This post is part of our “Journey to Raw” series, published every Wednesday, and describes how CatCentric team member Beth Laubenthal made the connection between health and a regular diet of fresh, species-appropriate foods.

I used to cringe and think people were nuts and borderline abusive when I read that they were feeding their cats raw meat. “Eww….don’t they know the joy that the cats get from eating what they are meant to eat?  Kibble?  That’s just disgusting!”

Yet, my cat, Mooch, had chronic urinary tract infections.  She also vomited several times a day.  The vets gave no reasoning behind her vomiting other than a potential symptom of the infection.   I tried to switch up her food to a “better” brand: Purina ONE Sensitive Systems.  It is more expensive, therefore better.  Right?  Nope.  She was still getting UTIs and vomiting several times a day.

Mooch turned 5 years old in 2009.  That year, I moved in with my boyfriend.  We rented an apartment together and adopted our first kitten: Patches.  A few months earlier, I discovered Blue Buffalo Wilderness.  Mooch vomited a couple times less per day but eagerly ate the food.  Patches, well, she had farts on it that could be considered warfare grade.

I headed to the local holistic pet food store.  I could not take the vomiting or the farts any longer.  Between December 2009 and March 2010, I literally tried my cats on every pet food they carried.  After trying every brand of food they had, the owner of the pet store said something that would change my life and my cats’ lives: “You have two choices.  Either continue to deal with the issues or switch to a raw diet.”

She sent me home with some Primal samples.  I purchased 2 pounds of the nuggets.  Patches took to it like a champ.  Mooch hated it.  When Patches saw Mooch refusing it, she copied her.  “Oh great!” I thought.

I could not get Mooch to eat anything.  My family and my boyfriend were trying to convince me I was poisoning the cats through a raw diet (I secretly believed them even though I held steady in trying to switch them over).  I ended up cooking meat for the cats.  Mooch loved it.  Patches loved it.  All is good.  At least they are off of kibble and eating something.
I took to the internet in efforts to do more research on a raw diet. I visited many forums.  One forum had me in tears.  I would sit down every night with a pot of coffee, a note book, a pen and a calculator, trying to come up with meal plans.  I would post the meal plans for approval. “YOUR PHOSPHUROS AND CALCIUM RATIOS ARE WRONG!” the screen would scream at me.  I was in tears!

Gradually, out of pure laziness, I started cooking the meats less and less.  One day, I took out the pan.  Placed it on the stove.  Took a plate out of the cupboard and placed the meat on the plate, completely bypassing the pan.  The cats ate it.  I was officially a raw feeder!  My cats were willingly eating beef, pork, chicken and liver.  I was using ground eggshell powder for a calcium source.

The moment I realized I was officially a raw feeder, I also realized my cats were not dead.  Mooch wasn’t vomiting any longer.  The air was not polluted by kitten farts.  And, my cats were ENJOYING their food!  Mooch was throwing her bits up in the air, as if it were a mouse.  Patches was chewing on bones while growling in her kitten voice.  Their fur was softer.  Their poops smaller (and not stinky).  Their energy was better.

October 10, 2010, I rescued a feral cat from a shelter.  She was refusing kibble.  Her finders thought she was sick.  “No healthy cat would refuse kibble.” They wanted her euthanized so she would not get any other cat sick.

I had a hunch of what was going on.  I raced to the shelter and brought her home.  I threw a chicken breast in the room with her and went to work.  I came home and the chicken breast was gone.  I quickly stuffed a Cornish Game Hen with gizzards and liver.  I left it in the room with her and went to bed.  By the time I got up in the morning, all but the back bones were gone.  We named this feral cat “Phantom.”

Over the course of a few months, Phantom went from a skinny bag of bones to a fluffy ball of fur.  Our calico feral was not sick.  She simply did not recognize kibble as food.  Feral cats do not go to the supermarket to pick up a bag of food.  They hunt and eat raw prey.

I am very thankful for the wake-up call that the pet food store owner gave me.  It has changed my life and the lives of my pets (saving Phantom).

If I had to give any advice for anyone thinking about feeding a raw diet, it would be this: Just do it!  You don’t regret it!

For those who are new at raw feeding, my advice:

1) Raw feeding is not a black and white issue.  As long as you the basics down (the approximate ratios of a calcium source such as bone or eggshell, meat, organs), there is wiggle room.

2) If it is hard, step back.  Raw feeding is not complicated.  People make it complicated.  But given general guidelines, it is easy.

3) Never give up.  Don’t listen to doubters-especially the vets that try to sell you a prescription pet food after telling you that you will kill your pet if you feed a raw diet.  There are MANY myths going around that are touted as fact.  You can thank the Pet Food Institute for that.  When in doubt, ask a seasoned raw feeder for verification.

4) Become friends with your local meat manager and meat market.  Chances are, they will cater to you and help you get what you are looking for.  They may even give you a discount if you are ordering in bulk.  Our local meat manager asks me all the time about my pets when I come into the store.

Since starting the raw diet in March 2010, I have learned a lot more about pet nutrition.  I’ve even expanded the foods I feed my pets (which includes the addition of a couple of dogs and a few more cats) to include turkey, duck, lamb, rabbit, and venison on top of the beef, chicken and pork that I started out with.

My goal now is to teach others how to feed a raw diet and to avoid the frustrations I went through during my journey. If I can do this, you can too!

 

If you feed a home-prepared raw menu to your kitties and would like to see your story featured here, please contact us via private message through Facebook on our page or in our group, or leave a comment below!

And if you’re interested in giving raw a try for yourself, check out our Raw Feeding and Transitioning Your Cat to Raw sections!

 

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