raw foods: Where can I find pre-made foods that are acceptable as part of the raw cat food diet (BARF)? I don't want to spend a ton of money but I also don't really have the time to grind meat and make the raw food at home. I'm also concerned about toxoplasmosis and would prefer not to handle so much raw meat all the time. Are there any easy options that are pre-canned/frozen and easy to find at your local store?|||Some pet stores where I live now carry the pre-made raw diets from ground meat. It is not in any grocery store. They are as expensive as my own home-made. I tried some and my cats didn't like it much. Cats are very resistant to any change in their food (different smell or taste). I buy my ground meat (chicken and turkey) from a small specialty market and use the Feline Instincts supplement powder with that. I have been handling raw meat for my cats (not much for myself) for eight years now and neither I nor the cats has had any problems with "contamination".|||I go to a pet store called Pet Mania and they give out frozen raw foods. To serve it, you just thaw it. I wouldn't be afraid of diseases because as long as you wash your hands well, you should be safe. Just don't cook the meat, as you will lose nutrients that are important to cats. |||No, you have to go to a specialty pet food store that carry those kinds of foods. Box stores won't carry them. Look online or the phone book. You will have to introduce the raw diet very slowly. Cats will vomit it until their guts can handle it. It could take months. And the raw diets are not cheap. I tried it on my cat, and she puked immediately after eating it. |||Just about any variety of meat, except ham and cooked fowl--the bones become hazardous when cooked, and it's better to just serve without them, to be safe. But you also want to make sure they get some safe veggies, and the occasional grain, no matter what people tell you about the carnivorous nature of cats. My Chimera loves little bits of flour tortillas, and most of them like green beans and/or just about any cooked bean in which meat or meat-sauce is used. Rice is also good for them, to leaven their diet. It also keeps them from having the runs, which is common in purely carnivorous diets. What I would do is mix that plain meat with some good dry food like Purina One, for instance, because this makes possible on-demand feeding--just put down the dry food, and only mix in the meat at their official mealtime. The advantage is twofold: the dry food contains the grains and veggies they also need for good health, and chewing it helps clean their teeth, which cuts down on the accumulation of plaque which necessitates the scaling of their teeth. This will not only save you money in the long run, but your cats stress, and future dental problems. This could also save you considerable money on food, which is another help for your budget, and Purina has several price points in their food, so you needn't break the bank. And I recommend it myself, having fed all my dogs and cats Purina for fifty-some years now, and all of them have been vigorous and healthy till the end. There are more expensive foods, but I doubt there are any with a better track record. And, their quality control is conspicuously excellent.|||We have a local natural/organic grocer that offers it cheaply but you have to ask for it. I would look into this option.|||Yes, there are raw foods that can be purchased at some petstores or online. :o) Yeah... convienence! http://www.felinespride.com/products/cat鈥?/a> . I purchased this myself when I first started and my cats loved it! The current raw recipe I use (www.catinfo.org recipe) is also very similar to this mix. Another premade Raw you can try is Natures Varity. I personally have never used this but know many people that do and it鈥檚 pretty easy to find http://www.naturesvariety.com/content.la鈥?/a> Good luck!