I am currently feeding our dogs raw meet. Can a cat eat this way? We used to let her graze but I am tired of trying to 'hide' the food from the dogs. Does she have to graze? She drives us up a wall about getting food when she wants!

Lynn

-- Lynn (johnnypfc@yahoo.com), July 27, 2001

Answers

I'd say chow is ready and get what you want because when the kitchen is closed it is closed, until the next meal.
This is the advice given by the vet and the peditrician [no, not for the cat silly]. The toddler will get snacks but not the adults.

-- (perry@ofuzzy1.com), July 27, 2001.

Cats fed raw meat are then possible carriers of toxoplasmosis, so yes a raw diet is fine for your cat as long as you don't have hoof stock also. And...you are very careful around this cat, and it doesn't dig in your garden or flower beds! Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), July 27, 2001.

Perry, I don't believe your ankles have been exposed to a cat that wants to be fed - NOW!!! Some of them are as likely as not to start feeding right then anyway, or at least with only about thirty secinds warning, and a cat chowing down on what's readily reachable and available immediately HURTS. The best answer (protects the local wildlife to some extent too) is to keep dry food available in a high place the dogs can't reach, but to give them wet food - tinned or cooked - at a fixed time so they still know special treats come from you. A little raw meat won't hurt them, provided it's stuff you'd be prepared to eat too (maybe after cooking) - clean and fresh - say a liitle liver or heart or whole fish. One advantage of raw foods (which they love) is that it gives you a means to slip them medication if you can't do it by hand (some cats really object to having a finger thrust down their throat for some reason).

Incidentally, the same approach should apply to the dogs - cook what they eat - they can get parasites otherwise. Only special treats to be raw, and then of the highest quality (which can include fresh bones). It doesn't take much trouble to put meat in a boiler for half an hour, or on a tray in the oven for half a day (we're assuming a wood stove that's always burning here); or spread it out and nuke it in a microwave for ten minutes.

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), July 27, 2001.

I made an automatic cat feeder that worked a treat although it was not the easiest project I have ever undertaken.

I started with a small electric motor out of an old time switch that turned about four times an hour which I managed to gear down to about 5 turns per day.

I built a hopper from light board of about 2 pints capacity. I put a length of plastic pipe (about 1 1/4 inch diameter) in the bottom of the hopper and I put a loose wire spiral (made from a hand coat hanger) inside the pipe. One end of the pipe was outside the hopper and the wire spiral was turned by the little motor. After a bit of fiddling with the 'pitch' of the spiral and the speed of the motor I got a reasonable daily ration of dry cat food to drop out the end.

Every time the cat passed by there were a few nibbles to be snaffled up!

-- john hill (john@cnd.co.nz), July 27, 2001.

The way I feed cats is just to pour the first pint of ilk I milk into their bowl twice a day. Now, the other day, I fed two of them differently. When I went out with a 50 sack of cow feed slung over my shoulder, and I looked down into the metal can where we put the feed bags, I saw two mice, fat and sassy sitting down there looking up at me. Hmmm, methinks, kitty suppertime. I go and pick up a half-grown docile thing and hold it next to the can, directing its head so it will see the mousey down there... it perks its ears forward, and I set him down. AHA! Primal instinct starts him growling defensively over his kill. I chuckle, that was sooo easy. So, I pick him out and set him down and head for his brother. Now, his brother isnt quite so docile. I hold his head over the edge of the can, and he feels threatened. Oh come on, cat, I am not about to throw you in, cant you see your dinner is sitting down there at the bottom? I begin to put him in, and he suddenly leaves me with scratches that just may leave scars.

Oh well.. plenty of other cats to bless, it doesnt have to be you, you know. I pick up a little calico kitty that hasnt figured out mouse stuff yet. She purrs as I stroke her. I hold her head over the can, but she doesnt have a clue yet. So I lower her gently into it, facing her toward the mouse. She just looks up pleadingly at me. No, no, Flicka, you are supposed to get that mousey, see? I make her put her nose down right onto the mouse, which is almost dead of fright already. She suddenly gets a faint understanding that this is food she smells. Oh my! Excitement suddenly possesses her as she has never known existed! Shivering all over, she reaches forward and tentatively bites into the mouse. She just sits there, growling as all good little kitties do when they have a live mouse in their jaws. This little kitty hardly knows what to do next. I pick her out, and she drops the mouse down on the floor. I had to put her nose down on it again before she remembered this is food here. She did eat it, to my releif.

Who needs TV when you've got a barn?

-- daffodyllady (daffodyllady@yahoo.com), July 27, 2001.

Such entertainment d'lady! My wife called me at work one day to say she thought we had a 'possum caught in our garage. When I get home it was the biggest and ugliest rat I have ever seen so I called Daphne our Australian Terrier, a breed renown for ratting. The little dog walked up the rat and gave it a sniff, the rat screamed and gave her a nip on the nose. This was enough to flick some inherited switch as the "Daff's" eyes flashed luminous green and she grabbed that rat and shook it until the air was filled with flying fur. Unfortunately I still had to take a deep breath and dispose of the carcase.

-- john hill (john@cnd.co.nz), July 28, 2001.

Just remember...a cat that is only fed raw meat won't get enough calcium and it's bones will suffer...so make sure that it gets some commercial cat food too, or good hunting ;-)

-- Christine Young (christine_young16@yahoo.com), July 28, 2001.

We have two "estate" cats. A brother and sister from the same liter. Then roam the place at night, and keep the chicken house cleared of four legged critters. We usually find the heads of their victums outside the garage door. I guess they want us to know they are doing their jobs. Once I was in the chicken house and the male was poking his head around a stack of shovels in the corner. I moved one of the shovels and out shot a California Rat about nine inches long. Bam, that cat had the rat dead in about 1.5 seconds. Amazing. We keep Purina Cat Chow, free choice, in the garage. In the morning, they will take a couple of mouthfuls, and they let us know when its empty. We worm them once a month. They are great cats, friendly, and come to be petted when called. Our five dogs and the cats get along famously, and visitors often remark about how well they all get along. Shadow and Slippers are definately a part of the family!

-- Rickstir (rpowell@email.ccis.edu), July 30, 2001.