A few weeks ago, there was a discussion here about the raw diet. After reading about how one person had seen some big improvements in the cats that she was feeding raw chicken to, I did some research and decided to try adding raw food to my pets' diet.
You see, Mamma Kitty was going downhill fast. She was looking frail, had lost a lot of her energy, and just wasn't her bratty self anymore. There was a patch on her side that was raw and torn up. We tried everything we could to keep her from constantly picking at it, but nothing we did helped. She was also getting another patch where she had started pulling out the fur and constantly picking at it. At that point, my roommate wanted to take her to the vet, and I did too but there was no money for a vet.
So I figured we had nothing to lose by trying a raw diet. After reading several arguments on whether supplements needed to be added to the raw food, and checking my finances, I decided just to add raw chicken, fish, and beef to their diet of canned and dry food.
Mamma Kitty went nuts over chicken, chicken livers, chicken hearts, and beef. She will not go near fish unless it is canned tuna.
Trinity took a little convincing, but now she goes insane over chicken bones (legs and wings), chicken, beef bones, and whatever else we find to give her. She also loves fish - which the cats hate.
Shiva will not eat any raw meat, but now prefers canned food to dry.
Lynx loves chicken and beef but will not eat fish or canned cat food. I don't know what his other family feeds him - if they feed him at all. They mostly groom him and take care of any injuries he has.
The animals get raw food for dinner, with dry food left out for the cats. Shiva eats canned food for breakfast and dinner. Mamma Kitty eats chicken for dinner and whenever it is offered to her, and has canned food for breakfast. Trinity eats whatever meat we give her at dinnertime and has canned and dry food for breakfast. Lynx gets some chicken or beef at night and has dry food the rest of the time.
Here are the results after just a few weeks of this diet:
Trinity - Has a lot more energy and her appetite has improved a lot. She plays a lot more, and is very active for an 8 year old dog. Her whole countenance has improved over all. Her coat shows little improvement, but that could be because she is mostly an outdoor dog and is in desperate need of a bath (which she will get next weekend).
Mamma Kitty - The difference is incredible! Her sores are gone and her fur is growing back! Her appetite has improved dramatically. Her entire countenance is much brighter. Her eyes are clear and have that 'spark' which had been gone for some time. She is turning into a total brat, is always getting in the way in the kitchen, always comes up for food or attention now, and is basically a whole new cat. She looks a lot sleeker and her fur is incredibly soft.
A couple of days ago, she caught herself a bird for a snack. Now, I do not like my babies killing other animals (except gophers), but if they are going to eat what they kill instead of tormenting it to death then I usually stay out of the way. Normally, if Mamma Kitty gets a bird, she will drop it onto the ground and play with it until she is bored. But this time she killed it instantly and growled loud enough that I heard her growling at me over the music in my headphones when I tried to get to close. She ate the whole bird in less than five minutes.
In short, Mamma Kitty is back to being Mamma Kitty again.
Lynx - Some improvement in energy and attitude. But he does not get as much raw meat as the others do. Still, he is lean and muscular, and seems to have more energy and appetite.
Shiva - no change at all. I guess you could say that Shiva is the 'control' in this group. Her diet is still the same with just a little more canned food added. Her health and energy levels have not changed. She does not eat a lot but is very overweight. I wish like anything I could get her to eat the raw food, but she refuses.
So overall, my animals are much healthier now, and I will continue giving them raw meat as often as I can afford to.
