Bengal

Hungry Bengal Kitten

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• published: 11 Jul 2011
• views: 1595968

This is Mia the bengal kitten @ 5 months old, Mia LOVES food. Here is Mia 1 yr later, still vocal as ever - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJmXTi88jZw http://epetmeadow.com (see below for more info on their diet). _____ Since there are a lot of comments regarding their diet, here are some notes: -I have fed a raw diet to all my cats for 10 years -This is NOT an expensive diet, I spend about $20 - $25 per cat per month, and a lot less in vet bills then most. That's less then most people spend on coffee a month at starbucks! We are not rich, we just focus our limited funds on priorities first. -As of 2012, I have 4 cats ages 17, 14, 12, and 1.5 years old. All eat 100% raw, all are healthy, energetic, and happy. The three older cats had senior bloodwork and health exams in the last year, and the vets rave about their health, weights, fur, and teeth (my vets sell and push the standard vet foods, but every vet has said keep what I am doing it works great). The only problem I have is arthritis in the two older cats, both from long ago injuries. -Proper raw diets do not cause 'worms'. I feed all human grade meats, meaning anything I feed my cats I could just as easily eat myself. I feed some healthy wild game, organs and muscle meats (duck, turkey, qual, pheasant), freezing for 2 weeks to prevent parasites. I personally do not feed small wild game as there is more of a chance of intestinal parasites with them (like whole mice and small birds). These can be fed, but you just have to be more careful to monitor for parasites. -Worms you can see in the stool or on the rear (white segments or rice looking bits), are usually tapeworms. These are caused by eating fleas (while grooming), or by eating infected animals like rodents or rabbits. Dogs also pick up tapeworms from eating infected stool. There are other worms like roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, etc... but usually if you see a worm in the stool, 9 times out of 10 it is tapeworms. A proper raw diet should not cause worms, as a matter of fact it will usually create a more balanced digestive tract hopefully keeping the chance of parasites down. -Going to a raw diet should not be taken lightly as you are taking on the task of feeding a 100% complete diet. Meat variety, bone, muscle meats, organs, ALL need to create a balanced diet. Research research research! -Many cats who are kibble fed do not like raw food initially. Just like a little kid who only eats chicken nuggets and pizza, it takes some convincing to expand their appetite. Most people will go to canned food first, then start mixing some raw meat bits in the canned, and so on. A cat raised for years on crunchy kibble does not always identify a piece of raw chicken as actual food. -NEVER hold out food for a cat to try and convince them to eat raw! Unlike dogs, cats are designed to eat multiple times a day. They can have serious life threatening liver problems if they skip just a couple meals!! -Feeding a raw diet is NOT for everyone. Go to a grain free food as cats are obligate carnivores, they have NO need for corn, soy, rice, wheat, etc. I also recommend feeding more wet food as that better mimics a natural diet. Feeding a commercial diet combined with some raw or cooked meats is also acceptable, but NEVER feed cooked bone. -Fruits, veggies, and dairy are not required and can cause indigestion in felines. Their digestive tracts are short and compact making them unable to digest things like veggies to gain any nutrients from them. Nature made their gastric system short so they could digest raw meats quickly, in and out, keeping bacteria build up low. Look at a gorilla who is veg and fruit eater, they have a SUPER long digestive tract (look at the size of their bellies) so they can properly break down nutrients (and they still have to eat their food multiple times...yummo). So do not apply human food plans to an obligate carnivore. Cats usually eat grasses and plants to induce vomiting and remove hair build up. -When combining a commercial diet with meats, add items slowly and in small amounts until you know how the kitty does. Red meats like beef, buffalo, venison often do not settle well on feline stomachs.