Why did we start feeding raw????????? There are so many answers to this question and to go into it all would take forever but basically, we felt it was time for a change and having gone down the homeopathic route a couple of months ago, we saw the need for dietary changes as well. Also, like some other breeders in multi cat homes where commercial food is changed quite regularly, especially when there are kittens in the home, we do sometimes have "poo" issues as well in that some cats stools can be soft and rather smelly. We do have a couple of cats in our home also with extremely sensitive stomachs and the slightest change in diet has always upset them.

One thing I noticed when starting to look into this was the number of pedigree cat owners and breeders who had experienced cats with ailments such as IBS, or cats with allergies etc. and the one thing these cats all had in common was that they were all on commercial foods. Now that isn't to say that commercial pet foods is the cause at all and yes, we all know that sometimes, problems in the breeding line are the cause, but why are we seeing far more problems nowadays than were seen 30 years ago when there wasn't this huge amount of dry and wet foods available? I remember years ago growing up as a child and our cats (outdoor moggies) were fed on what was probably the only brand of biscuit available but their main sustenance was what they caught themselves in the form of mice, birds, snakes etc. as well as table scraps which in those days were not "frowned upon". All of our moggies lived until they were at least 19 years of age. Admittedly moggies are hardier than pedigree cats anyway because they have not had problems bred into their lines but even so, it gives food for thought. Food intolerance in pedigree cats seems to be a very widespread problem now amongst a lot of breeds. It is now my own personal opinion that perhaps a lot of the commercial foods are actually doing more harm than good in a variety of ways although obviously there is much evidence to the contrary.

I had spent months and months of researching raw feeding online, the pros and cons, as well as speaking with a few other breeders/pet owners who also feed raw as part of the diet. and when I thought I had gathered enough information, I spoke with Graham and told him that this was something I wanted to try. Being his usual supportive self, Graham was happy for me to give it a go. In fact, it's probably the first time that I have wanted to "try" something out with the cats that hasn't ended up costing him a load of money lol so that could be why he was readily agreeing with my latest new idea ;)

Making any changes with regards to the cat family always has to be done with a lot of thought and research and I am certain that there will be many, many, breeders, vets, and pet owners who will not agree with raw feeding. It's common knowledge that until I started looking into it, I was very much against it and perhaps some will call me a hypocrite as I have previously made my views on raw feeding known. However, we are all entitled to admit we were wrong, and my previous closed views on raw feeding were very wrong. The thing to remember is that what works for one person, doesn't always work for another person and with all the feeding debates out there (believe me there are loads!), then I think if each pet family or breeder can find a method that suits them then that's great. Guidance by one's vet is paramount and I would never recommend making any changes unless vet advise is sought first but be warned................you will have a battle on your hands trying to convince your own vet that raw is the way to go :)

Our vet, whom we love dearly, would not be an advocate of raw feeding, so because of this, I'll give it a few months and then when I am next in there I will mention to her that we have gone "natural". She will of course be horrified but by then, I will (hopefully) have proof of the benefits with feeding raw :) :) :) I am no vet, I have no feline qualifications at all, I am merely a breeder and I do believe that for our own cats, raw feeding is the right decision to make. Raw feeding is not a cure all for feline ailments but I am hoping that as the years progress, our own cats and kittens will be healthier and will not be prone to so many of the health issues surrounding our chosen breeds. Rest assured, I am turning this into a study of sorts. I will be running a raw feeding kitten diary for years to come because I have records of every pregnancy, loss, problem, etc. going back to 2002 when we bought our first breeding cat. It will be interesting to see what, if any changes, are happening in 5 years' time, 10 years' time, with regards to sensitive tummies, allergies, overall health, longevity of life, reproduction, kitten weights for the first 13-15 weeks, losses in litters etc.

I have yet to figure out when we do next have a litter how on earth I explain to our kitten families that their babies have been brought up on raw food. That is going to be a difficult one, particularly when the children leave home at around 14 weeks of age because lets face it, very few kitten families are going to be prepared to keep up a raw meat diet. I am anticipating problems with this but I'll deal with that at the time and that is still a while off :) As it was, I had to take the plunge and tell one very dear friend/kitten family that the baby she was taking home from us at the end of July was a "raw feeder". As it turns out, due to her own phenomenally fantastic cat guardianship, I need not have worried, as she has offered raw to her babies previously anyway.

As you can imagine, I now have numerous links on raw feeding saved on my computer and I have put just a very few of these links below in case they are of use to anyone else who has an interest in raw feeding. I may add to these links over time. Of course I would also love to hear from other breeders who have tried raw feeding to hear about their own experiences, good or bad so please do feel free to contact me.

I thought I would keep a diary to follow the progress of the raw feeding and any changes that came about as a result of the "natural" diet. The raw feeding diary will not be updated daily, and perhaps, sometimes not even weekly. At the start it will obviously have quite a few entries but I am certain these will reduce as the months go by. Please use the menu on the left to navigate the diary entries.

Raw Feeding Links

Holistic Vet	Raw Meaty Bones	Myths About Raw Feeding	Before You Try Raw Food	Taurine Information	Raw Fed Cats
Pottenger's Cats	UK BARF Club	UKRMB	Prize Choice