Raw meat around the house>>>?!

[CrazyDelicious]

Hey raw pet owners-

Maybe someone can can get me over this paranoia! I have thought of putting my cat on the raw diet for years (she's 4 now) ... it just makes sense in my head to feed her what she would be eating in the wild. However, I can't seem to get past the thought of giving her raw chicken since she is messy and likes to take her food out of the bowl and eat it on the floor. So I keep thinking of raw chicken juice around the house, on her fur (from licking it) and wherever else she goes. Am I being crazy??? I bought a frozen "raw meaty bones" tube (chicken wings/backs) but it is still in the freezer.... need that extra "push" to take it out and use it!!! (and maybe gloves) :rolleyes:

[chilove]

Well, I figured that I used to eat and handle meat, so it's not any different now except that I am doing it for the best possible health of my companion animal.

The best choices for cats are game hens and guinea hens. You can get game hens at most grocery stores and you can get guinea hens in some upscale markets and in asian markets. Your regular meat department may be able to order them for you. Just get some good sharp poultry shears and gloves and cut the guinea hens in two and the game hens about in quarters, maybe alternate with thirds sometimes. Feed this amount per cat per day for most cats. You can also feed other meats but I find that these are the easiest and cheapest. You should feed some tripe occasionaly. If you can't find it you can order it online.

Blessings,

Audrey
www.rawhealing.com

[Pitaya]

my cat drags his food out of his bowl and onto the floor too, and I too feared the raw meat on floors etc. some ideas:

i found out today the reason some cats do that is they don't like their whiskers touching the sides of bowls while they're eating (makes sense), so changing the bowl to one that doesn't might help.

also i clean the area around his bowl meticulously now (he had his first try of raw 5 days ago). i use vinegar and water in a spray bottle, so it's not harmful to him.

i am also thinking of getting a large plastic mat for his eating area.

another thought was a tray with higher edges so he doesn't take it over unless he REALLY wants to.

good for you for overcoming your fears and pushing though : )

[Mindi]

your cat isn't going to walk around the house covered in chicken juice, if it gets on their fur, they lick it off until it's squeaky clean. Cats don't like to be dirty or have food all over them.

I had the same fear as you, but it's very irrational. I didn't want to put my cat's health at risk just because I was scared of a little chicken juice (how selfish of me!) You'll get over it quickly.

As for the messy floor thing, I bought 2 plastic mats that I place down side-by-side before I put out the plate of raw meat. that way if they drag their food from the plate, at least it doesn't go directly on the floor. Worst case scenerio, you just clean it up afterwards. A little extra work, but your kitty will thank you with a long, healthy life!