Raw feeding interview with: Erin of @rawpetsrule
The “Raw Feeding Interviews” is a new series of interviews to fellow raw feeders! It is aimed at providing different points of view and raw diet examples for several cats other than mine.
In this first interview, let’s welcome Erin from @rawpetsrule. She, too, runs a website on raw feeding: Rawpetsrule.
- Can you present yourself and your pets?
My name is Erin Christy, I have a love of animals and holistic health for animals especially focusing on nutrition. I have completed several natural nutrition courses and read everything I can on the subject. I am currently enrolled with ANHS to become certified in clinical pet nutrition. I have three cats; Midnight (6 yr old polydactyl black cat), Gharghemel (unsure of exact age as I took him in as an adult, vet guess is 6-8yrs old, marbled grey cat), Snickers (20 yrs old calico cat).
- What are you feeding your cats?
My cats are all fully raw fed. They eat mostly DIY raw meals using a large variety of proteins and whole prey (mice, quail ect).
I follow the prey model for cats of 84/6/5/5 [84% meat / 6% pure bones / 5% liver / 5% other organs] but I do add extras in the form of whole food supplements. Examples of extras : fish, mussels, wheatgrass, spirulina, kelp ect…I also regularly give them probiotics in the form of kefir or raw goats milk, I also make bone broth for them. Also, sometimes they just get whole prey & sometimes I make large mixed batches.
Midnight
- Since when are you raw feeding? Was it difficult to switch them to raw food?
They have been fully raw fed for the past 3+ years. It was a very long process to transition them because none of them had eaten raw from the start, they were stuck in their ways! It took the better part of a year to completely get all three to eat only raw and eat enough of a variety to put together nutritionally complete meals.
- Why did you decide to start raw feeding?
The more I learned about the nutritional needs of cats vs what was being sold for cats to eat the more upset it made me to know that the foods being manufactured for cats was so inappropriate and honestly unhealthy. My oldest cat had started to develop what was being chalked up to be “normal health issues”, beginning signs of kidney disease, I was determined to help her through better nutrition.
Gharghemel with raw food
-Did you see any difference in your cats after starting to raw feed them?
Yes! So much more energy, they play now like when they were kittens. They have shinier coats, a much less smelly litter box. My eldest cat with kidney issues stopped showing signs of decline and has been healthy.
- What are the pros and cons of raw feeding for you?
The pros are that it’s undeniably a more natural and healthy way of feeding cats. It’s the way nature designed them to eat. The only real con is it can take more time, less convenient and in some cases may cost more.
Snickers
- How much do you spend every month to raw feed?
I honestly don’t know the exact amount, it can vary quite a bit depending on what I buy and where I buy from. Plus I’m feeding a large dog as well and buy a lot of the meat in bulk, some is given for free, some like quail we raise ourselves.
What I can say is with a little work on sourcing I have definitely cut the cost of feeding them overall if you were to compare to a “high end” pet food. I definitely spend less.
- How did you learn to raw feed?
Reading everything I could get my hands on & taking multiple online courses and now continuing to further my education to earn my CPN (clinical pet nutritionist).
Quail wing and quail ground
- Anything else you would like to add?
Even if you think you can’t feed raw, make improvements to the food you do feed. Add moisture, add fresh food, it really will make a big difference in the health of your cat.
Thank you so much, Erin, for this interview!
I hope you enjoyed reading about another person’s insight into raw feeding. Stay tuned for more future interviews!
If your cat is raw fed and you’d like to be part of the “Raw Feeding Interviews” series, send us an email.