Question:
I know that some people here feed raw diets and I am very interested in knowing 1) what you feed in an average day, 2)where you get your food and 3) how much you generally pay per week.
I have been thinking about feeding a partially raw diet to my cats for awhile now but I don't really know where to start, obviously. Most likely, I would be feeding chicken since that is their favorite meat. I'm not sure how they would react to veggies but I would love suggestions on which veggies your pets enjoy.


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yes I am also interested in this for cat, dog and ferrets, any info is greatly appreciated


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Ferrets can eat raw diets too? That is really neat.


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yup they eat meat in the wild, just like cats and dogs


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Raw diets are GREAT for pets, in fact, the commercial foods that are on the shelves are TRASH. Also, DO NOT buy ANYTHING with ethoxyquin or BHA in it, as these are VERY HARMFUL
I feed my dogs and cats a raw diet. Mainly, they get chicken and beef, as well as raw fish. On average, I feed about 5 pounds of meat a day, but I also have many dogs and cats. I get my chicken from a local free range chicken farm, he gives me the "waste parts" usualy for free, or if i want better parts, about 5 cents a pound.
Places you could check into would be a local farm or butcher, and even your local grocery store. Look for cheap chicken (like say a 10 lb bag, I can get that for $3.50) cheap beef etc... Also, talk to the manager or meat department. Explain to them that you are wanting to feed a raw diet to your pets ( as it is better for them) and you are looking for ways to get fresh, raw meats. Ask if they would give you the "scrap parts" or if they will not give them to you, tell them you could pay a small fee (anything over 8 cents a pound for scrap is TOO much). Along the lines of fish, if you have place to go fishing, go catch you animal's dinner! Let them have it whole, for cats, small fish are best. If you live near the ocean, of even a place where they clean fish, see if you can go and pick up the "scraps". Things like fish heads and insides are great. Other things like deer, pig, wild game bird etc... are good too, get what is healthy and avalible. Be careful of spoiled and rotten foods!
Also, don't just switch to raw right away, slowly intorduce it, and go slowly over to the raw, more raw and less commercial each day. How much you feed realy depends on your pet. I feed one of my older males 2 chicken necks and a few other parts as his main dish. Once a week, he gets a medium fresh, whole fish, or a few small ones. Do your homework before going raw, but I urge you, DO GO RAW DIET!! It is one of the best things you can do for your pet.
Good raw sites:
www.barfers.com
www.barfworld.com
www.willowglen.com/barf.htm
Good books about BARF diets:
Natrual nutrition for dogs and cats: The ultimate pet diet by Kymthy R. Schultze
Good luck with your raw diet adventures!


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Wow, thanks for all the info and welcome to the forum! So if I wanted to give my cats a raw "treat" (mostly to see if they like it) what would you suggest, a chicken neck maybe? Also, how do you keep the feeding area clean?


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I've read that it's better to switch to a raw diet right away as their digestive tract can't handle kibble and raw mixed in a meal very well. The idea is that they can deal with either kibble, or raw, but not both together.
But raw feeding is not an exact science, everyone is a little bit different.


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I did a lot of research on the raw diets -- it looks good, but it also looks like a lot of work. There needs to be a serious effort to make sure the pet receives adequate nutrition -- vis a vis, not just raw meat but supplements, veggies, etc. A vet I worked with for a microchip clinic specializes in pet nutrition, and he cautioned me that he has seen dogs on raw diets developing nutritional deficiencies that haven't been seen in years. I felt for it wouldn't work for me: I am rather lazy, the effort is a little more than I can guarantee, and as I don't have a car, it's difficult for me to access quality products and meat. So, doing research and spending the money on a premium prepared food is best for my pets and me.
I think the decision comes down to what you are willing to do for your pet, and what kind of commitment you can guarantee.


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I switched all of my dogs/cats over gradualy, so as not to upset their systems, all of my cats/dogs were fed commercial foods all of their lives, so I did not want to hurt them. The transistion went just fine. But as it was said, raw feeding is NOT an exact science
So if I wanted to give my cats a raw "treat" (mostly to see if they like it) what would you suggest, a chicken neck maybe? Also, how do you keep the feeding area clean?
A little bit of raw chicken would be good. Say, like a little piece cut off , or a BIT of chicken neck. Also, a little raw fish (like a sardine or somethigng small) would be good too. To keep my feeding areas clean well..
I feed my dogs on the back porch, so when they are done, I can just spray it down, and then hose it off. If it is raining or something else is keeping them from the porch, I feed them in the bathroom. I put their food on a plastic plate, as i know they are just going to drag it off. For my cats,I feed them in the bathroom as well. As for cleaning the bathroom, I spray the floor with a water and chlorine bleach solution and then mop that up, and scrub well once a week. Most of the time, white vinegar and water; 3 parts water to 1 part vinegar. I spray this, let it sit about 60 seconds, and then mop it up well. After All of this I soak the mop(s) in bleach solution, and then rinse with HOT water. I then let them dry in the sun.
As for the food preping area, I have a LARGE sheet of plastic down and a cutting board. After i am done, I wipe up everything and use vingegar to clean all of it.
Hope this helps! Thanks for the welcome note!


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I spray the floor with a water and chlorine bleach solution and then mop that up, and scrub well once a week.
Just if this confuses anyone (hope it dosnt) I "sanitize" my feeding bathroom once a week w/ beach. Just wanted to make sure no one was confused!