Mmm, as someone who has a gravel drive, and can't change it has our house is rented, I am not a fan of cats who are allowed to go anywhere. When I had a cat she used a litter tray and I made the garden hard to leave so she stayed in the garden and the house.

I would have though it would be very irresponsible to cut down on cat food with the thought of encouraging them to hunt. Isn't the British wildlife already feeling the squeeze?

If you want cats to have real meat why not supplement their diet with it. If you really want them to hunt then what about buying mice for food like snake owners do? Not something I would want to do but surely that's better than encouraging them to eat wildlife?!

Hi did you read my thread sometime ago,that the cats in the neighbourhood,used the front of my garage as a giant litter tray,so someone recommended that I got some big cat poo from Woburn,woburn was just upthe road it was supposed to scare them,all that happened were loads of cat rolling about estatic making a row.I think at the seminar,the point that they were making,was cats shouldnt be fed with man made food,that they do well if they hunt for their own food,I dont know about real meat for cats,but know from my daughter in law,that cats lose there teeth suffer from kidney problems,and something is verywrong with their diet,but to be honest,I dont think the people talking at the seminar was expecting people to not feed there cats,I think theywere making cat owners aware if they continued to feed them dry food,as it doesnt work for cats,it could create real health problems ect ect,My daughter in law got carried away.To me she wasnt being serious,that is why I posted it,because it seemed so funny.crystalgirl

Our Diesel was my other baby ,when hubby had prawns she always was saved a few, to which my hubby used to say she's better fed than me, how come I have to share ( he didn't mind really) I lost her last June aged 18 & 9 months, miss her lots but she definitely wouldn't hunt, she used to wait for things to come to her,

Our cat was getting too fat so we cut her food down - she didn't like it so managed to acquire some hunting skills to supplement her kibble diet.

It was funny watching her try to catch things as she is the most pathetic cat.

That was when she had a field of mice to catch - she hasn't caught anything in the new house but the dog keeps getting her food out for her.

The theory about dry cat food has been ongoing for years. Most people I know feed a balance of dry and wet, some feed wet exclusively. Like everything else there are better quality wet foods than others. We feed wet for breakfast and dry throughout the day.

Hi So sorry we had a feral,wecalled gemma,she came in when weather is bad.and then we would get the local cat lady to trap her and then she would go to the vet,for worming etc,the vet used to put up a big sign on her cage This Cat bites,once the weather improved she was off,but we still used to see her,then we didnt.I felt bereft for ages,just wondering.So understand how you feel about Diesal,but I still have happy memories of her exploits,so like you she is still with us,in our hearts

Hi I am not sure,but from what I can gather,kidney, bladder problems and teeth problems are on the rise with cats,Wet food for dogs is about 50% water but not sureabout tinned food for cats,But as I have said often to my Daughter in Law,instead of pampering,let them go out and be normal cats,they would then balance their own diet,but it usually falls on deaf ears,but it seems that this Seminar has given some shock figures,and everyone is now (maybe to late) wondering on how they can make a differance.crystalgirl

Hi I couldnt help chuckling,about your cat,and the field of mice,it reminds me of one of the farmers,here,who put his grain away,and found a load of vermin happily munching away,and he has a colony of feral cats,who he gives shelter to.I said to him maybe they are Cat-napping. crystalgirl

On a serious note I lost a cat recently to renal disease and it was awful.

Dry food for any animal is such a grey area but then I worry about raw as all animals need different levels of vitamins/minerals/nutrients and the consequences of missing out on one would be just as severe.

If only we knew all the answers!

Hi I know,but on a positive note there are very gifted scientists out there who are well aware of the problems are feline friends are facing,and are trying there best,but from what I can gather,cats know what they need and that is why they can become Feral and survive without our input,but how can you track what they are eating,and also being feral you may be getting the nuterients you need,but they need vaccination to keep them in tip toe health,but sometime ago a lot of cats were dying because of a particular vaccine,this has been sorted.crystalgirl