How should I know the raw meat diet I make is balanced?

by Vivi
(TN)

Hi-

I have started to feed my cats the raw meat since November 2009. I noticed their coats are softer and shiny, their eyes are bright, less odor in their stools. Because Sam who is diagnosed with IBS gets very sick, I took him to the vet, they put him on the prescription diet. My vet is very good. Her opinion towards raw meat is very debating. she will not feed her cats personally. I know my cats love the raw meat, but I am concerned about the quality of raw meat I make at home even I follow the instruction of adding the supplements.

I notice their stools are firm but black color. Why is it black?

At the same time, I am thinking to get back to dry food for them due to the balanced nutrition. I started to feed a little bit of dry food between the meal time. Two of five cats started to throw up. I wonder how you did the transition from the raw meat to the dry food without any health problems.

Thank you.

Vivi:

You are not alone in your concerns about raw meat food for cats! Many are afraid of raw meat foods, including some vets, and there is nothing wrong with that. We have done our best to dispel these fears in our website and can only say that the process and recipe we use is healthey and balanced. We have use it for years and nursed very ill cats back to health with it. We have never had a cat that couldn't tolerate it or that became ill from it. Our positive results with the raw meat food have convinced many cat owners we know to doing it and no one has ever reported any negative results with their cats. Bottom line is, like we tell everyone, if you don't feel good about it - don't do it. There are many quality canned foods available today that may suit your cats and your comfort level better. Just experiment around and find something that works. There is nothing wrong with NOT feeding your cats raw meat food so don't feel guilty about it! We just want all cats to be healthy and happy whether they eat raw or canned!
Regarding the black stools, we have never seen that before and, quite honestly have no idea why that should happen. Have the stools and the cats leaving them checked out by your vet.
As to transitioning to the dry food, we didn't! We just started putting out the dry and let the cats eat at will. We continued to feed the raw meat at meals so the dry was basically more of a supplement to their regular diet. We tried several brands of dry before finding the Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul. It is the only one that did not promote vomiting in any of the cats and so far they all still tolerate it very well. Since you are having the problem of vomiting with the dry, try something else until you find the one they tolerate. Our section on Cat Diet (under the link for Feeding Cats) gives you step by step instructions on how to safely transition your cats to another food.
Good luck and don't feel bad about wanting to find the best food to keep your cats healthy. It's what every loving cat owner wants!

Donna
House Full Cats Mom