly we even have to say it.

[@sjaskowski4743]

Fed my 16 yo cat home made raw food fed for 15 years is incredibly youthful and healthy. Haven't had the need for a vet for 14 years. Didn't Vax her either. Fed her how mother nature designed her to eat. Not out of a box, bag or can.

[@AllAboutCatsYT]

Good for you.

[@ordinarythe9830]

it would be nice if you share the raw diets for newbie like me ~ the basic diet i know is : meat, fish, chick liver/heart, canxi (bones, eggshell), veggie

[@EluxeM]

My cats are FeLV positive and eat raw chicken, alone with Bravery kibble. But we freeze the chicken (liver, necks, hearts, breast) for 2-3 days before thawing it for their breakfast. That's meant to kill the parasites. We also give them the occasional raw egg. We wash all kitchen surfaces with a colloidal silver wash. It has been many years of this and they are thriving.

[@TheLittleCarnivore]

What a great video! It’s nice to see a reasonable and objective point of view! As a raw feeder I share all these concerns.

[@fredygump5578]

Raw can be cheaper than canned food, and easy! I pack mine in cheap deli style cups that hold 1 day's worth, and I always have one thawing in the fridge for the next day. I figured it costs $0.92/ 4.5oz daily serving. That translates to $3.30/lb, compared to quality (not raw) canned food that costs double. I also wash and re-use the cups, so I'm not filling the landfill with tiny cat food cans. Making it and packing it takes some time, but it's kind'a like making cookies.

[@guitarlearningtoplay]

lol😂

[@fredygump5578]

@@guitarlearningtoplay Guess what I pay per pound. Then try to lol!

[@newkkl]

Raw food reversed my cat’s IBD. Guess what gave him IBD in the first place? The industrial waste they pack up and sell to us as pet food.

[@calleymichelle1510]

As long as you feed a low phosphorus diet for cats with KD, which is possible. Meats like beef and bones are high in phosphorus. Add edd shells for calcium organs and chicken. And it's perfect for cats with KD. High protein diet is false they can have high protein so long as you avoid high phosphorus foods for them.

[@calleymichelle1510]

@@invincibel4007" Calcium is a phosphorus binder, so add small amounts of finely ground eggshell to each meal (½ teaspoon per pound of food) to help reduce the amount of phosphorus absorbed by the body " yep!

[@nighthawk_predator1877]

Vets in general are not very positive about raw feeding, mine included. I get my cat tested yearly to make sure he is on track. Between the policing of vets by these medical boards to tow the line on promoting commercial pet foods and the fact that vets just aren't getting the information in vet schools, nor are they motivated to steer their clients away from the products they sell in their practices, it's not surprising too many are anti raw feeding vets. Just my opinion.

[@paulbaker6051]

Dr. Wooten, thanks for all this valuable information. I haven't had a cat as a family member in over 30 years, but plan on adopting, but first doing my do diligence. I want to make sure my cat has a happy and healthy life.

[@bb7961]

So happy this type of a comment that there are others like me doing their research before-hand. I have a cat who is 2.5 yrs old now and I’ve learnt so many things from raising him. You learn everyday

[@sindicta5757]

My vet sells commercial BARF diets at the clinic, he and his assistant have both been very helpful and informative and I was so happy to find a vet who actually seems to know about nutrition beyond "give them pro plan they'll be fine" - my cat has had chronic diarrhea for months, pro plan did NOT work for her.

[@Needsmoreflash]

What an unfortunate acronym. No wonder your cat got sick😕

[@kenzielacosta8244]

Thank you for all that you do on this channel and as a vet. We need more vets everywhere.

[@egds64]

Vet here. AAFCO doesn't have moral authority to say raw food is not balanced...maybe, maybe not. The average content of carbohydrates (sugar -which is not written on the cat food label-) in any bag of commercial dry food (AAFCO approved) is around 30% (!!!), and that, ladies and gentlemen, IS NOT balanced, because natural requeriments of carbs (sugar) for cats is ZERO, or at best 1 to 3%, which is in the stomach content of prey (mostly insoluble and indigestible fiber). In my 20 years of experience feeding and recommending raw food I haven't seen but benefits. Raw food is the best thing owners can do for for their beloved cats. Thanks for your video.

[@AquilaTheHun]

I have a question. Is it true that too much protein intake will (might) eventually lead to renal failure? And they say that's why we should minimise protein (raw meat is quite rich in it...) especially with senior cats. I can accept this but what would you substitute protein with? Carbs? (What else...). That's insane (for the very reason you mentioned). Thanks!

[@ivanwilliamanderson5662]

@@AquilaTheHunOf course not. Cat is carnivore just like dog, wolf, tiger and bear, their 90% diet is another animal product. It just like saying a cow will die if eating too much grass

[@AquilaTheHun]

@@ivanwilliamanderson5662 okay but what about the protein overload from raw meat contributing largely to renal diseases? (to which senior cats are prone to anyway...)

[@ivanwilliamanderson5662]

@@AquilaTheHun wait, what did you mean by renal disease is same as kidney failure or stone ? If that what you talking about, Cat kidney issues or urethral problem is not caused by protein but by magnesium or another mineral that usually found on Dry or Wet Food. Or if the owner only feed their cat with dry food that has very low water percentage in it. Cats are only need animal product such as meat, fat, organs, bones, etc. They dont really need carbs, mineral, or other bullshit formula that Dry Food has.

[@talkingheadzzz2449]

Thank you for talking about this in such an intelligent manner.

[@veronical3135]

Stray cats eat mice and birds, the only difference with dry pet foods is someone is making money off of it and some contain bad things that makes our pets full of disease such as cancer, liver disease etc. People forgot to be in touch with mother nature since we get everything in a package. I’m currently feeding 2 stray cats, they prefer to eat raw fish and cooked fish over the dry food. They’re crazy about it and they stopped touching the dry food. That says something.

[@jazmineraymond7495]

Mother nature can be full of parasites and bad bacteria, house cats usually live longer than outdoor cats.

[@BK-ty6mt]

I adopted a Devon Rex at 15 years old who had numerous skin issues including weeping tummy sores. I was directed to an online cat food website who taught me to prepare and balance a raw cat food diet. Within 2 weeks all his weeping sores were gone, he was a more active. I now have two rescue cats and they are both on Raw cat food they absolutely love it. The doctor was right the owner has to learn how to balance the food to ensure proper nutrition.

[@intuitionsbyniko7537]

My cat had been dealing with some sores on his mouth area/ chin:( I’m trying to figure something out

[@kaylirobles35]

I'm so happy to hear the diet helped!

[@AlondraGaete]

What is the website please?

[@Dreamsswt]

My 13 year old Devon Rex is started to get skin issues. Can I ask for the website you used? I was told that I shouldn’t switch an adult cats diet but I think raw would really help her

[@intuitionsbyniko7537]

@@Dreamsswt I know this isnt the answer you’re looking for but in the meantime try using organic coconut oil on ur cats skin it cleared my cats sores right up. U can also add it into their food

[@yutorzh7144]

My two kitties thrive on fully home prepared chunked raw. They have been both raw fed for over a year. Our youngest went onto raw right as she was weaned and the other went to raw when he was 8 months old. Some of the benefits ourselves and our vet has seen: Perfect lean weight, muscular, extremely active, high but balanced energy, excellent behaviour, tiny odorless poops, soft shiny coat, perfect sparkling teeth and gums, perfect blood panel, no health issues, no allergies, no itchy skin, no parasites and the list goes on. Time - A two hour meal prep every two weeks. Cost - $1.50 to $2.50 per cat, per day. Depends on what we can get our hands on. Currently our girl eats 110g/day and our boy eats 125g/day. List of what they get as part of their diet: - Chicken, turkey, duck, pork, beef and lamb chunks - Chicken and beef heart chunks - Lamb, beef and chicken liver - Beef and lamb kidney - Chicken toes and whole quail chunks - Quail eggs - Smelts - Mussels - Small portion of premade ground - Green tripe - Bone broth - Cat grass - Blueberries - vitamin E, iodine drops, zinc picolonate It's balanced to NRC and AFFCO guidelines throughout the course of two weeks. Everything they need nutritionally for two weeks goes into their prep jars. 250ml mason jars are what we use. One jar holds one days worth of food for one cat. Again it only takes me two hours to prep everything for two weeks. Took longer at first but you learn how to streamline. It's actually very fun and everyone gets excited when it's meal prep day.

[@razzmatazz4560]

Where do you source the meat? Is it the same ones at the store for humans or do you go to a specific store?

[@yutorzh7144]

@catastrofy Yes cats have a very low thirst drive as they have evolved to get all their water from prey! My cats are much more hydrated after they switched to canned and then to raw. We also got them a rock water fountain for drinking and they love that! Chronic persistent dehydration in cats also causes kidney and bladder stones and crystals in the urine. Obviously there is a genetic and environmental side to these conditions as well but persistent dehydration from kibble consumption exasperates the issue since it causes the urine to be very concentrated. I've had cats in the past with urine crystals and kidney failure and just switching to canned food made massive improvements in their illness. Even just adding bone broth to kibble is a great way to boost hydration in a cheap and easy way.

[@sueblowes1595]

Very interesting, full of good information about pros and cons and the dangers. This get is also very easy to listen to. I am sure going to try raw food diet but need to find out how to make it balanced diet for my cats. Thank you

[@saraneria3407]

There’s products out there that do it for you apparently like “ezcomplete” or “Alnutrin” You just need to get the meat and mix it with either one of those and you’re done

[@Hkfood92]

I love your videos thank you so much Dr.Sarah Wooten for taking ur time to do these videos ❤

[@stellat2405]

Raw diet saved my diabetic, kidney failure, cat from the bloody dry food. Also my other cat with cancer survived switching to raw+cbd oil. How can we wonder why raw food (appropriately administered as the vet said) is best? It is natural!

[@HealthandWellnessER]

When you feed raw you can see the advantages for yourself they are vast. I have meal prep videos that can help in the transition to raw.

[@localchumb]

Thank for for all this info!! Have you guys been experiencing a shortage on cat food in your areas? Specifically wet food. I’m fortunate enough to set alerts that notify me when things are restocked online but I know of some folks that have to go store to store and it sometimes they never find any. Maybe there’s a video in that somewhere

[@draconicgrl]

Since my cat has been on dry food for most of her life, I continue to give her such unless her diet calls for something else (swapping to wet food for need of weight loss). On the other side... When I am cutting chicken or fish, I do in fact give her a couple little chunks and enjoy doing so as I know she REALLY likes raw chicken, even more so than cooked chicken.

[@rhomp_son7973]

This makes sense when you explained they ate the whole animal, including what's in their gut. I noticed my cat became a bit constipated when fully switched to raw. Now I mix in a teaspoon of carrot in his meal to solve the problem.

[@katherine1304]

i come from an exotic pet background. with exotic pets, you give them as close to what they’d eat in the wild as possible because that’s what their bodies are built to break down. my boyfriend and i just got a kitten so i naturally looked into raw because that’s simply what their bodies are built to break down and i was gobsmacked when the vet treated me like i was trying to do some hippy dippy alternative thing with my cat and urged us not to. i just don’t get it. the cat came before the dry and wet food industry. there’s no reason not to? all felines in a zoo or wildlife rehab are going to be fed raw. as long as you source well and understand that carnivores eat all parts of the body and do that right, what the hell is the problem?

[@AllAboutCatsYT]

Good questions. From what I understand, the main concerns are 1. Public health concerns, i.e. the cat eats food with salmonella, salmonella comes out in their poop, the human scoops the litter box or pets the cat with traces of feces on their coat...the human gets salmonellosis. Disease from this infection is rare in cats but can be severe for humans. 2. Nutritional adequacy; studies of many homemade cat food recipes found that most were nutritionally inadequate, so the cat could end up with deficiencies. Foods formulated to meet official nutrient guidelines, though, are no different whether raw, dry, or anything else. 3. Appeal to nature fallacy; what's natural isn't necessarily better, *but* in this case, it certainly seems it isn't worse and could be a lot better.

[@katherine1304]

see but i’m not feeding my reptiles live or anything. i get taking safety precautions and being humane, and that’s different than what happens in the wild. i just mean the type of food ITSELF is what they’d be eating in the wild. because that’s what they’re SUPPOSED to be eating

[@joelandkatelyn]

Our journey started about a decade ago with rescue kittens that weren’t thriving. Switching to a homemade raw food showed an instant effect and once we added fermented vegetables for probiotics all digestive complaints pretty much ceased. We’ve made mistakes along the way but there is no denying the results you get from raw feeding!

[@biancacdb]

Hey guys. Where can I find nice homemade recipes ?

[@yolandajoystar888]

This vet doesn't seem very confident or well informed. It's just so obvious that cats shouldn't eat dry food, it's completely unnatural considering they catch their prey alive and eat every part of the animal! Feeding a cat or a dog dry food is abuse... considering they cannot effectively chew and grind their food. They swallow a lot of food whole, so it's amazing that dry food doesn't cause them to choke. It shows how adaptable animals are. There is a right way to feed your pet, and dry food is NOT one of them...unless you don't care about your pet dying prematurely.

[@LuckyPawss]

*Greetings from Turkey*

[@GregoryMalek-Jones]

To think an Obligate Carnivore or Hyper Carnivore should not be fed a raw diet is completely backwards and anti common sense.

[@marciamartins1992]

Yes, this is a conumdrum especially with cats with ckd. I'm at wits end and about to put my baby down. Meat has phosphates and that is causing the kidney failure? Didn't find out till it's too late. always fed her fancy feast caned with water added.

[@stephaniecrahal5336]

I've been feeding raw to my cats for 10 years. I had a cat with chronic kidney disease who was diagnosed at age 14. I switched her from dry food to canned and frozen raw (Rad Cat), and she lived until she was 16. My current cats are 8 and 6 years old. The 8-year-old has IBD and allergies, and when we give canned foods in addition to raw, both get worse, and we have the data including his symptoms on an Excel sheet to prove it. We are transitioning him to solely raw. The 6-year-old has been FIV positive since birth (SNAP+ and verified with IFA), and he eats about 25% canned food and 75% raw, but he has no health issues. We feed them both frozen raw (Bobcat foods from Houston, TX, which meets AAFCO standards) and Stella & Chewy's freeze-dried morsels (also meets AAFCO standards). I do not worry about my FIV+ cat's immune system, because he is asymptomatic, and because the health benefits of raw outweigh the risk of salmonella or other raw food pathogens. The raw foods we give carry a very low risk since they are frozen or freeze-dried, and we practice safe food handling techniques. I worked in food service for 14 years, but raw meat handling is common sense. I'm vegetarian, but most people work with raw meat on a daily basis when cooking for themselves, and this is no different.

[@woodstream6137]

Besides cats, i also have some pet snakes. If you really wanted to commit to ancestral (I don't), you can buy frozen mice, rats, chicks, and quail of various sizes.

[@lisadieter-burns]

I appreciate your expertise and open feedback. Great information.

[@9liveslisa]

Thank you for addressing this conversation. I'll continue feeding my cats commercial cat food.

[@prettyprudent5779]

No more poop smell after starting my cat in raw. It’s incredible! ♥️

[@dodiewallace41]

Typically my cats live 20+ years. They are fed commercial food, meat and fish scraps. I expect their long life span has a lot to do with them being indoor only and that I add water to their food.

[@richic4319]

I have made my own cat and dog food for 10 years and kibble is the reason vets have a job, kibble is the worst for animals period!

[@laughingvampire7555]

cats: eating raw foods for millions of years. humans: we shouldn't feed raw food. why is it controversial? cats evolve with raw food, I mean even with humans we have learned that industrial food has lots of problems, people living in paleolitic tribes with unprocessed foods have no cavities and we in industrialized nations have tons of them.

[@cynthiafarris1051]

I love how objective you are. Looking for more of your videos.

[@sherfinley8855]

Great topic. Thanks for the information & your opinion.

[@Bradmurphy13]

I stopped all dry food and cats horrid bowel smell from it has stopped and his fur is far healthier

[@charlesvgoff]

I have a 10-year old male Manx that I'm about halfway through the process of converting to raw. Changing him from dry to wet was pretty easy and going from wet to raw is proving pretty easy too. The only problem I ran into was that he was used to grazing with his dry food so I had to introduce him to the concept of mealtime. For safety reasons you can't leave the food out for more them 30- to 40-minutes. So anything he hasn't eaten by then goes bye bye; he's getting used to it. If you're thinking about making it yourself be sure to research because it's not as easy as grinding up some raw food. It requires an investment of time and money. Also, even if you're feeding a commercial raw food it time much more of your time than feeding dry or raw. You'll spend 15- to 20-minutes either thawing or rehydrating the food all while your VERY hungry cat is screaming at you to hurry up.

[@SpoonyOrbit]

I feed my cat a balance of wet and dry from open farm and she gets fresh spring water not from tap every day. I just haven't tried to go raw yet as I'm not sure of good sources for that kind of diet. Her coat is good and so far everything else is good.

[@TheKatara345]

Thank you for sharing this. I'm doing research and there's a lot of ambiguities and you explained many of them :D

[@KristineMarieG]

I find it really ridiculous that some veterinarians would feel "uncomfortable" to discuss about raw meat diets with their clients. It is pretty evident that since cats are natural carnivores, a raw meat diet is so much more beneficial for them in the long run! The commercial dry kibbles that are fed to cats contain so many different sugars and carbohydrates that a cat's digestive system is not naturally designed to biologically digest & utilize. These undigested sugars and carbohydrates are the reason why cats (and dogs) eventually become so obese and quickly develop diabetes. Instead of veterinarians feeling "uncomfortable" about discussing raw meat diets with their clients, they should be actively advocating raw meat diets to their clients for the sake of cats' (and dogs') overall health and well-being.

[@keepthefaith2655]

I feed my cat a human grade wet cat food called honest kitchen, I also feed him a little dry food (purina HA for his allergies).. and I just sent him to the vet and they said that his fur is so healthy and clean..

[@thomascoy3195]

I have a Savannah and was told raw is the preferred diet

[@ericag2233]

This was a very helpful discussion. I had briefly considered trying my cat on raw, but had the same concerns that I would have if I was eating raw: it would be too risky. I am happy that I stayed with cooked commercial cat food. Thank you.

[@zeroheroes4081]

In what way is raw food too risky?

[@shedyemai]

@@zeroheroes4081 higher risk for microbes, like parasites etc. cooking to a certain temp will kill those.

[@zeroheroes4081]

@@shedyemai For humans or for the cat? If you worry for the cat's sake, I'd rather take the small risk of a cat getting a parasite, treat it if it happens, and have a healthy cat compared to modern cat food where the risk of health problems and earlier death is high...

[@shedyemai]

@@zeroheroes4081 I was only answering your question, not debate about raw food 🤷‍♀️

[@TazHall]

If you ever consider trying again a simple fix to the bacteria problem is washing the meat with some white vinegar and water. Just have a bowl of water tip a little white vinegar in there and rinse. That's actually how I prepare meat for myself as well. In the islands we wash our meat.

[@danadeliavasilca1229]

I feed my cats ( all saved ) with raw meat and a Little dry food and they live and lived healthy about 17-20 yrs . They are exceptions , some cats suffered a lot of illnesses and traumas outside, so happen rarely early deads. The dry and wet food Have a lot of chemichals. How could be healthy a food wich can stay 2 yrs in the stores ? They are good veterinary diets but the rest Is just a lot of Biiiig profit.

[@arat9648]

Red dog, blue cat raw food is amazing. All of the meat is ethically sourced, the factories are very clean, and they offer a wide range of proteins for my cat!

[@emmas816]

I gave a raw 1 day old chick to my cat, she got very sick with diarrhea non stop for may weeks. Previously to that she was eating small portions of ground chicken neck without any problems - as an addition to dry cat's food.

[@pjdelucala]

I bought a meat grinder. I grind chicken meat, chicken live, and chicken hearts. I add chicken bone powder and krill oil. I also feed them Farmina kibble which is a high qualitly dry food as well as Nelo wet can food which has no fillers or grains.

[@devbandy9004]

I agree with your observation but I refrain to go with raw because of the environment we live. Here any raw protein we buy from grocery store we never know when that is packaged and often recall of meat/fish really scares the hell out of me. I would rather cook and feed healthy food . If and only if in future if I can raise fish or chicken, then I can go raw.

[@BunnyLang]

Thanks for the tip about trying the packaged raw food first.

[@vapeking466]

I would be interested in your thoughts on wysong brand vet developed food.

[@dj-ff9su]

We sell Big Country Raw at my work, and we have nutritionally balanced dinners.

[@dj-ff9su]

A customer we had told us her vet said they would fire them as clients if they began to feed their cat raw.

[@thunderdragon8341]

thing is cats and dogs have eaten raw food for generations it wasn't till kibble came around that ppl switched feeding kibble is like us eating junk food all the time i feed my cat feeder mice from the pet store and a bit of kibble

[@zerad3307]

Feed my 3months kitten raw beef and she love it!

[@brunohiss]

Always a pleasure to hear, always full of good information. Thanks, doc Wooten! Love from Brazil! ps. What about raw meat specifically? Surely you've mentioned some of it in this video, but I'm wondering about giving my cat half of premium dry commercial food, and half of raw beef meat. She loves them both; and this is meat coming from good butcher shops (we humans eat it, but I realize it's cooked, not raw), I wash everything before and after, don't let it linger on her plate, I freeze it and thaw it in the fridge, etc. Anyway, would love to hear your thoughts on this.

[@paulbaker6051]

I've seen Organic food for dogs sold at pet stores, but not cat food. After watching several vidoe's by vets and also Jackson Gallexy, I would def feed my future cat raw food and would add whatever vitamins they would need.

[@nighthawk_predator1877]

I have been transitioning my cat to raw for several months now. I had blood test done b4 as a base line. I use mostly raw food from small companies like raw paws. Commercial kibble is the worst thing we could feed our cats. People ahould be very concerned about the # of recalls of commercial kibble. My cat has more energy and his eyes are even brighter. I am sold on raw feeding but u have to learn about cat nutrition nutrition.

[@Evamjau1]

I know our parasite teacher strictly said “dont feed raw they will get parasites..” and so on..she said its better to at least cook the meat and then give them the food. I was always confused by her sayings since ik processed food is kinda bad. I want to try to include raw food for him soon:)

[@kenzielacosta8244]

My goodness I am in a rut trying to find out a good food to switch too. Ugh. Its so confusing. My vet and friend who I work for suggests Purina pro plan. But thats what was stuck in her pylorus! She's healthy and we aren't sure why it was even stuck. Her Bowel movements were hard clay like when we went into her intestines I need tonfind something to help with this. Ugh. Thank God shes healing fast and well. Shes my Turbo!

[@Keirfey]

I fed raw to Devons. Their coats and teeth were healthy and the litter box DIDN'T stink.

[@Keirfey]

My father was a DVM. I was too allergic to follow in footsteps.

[@Keirfey]

I would have preferred being or a musician or politician

[@delphinet4851]

Thank you for this video, it is exactly what I was looking for! Could you do a video on Cat food allergies and/or other allergies cats can have? Thank you :)

[@pound66]

I’m 2nd that. One of my kitten have asthma, he is just about 11-12 months old. I must stick around to give him spray 2-3 times a day. 😢

[@invincibel4007]

Have you tried feeding a raw diet?

[@spiralflash6169]

I would very much love to see a video on food allergies. I was transitioning my cat from kibble to wet to raw, and was feeding about half wet and half raw, but she was scratching and vomiting so much I got scared, took her to a vet, and she was given an awful “prescription” diet. I feel like I’m letting her down, and should just continue the transition since I found out she has nothing serious wrong with her. I think she’s allergic to chicken and/or wheat.

[@cherylgardner364]

thank you for being brave and stating your professional opinion on raw diets which im sure goes against a lot of what you've been taught and what your colleagues likely scoff at. I can see how careful you have to be so you don't say the wrong thing here and it's sad that proper testing isn't done on raw food benefits so we can potentially stop being the problem in our pet's diseases. Thank you for the info

[@Drunkytron]

Thank you for this Dr. Sarah, I just subscribed. Been trying to introduce my cat to freeze dried raw food. She ain’t having it though, not even in minuscule doses. She can smell it when I mix it with her regular can foods. I’d feel a lot better about her health if I could get her on a raw food diet. She’ll be 14 soon. Sorry to ramble. Thanks for posting this

[@sakuramoonas]

Try putting a piece or two on the side, not mixed in with the canned food. It might take them a bit to eat it but eventually they will see it as food. That's what I did with my one kitten. I put a dab of canned food right next to her kibble, if I just mixed it in or put a plate of it in front of her she would ignore it completely and walk away. I did the same thing with freeze dried. I'm at the point where I can feed her mostly rehydrated freeze dried with a little kibble mixed in.

[@Drunkytron]

@@sakuramoonas I guess I’ll try that for awhile, thank you for the suggestion

[@Drunkytron]

Hey! I just got her to eat some of it! Gave her some more, but she’s not quite ready for seconds yet. It’s early in the day though

[@mikoto7693]

Another trick is to target her when she’s hungry. I discovered my cat loves cat milk by offering it when I knew she was thirsty.

[@TazHall]

When I was transitioning my adult cats they would turn their noses up at the little bit that I introduced so I actually had to sit on the ground and shove the food in their mouth and allow them to chew it. Then they would sit there and lick their lips as they contemplated the new flavor. They eventually acquired the taste and now they drool for it every time I prep in the sink. You just have to be persistent. If you have to sit beside them and stick the food in their mouth so they can chew on it and get the taste. By all means, do what it takes. For me it was an emergency and it helped to save my cat from further complications. Ps. Glad to hear you're having some progress!

[@PrivateEyeYiYi]

The “grain free” foods are deceptive. Some of them contain rice (a grain) but make no apologies for the inconsistency while charging a premium for these “no grain” foods. They often contain other nongrain vegetable matter such as chickpeas, blueberries, etc.

[@jennie9]

True enough. The only kibble I've found without any of that is Dr. Elsey's chicken formula.

[@calleymichelle1510]

Alot of them contain beans which is not good for dogs and cats.

[@hammypie]

It was SO difficult finding wet cat food with decent ingredients that did NOT say grain-free. And all of them contained too many carb sources, so it’s pointless being grain free. A balanced raw diet is always superior.

[@PrivateEyeYiYi]

@@jennie9 Dr Elsey’s replaces carbs (like guar gum) with gelatin, a protein derived from animal cartilage. Kind of a genius move because while it’s an obvious solution to an issue, no other pet food company thought of it, at least that I know of. It’ll be good if they start doing it themselves. Gelatin can’t be that expensive.

[@jennie9]

@@PrivateEyeYiYi The other thing I like about Dr. Elsey's is that the kibble is bigger than many other brands, so I can toss it for my cats to chase instead of feeding them from a dish. They won't chase kibble that's too small.

[@jerikarason2339]

A carnivore diet for dog, cats and People is the most healthiest way of eating. Your pet is not a veggie dependent creature.. The vitamins are in the raw that they need.. If you worry about bacteria then you can cook their meat.. As a human I found And eating only carnivore all body issues are gone. Yes I cook my meat but no carbs at all.. just animal product .

[@davidjd123]

I find it so funny that feeding a cat raw meat is controversial lol, "you better not feed your cat its natural diet."

[@GazeboDweeb]

This is really interesting and funny. IDK WTF we are doing thinking kibble will be better for them. Animals can't COOK their food, they are HUNTERS. This is what makes them Carnivores. Cats would be balancing their own nutrients by eating intuitively and they brain and body would make them crave certain things so that they would get a missing nutrient in a different food. So, I think trusting your cat also helps as well as offering them a variety. Also, kibble is a disease promoting diet. Just look at all the human illnesses our pets are getting. It's because we're feeding them PROCESSED food. When you compare Human guts to our ancestors our guts are WAY SHORTER than chimps. Which means, we are LESS able to process plants. Which is why Humans have evolved to be closer to carnivores than Herbivores. If your cat is sick you should DEFINITELY feed them a more nutrient dense ancestral diet. Kibble = Killing Kitty!

[@luk8211]

Thank you for this video! I'm a molecular biologist and my main concern with switching over to raw is not knowing appropriate amounts of vitamins and minerals I should use to make the food nutritionally balanced. My old cat lived to 20 years of age on commercial wet and dry food. He was healthy most of the time except the last couple of years when he got heart failure. I'd hate to go with the hype, experiment and risk my new kitten's life.. Also, don't cats in the wild live less than 20 years on average?! I suspect balanced food help extend the cats life and not the other way around. 🤔

[@zeroheroes4081]

My oldest and first cat is 19 years, perfectly healthy, and has never been sick a day in her life. Always lived on the country side with her, so the only day she hasn't been outside was the day after she was sterilised. Haven't fed her raw food (though I plan to start as she's too old to hunt and I don't like how the dry food is affecting her), but she has mostly eaten mice and birds during her entire lifetime. Her sister on the other hand (adopted by my sister) lived in an apartment and got fed expensive canned food. That cat had a bad temperament sometimes, wasn't as lean and playful as mine and got issues with vomiting when she was around 14 I think, and died a couple of hours after the vets had cleaned her teeth. This is just my personal experience of a raw diet vs processed cat food, but that along with other people's stories and Pottenger's study on cat's health from raw meat & milk vs cooked meat & pasteurised milk, I wouldn't prefer commercial cat food over raw cat food. I wouldn't link wild cats' shorter lifespan to their diet either, it's more about how they live much harsher lives. One of my cats got diarrhea once and I took him to vet, turned out he had gotten a bacteria in his blood from either a tick or something he had eaten. He was fine the next day and was on medication for about two weeks, but if he had been a wild cat he probably would have died within a few days from water loss.

[@MonsieurSchue]

You can still have balanced food feeding raw. Wild cats have a shorter life span is not because of the food but more about the danger of the world, having either other carnivore enemies (or cars if in the cities).

[@xeyladeath]

Cats in the wild live short lives because they eat parasite-ridden, disease-ridden and sick animals. Domestic cats rely on their humans to source clean, safe food. Cats in the wild also start eating raw between 4 and 5 weeks of age. A raw diet is perfect for a kitten if you know where to buy the pre-made food, or if you learn how to make it yourself. There are a few facebook groups who specialize in raw feeding, but they can get overzealous in their opinions and advice. They mean well, but their calculations for every macro/micro nutrient is too much for a lot of people. I am a member of Feline Nutrition group, and Raw feeding for IBD cats group. They have helped me take the steps to going partial raw for our cat, and it was the best thing I could have done for him.

[@TazHall]

Some factors you want to consider is that feral cats do not have the benefit of human protection and shelter from the elements and predators. I would imagine they experience higher stress trying to survive too which could also shorten life. Also the lack of medical care and transmittable diseases between animals. I wouldn't blame it all on their wild diet. At the end of the day try to have an open mind and don't knock it until you try it. Continue researching and watching and see what you think 👍 If anything your cat might have gotten lucky with Strong genes and lots of love.

[@fionnawheatley9095]

Balanced is super important … good raw foods for cats are balanced correctly. Look at raw meow mix. Contains, bone, taurine fish oil, egg yolk…etc…

[@inecita1958]

A raw diet is fantastic, I made and fed my cat with it. What no one tells you is that you must be very precise and careful because you may cause major health issues if you somehow miss something or not measure exactly right all ingredients. I know this from personal experience!

[@steamedtato7691]

What kind of issues?

[@nnecronomnomnomiconn7114]

I don’t know if anyone is talking about this but the switch from or to a raw diet should be gradual. I really don’t think it’s okay to switch foods suddenly, especially with cats

[@draenx3926]

Thank you for this great video! I have been doing lots of research about cat food since me and my partner got our kittens this month. In their old home, they were fed with dry food and deli meats. I didn't think those were the appropriate food to them so I slowly transitioned them from dry food to homecooked food (which is what they are having now). I have done my research regarding the essential supplements needed to be added and what ingredients i should and should not add to their food. From time to time, I would offer them slightly-boiled chicken hearts and meats to see if they would want it. My kitten Luna loved it, although she still prefers the cooked meal. My other kitten Luca would only smell and play with it. I am still yet to try giving them raw meats. I guess even if we want our pets to have the best possible nutrition, it is still down to our pets if they want it or not. What I am sure of is my kittens love the soups/broths i made them 😁