(10-23-2014, 02:30 PM)sillylucy Wrote: I couldn't feed my cats a raw diet because I don't think they would get enough nutrients that way. I would also be scared that they would get sick from the switch. Could they easily go from store bought food to raw food? What about getting worms from mishandling? There are so many concerns I have about this diet.
So long as a raw diet is naturally varied and includes parts of all the animal - meat, bones, organs, fat then it wont lack in nutrients. Remember a raw diet is what cats are supposed to live on - store bought food is, no matter how healthy it claims to be, the cat equivalent of ready meals or meal replacement stuff.
Cats get worms no matter what you feed them - raw fed cats do not need more worming than shop diet cats.
The best thing you can do if you are thinking of changing to raw feeding is use the internet for as much research as possible - but pay attention to who has done the research. Articles full of scary stories about malnutrition, nasty diseases etc from raw feeding are pretty much all done by companies that sell pet food.
Try http://feline-nutrition.org/ http://www.catinfo.org/ http://www.rawfedcats.org/practicalguide.htm
As I have said above I have made the call to keep my own cats on high quality dried food - but I do watch the ingredients. I dont think there is one "right" answer it is a case of doing the research and learning what pet food companies dont tell you and how much pet food is mis-advertised.
