How to convince a kibble feeder?

[Chelsea]

How do you convince a kibble-feeder, that a raw diet isnt "cruel and unhealthy"? I have pretty much given up on even talking to my mom about anything to do with animals, cause she starts an argument about anything i say. As some of you may have seen, my carpet shark just got a new brother (pics in gallery ). I had them out to play and i put down a bowl of the new guys food (im giving him a few days to adjust before trying to switch him) and Jake went over to try and eat some. Jake will eat pretty much anything. He loves raw meat, but he really loves going for the cheap cat food or dog food, anything kibble really. Im no ferret expert, but what they are raised when they are young is usually what they will choose over anything else when they get older? Jake is a marshalls ferret, i have no idea on his background, cause i found him on the side of the highway. But im guessing he was raised on a cheap ferret or cat food. Is that why even when he is fed raw meat, he will still go for a bite of cat food ( i dont let him have it, i pick up the bowls when they are out but sometimes there are leftover kibbles on the floor)
So anyways, back to what i was saying before. Jake went over to try and eat some of the new guys food. I picked him up so he couldnt get to it, and when i did my mom said "Why the he** are you so cruel to those animals, let the poor guy have some real food for once" So, i guess little kibbles of crunchy prossesed animal by-products and corn (the cheap food she feeds the cats) is what is considered "real" food now. I feed my dog, and my ferrets raw because i want whats best for them, and i want them to be as healthy as possible. Now, i know alot about animals and usually my parents agree with everything i say animal-related, cause they know that i know alot about animals. But this is the one thing that she wont listen to me on, and firmly believes that just because he cats are alive, and dont have any health problems, that what she feeds them is perfectly healthy for them. As soon as i pointed out the fact that they are all overweight and are very lazy, and their teeth are disgusting, she got all pissed off at me and started saying "oh well thats cause they are all old" (they arnt old-old, but they arnt young. Youngest is 6 or 7, oldest is 18) I hate arguing so i let Jake go with the new guy and finish the bowl just to make her shut up about it(there wasnt much left anyways, i didnt think a little bit would hurt him) Im just so frustrated with always argueing about it, ive actually thought about just putting them back on ferret food so she will stop complaining about it and telling me how wrong it is and how horrible i am to them by feeding it to them. But i really dont want to, ive seen the effects of a raw diet and i know how great it is, it helped Bailey with all his health problems so much, and my carpet shark is just generaly healthy and doesnt smell hardly at all, compared to other ferrets i know that are fed cheap kibble. Please anyone if you know any good articles on raw diet vs kibble for ferrets, or just any domestic carnivore, please post it so i can try and change her mind, or at least get her to tolerate it.

[ccretarolo]

I would say stick with the raw diet. If you were to take them off of raw completely, she would notice the difference in a few days' time. The musk smell will come back, the poop and pee will be more frequent and a lot smellier, they'll start becoming lazier, and you'll notice that their teeth will start going yellow and need scaling within 6 months. Your vet bills will also go up significantly since their immune systems won't even be able to handle a minor cold without veterinary assistance. If anything, I would say taking a ferret off of a raw diet and putting them on kibble would be considered cruel and unhealthy.

One thing that might work to at least make her leave you alone on the issue... Tell her that if she wants you to feed kibble, she can give them the regular baths they'll need, scoop out the litter box 2-3 times a day, pay the extra $200-500 per year for vet bills, and personally scale their teeth. And let's not forget the extra money that would go into the food. While we all know that ferrets are never cheap pets, feeding a raw diet does help with taking some of the pressure off of our pocketbooks. Honestly, if my only option for food was kibble, I would never have gotten ferrets in the first place.

[Heather]

Contrary to popular belief...cats are not old at 7 or 8 which vets will tell you now. Cats should be able to live long and healthy lives living well into their late teens early 20's. Kibble fed cats are considered ancient at 12 and 13...ask any vet.
Don't let your mother get you down. My mother won't believe me either. It doesn't matter that her dogs' breath smells absolutely grosse and their teeth are disgusting. Her dogs' stools are bigger and more prolific than my wolfhounds....she's got a couple of little shi mixes. You know what is good for your guys, just walk away....I know it's difficult but you know what is right for your guys. Don't go back to kibble to live the status quo, your furbabies lives and health are at stake and aren't worth the statement. Use their continued good health and longevity to make your point. Some people just don't like to be told that the beliefs about the care of their furkids may have caused their ill health or early demise.
ciao