Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have posted before and participated in
cat health discussions a couple of times.
After talking to several people the past few
weeks, I am becoming more and more interested
in feeding Gus raw meat- age 17 and a half - diabetic
for 8 plus years and just diagnosed with kidney
failure - 36 Creat. and 2.4 are the numbers the
vet gave me for him. I don't like the K.D. food
for him too much as I think it is raising his sugar
and have been giving him extra meat anyway. I did give
him some raw ground chicken tonight which he inhaled
practically. I've been guessing with everything
as I don't have sugar numbers on him and I'm trusting
what Dr. Tobin said about the kidney failure not
being too bad. He suggested raw hamburg with
bone meal and fish oil. Haven't added anything
to to ground chicken yet it was the first day.
Any added ideas about this would be welcome.
I was very leery about the idea of raw meat at first
but it sounds like it could actually be very good
for him. Thank you so much for your thoughts.
he generally eats pretty well. When he is hungry
all the time I think it's his sugar...

Hi There,

I have to admit that I'm leery about feeding raw meat because of the bacteria content. Yes, cats can tolerate bacteria better than we can, but they can also get sick from it. The main thing if you are going to feed raw meat is to get it from the best source you can. Organic would be the best and safest way to go. I would try to find a local souce for the meat, if possible.

I agree with Dr. Tobin regarding your baby's kidney failure. The numbers are nice and low, especially for a cat of his age. My cats with CRF have numbers that are at least double.

One more thing I wanted to add......studies have shown that it isn't the quantity of the protein that counts in CRF , but the quality. I have had several cats with kidney disease and they have all done well on a higher protein diet than many vets would recommend.

Take care, and please keep us updated on how things go.

Regards,
PHKitkat

Thank you PHKitKat. I was awfully leery about it also
but several people said they'd done it with an ill pet
because it was easier to digest. Then I gave him
a bit of ground chicken - antibiotic free - and
he practically inhaled it. I've also been giving
him sardines. He acts as though he's starving and
he eats and wants more, I think that is being diabetic
as he's frequently like that but with his other food
he wouldn't eat it so well but I've kept with this
chicken because he absolutely loves it, just a bit
at a time, he's had no ill effects from it as yet.
I went to Sandy's chat tonight and just noticed
your post just now. I agree with you about the protein
as all last year he ate very high protein and from what
everyone says his numbers are still pretty low but I know
my vet will disagree with the extra protein.
I'll keep you posted..Gus's Mom
___________________________________________________________
Hi There,

I have to admit that I'm leery about feeding raw meat because of the bacteria content. Yes, cats can tolerate bacteria better than we can, but they can also get sick from it. The main thing if you are going to feed raw meat is to get it from the best source you can. Organic would be the best and safest way to go. I would try to find a local souce for the meat, if possible.

I agree with Dr. Tobin regarding your baby's kidney failure. The numbers are nice and low, especially for a cat of his age. My cats with CRF have numbers that are at least double.

One more thing I wanted to add......studies have shown that it isn't the quantity of the protein that counts in CRF , but the quality. I have had several cats with kidney disease and they have all done well on a higher protein diet than many vets would recommend.

Take care, and please keep us updated on how things go.

Hi There,

I'm glad that the ground chicken is working well. You are doing the right thing starting with just a little at a time. Adding sardines to his diet is a good thing that I am also considering feeding to my cats.

Please do post an update when you have the time

Regards,
PHKitkat