Best Practices for Cooking Raw

[RobinO]

Hello All,
A dear friend of mine has a raw-fed 16-yr old cat facing numerous health issues, including possibly having lymphoma (tests pending but it's presumed and they started chemo). The cat also is recovering from surgery because during endoscopy, her stomach, near the esophagus, tore and the cat needed emergency surgery. Apparently, her stomach tissue was very friable, but the repair has held these past few weeks.
The cat was eating about 70% of the time after surgery but is NOT eating on her own since starting chemo. She just finished 4 days of chemo and is now done for 3 weeks.
My friend was told to take her cat off raw due to her compromised immune system. Can she lightly cook the raw meals? I feel the nutrition would be far better if the cat was given lightly cooked raw vs feeding "prescription crap" A/D or "high quality" canned.
So. If lightly cooking is OK, what are best practices? How much do you have to cook it to kill pathogens and what fats are ok to cook in, or is it better to parboil? Or other?
Thank you for your help!
Robin Olson
Kitten Associates

 

[GinnyW]

This may seem out there: If I had a cat that was in this much need of support and rebuilding, there is no way I would stop offering the far superior nutrition of raw food. Raw organs and meat juice can be terrifically healing; also raw goat or cow milk, or cultured or fermented versions. I'd feed eggs, too, beaten with some milk or cream, and some good oils like MCT or fish body oil. I'm thinking there is minimal risk, much to be gained, and not a lot of time to mess around in her perilous condition.

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Hey Robin!

Thanks for asking this super important question and for supporting your friend on her kitty's journey.

Can she lightly cook the raw meals? I feel the nutrition would be far better if the cat was given lightly cooked raw

Absolutely! As Ginny implies, any fresh food will be more supportive of the kitty's natural healing than the ultra-processed a/d or any canned or dry prescription food.

The answer to best practices depends on what kind of raw food she is feeding. If it contains bone then pan searing is OK. In general though, the lower the heat and shorter the duration of cooking, the more vital and healing the food will be.

How's the kitty's BEAM? What does she love to do more than anything else in the world?

 

[RobinO]

Oh Yes! I forgot about what the bones would turn into if cooked. My friend, Rei makes up a special batch of raw for her cat, Nutmeg, so she can probably get a protein without bones. We've had to source that too. I'll update once I hear back from her. Thank you.

 

[RobinO]

So Rei reports about BEAM:
Mood seems good, she's alert and bright 80% of the time she's awake. Sleeps a lot (understandable). Right now is licking my face within an inch of it's life, it's probably the third face peel she's given me today
Appetite is terrible. Refuses to eat.

Still playing with wand toys, sitting in catios. She's been entranced by the front door lately, which is new - she usually doesn't care

And yeah, if snuggling was a hobby, that'd be her favorite
Right next to nipping my nose

Also Rei reports that Nutmeg vomits Meyenberg Goat Milk (evaporated) even if it's 1 mL.

Oh...Nutmeg is on mirtazapine and I am wondering if THAT is the culprit to the cat's refusal to eat on her own. She IS being syring-fed

 

[RobinO]

She's not eating. :-( even lightly cooked raw. I think her time is coming to an end.

 

[GinnyW]

She's lucky to have you guys. Support her, celebrate her, rejoice in her journey where and when ever she goes. Good job!

 

[RobinO]

Sadly, they are going to put her down on Monday. She continues to not eat on her own. I'm going to see her to say farewell tomorrow. :-(