Why should cats be raw fed?
Cats are obligate carnivores. This means they can only properly utilize meat. They do not have a digestive system including digestive enzymes designed to consume anything but (1) .
Cats also need higher moisture diets. Most commercial dry foods are only 7-10% moisture which is detrimental for an animal of desert descent who already doesn’t drink enough (2, 3). Dry commercial foods are the primary reason many cats develop kidney failure (4), urinary tract infections as well as bladder, kidney and urinary stones (5) .
What do I feed?
Each meal or batch should be made of 80% muscle meat, 10% secreting organ meat (5% of which must be liver) and 10% appropriate raw meaty bones (6).
Are there any proteins my cat can’t have?
You do not want to feed other carnivores as well as wild boar, fox or bear as they contain a parasite that cannot be frozen and killed (7). Other than that, they can eat rabbit, duck, chicken, bison, beef etc.
Note: If you want to fed any wild caught animals such as venison, turkey, rabbit, etc. you should freeze these for at least 3 weeks to kill any parasites (8).
What about organs?
Same with organs and bone. The total allotment is 10% of the total batch or meal. 5% of that must be liver but the other 5% can be any other secreting organ such as liver, kidney, spleen, testicles etc.
Why do I need to feed bone?
Raw bones contain calcium and trace minerals. They are nature’s tooth brush. They scrape and scale all the teeth as they are being chewed and the meat on them are perfect as they act as a floss getting in between the teeth. Almost all raw fed cats when fed chunked meat and raw meaty bones will have pearly white teeth and scentless breath!
Is bone safe?
As long as you don’t feed any cooked bone (9) and only feed appropriately sized, bones are completely edible and digestible
What kind of bone can I feed?
You do not want anything too small they can simply swallow nor nothing too big that they can break a tooth or jaw on. This means no weight bearing bone like femur bones. Also, do not feed any cooked bone. This degrades the bone and can cause it to splinter. Great bones for cats include chicken necks, rabbit ribs, day old chickens and quail, sardines etc.
What about weight baring bones of smaller animals?
Smaller animals like chicken or rabbit are ok too feed as their bones are soft and smaller and not as dense than say a beef femur.
What if my cat won’t eat bone?
If you have tried multiple types of bone including ground raw meaty bones with no avail the next best thing is to use eggshell but this. isa last result.
What is eggshell?
This is a natural source of calcium (10) and your most cost-effective option. It is simply the eggshell devoid of the white and yolk inside.
How do I prepare eggshell?
After using the egg, simply rinse and dry the shell. Either put the eggshells in a spice grinder and grind to a fine powder or stick in a plastic baggie and roll over with a rolling pin. Eggshell really doesn’t go bad but you can keep it in the fridge or freezer.
How much do I need?
To add it to your batch simply sprinkle in ½ teaspoon per pound of meat and organ mix.
Note: Keep in mind that because you aren’t feeding the mass of raw meaty bones and instead replacing it with powdered eggshell you will not be feeding as much because the eggshell will not weigh the same as the raw meaty bones so just feed the amount that is the meat and organs totaled.
Do I need to rotated proteins?
Variety and rotation are important in the diet of our cats. Not only does it prevent boredom and food intolerances, it also provides a varied nutrient profile and a balanced diet (11). A cat should typically have about 4 different proteins in their rotation (12), but more is acceptable too. Variety can include single proteins, a mix of proteins or a change in raw meaty bones and organs. This can be on a weekly or monthly basis, it’s really your choice.
Don’t cat’s need taurine?
Yes, cats require taurine. This is an essential amino acid that must be obtained from their food as they cannot make it themselves (13). Taurine is important for the eyes and for heart health (14). In order to compensate for this, you simply need to add more hard-working meats to your batches. The easiest source is heart of any species and dark thigh meat (15).
Can I feed fruits and veggies?
Beings that cats are obligate carnivores you should not add fruits and vegetables (16). Although these do have many benefits that HUMANS can utilize, there are few that cats can. Unfortunately, fruits and veggies more times tax the body and wear it down (17).
Are raw eggs good to feed? Raw eggs are the superfood of raw feeding. They contain endless amounts of nutrients and benefits to your companions. They even can help with hairballs (20)! When feeding raw eggs, it is important to feed the whole egg as in both the yolk and the white.
What about Avidin?
There is a myth that if you feed the egg white it will cause a biotin deficiency. This stems from the fact that egg whites do contain avidin, a biotin binding protein (18), however what is also true is that the egg yolk contains the one of the highest biotin content in the natural world, negating the effects of the egg white. Besides you would have to feed a ton of egg whites to produce any kind of deficiency and have absolutely not other Biotin sources in the diet (19).
Should I add any oils like coconut oil?
No. You can provide animal based oils like fish or krill oils. Fish oil contains important omega 3’s that act as anti-inflammatories (20). They also help the heart (21), improve the skin (22) and coat and even help fight cancer (23, 24, 25). Please do not feed plant based oils such as hemp, vegetable or coconut oils. None are species appropriate (26, 27, 28) and all three can actually cause harm to your cat.
Should I include a probiotic or prebiotic?
Raw feeding in itself its great on digestion. It is the most bioavailable (29, 30, 31) and easy to digest of the food types and actually helps feed and create more beneficial microflora in the gut to increase good digestion (32). Unless your companion has a digestion issue AND you have identified the problem there is no need to provide pre/probiotics. Pre/probiotics when chosen must be chosen carefully. To be effective they need to be alive (33) so any pre/probiotics, baked into commercial foods or in powdered forms are not alive and provide little benefits.
Can I feed dairy products?
Most cats are lactose intolerance (34) and often experience digestive upset when fed dairy products. Most people look to Kefir or yogurt as a snack or to help with digestion. Kefir is not only made of dairy but also grains which an obligate carnivore should not consume. In regards to yogurt, most commercial yogurt on the market today are loaded with sugar and actually do not have enough pre/probiotics in it. You would have to feed buckets full to get any of the effects (35).
How much to feed?
Adults should be fed about 3% of their ideal body weight.
Kittens should be allowed to eat as much as they would like until adulthood which is around 1 year of age for most cats or 3% of their predicted adult weight.
What if my pet needs to lose weight? A raw diet contains lean muscle meats and no additives like sugary grains or fruits and veggies. Naturally they will lose weight as fat is replaced with lean muscle (36). Especially with cats you do not want them to lose a ton of weight quickly (37, 38) . This can cause severe health issues. 2 lbs may seem minor to us humans but that is a lot for a small animal like a cat.
How many meals should I feed?
When feeding your adult cat provide at least two meals a day. Simply take the amount of food needed to be fed in a day and split into however many meals you want to feed. For kittens feed almost as much as they would like to eat in 3 or more meals per day.
How long should I let the food stay out for?
While some animals finish their food in 2 secs others take much longer. The best indicator of how long to leave meals out other than how fast your pet eats, is the temperature in your home. If it tends to stay colder you can leave food out for about an hour. If it is much warmer leaving it out longer than 20 minutes probably isn’t a good idea. If your cat does not eat within the time frame, simply wrap it up and stick in the refrigerator for later.
Is it easy to transition a cat?
While most kittens and younger cats are easy to transition and often can do so cold turkey, older cats or those kibble addicts out there may be hard.
You must look at your companion as an individual. Each is different thus some may easily transition to raw while others take months to fully transition. It is most ideal to start your companion out on raw as young as possible.
What is a standard transition time frame?
There are a few transition methods. Personally, I use a cold turkey method. I serve a meal with 80% meat, 5% liver and 10% bone. If there is no stomach upset for two weeks than I give the full 10% organ recommendation.
The second and more common method is to transition over a 7-10 day period. If your companion eats a kibble based diet, now would be the time to transition to a canned food. Canned food is getting closer to raw feeding as it contains more meat, less carbohydrates, is full of moisture and easier to digest. Over this time period you will want to use 25% of the new food to 75% old food the first day, continue this for a bit, then move into 50% new and 50% old food. In a few days, transition to 75% new food, 25% old food. Than finally on the 7th to 10th day your companion should be consuming 100% raw. As mentioned some cats need this transition period to be longer.
Can I mix raw and kibble?
DO NOT transition to raw by mixing with kibble. Kibble and raw food digest at varying rates and can cause digestive upset (39, 40, 41). If your cat will not transition cold turkey, use canned food as a transition tool.
Will my cat eventually eat if they are starving?
DO NOT practice tough love with your cat. Cats are prone to developing fatty liver disease which can ultimately lead to death if they do not eat for more than 24 hours (37).
Transitioning Tips and Trouble Shooting
Texture
Some companions are finicky when it comes to texture. If your companion has previously been on a kibble diet it may be strange to eat a food that isn’t dry, hard and crunchy. If your companion was previously on wet or canned food, eating food that isn’t one conglomerate texture, a mixture of chucky and soft or one mixture with a gravy, may be strange.
Flavor
Some companions may have difficulty transitioning to raw due to flavor. Wet and commercially produced dry foods often have added flavors or are sprayed with animal fats to make it appealing to our companions. Raw food is like a salad compared to kibble or wet food which is more like fast food. Often starting with a protein source that your companion likes may be a first step for companions that are picky with taste. Some companions will eat liver but prefers it to be chicken versus say venison. Every animal is different so one protein may be savored by your cat, while the dog absolutely hates it.
Size
Depending on what your companion is used to the chunks may be foreign to them. You may have to experiment with different sized chunks of meat, organs and bones.
Mixtures
Some companions simply do not like certain combinations of ingredients. Some may even not like a combination say raw eggs mixed with sardines, but will happily eat them separate on their own. It may take some trial and error to figure out what your companion does and doesn’t like.
Temperature
Temperature especially in cats can make transitioning a challenge. Cats often like warm, moist foods. Some companions will eat their food after it’s been served right out of the freezer, some will prefer it right from the fridge, others need it served at room temperature (which is closest to their naturally served diets) One thing never to do is microwave the food. Microwaving (42, 42) and for that matter cooking can easily denature and destroy essential nutrients raw foods provide (44, 45, 46) . In addition, microwaving can great hot spots that can burn your pet’s mouth. Instead, if needed, place the container of raw in a bowl of lukewarm water.
Location
Some animals feel too much in the open. Raw meat is a novel item for your companion especially for those fed a commercial diet previously so they may feel competition if you have other companions. Serving meals to your companion in a separate room or in a carrier/crate can help ease your companion’s anxiety.
Serving Bowl/Surface
Deep bowls can bother cats because their whiskers are being compromised. Providing a bowl that is shallow and large, even serving on a plate is ideal for cats.
Some companions don’t even like using a bowl. Some will want to eat right on the floor often times on the carpet as it will provide more grip than a laminate kitchen floor that may cause their food to slip and slide around. Try serving food on an old towel or a textured rubber mat.
Other Animals
Based on observations of animal behavior, other companions in your household can influence eating behaviors. In some cases, other companions can be distracting to your companion and inhibit meal consumption. In other cases, other companions can appear to be competition and induce your companions to quickly consume their meal or hoard their food. Remember especially in the beginning you are providing a new novel food especially compared to a kibble diet.
At times, you may just have to be creative with serving your companions food in the begin as they get used to a raw species appropriate diet.
Cats primarily are just like dogs who eat a raw diet so give it a try and provide the best for your furbaby!
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