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Post by Deleted on May 22, 2013 19:52:27 GMT -5
I'm sure someone's asked this question before but my iPod's glitchy and slow so instead of digging around I'll just ask.
So my vet told us that feeding raw to our old cat was a bad idea when we suggested it and strongly discouraged it. She said that the cat would be covered in bacteria and other nasties and we would have to thoroughly wash our hands every time we bent down to scratch his head. I have seen plenty of people who feed raw to their cats and I know that ferrets belong on a raw diet, so here's my question:
Is this true for a ferret? Is it true for a cat?
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Post by Deleted on May 22, 2013 20:03:29 GMT -5
Sounds a little far fetched to me. Cats are very clean why would they smear their food allover themselves. However, maybe I am a weirdo, but I always wash my hands after handling any animal. I may handle them for a long time but when I am done I wash my hands. I do wash my hands a lot during the day though, for many other reasons as well.
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Post by Sherry on May 22, 2013 20:12:32 GMT -5
Sorry- but your vet is not telling you the truth, to put it mildly. Your cat is just as much an obligate carnivore as your ferret. What gets me is what on earth vets think people fed their cats before kibble?!? Our farm cats who lived off meat and prey they caught themselves usually lived well into their twenties
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Post by bitbyter on May 22, 2013 20:15:53 GMT -5
Both ferrets and cats groom themselves with a tongue bath. This is what your vet is probably talking about. Bacteria need a moist environment to survive in. Their lifespan outside of a favourable environment is not long so I wouldn't worry about. For a healthy person I wouldn't consider it a risk. Someone with a compromised immune system might be another matter however. My ferrets have been on raw for almost a year now and I never wash my hands (and haven't gotten sick). That's a risk I take but I always suggest it for strangers and kids (I insist they wash their hands before handling them as well due to the risk of transferring influenza).
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Post by Sherry on May 22, 2013 20:42:06 GMT -5
And even households with an immuno-compromised individual really isn't at risk with normal precautions(ask mustelidmusk-her hubby has Lyme's)
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Post by Deleted on May 22, 2013 20:46:48 GMT -5
The acidity of a cats saliva with actually kill any remaining bacteria before they start grooming themselves. Bacteria can not grow well in a cats mouth. I can understand how your vet has drawn these conclusions, but they're simply not true, so don't worry about it too much
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Post by Deleted on May 22, 2013 21:38:40 GMT -5
This is great! Thanks for all your answers. I figured she was misguided in some way. Maybe I can talk my mom into letting us feed the cat we plan on getting this Summer raw.
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Post by Sherry on May 22, 2013 21:47:28 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on May 22, 2013 21:54:10 GMT -5
Gah! Thanks for the link Sherry! And yes you have a point there...
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