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This is a dedicated place for all of your questions and answers about Raw Diets. There are also some really cool groups like "Raw Fed" on the topic you can join. This forum is for people who already know they like the raw diet or sincerely want to learn more. Please remember that you are receiving advice from peers and not professionals. If you have specific health-related questions about your cat's diet, please contact your vet!
Tyger
*scratch* DON'T- STOP PETTING- ME!! | 
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Hermes
I'm not a cat,- I'm satan! |
 | | Purred: Fri Jul 3, '09 9:41am PST | |  | |  | | Congrats!
You have a lot of questions so I'll try to answer the best I can.
Since you will be feeding a kitten, game hen is the best starting source of bone. The bones are much softer and smaller so will be much easier for a kitten to chew on. I also think that pork and turkey are good meats to include in the diet. They're mild and should be served boneless which counteracts the heavy bone content in chicken and game hen. Try to pick up some gizzards and hearts too. Gizzards will help strengthen the jaw and both muscle organs are great sources of taurine.
For the switch, the first step will be to get rid of all dry food. Just start by feeding the kitten wet food with 25% raw (put it through a food processor to make it the same texture) mixed in. Gradually increase the amount of raw until it's all you're feeding. Then you can upgrade from a mush to slivers. Gradually increase the size of the pieces until you're feeding however big of chunks you want to feed.
As for the amount, feed as much as the kitten can eat at least 4 times a day. When you're kitten is about 8-10 months old, you should be feeding twice a day. For young and active cats, you may end up feeding 6% of their body weight. Don't worry about over eating. Raw fed kittens are much less likely to over eat as adults and will become extremely muscular (check out Hermes!). Be prepared for a very hyper and strong kitty! Although Hermes only weighs 7-8 pounds, it's solid muscle and he can easily take down one of my 15 pound cats without straining himself. |  |  | |  |
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Tyger
*scratch* DON'T- STOP PETTING- ME!! |
| | Purred: Fri Jul 3, '09 10:33pm PST | | | | | | Thanks for all the help! When I mix in the meat with the canned, do I just mix in boneless meat and introduce bones when hes on full raw? Or will a food processor grind up the small bones of a cornish gamehen? Not sure as Ive never tried. | | | | |
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Lurch
I know I can, I- know I can!
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| | Purred: Fri Jul 3, '09 10:56pm PST | | | | | | Lurch was 7 months old when I got him, but I switched him cold turkey, so to speak. He never had the slightest trouble with it. I cut up his meat in approx. 1" cubes, and he gulps them right down. From the start he was able to chow down a chicken wing with bone. He also does well with pork ribs, although the bone would be too hard for a young guy.
If your new guy is younger, I agree that game hen might be a good starting point. I also feed frozen feeder mice that I get online, and Lurch loves them. They are excellent meals for the cat, and of course the bones are tiny. You just have to be ok with handling a fuzzy white mouse.
Personally I wouldn't ease him into raw - just make the switch. He should have no difficulty, and if he does you can always portion some of his old food back in. | | | | |
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Hermes
I'm not a cat,- I'm satan! |
| | Purred: Fri Jul 3, '09 11:40pm PST | | | | | | For the bones, The food processor might not be able to handle them. For leg and thigh bones, I would smash them with a hammer or mallet at first. This exposes the marrow and makes the bone easier to eat.
I suggested easing the kitten into raw in case of digestive upset. You can always try a cold turkey switch at first and have the canned around as backup just in case that doesn't work.
Another thing to keep in mind is variety. While poultry and pork are great starter meats, the more variety a kitten gets the better. Look around local ethnic markets for meats that you wouldn't normally buy. | | | | |
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Tyger
*scratch* DON'T- STOP PETTING- ME!! |
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Hermes
I'm not a cat,- I'm satan! |
| | Purred: Sat Jul 4, '09 12:04pm PST | | | | | | I know that rabbit is a good meat. Not sure about Llama but as long as they'll eat it, it's alright. I doubt you could ever get cats to eat green tripe. I've been considering getting some for my ferrets but the smell would probably be too much for my small apartment.
Beef heart is a great meat. Just be careful with it since it's really rich. While a lot of cats like it, some just can't eat it. I don't feed it anymore since only Hermes could eat it. Calypso would eat it then throw everything up a few minutes later.
Turkey neck is a great source of bone. Just keep in mind that it's about 60% bone so you would only be able to feed it as a full meal once every 3-4 meals at most. Any more will cause some serious constipation. | | | | |
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Lurch
I know I can, I- know I can!
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| | Purred: Sun Jul 5, '09 10:47am PST | | | | | | Lurch loved green tripe the first time I gave it to him. Then he came to his senses and realized nothing that smelled like that would ever get past his tastebuds again. Worth a try though.
Llama is good. Any meat is good.
Just watch the poop to determine how often to feed bone. I seldom feed Lurch a really bony meal, since he gets it from his mice and chicks. But without those, I'd probably give him a wing or neck twice a week or so. | | | | |
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Oscar
General Oscar |
| | Purred: Thu Jul 9, '09 9:14pm PST | | | | | | Just be careful with the meats as far as fat goes. Cats need it, and I imagine kittens especially need it.
Rabbit is a really lean meat so a diet mainly of that would need to be supplemented with something fattier. I'm not sure about llama, but I know a lot of animals like that are also very lean. So, what I'm saying in a nutshell is: don't forget the fat! 
And congratulations on the kitten.  My human's currently being tempted by a couple of rather handsome boys himself (courtesy of his Stats professor), hence why he's on Catster and found this post.  I think he could use 'em to keep the dogs on their toes.  And him as well. | | | | |
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