So, we know where conventional meat goes and how it's handled in the slaughterhouses. What happens to animals raised organically/or animals allowed to to walk around freely? Do they go to a different slaughterhouse or is it different? I mean, are they treated more humanely? I just can't imagine that they are. Anyone got any thoughts or links please feel free...I'm getting a kitten and all of the info. out there on eating raw whole meat parts/the prey model is really giving me a headache! Also, no, I won't be introducing my kitten to whole meat parts right away or even all raw meat just yet.

My organic butcher says that many farmers care greatly about their animals. He said some treat them like their children. : [

Well I had to hold my tongue but until I'm convinced that I can have a happy healthy pet on lentils and eggs (pls tell me if if you know this to be true anyone) I am open to trying.

Does anyone reading this have a vegetarian (carnivore) pet?

Would a like anolgy be the eskimos - eating a lot of meat and fat and not living very long? they live an average of 45 I read.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/08/2008 03:51PM by Dulset.

How about feeding your felines fish, all kinds of fish..no meat. If they are outdoor cats,they will find their own meat if they want. Even dogs could probably do very well on just fish, provided they get the whole fish, bones, head, etc..

Love,
Prism

Would just fish be balanced for a cat? I was thinking about carnivorous animals and I guess they don't need the same nutrients as us. In cat food they always have vegetables but do cats need that?

Fish is meat.

My dog is vegan.

Sunflower
Raw Food Chef and Writer
Comfortably Raw
[www.comfortablyraw.com]

Cats are carnivores. Feeding raw meat is so much better for them than kibble or canned. When you feed raw meat, you have the option of selecting the quality of the meat, particularly if you make your own raw homemade cat food. When you feed regular commercial canned or kibble, the meat and or by-products can be the slaughterhouse leftovers which are not graded fit for human consumption. Commerical pet diets, combined with regular vaccinations, can be devastating for pets.

Yes, finding humanely raised and slaughtered meat can be a problem when seeking food for your carnivorous furry friend.

Some independent organic farmers and ranchers sell good quality meat. Apparently in Colorado, if a farmer is to sell meat, the animals still need to be slaughtered in an inspected facility. There are small independently owned slaughterhouses in Northern Colorado. It is something I don't know much about and am actually quite nervous about doing more research about.

There are mountain hippies, and other survivalist types who obtain road kill permits. When a deer or elk is killed on the roadways, the sheriff department will call down the roadkill list and find the first someone who will
agree to immediately come out and remove the roadkill. Then the freezer gets stocked with wild game. There are some mountain domestic cats and dogs living very well. Some day I need to learn how to dress and preserve road kill for the sakes of my pets.

Do you have hunters as friends, relatives, or neighbors?

My cats have been eating raw meats since they were seven weeks old. They also love raw soaked almonds, goji berries, avocado kale salad, olive oil, coconut oil, spirulina, etc. Their immune systems, fur, muscle tone, energy levels (they are almost like living with monkeys even at age 10!), intelligence and emotional balance is very good. They also catch their own mice during the warmer months and eat them. Then they got tapeworm from eating the mice. They have not gotten tapeworms from eating the raw meats that I prepared for them. The tapeworms did not bother the cats one bit, nor their health, but the tapeworms grossed me out. So I gave them tapeworm meds.

For cats, I would feed a diet primarily of raw muscle, organ meat, and bone. The bone, if chicken, can be chopped into bite sized pieces with a cleaver. (Hint: chop out doors since the juices tend to spray...) And then add a raw egg, pureed fresh greens, seaweed, garlic, yams or squash, and oils. Not flax oil; dogs and cats tend to vomit after eating flax oil. Flax oil goes rancid very easily and dogs and cats are very sensitive to it.

I used to work as an assistant for a holistic veterinary clinic, so I have some experience with raw diets for dogs and cats.

Is there really such a thing as "Humane Slaughter"? I guess it all depends on what your definition of "humane" is. Personally, I believe that slaughter is not in any way "humane", no matter how you look at it.

-KyraLamb
Follow Me As I Go From S.A.D. to Raw- Live! [the-ideal-diet.blogspot.com]

That being said, it is true that kitties are carnivores and need to eat the flesh of other animals in order to be optimally healthy. If optimal health and happiness is your goal for your furry friend, then I would suggest supplying your kitty with opportunities to hunt live critters like lizards and mice on a daily basis or otherwise educating yourself on the practices of local, small farm slaughter houses in order to locate one that is as great a measure away from the horrifying practices of factory farms as possible. You can pick up pre-ground flesh from them there (sorry if I seem caustic- I was just clued in to the terrifying nature of factory farms only two days ago and I'm still realing from the information). My husband does this for his dogs and they are very healthy with shiny coats and bright eyes.

-KyraLamb
Follow Me As I Go From S.A.D. to Raw- Live! [the-ideal-diet.blogspot.com]