Diet for cats

Question
I would like to ask you your feelings on feeding cats a diet of raw meat, bone & organs. Do you feel that, fed in appropriate proportions, these foods are harmful to cats? Have you, personally, treated any animals for illnesses/conditions directly related to a raw diet? What foods do you feed your own animals, if applicable?
Thanks,
Kelly

Answer
Kelly,

I feed my cats Prairie Lamb & Rice   www.naturesvariety.com   I have tried to offer them raw meat but they will not eat it.   If you want to feed raw food, I would still suggest feeding a high quality, all-natural kibble as well to make sure they are getting all the nutrients they need.   I have heard of issues with bacteria, so you must handle the meat properly and not let it sit out for very long as well as issues with bones--I would make sure they are GROUND very finely.  I do not have any clients that feed BARF.   I have  two friends that give some raw food and they have not had any problems.   They do make commercially prepared raw diets, which is probably your best bet to ensure it is properly prepared and many of these products have the essential vitamins and minerals already added so you don't have to worry as much about deficiencies.  You can also add in your own raw meat (NEVER PORK!) and some organ meat....I would not recommend giving organ meat every day.

Hope that helps.
Dr. Fry