Cat Chat (please go to cat chat 2)

[Transkitty]

You are so wrong it is laughable.
Being at room temperature allows bacteria and parasites to thrive on meat. Freezing it is the best thing you can do in order to kill these parasites to prevent them from harming your cats!

[The Winter Soldier]

Couldn't have it better my self fairytale. You are right it does make the bacteria dorment but you are still better off cooking the raw food and giving it too your pets that way then you would be if you just outright fed it too them completely raw and uncooked. personally if i had my cat on diet liek that i'd cook the food first i wouldn't put anything on it clearly i'd just cook it because well bacteria i'd be concerned about the bacteria.

Umm i never said being at room temperature was the best alternative please do not put words in my mouth elsa. I simply said that freezing raw meat doesn't prevent illness i also stated that your better off cooking food I never said you should leave the dam food out and let it rot!

[Jazi]

freezing raw meat actualy isn't good at all you are actually not killing germs by freezing and storing any and all raw meat and carcasses in your fridge only heat kills germs so bottom line is the nutrients will be fine but the risk of illness is higher because they frozen and uncooked only heat kills germs not cold. It's false that storing yoru meat in freezer will keep your cats from getting ill it doesn't lower it. in fact it's proven that you can't kill germs with the cold germs thrive and fester with freezing and coldness i don't know where half the animal chatter peopel get their information that freezing kills germs or lowers illness risks but it's incorrect.

Honestly I know I am right this is scientific fact that cold allows germs to thrive heat allows germs to die.

you niether increase nor decreae the risk of illness to your pets by freezing food.

You got a source for that?

The thawing process is actually what allows bacteria to settle and thrive on meat and other food sources. Bacteria, "germs", and more specifically the ones that most humans worry about such as e.coli and salmonella thrive in lukewarm, room temperature, or fridge temperature air. Freezing stops these bacteria from spreading and freezing for extended periods of time essentially kills bacteria and does kill parasites and molds. Heat also kills bacteria, parasites, and molds as it pushes into the higher temperatures that bacteria also cannot survive in.

The reason we, as humans, would become ill from contaminated meat would be because as it thaws, the bacteria settles and grows and multiplies... and spreads. That is why preparation is the most "dangerous" part of raw feeding, because the meat is thawed or partially thawed. It's also the most dangerous part of cooking meat for human consumption, and how contaminated meat or surfaces spreads bacteria onto eating surfaces to make humans ill.

This sort of thing is taught in not only basic foods courses, but also in entry level biology.

[Transkitty]

Cooking meat reduces the nutrients in it. When I feed my cats raw, they will get raw. It will not be cooked at all, since cats are obligate carnivores. They are designed to digest raw meat, after all.

I didn't put words in your mouth. You said that heat kills bacteria, not cold. All I said is that is incorrect. The rest of that was in response to the post you were responding to.

[FuzzyThePunkCat]

Heating the food a little doesn't do anything about bacteria, but a lot of cats will puke when eating cold food. Learned that the hard way. So I warm their raw a bit.

Raw meat is pretty much just as safe for cats as kibble is.

[fairytale.]

If cooking a diet for your cat, you have to add a fair amount of supplements and vegetation, which cats cannot digest properly. Cats have an acidic and fast digestive tract so that no bacteria is in their system long enough to make them sick. If you cook the meat, you lose essential nutrients and moisture. Cats have a low thirst drive as they evolved to get their moisture from their diet. Cats did not get domesticated like dogs, and therefore have never evolved to handle cooked foods. Raw is simply the best thing you can feed them. Cats on raw diets have very little input, output, and health issues. Cats on other diets are especially prone to UTIs because they need to drink water to digest these foods. With their low thirst drive, they have difficulty staying hydrated enough, causing the pH of their urine to change. That is only one of the many health issues cats are prone to when they aren't fed a raw diet. While I agree a cooked diet is better than canned or dry, raw is by far the best, and if someone has the time and drive to educate themselves on how to do it properly, they should definitely consider it for their pets.

[FuzzyThePunkCat]

I agree, I can't believe I didn't do raw before. I'm so glad that I started it now. I've already seen improvement in Sterling and it's only day 4!

[Transkitty]

Fuzzy, when you say you are heating up your cat's meals, you aren't doing it in the microwave are you?
If you put the meat in a bowl of warm water, it'll heat it a little more evenly and it wont mess with the nutrition like a microwave would, so your kitties may be able to stomach it a little better.

Also, how is Sahara doing? Were you able to get her to eat?

[Cardinal]

I'm actually for properly done and researched cooked diets as well as raw, I just think raw is better because theres less supplements to be added.

[fairytale.]

I feed my boy his food straight from the fridge. When he was younger, I would put food out on the counter about an hour before meal time, but he takes it just fine cold. I definitely think it depends on the cat. I have never had issues with Bunsen and cool food. The only time he's ever thrown up his meal was once when he got scared while eating. Dad got out the pizza paddle and apparently that was the scariest thing ever, lol. Unfortunately, that was his first meal introducing beef, so now he's convinced that it is poison.