Raw Feeding

Wait, did you say Raw?  As in uncooked?  That – Is – Disgusting!  Perhaps, but what do you think cats are eating in the wild?  Do they have a little campfire and cook their mouse, fish, or bird?  They do just fine on raw food.  Their digestive track is very different from ours and they simply don’t have the same problems we would.  Here’s a few pointers on how to get started feeding your cat as nature intended.

Do I just cut up a raw chicken and put it in a dish?

That sounds like a great snack; but, it’s a really poor diet.  Balanced diets are the number one reason people struggle with raw food and veterinarians don’t recommend it.

Where’s the Taurine?

Taurine is a sulfur-containing amino acid that is very important in the metabolism of fats.  If there is not enough Taurine in a cat’s diet, he or she may develop a taurine deficiency which could lead to heart or eye troubles. Taurine is highly concentrated in liver – not in breast or leg meat.  If you are making your own cat food, make sure that you include ingredients that are high in Taurine in your recipe.

If I feed raw food, do I need to spend hours in the kitchen?

Absolutely not!  There are many options available for owners who wish to provide the best nutrition for their loved ones.  You can buy Raw food from your local pet store!  Nature’s Variety is one example, there are many more.  It’s easy to store / serve.  There are lots of places that will make / deliver raw food too.

Where can I learn more?

Take a look at  http://www.catnutrition.org/ or http://www.catinfo.org both sites are great resources for raw cat food.  Take a look at http://www.cat-crap.com/ too.

If you must, used canned wet food.

I don’t recommend it; but, a quality canned wet food is way better than dry food.   It’s got high water content and is usually animal based protein with much lower carbohydrate content.

General Guidelines:  Try to feed Chicken, Turkey and Rabbit.  Avoid Fish as a part part of their diet as it’s highly addictive and frequently contains other chemicals harmful to cats.  Avoid Grains and Vegetables such as Corn, Rice, Peas, Wheat, Carrots – these may sound healthy to us, but we aren’t cats;  they are not species appropriate foods (but they are cheap!)  Ideally you want high protein foods – watch for high fat instead of high protein.