Why is it safe to feed my cats raw meat and fish?

[KeathS]

My cat's name is Gaylieszce. He is 13 years old. Breed: Grey and white DSH. He is male. 11 pounds. He has good energy and appetite. Has been eating taste of the wild kibble and wet friskies shreds for years. Now I am changing his diet to honest kitchen chicken powder and cooked fish. He was recently diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma on his jaw and the vet predicted 1-6 months to live and suggests managing pain with gabapentin then putting him down.

I am so relieved to find this group and support! Gaylieszce just got diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma on his jaw and I am changing his diet from processed food with a lot of crap in it to fresh food. I have been cooking the fish and meat because I need some reassurance that my cat won't get parasites or bad bacteria from the raw meat. Is it ok to feed frozen and thawed raw meat and fish or does it need to be fresh? Is it ok to cook it? Any reassurance or information would be wonderful. Thank you!

 

[SiriE]

My cat's name is Gaylieszce. He is 13 years old. Breed: Grey and white DSH. He is male. 11 pounds. He has good energy and appetite. Has been eating taste of the wild kibble and wet friskies shreds for years. Now I am changing his diet to honest kitchen chicken powder and cooked fish. He was recently diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma on his jaw and the vet predicted 1-6 months to live and suggests managing pain with gabapentin then putting him down.

I am so relieved to find this group and support! Gaylieszce just got diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma on his jaw and I am changing his diet from processed food with a lot of crap in it to fresh food. I have been cooking the fish and meat because I need some reassurance that my cat won't get parasites or bad bacteria from the raw meat. Is it ok to feed frozen and thawed raw meat and fish or does it need to be fresh? Is it ok to cook it? Any reassurance or information would be wonderful. Thank you!

Not a vet, only here to send my love and support to you and Gaylieszce. He’s lucky to have you, good job getting him help and answers. I wish you all the healing

 

[KeathS]

Thank you!!

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Hey Keath!

It’s such a joy to see you and Gaylieszce here! He’s one lucky guy to have a guardian as conscious and caring as you.

I have been cooking the fish and meat because I need some reassurance that my cat won't get parasites or bad bacteria from the raw meat.

Great point! Perhaps take a step back and ask whether the bacteria and parasites are as important as immune function and balance. As vets we are trained to fight germs, disease labels (but not dis-ease).

However, we now know that inner balance and immune optimization is more important.

Louis Pasteur (founder of the germ theory) said that the "terrain" (inner balance) is everything and the germ is nothing.

A Way To Connect Modern Veterinary Medicine And Ancient Wisdom: An Introduction To Terrain Theory - Holistic Actions!

www.holisticactions.com

IMHO the answer is a hybrid theory between germ exposure and balance of the inner terrain. There's more about this in my forthcoming Path to Pet Wellness (I'll see if I can excerpt the section and post it here).

Is it ok to feed frozen and thawed raw meat and fish or does it need to be fresh? Is it ok to cook it? Any reassurance or information

Yes, it's OK to feed fresh foods like thawed meats and poultry. Depending on the source of the fish, you might want to go easy on it (or avoid it). @GinnyW and @Dr. Jean Hofve may have other thoughts about feeding.