Thanks for your replies FMM.
The toxin aloin is in the outer skin of the leaf, it is not in the middle juicy part. When cats chew on the plant, they are getting the aloin from the outer skin. Aloin is also toxic to humans, and is always removed from commercially sold juice.
But you have to trust to whoever is processing the aloe, that they are not using the toxic part.
Peroxide can be safely ingested in small, diluted quantities.
Yes but, supposedly so can all these other things that are added, sorbital, xylitol, alcohol? And we don't know how these small quantities are being processed through the cats' bodies. Through the liver? the kidneys? Or perhaps not processed and eliminated at all, but left there to build up over time until all heck breaks loose? Not to mention the possibility of the peroxide causing stomach upset. Cats can't tell us if their stomach hurts and will hide any symptoms, we all know that.
I do feed bones and gizzards on a fairly regular basis. But I have a 14 year old gal who is missing some teeth (from before our raw regimen), so she has some difficulty chewing. I'd like to salvage the teeth that she does have left. Also, I've noticed some of the other cats favor chewing on one side, so the other side will inadvertently acquire tartar buildup.
My senior boy has very few teeth as he is prone to resorptive lesions (FORL) which is a terribly painful dental condition, removal of the affected teeth being the only cure. Frankly, I would not be sorry to see them all gone, it would be one less thing for me to worry about with him. (my vet gets upset when I say that) I have an FLUTD girl whose phosphorous and calcium intake has to be controlled, adding bone to her diet could cause all sorts of problems, that's why I wondered about the gizzard, that doesn't have bone, or does it?
Pinkys are 3-4 days old or less, so they really haven't had a chance to acquire parasites unless they are passed from their mother. Fuzzys are 5-13 days old, so I'd think the same logic applies.
Reputable mouse breeders are usually very careful about the health of their stock. They have to be, or they'd be outta business in a hurry, reptiles (their primary customers) are just as sensitive to what they ingest as cats are.
The question of parasites comes up all the time. The only thing I can say is, if you're afraid of feeding human grade meats to your cats, then you should be terrified to eat it yourself (rare steak, anyone?)
Freezing kills almost all parasites, but does not necessarily kill bacteria; which is why it's important to rinse meats thoroughly and not use ground meat unless you're grinding it yourself and freezing it right away.
I don't eat any meat rare, ever. Chicken or beef, it is all cooked to death.
With cats, so I understand, bacteria is not that big of an issue due to their short digestive tract (the bacteria is a hazard to the humans, rather, who should be taking extreme sanitary measures not just with the raw food but the litter box clean up). But I can't get past the parasite issue.
My senior cat who has a seizure disorder cannot take deworming medicines, he had an extreme reaction last summer when I had to treat everyone due to the possibility of the new kitten passing on some roundworms to the rest of them. At the time the aspca poison control center, and the emergency vet we saw, said they found a reference to a contraindication between the medicines in the drontal and phenobarbital that could cause such a reaction. The makers of drontal deny there is any such contraindication, so who knows what happened. But I cannot risk him needing a dewormer ever again as that was a terrifying experience.
The vet does not think it is the sorbital in the c.e.t. that caused the most recent flare up of his liver illness, nor does she think it is the sorbital/c.e.t. that caused the kitten's diarrhea. I do think the c.e.t. is related to both cases and will no longer use it for those two cats, and have cut back greatly on how often I am doing the other two, though I can't deny the c.e.t. has done a wonderful job keeping their teeth tartar free and their breath fresh and sweet.But at what future cost?
I am very frustrated about this issue now. I remember kind of fondly the days that I didn't think about and worry about things like what was in their canned food and whether they needed home dental care, it was a more peaceful time.
However I AM Aware now, and there is no turning back to those innocent, more simple, days.