Sunday, May 6, 2012

it's offical


The kittens are going to have to be raw fed.  *sigh* 

I tried again recently to get them on canned food. I went as simple as I could, to try to eliminate any question that it might be this reason or that reason, and I got the limited ingredient 95% beef canned food.   I also wanted to eliminate the question of digestive upset when abruptly changing foods. This generally isn't an issue in kittens, but I wanted to be as gentle on the kittens as I could, and I wanted to be absolutely sure what was going on.  To try to eliminate digestive upset when introducing new foods you add just a little of the new food to the old.  They ate a full meal of raw, then I gave them a small portion of the canned, then gave them another full meal of raw (they were HUNGRY HUNGRY KITTENS!!!)

Diarrhea came on full force for all four of them.  *sigh*

I'm pretty sure two of the four (and one of them is not Petra) is OK on raw chicken, which will give them more options as owned pets (unless they go home with Petra)

Now, I am doing the internal happy dance because I do believe that raw is a healthier diet for kitties
but I know the environment around here isn't conducive to raw fed cats.  Most vets around me (at least that I have come in contact with) are afraid of raw.  It is a huge paradigm shift and not that many people are willing / able to make it.  So they will most likely sit at the shelter waiting for someone willing to take that on.  It is an expense to the shelter, because they need to make sure they have it on hand (they generally rely on donations for food) and send someone to get it when they run out.

I'm also doing the internal happy dance because while it might take longer to find their humans, I'll know that they will be special.  And while there are a lot of special owners out there who love their kitties and do everything for them, I generally don't know for sure what kind of homes they are going to.  I think it is fair to say anyone who knowingly adopts a kitty with a special diet gets a head start at being some of my favorite kitty owners..

(although any one of my former foster kitten owners jump the line when they send me pictures!!)

Kitten shower is next weekend.  The shelter asked if I could bring the kittens in for it.  I don't know if that means putting them up for adoption or just up for show.. I've told them that they are ready (because once they got back on raw things cleared right up) so they will most likely be leaving in the next few days/week. 

7 comments:

  1. I sure hope these special kittens find homes with understanding parents. It is frustrating that so many vets don't know much about feline nutrition. One vet (former vet!) told me that canned food was "bad" for cats, but never gave me a reason. I think the reason was because they she could not sell prescription dry Hills. :-/

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  2. Sparkle's human here - I have thought about raw (although who knows if my weird crew would like it - the one time I tried store-bought raw, they ALL looked at me like I was crazy, not just Miss Picky-Pants Sparkle). But the one thing that concerns me was actually brought up by somebody I interviewed for a nutrition article for a magazine: while cats have stronger constitutions and can handle a lot of raw food-borne bacteria, it can make humans sick. So how can I handle it safely for ME? And what happens if Binga, who will lick my skin raw if I let her, licks me after eating raw food? I had bad food poisoning once and I really don't EVER want to go through that again!

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  3. Dear Sparkle's Human (and anyone else who has questions)

    First off, there have actually more cases of pet food bacteria issues with dry and canned then I could find with raw. mostly with kids getting up in the food and not washing their hands.

    Basic food sanitation will keep you safe. Wash your hands, wash the plates, basically the same precautions you should be taking now with your own foods (not just meat) and with your pet's foods.

    Not all meat is contaminated. As for the mouth, while I'm not a vet, nor do I play one on the internet, I would imagine that the fact that the cat is designed to eat such things and thus they are designed to combat such issues that it is taken care of. I imagine the constant flow of saliva takes care of most any bacteria and such in their mouth. All I can tell you is that I have been feeding my cats raw for years and my cats lick me continually (heck as I type this Muffin is laying on my arms licking my hands.. She and Jack often lick my face) I am not the most anal about cleaning up after raw meat either, if they pull stuff off the plate, I don't go running after them to wipe up the floor where ever the raw meat touched... but I also don't have kids who might touch the floor and touch their mouth either.

    Feel free to email me (email on the side bar of the blog) if you have any specific questions.. If I have come across it or read about it I'll share with you what I know.

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  4. You're sure you will find open minded people who will take proper care of the kittens. Many people are concerned about what their kitties eat.

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  5. Hmmm... mouses are always served raw, I think. Aren't mouses our natural diet?

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  6. I get very frustrated here in Maine with vets... either they know about feline health and care or they do not.... and if they do not, they are WOEFULLY behind the times. (like the vets the shelter uses where I volunteer). Problem is, the folks on the board trust them.... and I wouldn't go to them if they were the last vet on earth (unless it was for an operation/procedure) cause I just can't do that.... almost makes me want to go to veterinary school!

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  7. Nerissa,

    https://www.hare-today.com/product_info.php?products_id=210&osCsid=81fad1d72a4917c40af6ace8157ce5d0

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