To be fair to my vet he doesn't recommend feeding raw but he doesn't tell anyone it's bad either, thinking about the waiting room and surgery I have never seen any of the diets or bags of food we used to get recommended to try in other vets we have been to over the years. All he has is a bucket on the desk with treats in it that the receptionist/nurse hands out to all the dogs when they come in and say hello to her.

His only comment when I was home cooking was would I like a vitamin suppliment in case we lacked calcium in the diet. Didn't feel pressured to feed any particular food at all just to soak dry food.

Bella gets most of her 'dry' stuff chucked down as treats when we return after being out. She gets her proper walk first thing and she has her raw frozen chicken wing when we get back from that. She really enjoys it and then poodles off to sleep for a few hours. She gets the dry stuff - kibble and/or dry treats (she loves those leathery looking venison sausages) when we return after the 2 or 3 later outings (mainly for her to pee but she comes places with me too - sometimes walking on the seafront in the evenings and sneak onto the beach in the dark!)

I just throw a little down and if she asks for more I add some. As soon as she stops eating I pick up what's left if anything and chuck it over the verandah for the street cats. I never leave stuff in a bowl for her in case she eats it out of boredom. And anyway she was in the habit of chucking it all over the floor when I used to put it in the bowl so it might as well start off on the floor! At least I can make sure it is the 'outside' floor!

Anything like Markies and such she never eats anyway - she just hides them all over the flat. One behind every door when I clean! Down the cushions, everywhere. Does the same with most rawhide shoes and 'bones' too. But she enjoys doing it and it keeps her busy.

Good to hear your cat lived to 17 on kibble, but that's highly unusual. My last cat passed away at 26 being fed a balanced raw diet and some grain-free wet.
Cats have a 600% more chance than dogs dying of CRF (Chronic Renal Failure) or kidney disease if only fed a dry diet. You can read Is Kibble or Wet Food Best? Roger Biduk

Not much point in me reading about what to feed cats now as I no longer have any cats. However the Malcolm Cat Sanctuary here feeds all their cats (up to 200) on dry food alone. With that number to feed and with the temps going up over 40 for months in the summer, it would be difficult to store and feed any other sort of food and to keep the place clean and not have rotting food morsels all over.

You are lucky to have a cat live into its twenties. Cats do die of things other than renal failure though. Most of them before they reach that good old age. Especially if they are outside cats.

When people say dogs or cats are carnivores I always wonder if they really are why do they love so many other things, most naturally mine seem to graze like cows on grass, bringing down a deer or catching a rabbit is almost against their natures as they are two gentle creatures who want to play with them not eat them. Mollie when faced with a dead creature is very upset the idea she would eat it never goes through her head.

Also dry kibble foods are fairly high in meaty protein - well the ones we use are so is that different to feeding a real piece of meat ? Not really if it contains everything they need for a healthy life.