Can you feed your Bengal cat raw ground beef?

Nevermind, I found a topic on here in nutrition that explained what I needed to know.

I don't know of anybody who feeds raw beef. Raw chicken is the most popular. There are many websites regarding raw feeding of cats and there is a topic here as well.

I'm sure that is why beef isn't popular. Note you can purchase raw food at the pet store or even some grocery stores have refrigerated cat and dog food for purchase. When making your own raw food, it is much easier to make a large batch and freeze it into daily portions. Cats need taurine (organs) and calcium (bone or egg shells). Or you purchase a supplement to add to the food. I believe there is also a Facebook page on feeding raw to cats. While raw is a great diet, manufactured cat food is just as good. It's definitely a personal choice and feeding raw is much more time consuming in the preparation.

Yes I ended up contacting a local pet store that provides cat & dog ground beef with the bones and guts and such. So we’re going to get some and switch her slowly over to raw. It’s more expensive to buy canned food than the raw. Also from what I have read, it’s better for them too. I’m really excited to do the raw. Does any one have any tips for feeding raw food? I am open to suggestions, I am new to this.

I also tried to give her some raw chicken already to try, she wouldn’t have it. When I let her try raw beef, she devoured the two small pieces I gave her. So this is why I am choosing beef to chicken.
I’m going by what she likes, but will be using proper beef for cats from pet store. Hopefully it goes well :)

Just make sure you read the ingredients and make sure it says 'complete diet" or something similar. It should contain everything your kitty needs. It is a myth that bengals require a raw diet -- just because the asian leopard cat eats one. Wild cats are forced to. Also, make sure you go by the serving amount. I don't know if you feed less raw than you would from a can. I just can't imagine feeding raw is cheaper than high-quality canned food, especially if you are getting it already pre-made. Please keep us informed on how this is working out for you and if Chili loves the ground beef.

So today was Chilis first day with raw beef. Well actually last night. She wouldn’t touch it. She did do a rather strange motion with her paws towards it that was rather comical. I also tried fresh beef this morning and nothing. Tried mixing it with canned food and she ate all the canned food that wasn’t touching the beef lol. So I’m not sure what to think of today. Perhaps I could keep adding small amounts to wet food... or just let her tuff it out... but I sure don’t want to starve her. Hmmmm any one else’s bengals do this when they tried raw?

I tried mine on raw but they didn't like it either. They are usually very food-driven so they did try. They returned to their bowls several times, taking a bite or two, then scratching their paws like they wanted to bury it. I'm not sure if I should try another type of raw food as you can't buy it in small portions around here. Mixing it trough the wet food might help, I didn't try that yet. They might get used to the taste that way.

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Linus & Rascal

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Commercial pet food is full of flavours and smells that raw isn't, therefore raw is bland in comparison. It takes time to properly transition cats from one diet to another, mixing foods is one method, using two bowls is another method. Cat's and Dogs are very much like children, that's the one fundamental simple truth, they all learn in exactly the same way, association, repetition etc.

I'm sure Chili was trying to cover the food. My bengal does it all the time. It usually tells me, "I don't like this particular food you are feeding me!!!" Or he may do it when he leaves some food in his bowl. It is quite comical.

I agree that raw is bland. However, I do not believe in forcing a kitty to eat a certain kind of food. It took me forever to figure out what Raiden would eat as he had been raised on Friskies dry the first six years of his life. I've now got him on mainly grain-free food. It is really a myth that if you let the kitty get hungry enough, it will eat anything you put in front of it. Not the case. You could put mushrooms or shellfish in front of me and I wouldn't eat them and starve to death! Seriously! I can't tell you how much cat food I've given away and currently have cases of food they loved at one time but won't eat now. So I'll just wait until it appears fresh and new to them again. It may take a few months. You just need to keep trying. However, you should have started with the food the previous owner was feeding Chili. And then transition slowly to the food you want her to eat. And if she doesn't like it ... there are hundreds of different cat foods out there to buy and try.

Thanks everyone :) I have her on the food from the owners before me now. I had my husband buy some food last minute and could only get fancy feast. So I made sure he got the chicken one, cuz she has been on chicken but in Weruva brand cans. Perhaps I will just keep her on canned food. It’s just she goes through it so fast and it’s expensive to buy cuz the frequency I have to buy it and how many cans I have to buy.

Not sure where you live, but here in the States, Chewy.com is the best place to get your food. I agree that Weruva is expensive. I've got 12 cans here for my kitties. They don't care for the lamb at all, but I was trying out some variety packs to see what takes. You have no idea how many 3 oz cans I go through in month for my two cats. They fill up my recycling can quickly. Anyway .... pet stores have a huge variety of foods that you can pick up a couple cans of this and that and try them out. I love Chewy.com because I can get a case of 12 or 24 cans of what they will eat. I buy an assortment so they don't have to eat the same thing day after day after day. Good luck. You will hit on something!

I checked out Chewy.com! What a great site! I didn’t read any details. But it would be good for buying in bulk!!