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FWIW...not all vets sell kibble; my vet doesn't except for some of the prescription stuff but he keeps that in the back. I sent a friend of mine to him when her cat was getting recurring UTIs because she wasn't listening to me that the all-dry diet was not helping matters! My vet told her to feed canned every day, and her cat hasn't had a UTI since.
I have three dogs (eat raw) and four cats; the cats get a little kibble (usually one of the grain-free ones) and canned food but mostly raw. A good part of that is coarse-ground commercial raw, meat/bones/organs only, with sizeable chunks of bone. The 11-12 year old cat I've had for seven years now had to have three teeth pulled when I first got him, but his teeth and gums have been healthy since.
I've fed primarily raw for almost 11 years, dogs and cats stay very healthy...I think a good diet pays for itself in the long run.
FWIW...not all vets sell kibble; my vet doesn't except for some of the prescription stuff but he keeps that in the back. I sent a friend of mine to him when her cat was getting recurring UTIs because she wasn't listening to me that the all-dry diet was not helping matters! My vet told her to feed canned every day, and her cat hasn't had a UTI since.
I have three dogs (eat raw) and four cats; the cats get a little kibble (usually one of the grain-free ones) and canned food but mostly raw. A good part of that is coarse-ground commercial raw, meat/bones/organs only, with sizeable chunks of bone. The 11-12 year old cat I've had for seven years now had to have three teeth pulled when I first got him, but his teeth and gums have been healthy since.
I've fed primarily raw for almost 11 years, dogs and cats stay very healthy...I think a good diet pays for itself in the long run.
ahhhhhh...... NICE! You are seeing the benefits of raw diet! Excellent! How do you get your cats to chew on bone? Mine won't. Yes, I make my own raw diet with bone/meat/organs, so the chunks of bone are small. No large though.
I've become very anti-kibble for good reasons, but even I don't think it's a huge deal if your cats get a very small amount of kibble as a treat now and then, so long as the majority of the diet is species appropriate. Although I personally would not feed the cheap kind that's full of corn and wheat and soy, even as a treat. If you must feed kibble, choose a high quality one like Taste of the Wild so at least the cat is getting nutrients that are more useable and less likely to trigger allergies. Since you are only feeding in treat amounts one bag will last forever so it won't hurt much to spend a little more.
I already bought the better kibble and they leave it in the bowls. It's been going on for months. They never eat more than a few pieces. I have a bag of Wellness Kitten Health they wont touch at all. We're getting rid of it by adding some to their canned food each day. But even then they manage to eat around most of it, leaving the little balls behind. I've tried many of those little treat pouches and Pounce. They wont eat them either. My SIL's cat would kill for a few pieces of Pounce. So far I haven't seen any sign of allergies in the cats. Once in awhile Phaedra sneaks onto the counter and steals some milk from the little pitcher. This will give her loose stools for a day so I try to remember not to leave it there when I'm not in the kitchen. Really, I don't understand why they don't naturally go for the brands without all the crap in them. It has to be the digests it's sprayed with that tastes so good to them. I myself am against feeding cats an all kibble diet but have to admit I've know several cats who lived long lives on nothing but Purina and other store brands. Both were owned by family members. One did fine and died at 17. The other suffered from dry flaky skin until my SIL took my advice and added some fats to her kibble. For convenience, not price, she refused to switch the cat to canned food. What really galled me was her vet had her coming back for salves and checkups and skin scrapings and antihistamines .... he couldn't tell her to add fats to the kibble or persuade her to try canned food? Look at all the money he was making by not telling her. Trust me on this - I have little respect for most veterinarians. The chicken and pork fat plus some butter and the cat was cured in no time. This is why I tell anyone who will listen... if they feel their vet isn't helping their cat (or dog) FIND ANOTHER VET!!! There are good one out there.
Another thing hard to understand is why some cats will do OK on kibble and others do not. Why some remain a normal a weight and others become obese and sickly on kibble. There's an answer for these questions somewhere.
I have three dogs (eat raw) and four cats; the cats get a little kibble (usually one of the grain-free ones) and canned food but mostly raw. A good part of that is coarse-ground commercial raw, meat/bones/organs only, with sizeable chunks of bone.
Where are you getting this coarse-ground raw food? I have never seen it in any pet stores here or grocery stores. We have no butchers here to grind meats/bones for us.
I already bought the better kibble and they leave it in the bowls. It's been going on for months. They never eat more than a few pieces. I have a bag of Wellness Kitten Health they wont touch at all. We're getting rid of it by adding some to their canned food each day. But even then they manage to eat around most of it, leaving the little balls behind. I've tried many of those little treat pouches and Pounce. They wont eat them either. My SIL's cat would kill for a few pieces of Pounce. So far I haven't seen any sign of allergies in the cats. Once in awhile Phaedra sneaks onto the counter and steals some milk from the little pitcher. This will give her loose stools for a day so I try to remember not to leave it there when I'm not in the kitchen. Really, I don't understand why they don't naturally go for the brands without all the crap in them. It has to be the digests it's sprayed with that tastes so good to them. I myself am against feeding cats an all kibble diet but have to admit I've know several cats who lived long lives on nothing but Purina and other store brands. Both were owned by family members. One did fine and died at 17. The other suffered from dry flaky skin until my SIL took my advice and added some fats to her kibble. For convenience, not price, she refused to switch the cat to canned food. What really galled me was her vet had her coming back for salves and checkups and skin scrapings and antihistamines .... he couldn't tell her to add fats to the kibble or persuade her to try canned food? Look at all the money he was making by not telling her. Trust me on this - I have little respect for most veterinarians. The chicken and pork fat plus some butter and the cat was cured in no time. This is why I tell anyone who will listen... if they feel their vet isn't helping their cat (or dog) FIND ANOTHER VET!!! There are good one out there.
Another thing hard to understand is why some cats will do OK on kibble and others do not. Why some remain a normal a weight and others become obese and sickly on kibble. There's an answer for these questions somewhere.
Where are you getting this coarse-ground raw food? I have never seen it in any pet stores here or grocery stores. We have no butchers here to grind meats/bones for us.
Not the cheapest option...they also get some store-bought meat, canned food, etc.
Garden, there's not too much one can buy in grocery stores that has bones small enough for cats to eat! Mine will eat the smaller/softer bones off just about anything, including gnawing on pork ribs or neck bones; the dogs get what's left. If you're hard-core, you can buy mice and pinkie rabbits from snake-food suppliers...I have not gone there. 0.o
Cats need proportionately less bone than dogs, anyhow, and it's my belief that just ditching kibble for the most part is excellent for their dental health.
Another thing hard to understand is why some cats will do OK on kibble and others do not. Why some remain a normal a weight and others become obese and sickly on kibble. There's an answer for these questions somewhere.
I've known many cats that lived long lives (close to 20 years) that were fed dry kibble.
All, but one, of our OWN cats that were fed dry kibble did "fine." However, once I changed to an all wet diet for all of them... the changes in ALL of them was AMAZING.
The difference... dry kibble eaters are surviving. Wet eaters are THRIVING.
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NICE! You are seeing the benefits of raw diet! Excellent! How do you get your cats to chew on bone? Mine won't. Yes, I make my own raw diet with bone/meat/organs, so the chunks of bone are small. No large though.
Look at all the money he was making by not telling her. Trust me on this - I have little respect for most veterinarians. The chicken and pork fat plus some butter and the cat was cured in no time. This is why I tell anyone who will listen... if they feel their vet isn't helping their cat (or dog) FIND ANOTHER VET!!! There are good one out there.
