Is it good to put a raw egg in with a cats' dry food?

Question

I read recently that most cats don't get proper nutrition because the food they're fed is not designed for their needs. It said cats get most of their moisture and protein from the food they kill in the wild and that dry foods are no good because cats aren't supposed to eat starches like rice and corn and the moisture and protein levels are too low. It suggested that if raw diets took too much time and canned food was too expensive, you could put a raw egg in with their dry food once in a while and it would help. Is this true? How often should it be done if it is? What are the benefits? What are the dangers? Thanks.

Answer 1

If you are going to use raw eggs with your cats you must be sure they are "free-range", organic eggs. And the whites are not good to use raw. You can lightly boil or poach an egg till the whites are "done" and the yolk is still soft.

Eggs are a good source of Vitamin A which cats cannot make in their bodies and it is added in powdered form to most commercial cat foods. Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin and any excess will be stored in the cat's liver which can cause problems. So I wouldn't do it more than twice a week.

You should read the references given on raw diets. At http://www.littlebigcat.com Dr. Jean Hovfe also has an article titled "Easy Homemade Recipes for Cats and Dogs". After you have reviewed all that material you will have a better idea about how much egg to use.

Raw chicken livers are also a good source of Vitamin A so your cats might eat those. There again, a serving of liver once a week should be enough. Raw chicken hearts are a good source of taurine which is water-soluble and you don't have to worry about overdosing that. Chicken gizzards are also a good source of taurine and they are pretty tough chewing for a cat who isn't used to that. Of course the gizzards are excellent "toothbrushes" if your cats will tackle them. By the time you have tried all that a chopped up raw chicken wing gives calcium, lean muscle meat to balance out a diet.

Answer 2

Egg white isn't any good by itself, I'll try to find out why.. But, typically just the egg yolk is recommended.. Either way, the grains are still in the dry food.. Raw actually is pretty cheap for a cat, certainly less then canned food..
Here's a guide to making cat food for about $.64 a day...
http://www.catinfo.org/makingcatfood.htm
We're just starting on it ourselves, so I can't offer you much more help then that.. You may also want to look through Yahoo groups. I found a rawfeeding group by me that orders together to save on shipping and can get like 40lbs of chicken back for $15 and 10 lbs of chicken hearts for $10..
The key I guess is making it in bulk and freezing it..
Ah, and here it is
"Raw egg whites - Raw egg whites are not to be fed as they contain avidin which binds to biotin in the intestinal tract and prevents it from being absorbed - leading to a biotin deficiency. Cooked egg whites, on the other hand, are an excellent source of phosphorus-free protein. This is a great additive as long as the cat has not shown any allergy/intolerance for egg protein. "

Answer 3

I know that cats and dogs digestion are different. You may want to research this from various sites too. However, if you can afford it, try buying a cat food that has more protein than starch. Also, you can mix in canned food with dry food and make it last longer.

"From a Make Your Own Cat Food Site"
Understand that there are certain foods that should be avoided when you make your own cat food. Never feed your cat chocolate, alcohol, onions, pork (including bacon), raw fish, raw eggs, milk or bones. Each of these has its own ill effects on cats.

Answer 4

how can raw diet take too much time? You can but a package of thighs, put them in baggies, and thaw one each day. All you do is take it out of the fridge, give it to cat. that's it. No scooping, no mixing, nothing.
About once a week, i portion out the dogs and cats food for the week, and put it in the freezer. I am feeding now 10 dogs and 4 cats raw, and it takes very little time.
You can vary the meat, my cats love deer meat, and ricotta cheese. If you must feed kibble, which is the worst thing you can do for your cat, eggs, cheese, even goats milk, or raw unpasteurized milk poured over the kibble is great for cats.
I seriously recommend you totally switch to raw though, you will not regret it.
umm, my cats, and dogs eat raw fish on a weekly basis, they have no deficiencies, and are very healthy. Raw fish is one of the best foods you can feed a cat. They get raw bones in their meat, and milk and other dairy products pretty frequently, again, no ill effects. Do you think when your cat catches a bird or mouse, they pick the bones out? NO!!!They eat it all.

Answer 5

You can use eggs, chances of salmonella infections are very slim. However, I'd give them some raw chicken along with the odd chicken liver now and agin (not too much, can cause blindness).
If you can only do the egg part, I would do it a couple of times a week, and you can feel the difference in their coat (and see it in their energy) very soon.

Answer 6

I asked this of our vet once. She said the incidence of salmonella passing to the cat is pretty high, uncooked eggs are often contaminated via the shell. Same for raw chicken. She recommended cooking the eggs first then it's ok.

Answer 7

Noooo. Raw food is absolute no-no. Human food shouldn't be given. Check in with your vet on this one.

Raw egg causes salmonella poisoning as they say.

Answer 8

The diet of a free ranging cat consists of entire animals and will provide them with the nutrition they need. Feeding just one type of food can be dangerous to their health because it will not be a complete diet. The first step is to attempt to get a high quality cat food that is formulated for her life style. If the skin condition is quite serious, she may also need to see a veterinarian.

Answer 9

only feed the cat raw eggs with turnip greens

Answer 10

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art1723.asp

Here is a list of foods that cats should not eat.