How do I introduce raw meat?

The first step of feeding raw is educating yourself about what cats need in their diet. A great place to start is http://www.catinfo.org and http://www.catnutrition.org.

The next step is “accidentally” dropping a bite of raw chicken onto the floor to see if your cat will eat it. That is my favorite trick and works quite well in getting cats to try raw. Let your cat get a feel for the meat.
The larger pieces the better. Just offer it up and see how they take to it and then go from there.

Remember that your cat may not understand that meat is food because they have been fed “cat food” all their lives. As a hunting wild feline, their mother cat would have taught them what was and was not safe food. So it’s logical that your cat may not appreciate that raw meat is a good food. Some cats take to raw meat right away and will no longer eat manufactured cat foods at all… while others may need time, patience and bribery.

The first step really needs to be research. Once you’ve learned and decided on a few things, you’ll ready to start introducing cat to meat.

You need to find a supplier. You need to decide on a method (ground, whole, etc.) You need to decide which meats to use. You need to know whether you need to supplement, and if you do, what supplements to use. And most importantly, you need to get your cat to eat it.

1. Finding a supplier.

A. Find a local supplier. If you’re in the midwest, I recommend Taylor Pond Farms. I buy my meat from them and it couldn’t be easier. They deliver every month and you can either pick it up at a dropoff point or have it delivered to your door. http://www.taylorpondfarms.com. They also have Yahoo groups for specific areas (http://groups.yahoo.com/search?query=taylor+pond+farms). You can also join http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/rawmeatsearch/, http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/CarnivoreFeed-Supplier, http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/WholeCatHealth/ and look through their list of links.

B. Buy online. One site used by many is http://www.hare-today.com. There are many other sites; the WholeCatHealth links above will help you find them.

C. Buy meat at the grocery store. Your choices will be limited but if all you’re going to feed is chicken, that’s fine. Just be sure that the meat is hormone and antibiotic free - or organic.

2. Choosing a method.

A. Whole prey. This may be either meat, bones and organs all ground together, or it may be chunks of meat and whole bones and organs. With this method you do not need to supplement. Your cat will be eating a properly balanced meal.

B. Just meat. Again, this can be either chunks of meat or it can be ground. If you do not include bones and organs, you will need to add supplements to ensure that the meals are complete and balanced.

To learn more about these methods, check out these Yahoo groups: (http://groups.yahoo.com/search?query=raw+feeding+cat)

3. Supplements. If you’ve chosen to serve meat without organs/bones, you will need to add supplements. There are a few different ways to do this. You can purchase a ready-made supplement such as Instincts TC (http://www.felinefuture.com/) or Wysong’s Call of the Wild (http://www.wysong.net/page/WOTTPWS/PROD/CALL_OF_THE_WILD). Or you can put together your own mixture. There are tons of recipes out there. One example is here (http://www.catnutrition.org/foodmaking.php). One of the raw feeding groups is dedicated to one particular supplement: (http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/felinefuturediet/).

4. Meats. Most meats are appropriate but you may want to avoid pork. The most commonly used meat is chicken. My vet suggested feeding a variety, so my choices are chicken, turkey and rabbit. If it becomes available I’ll also try venison. Lamb and duck were rejected. It’ll be up to you and your cat what to feed.

5. Converting your cats. If you’ve got a kibble junky on your hands, it might be easier to first convert him or her to canned food, and then try the raw. This has been a tried and true method for many including myself. Once the cats are happily eating canned food, start slipping a bit of meat into it. Just a speck to start with. Gradually increase that amount. If the cat balks, back down a bit but keep at it.

When you’re ready to try it alone, you may need bribes. Raw meat has little scent so it can be helpful to add something stinky your cat likes. Crush some kibble and sprinkle it over the top. Try fish or liver flakes, parmesan cheese, a drop of soy sauce, meaty baby food (with no added onion or garlic), whatever it takes.

Note that you do not have to start with canned. You may be able to toss down a hunk of chicken and your cat will devour it. You never know until you try.

If you join any or all of the above groups, you’ll find many more tips as well.

Patience and perseverence is the key. I was surprised at how readily Poppy took to the chicken after being on canned food for a year, but Sophie who is not normally picky has been resisting. What she doesn’t know is that she’s getting a bit of chicken along with her Wellness. (NOTE: Mushier canned foods may do better to hide the meat than the denser varieties such as Instincts).

Last but not least - relax! If you’re researching this you may become overwhelmed at the tons of info out there, and all the conflicting opinions about what is best. What you need to do is choose the method that will work for YOU and your cats.

Source Link: My blog

Well when you feed your cat put some raw meat into their bowl and then the cat well never now that you put raw meat into their bowl.