Is Instinct Raw cat food safe for my ferret to eat with Wysong?

It is safe to feed the cat food, but it's not a substitute for a formulated ferret diet. The dietary requirements of ferrets differ enough that you can end up feeding too much of certain nutrients and not enough of others. Marshall, Wysong and Mazuri are all good brands of ferret food. I hope that helps.

We don't recommend feeding raw meat to domestic animals due to the risk of spreading disease to your ferrets and possibly to people in the household (multiple reports of this happening). It's best to cook the meat prior to feeding it. You can feed chicken or other poultry, mice/rats, rabbit, or small amounts of fish, beef, pork or lamb. I hope that helps and all is well with your ferrets.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Ferrets are strict carnivores; they require diets based on highly digestible animal (meat) protein with little to no carbohydrates. If you choose to feed dry food, choose high quality ferret or cat/kitten foods sold by pet shops, feed stores, and veterinarians with at least 36% protein, that is moderate in fats (approximately 20%) and low in carbohydrates. Ferrets should NOT eat sugary cereal, peanut butter, grains, corn, rice, carbohydrates, raisins, bananas, other fruits, vegetables, dairy products, chocolate, other sweets, or any food with sugar. All of these items are loaded with complex carbohydrates and a ferret's strictly carnivorous digestive tract cannot process these foods. Diets high in carbohydrates may lead to intestinal problems and some types of cancer. I hope this is helpful!

Ferrets have very exact nutritional requirements and a complete ferret food based on animal proteins is preferred (they do not digest dairy or plant based proteins well). There are many brands available, I have always found the james wellbeloved to be palatable for them. Occasional treats of fresh (boiled) meat or eggs are ok also

I would not recommend trying a home made food. most high quality wet and dry cat foods are fine for ferrets and you of course also have dedicated ferret dry food that you can order online or buy from the per shops.

Thanks for reaching out about your ferret. Marshal Farms has probably placed more research into ferret nutrition than anyone and is considered a very good, complete diet. A meat diet is wrought with complications: bacterial infections, inappropriate vitamin and mineral balance, etc. and is difficult to recommended as all meats have different nutritive value. It is recommended to stay with a the Marshal Farms or other good quality ferret food. Good luck.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Raw diets are not safe for pets as they can contain bacteria, like salmonella, which can cause serious health problems. Your cat is not a wild cat and does not need protein only diets. They also need grains and carbohydrates in their diet to be balanced and complete. Most veterinarians recommend the top 4 brands of pet food- Hill's/Science Diet, Purina, Iams, and Royal Canin. We also recommend any diet you chose to have a statement on the bag regarding its use in AAFCO feeding trials and not just formulated according to AAFCO requirements. This means it is used for complete and balanced nutrition for a specific life stage (vs. “intermittent and supplemental feeding” which should be fed only as treat items). This means that the diet has actually been fed to a group of animals and they thrived, instead of someone simply calculating a “good diet” in a computer program. I hope this helps! Kisses to Sweetie!