Troy-

You are correct about keeping in mind that various countries and continents have varying diseases. Also, here in the US (I don't know how much of a problem this is elsewhere), even our "fresh" foods go through an awful lot of processing and handling before they get to our kitchen, increasing the likelihood of contamination and imporoper handling and storing. I frequently give my cats raw meat, as well as cooked, as treats. I do the packaged foods mainly for convenience and thrift. I couldn't say for certain that if I had the time and the finances, I wouldn't feed a raw meat diet, supplemented with grass. But then I do live dangerously when it comes to raw meat - I love raw beef. Give me steak tartare any day!