It has become popular to feed cats a raw diet. This means feeding them uncooked animal muscle meat,organ meat, and bones. This diet is often called the BARF diet. This stands for either ‘bones and raw food’ or ’biologically appropriate raw food’.
The reason for this surge in raw food diets is that it imitates what cats eat in the wild. If you have cats that go outdoors, you will probably be brought home ‘presents’ by your cats. They think nothing of killing rodents, birds, and even rabbits. They are carnivores and have to eat meat or fish to survive. Carbohydrates need to only be minimal in their diets.
Buyer’s Guide
In this guide, we have compiled a set of criteria for you to judge raw cat food by. They are listed in no particular order as cats can be fussy and picky with their food. It will be trial and error to start with and you may have to try different foods before you find one they like.
In fact cats don’t like change very much. It is always best to introduce a new food gradually. Start by mixing just a little of the raw food with their regular food and then increasing it until all they are getting is the raw food.
Why Raw Cat Food
Raw cat food is uncooked so it still retains the original nutrients which can be destroyed in the cooking process. This is the kind of diet your cats should be eating. It improves your cats’ digestion, their overall health, and their energy levels.
Some vets and animal nutritionists however believe that it is unsafe to feed cats a raw food diet. They believe that there is a risk for the cats and the people preparing the food to be exposed to food-borne illnesses. Other people on the other hand believe that it is no more dangerous than preparing raw meat for human consumption. You just have to take the usual safety precautions and cleanliness is of the utmost importance.
Perhaps you are wondering about bones being part of the diet? Don’t they pose a danger to your cats? The answer to this is no. It is cooked bones which are dangerous as they are prone to splintering and can puncture the esophagus, stomach, or intestines. When bones are raw they are soft enough for your cats to eat and digest.
Some manufacturers do add some raw fruit and vegetables to their raw food recipes, but these are kept to a minimum as cats only require small amounts of these products. Eggs are also used, because they have a good protein count. However, only the yolks are added as the whites contain a protein called avidin. This can mess with the ability of the cats to digest and utilize B vitamins.
Types of Commercial Raw Cat Food Products
Raw cat food comes in a variety of different products.
- Rolls: The raw ingredients are ground together and made into a roll which you slice
- Patties: Same as the rolls, but they have already been sliced
- Fresh: This can either come in the form of small or large chunks or can be a blended mixture which has been broken into pieces
- Frozen: Any of the above foods can be frozen
- Freeze - dried: This is raw food which has been air-dried to remove moisture without removing the essential nutrients.
Most of the types of raw cat food only lasts for 3 - 5 days and have to be kept in the fridge. Frozen food last longer in the freezer, but once defrosted has the same shelf life as fresh food. Freeze-dried can last a bit longer, but it’s still better to buy it in smaller bags.-
Homemade Raw Cat Food
It is tempting to try to make your own raw cat food. After all, you prepare food for your family. However, this should only be done if you discuss it with your vet. It isn’t easy to create a completely nutritional meal for your cats from scratch. There are certain ingredients a cat needs which he can’t get from the raw meat and fish you provide. A vitamin supplement probably won’t be adequate, but there is a product called TCFeline which does include what your cats need for optimum health. It comes in powder form and can be mixed in with the raw meat or fish.There are also recipes online which you can try but they mostly require a lot of ingredients on top of rawfood, such as a taurine supplement and omega fatty acids..
Pros and Cons of Raw Cat Food
Pros
There are more pros than cons to feeding a raw cat food diet. The most important thing is that you are replicating the diet cats get in the wild to a certain extent. Many commercial raw cat food use such ingredients as rabbits, farm raised chickens and turkeys, and fish, which are close to what cats would be catching in the wild. The bodies of cats are designed to process meat, not fiber, fruit, and vegetables. Some commercially produced raw cat food companies do use some fruit and vegetables, but these are kept to a minimum, just enough to give them some extra nutrients. Regular cat food tends to have too many empty fillers like wheat, soy and corn. If you are feeding a regular cat food, it is best to go for grain-free. In addition, regular cat food doesn’t have nearly as much protein, especially wet cat food.
Because your cats are able to digest raw food better than cooked, means that they absorb the nutrients better than with a regular cat food. Meat and bones are packed full of nutrients which your cats can absorb easily. They contain a lot of protein, which is the most important ingredient in cats’ diets. There are also essential fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, and digestive enzymes. All this contributes to a strong immune system, a glossy coat, and healthy skin. Raw cat food is also good for the teeth. It rubs away tartar and gives your kitties sweet-smelling breath. It also helps to strengthen the jaws. If your cats have any allergies to regular cat food, raw cat food could get rid of them. Finally, there is less waste with raw cat food. Most of it is used up by the cats, meaning there is less stool and little odor, which is always a plus when you have a cat litter box.
Another benefit of raw cat food is the lack of starch in the food. Both starches and sugars can lead to any number of illnesses, such as diabetes, inflammation, arthritis, urinary tract infections, and obesity. While your cats can become fat on a raw food diet, it is less likely than on a regular food diet..
Cons
One of the biggest problems with raw cat food is that it has a very short shelf life, usually only 3-5 days. You can buy frozen raw cat food, but once it’s thawed you will still have to use it up within 3 - 5 days.
In addition raw cat food is more expensive than regular cat food so it might not be within everybody’s budget.
We have already mentioned the risk of contamination, but this should only be directed towards the people preparing the food. Cats have a larger ability to handle bacterial contamination than people have, but if the food is prepared with the usual safety requirements, this shouldn’t be a problem.
What to look for in a Commercial Raw Cat Food
Always look at the ingredients before you purchase a raw cat food to make sure it has exactly the right mix of protein, fats, and carbs. Protein should always be the first ingredient as this is what cats need the most.
Look for a brand which contains birds, rabbits, and fish as these are the most likely foods your cat would eat out in the wild.
It is important that the raw cat food has the right amount of micro and macro-nutrients. They are essential for overall health. The diet must be completely balanced with the correct amount of protein, fat, and just minimal carbs, together with amino acids, vitamins, and minerals.
If you are still a little nervous about trying your cat out on a raw food look at the reputation of the company making it. If they have been successful producing regular cat food, their raw cat food is worth trying. Look at reviews as well. If they are all bad, take caution, but it they are good, give it a go..
Ensure that the raw cat food you purchase comes with a certification from AAFCO (the Association of Animal Feed Control Officials. This will assure you that the food contains a balanced amount of nutrition and does not need to have supplements.
One of the essential compounds a cat needs is taurine, which is good for heart health. However, it can be destroyed in the heating processes that regular cat foods go through. Check the ingredients on the raw cat food you choose, but you will usually find that there is taurine in it.
How Early Can a Cat Start a Raw Diet?
As soon as kittens are weaned, they can start on a raw food diet; after all this is what they would eat in the wild. Home-cooked or dehydrated raw food can be served until they are six months of age; then they can be given fresh or frozen raw cat food.
What are the Best Foods for a Raw Food Diet?
The best thing to do is serve your cat a variety of different meats. This has the benefit of reducing the deficiency of essential vitamins and minerals or the excesses of too much of one thing.
If you are preparing the diet at home, quail is a good choice as the bones are a safe size for your cats to chew on. If you are buying a commercial raw food, heart muscles are good, as is liver as they have high levels of taurine which is good for heart health. Fish is also a good choice as are egg yolks which have vitamins A, D, E and K.
Vegetables aren’t necessary, but a little bit of something like pumpkin which has fiber in it helps the digestive process. A little bit of kelp provides sodium and iodine
Try to keep away from raw foods which have synthetic vitamins and minerals as they can be toxic to cats.
Checklist for Choosing Best Raw Cat Food
- Raw cat food is more nutritionally sound for cats than regular cat food
- Raw cat food contains uncooked meat, ligaments, cartilage, connective tissue, and bones
- Choose a variety of flavors so your cats get a balanced diet.
- Raw cat food comes in rolls, patties, fresh, frozen, and freeze-dried forms.
- Look for a brand that has birds, rabbits, or fish as these are what cats eat in the wild
- Make sure that the cat food has taurine as this is essential for heart health and good vision
- As soon as a kitten is weaned it can be started on a raw food diet
FAQ
Why Should I Feed My Cat A Raw Food Diet?
There are so many advantages to feeding your cats a raw food diet. Firstly, it will improve their digestion. The digestive process of cats is geared towards a meat-based diet. In addition you will find that stool odor is reduced as is the volume. Great news for whoever has to clean the litter box! Your cat will have a shinier coat and healthier skin due to the animal-based fatty acids. Your cats will also shed less and have fewer hairballs.Meat supplies cats with a lot of energy so you will find that your cat wants to play more and will also lose weight. They won’t be as hungry on a raw food diet as they were when they were eating regular cat food which is full of carbs. They will also have better dental health as they now have to chew which reduces tartar. Finally, raw food has more moisture so your cats will have better urinary health. All good reasons to change the diet of your cats to raw food.
Why Does My Cat Need Taurine?
Taurine is an essential amino acid which plays an important part in the health of your cats. It is difficult for cats to manufacture this in their bodies, so they need to get it from a food source. The best place for cats to get taurine is from animal products. If they are being fed on regular cat food which is full of carbs and fillers, they won’t be getting enough. On a raw food diet, animal protein is high on the list of ingredients so they will be getting decent levels of this amino acid. Without it, there can be severe health repercussions. For example, their eyesight can be impaired and they could even become blind. In addition lack of taurine can lead to heart problems and tooth decay.
