Question:
I'm trying out the nature's variety prairie stuff now. My cats do not like it cold. Can anyone recommend a microwave time / setting that will warm it up without cooking it too much?
Also, is it ok to mix the raw food with a wet food? I would think so but I don't fully understand all the stuff about bacteria and parasites.
Lastly, has anyone tried the lamb or venison varieties when feeding cats? I'm not sure if those are more for dogs than cats...
Answer:
I've never used Natures Variety myself, but am familiar with other frozen mixes.
I wouldn't reccomend microwaving at all. Instead you can put the food in a zip lock baggy and submerge in hot water to take the edge off.
I still have to put a sliver of wet food ontop of each meal for Nya. She's miss fussy and won't eat it otherwise. Doing this is fine. It's kibble that you do not want to mix at the same meal.
I've never tried Lamb or Venison for the kitties, as I've only seen those meats for dogs. I've thought about buying Lamb from Urban Carnivore and mixing my own veggies and suppliments in, but it's a lot of effort, and a BIG box of lamb if they don't like it!
--JA

Answer:
Agree- cooking raw food seems to defeat the purpose.
I bag my frozen raw foods into individual serving baggies and refreeze them when I buy it. I thaw in the refrigerator- when the cats eat tonights meal I'll put tomorrows in to thaw.
Don't thaw at room temperature- too many bacteria grow. I had sloppy thawing technique myself until my vet called me on it after my kitties got diarrhea.
To heat it I just toss a single serving baggie into a small bowl of very hot water and it's body (eating) temperature in about five minutes.
Answer:
I actually wanted to add, it would actually be dangerous to microwave or cook the food in any way if it contains bone, even ground up bone.
--JA

Answer:
This is just something that everybody who feeds raw frozen food should read:
http://wysong.net/PDFs/caserawfrozen.pdf
Answer:
I've read Dr. Wysong's take on Frozen raw diets, and I respectfully disagree with much of what he's got to say.
--JA

Answer:
I did not choose my food without doing my homework, and I am very secure in what I am feeding.
Respectfully- Dr. Wysong is selling Wysong foods. Every pet food manufacturer on the planet has a webpage outlining the dangers of using anything except their own brand.
It's called marketing.
Answer:
Quote: Respectfully- Dr. Wysong is selling Wysong foods. Every pet food manufacturer on the planet has a webpage outlining the dangers of using anything except their own brand.
It's called marketing.
Doesn't the paper say:
Quote: (Note: Although the authors are associated with the technical development of the Wysong products mentioned above, the reader should not misconstrue the information as a commercial inducement. Wysong will teach people for free how to fresh-food-feed using only products purchased in the meat and vegetable aisles in the grocery. Although Wysong products provide convenient and supplemental alternatives and variety, no Wysong product is required to be purchased in order to achieve this superior method of feeding. The position is taken at Wysong that health professionals [which we are] have an ethical responsibility to help people prevent disease and thus are duty bound to teach people how to not need their services. So that is exactly what we do. Wysong products are a mere tool to help people along that path to the ideal goal of health self-sufficiency.)
This info comes from someone else:
http://www.irishdogs.ie/News/20050720.htm
Answer:
I was feeding a small amount of raw food to my boys (mostly to avoid the shock of not getting their normal food and to slowly introduce it to their diet) and the packaging specifically says NOT to microwave, but to use hot water instead.
I'm no longer feeding the food to them because after about a week, Scotty threw it up right after two separate, yet back-to-back feedings (he was feeling fine and hasn't thrown up since). Needless to say, I now have frozen medallions still in my freezer.
Jade, Scotty, and Oscar

Answer:
Well, I don't know....
I have been feeding my two cats the nature's variety prairie brand for about three months and they are thriving on it.
They didn't like it at first, but they love it now. I never have a problem with them wanting to eat it. They get very excited about it in fact. They never liked canned food this much, not even fancy feast.
I think there may be a period of adjustment. It may take a little time for cats to get used to it, but I believe (from my experience) it has been worth sticking with it .
I feed it to them slightly warmed up but still very rare sometimes, mostly because it has been cold where I live. My Vet said that this is fine to do. It isn't like canned, it is still fresh high quality meat.
I just don't understand why this subject is so controversial. Cats are predators... Weren't they designed to eat raw meat? I mean cats love to hunt and eat their prey. They have been doing this for as long as there have been cats. What should be under question is feeding cats foods that they were never meant to eat.
My cats hunt and eat their prey frequently. I have had cats for the last 50 years that did the same. I can't imagine a cat that has never done any hunting. I mean that is what they do... isn't it? They love to hunt. All my cats that did lived long happy, healthy lives.
Why is it so weird for cats to eat raw meat now? I just don't understand why raw meat is bad now after 55 million years of mammals eating it?
Well, I guess that is why there are no more cats out in the wild.. They ate raw meat and went extinct?
I see mountain lions where I live all the time and I am pretty sure they are not eating canned food.
Just my humble opinion
Answer:
Meowmie wrote:
This info comes from someone else:
http://www.irishdogs.ie/News/20050720.htm
This article doesn't really say much does it?
We all know raw meat can have bacteria on it, but that is why we handle it in a safe way. If we can't do that we shouldn't eat meat at all.
As for the bones, if the person writing this article had taken the time to look at some of these products... they would know there are not any dangerous bone pieces in them. I would imagine more cats get into trouble getting into someone's kitchen trash can and eating a chicken bone. Which also brings us to the question of all those creatures with bones in them that cats have been eating since there have been cats.
So how can this so called "new trend" be putting pets at risk more now, when animals have been eating like this for as long as they have been meat eaters?
That just doesn't make sense to me.
Maybe you could explain to me why it is more dangerous now?
Answer:
Quote: This article doesn't really say much does it?
No, it's very basic information. But it comes from someone else not Dr. Wysong and this vet has no interest in selling anything.
This comes from a great holistic vet. Again just very basic information:
http://www.belfield.com/article11.html
Safety in general is a big concern with raw food and an even bigger concern with raw frozen food. Owners need to be aware of these dangers.
Denying that these dangers exist is not in the best interest of the animals.
Just one more link:
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FKA/is_6_67/ai_n13788104
Answer:
I think anyone who is choosing to feed a pre-made frozen raw, should take the same considerations as they would when choosing a commercial food, only more so. It is still a manufactured product, and the manufacturer should be looked into.
I feel VERY comfortable with the company who's food I feed, and have no doubts about their quality or their practices. Therefore I feel many of these concerns that have been presented are of little importance to me.
Bottom line (to me anyways) is that raw IS better than any commercial canned or kibble product, and I don't have the confidence to make it at home myself. I trust that this food is better than anything I could prepare at home, both in quality AND in nutritional value.
--JA

Answer:
Quote: I feel VERY comfortable with the company who's food I feed, and have no doubts about their quality or their practices. Therefore I feel many of these concerns that have been presented are of little importance to me.
Well, that's okay, but please remember that the information presented in Dr. Wysong's paper is very important information. It was written to protect people and their pets. People NEED this kind of information, even if they are just thinking about trying raw food or raw frozen food.
The dangers of these diets are very real and nobody should get the idea that it's all right not to take them very seriously.
The fact is, we can't protect our pets if we don't know the facts.
It is also my belief that we should look out for each other and share information that can protect someone else's pet from serious harm.
Answer:
The dangers of any diet are real. Mimi's persistent IBD is worse depending on what she eats. Polly chews her fur out depending on what she eats. Neither of them have ever had raw, for logistical reasons, though I wish desperately that I were in a position to switch them.
The debate over raw will always exist. I could refer people to dozens of documents insising that raw is best. I'm busy right now, so I won't. I agree that it's good to have all the facts, but with this issue, all the facts are terribly conflicting. Owners need to make their own decision, in spite of the 'evidence'.
Lisa - Owned by Polly, Mimi, and Muffin
In memory of Snuggles 11/28/1988 - 12/16/2004