WHY WE FEED RAW
PROMOTING A CLEANER AND HEALTHIER LIFESTYLE FOR OUR FUR FAMILY
We made the switch to an all Raw Diet over 5 years ago and haven't looked back. All of our kittens are raised on a completely raw diet from 4 weeks of age. Our litters are stronger, livelier and are more advanced with walking, standing and zooming around their birthing nest after being born.
I will admit, it was tough at first, but with the proper knowledge and a little bit of time your family feline will reap the rewards and so will your pocket book. Plus, we know exactly what goes into their bodies and can streamline their diet for a healthier Maine Coon. ReallyCoons is 100% dedicated to helping new owners of our fur-babies to make the switch. We provide about a week worth of food and our own recipe to all kittens or cats that leave our home. We absolutely do NOT recommend any type of kibble. I will openly speak with clients on how our cats were on high quality wet food, freeze dried raw and kibble. It wasn't until I had a pet boy of mine that had a blood allergy panel completed, that I was in total shock on how many things he was allergic to. This same boy ended up having an intussusception at a year and a half old. Little did I know he was allergic to so many things in what he was being fed daily. Beef, fish, egg, wheat, yeast and rabbit. Mixed fish is in almost everything, along with his favorite cat treats. Rabbit is always recommended in limited diets for cats with allergies. After almost seven inches of his intestines being removed, I knew we had to change things. My mother and I started researching anything and everything we could along with joining groups that fed only raw food. Along the path, we found a wonderful nutritionist Carol who helped fill in some missing questions we had. We learned that the proteins he was allergic to were very different in raw form. Packages say chicken/fish meal or byproducts... meaning beak, feathers, feet, scales or other parts cats don't naturally eat in the wild. Since our switch to raw, our boy can eat beef, egg and other proteins he couldn't eat in canned or kibble.
One of the biggest concerns people have about feeding raw is salmonella, parasites, worms, bacteria, etc. We do actively have PCR's completed on our cats and have never had a single positive test result nor a cat ever get sick from our food. We take all precautions when preparing our food. There are a few easy steps to abide by when feeding raw. We never thaw in warm water, heat our food in any way or leave our meat in the refrigerator for more than three days and we make sure to freeze our food for at least three days prior to even feeding.
Providing your cats with a diet that is modeled on what they would eat in the wild has many benefits, both for you and your cat:
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Improved digestion. Raw meat and bones are digested faster than kibble and commercial foods. The gnawing needed to chew raw, activates the digestive tract before the food even gets inside, making it easier to digest.
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Insanely reduced stool odor and volume. Seeing is believing. Bowel movements are less frequent and smelly because your cat is digesting more nutrients and will expel less waste.
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Healthy coat, less shedding, and fewer hairballs are huge benefits. Raw diets are full of essential fatty acids and other nutrients, leading to soft, smooth skin and a shiny coat. Even cats suffering from severe allergies have dramatic overall improvements.
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Increased energy. More nutrients in a single meal means more energy. More energy leads to a healthier life.
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Weight loss, if overweight. Raw diet provides leaner body mass because of the omission of carbohydrates and sugars. The high protein levels can be tailored to your cats specific weight needs from batch to batch.
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Better urinary health. Raw diets, which contain adequate moisture along with appropriate amounts of protein and fat, can help cats achieve a more natural urinary balance of pH and urine concentration. This is highly important in Maine Coons as they can be predisposed to kidney disease.
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Better dental health. Chewing on raw, meaty bones will scrape plaque and tartar off your cat's teeth and the enzymes in the raw meat will help keep their mouth clean. This means less dentals at your vet and not needing to brush their teeth. I haven't had a cat yet that wants their teeth brushed.
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Strengthened Immune System. Raw diets are packed full of nutrients and naturally occurring essential fatty acids strengthening the immune system. Owners have found that sick pets have improved greatly even after a short time of being fed a raw diet because the essential fatty acids ease inflammation and infections brought about by weak immune systems. We can also add a few minor supplements to increase immunity. We can also eliminate food allergies.
Lastly, Maine Coons and all cats in general, especially males, are susceptible to kidney stones and crystals. A healthy diet helps prevent urethrostomies or other types of surgeries and kidney disease later in life. Here are just a few articles posted below to reference.
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https://hare-today.com/feline-nutrition/health/feline-cystitis-and-bladderkidney-stones
https://consciouscat.net/the-truth-about-dry-cat-food/
Free Feeding? Why Grazing Is Harming Your Cat | Red Dog Blue Kat
Is Kibble Bad for Cats? Vet Nutritionists Talk Dry Cat Food (caticles.com)
https://maevworld.com/nutrition/the-truth-about-kibble-and-the-pet-food-industry
https://www.nomnomnow.com/blog/the-truth-about-kibble
https://www.yourpurebredpuppy.com/health/articles/feeding-my-vet-says-about-dog-food.html
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Hill's is owned by Colgate-Palmolive. In 2022, Hill's annual revenue was approximately US$3,713 billion, according to Petfood Industry's top companies database. This annual revenue made Hill's the third largest pet food company on the planet, trailing Mars Pet Care and Nestle Purina Petcare. Feb 13, 2024
Mars, Incorporated
Royal Canin (French: [swajal kanã]) is a French manufacturer and global supplier of cat and dog food. The company is a subsidiary of Mars, Incorporated.
SHOULD THESE COMPANIES BE MAKING FOOD FOR OUR FURRY FAMILY MEMBERS? PLEASE CHECK YOUR LABELS AND DO RESEARCH.
How To Transition your Feline Family Member to Raw
Transitioning to any food can be difficult at first, but with patience and the right mindset, it can be done. We started out on free feeding kibble and giving wet food at least twice daily. I have a few 6 year old boys that gave me hard time switching but in the end we are now an all raw fed home. We started out with filling their kibble bowls and once they were empty, we never refilled them. I can only imagine what they were thinking "mom has gone mad, she is going to starve us." We continued their wet and increased the amount of feeding times to a max of 3 times daily. We did this method for a month and started to add a tiny bit of raw in with their wet food. Slowly but surely, we were successful. Some took instantaneously to the raw and others took a little while longer. We do grind our own and add a few extra supplements to each batch ensuring they are receiving proper nutrients for our breed. Below is an example of a food transition chart and a few links also aiding in the process of switching. I can't stress how IMPORTANT it is to feed the correct ratios of Protein, Organ, Bone and Fat for proper growth and digestive health. We feed 84% (protein) 10% (organ) 6% (bone) and 25%-30% fat. The incorrect ratios can be detrimental to their health. These ratios agree with all of our cats. Our kittens get the same food as our adults except more bone and a calcium supplement added to their grind.
https://boulderholisticvet.com/removing-kibble-from-your-cats-diet/
https://rebelraw.com/pages/transitioning-your-cat-to-a-raw-diet
https://ironwillrawdogfood.com/blogs/news/transitioning-your-cat-to-raw-feeding
https://www.catwhisperer.se/transitioning-your-cat-to-raw-food/
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