could you just feed a cat sushi-grade fish?

[rawkchicster]

Just curious... I just got adopted by a stray cat... and I'd love to take her raw, but don't really agree with the whole "chicken gizzard" approach (i've been vegetarian my whole life...). So yeah, I did fish for about a year in college, so i can handle them without trouble... can I feed my cat sushi-grade raw fish or should I supplement? And if so, what?

[justinesmith]

I think fish is a great option. My cats won't touch gizzard but they LOVE, LOVE, LOVE fish. Congrats on the adoption.... :D

[Ginger]

My cats preferred chicken over anything else, I think it depends on the cat! :D

[meow]

I just started my cats on raw, but I suggest checking out http://www.rawfedcats.org- it's a great site that answers so many questions! I don't have the knowledge to answer but I think you can probably find the answer there! Just FYI, they suggest feeding about 80% muscle meat, fat, tissues, skin, etc; 10-15% edible bones; and 5-10% organ meat like livers, hearts and the like. So you may need to feed a more varied diet (dunno if you can get organ meats from fish).

I've been vegan for a while and vegetarian for even longer and it was REALLY tough at first for me to even go to the meat section at the grocery (took me 5 tries before I even bought anything!). But my cats responded so well & it seems so natural that I am able to cut up their meat and all that stuff and just deal with it. It's not fun, it's pretty gross, but it's what's best for my babies so I'll do it :) It has gotten easier too, and the raw meat doesn't smell nearly as bad as I feared it would.

[Anastasia Alston]

Raw fed kitties need a wide variety of foods, just like raw-fed humans! :D Fish is great if your cat likes it, but not all cats like fish. I had a cat once who absolutely detested fish! The site meow mentioned is a great place to start. You can also google raw-fed cats & see what you come up with. There's also a few good books out on raw feeding dogs & cats that you can check out. Since I don't have any cats, I don't know of any cat-specific books on raw feeding, but starting with the link meow gave should point you in the right direction! :)

- Stasi, Pea Pod (Morab), Rosie Cotton & Binnabik (the Pibble Posse)