Anyone that has a fold from me can tell you one thing is true…. they don’t just eat, they LIVE TO EAT!  I raise my babies to have healthy appetites; after all, we want them to have that great, well-padded body.    My dogs are all raised on a RAW (sometimes called BARF) diet.  I would love to do that for my cats, but I realize that not everyone is willing to put in the time and effort to do this, so I supplement them with the raw and feed a variety of “premium” kibble and canned.  I feed a mixture of foods for a couple of reasons.  First, a lot of my babies go to homes with other kitties and this means they aren’t particular and are less likely to have problems adjusting to various foods with less stomach upset.  Second, since the food manufactures change their ingredients, I know that the kittens are getting a combo that will ensure they are getting all the nutrients they need.

        I truly do love raw for my babies and it is actually the first “real” food they eat.  Once they are big enough to climb out of the nursing box, they are given raw ground beef, rabbit or poultry.  By the time you offer them the second or third piece of it, they are grabbing it out of your hands.  While dry food is available at all times, they also receive raw meat, poultry,  fish, or a combo veggie mix every day as well and thrive on it.  Since I started feeding this way, I have seen a wonderful change in my kittens.  I have larger litters and the kittens are bigger at birth then when I had smaller litters.  I have less URI’s and stomach problems and my moms always have more then enough milk.  I truly feel that the raw diet and herbal supplements are the reason for this improvement in health.   

        I guess this really isn’t a shock, since cats are carnivores and this is how they were meant to eat.  Even my older cats readily took to the new diet and now have clean teeth, better coats and are more fit and active (well…OK, as active as folds get).  Some people have concerns about a raw diet, but these concerns are unfounded.  There is a wonderful group on Yahoo called RawCats that deals just with feeding a balanced raw diet and has a great quick start recipe for getting started, tips on ways to convert your babies to raw as well as other holistic tips.

         If you don’t want to make your own raw diet there are now companies that provide premade frozen mixed diets and or ground meats, including Three Cheers, Taylor Ponds, Hare Today, Aunt Jeni's, Raw4dogs, A Place For Paws, etc.  While it may seem daunting in the beginning it is actually a very easy and beneficial way to feed your babies.