Feline Nutrition
WHY Feed Your Cat a Raw Diet?
We are very big on nutrition for our cats, most of them are 100% raw fed. Some get a little canned food every once in a while for variety. If pet parents aren't comfortable continuing with raw, I'll try to transition their kitten to high quality canned food before they go home but not all of them take to it after they’ve had the good stuff!! Dry food should be NO more than 25% of a cats diet (especially in males due to urinary issues). Here are a few articles/websites that have a little more scientific background on why dry food is not a good diet for ANY cat.
A balanced raw diet is the most species appropriate diet for cats since they are obligate carnivores, so it’s the healthiest diet for them. However, if it isn't a properly balanced diet it can be the worst diet for them to eat. It can make them very sick, and even lead to their death. That's one reason vets can be against it. We can help get new parents started with raw feeding if they choose to do so. There are options for commercial pre-made (frozen or freeze dried), semi homemade (Powdered Supplement Mixes you add to fresh meat) , fully homemade raw diets and whole prey. These are all outlined below. Kittens get fed as much as they will eat for the first year of their lives, in multiple small meals throughout the day. Adults will on average get fed around 3% to 5% of their body weight per day, we choose to feed ours two times a day.
Fish should be limited for ALL cats no matter what breed. The fish that is fed should be limited to no more than 10% of a cats diet and should only include small oily fish like sardines or mackeral, tinned fish not raw. Raw fish can contain freeze resistant parasites and many raw fish species contain thiaminese which destroys thiamine. More information on this HERE. Variety in the type of protein source is key, and keep Sodium to less than 100 mg per 4 oz. serving of meat. The more variety you include - the more rounded the nutrition is, and the less likely your cats are to become fussy eaters. Almost any type of non-carnivore meat is OK to feed as long as your cats like it and can tolerate it. (We include Turkey, Chicken, Beef, Duck, Rabbit, Venison, Lamb) Start with one protein type at a time, and introduce new ones very slowly and also one at a time. Since there are no fillers in this type of diet there is very little waste once digested so almost no litter box smell and definitely less volume when they defecate. They do urinate more, but since they get so much water in their food it is very dilute.
Homemade Raw
Homemade raw is the least expensive option, requires the most work and planning on the part of kitty servants, but can be the best as you know EXACTLY what your cat is eating. When it comes to homemade raw it is VERY important to start with a balance of 80% muscle meat, 10% bone and 10% secreting organ. (That’s a good starting point, but some cats do better with less or more bone) Be sure to include a good source of taurine (found in hard working muscle meat) and some Omega 3's (salmon oil, krill oil or sardines are good sources).
The recipes we use for all of our raw can be found HERE. We've gotten almost all meats/organs from the grocery store except for the rabbit, and the supplements from Amazon (links in the recipes). Keep in mind there are different ways to do raw properly, these are just examples of what we do here. Technically our recipes are balanced without the supplements (with the exception of bone meal in the boneless recipe, taurine in the rabbit recipe and Salmon Oil in all our recipes) but we choose to add supplements to ensure fully rounded nutrition. Make sure you adhere to safe meat handling, storing and thawing techniques. Just as you would when preparing your own meals.
We use a Weston 22 Pro for our grinding, but one that big is only necessary if you grind a lot (OR if you just like big toys!): https://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0716Q44T2/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1524080702&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=weston+22+meat+grinder&dpPl=1&dpID=41q8VB8dsfL&ref=plSrch
You can also use a smaller grinder such as this, which will handle meat and soft bones but require a little more prep work to get the meats small enough to fit in:
http://www.onestopjerkyshop.com/tasin-ts-108-tasin-ts-108-electric-meat-grinder/
OR you can just chunk the ingredients instead of grinding it, depending on what your cats will accept. We grind all ingredients into large plastic meat tubs (like THESE ) , adding salmon oil capsules to the meat as we’re grinding. Then we put the dry supplements in a mixing bowl, add water and mix with a whisk before pouring into the ground meat and blending by hand (with gloves if you choose!!).
Whole Prey
Whole prey involves feeding animals that have been raised for the sole purpose of feeding other animals. They have been previously humanely dispatched and frozen prior to shipping. These can include Chicks, Quail, Mice, Rats, Guinea Pigs and Rabbits to name a few. These will be fed as is with fur or feathers and all body parts intact. If fed this way they are the purrfect recipe and fully balanced as is, as long as you feed a variety of these and not the same species all the time. Some suppliers of these animals are here:
Semi-Homemade Raw
Semi-homemade is another option. It is more expensive than fully homemade but is less time consuming and requires less planning. Semi homemade options involve adding a pre-mix supplement to fresh meat and water to make a complete diet. Some examples of those are here:
There are also options like Alnutrin that involves adding the supplement, fresh meat, fresh liver and water.
Commercial Pre-made Raw
The most expensive option (usually - but not always!!), but the very least time consuming is fully prepared commercial raw. Good readily available pre-made frozen options are VivaRaw, Darwins, Vital Essentials, Primal, Stella & Chewys. Good Freeze dried options include Vital Essentials, Primal and Stella & Chewys. There are also small companies in various areas that may make raw pet diets (Like RAWGanics in NY State). Just ensure what you feed is a properly balanced option, not all of the diets available are balanced.
Canned Food
The next best diet is a high quality canned food. Aim for grain free, no carrageenan, no meat by-products, and the lowest amount of carbs/legumes/fruits/veggies you can find. Limit fish based flavors to once every week or less. There are many arguments over which are the best canned foods, it seems none are perfect. In the long run, the best kind is the one the cat will eat since they shouldn't go for more than about 24 hours without eating something. Some of my girls pretty much stop eating when they are in heat, so I have to tempt them with canned food. They are very picky so we settle for the least terrible option they will actually eat.
We are very big on nutrition for our cats, most of them are 100% raw fed. Some get a little canned food every once in a while for variety. If pet parents aren't comfortable continuing with raw, I'll try to transition their kitten to high quality canned food before they go home but not all of them take to it after they’ve had the good stuff!! Dry food should be NO more than 25% of a cats diet (especially in males due to urinary issues). Here are a few articles/websites that have a little more scientific background on why dry food is not a good diet for ANY cat.
- http://www.littlebigcat.com/health/why-cats-need-canned-food-2/#.WeyWJSsWYU0.facebook
- http://feline-nutrition.org/one-page-guides/the-dangers-of-dry-food
- http://catinfo.org/
A balanced raw diet is the most species appropriate diet for cats since they are obligate carnivores, so it’s the healthiest diet for them. However, if it isn't a properly balanced diet it can be the worst diet for them to eat. It can make them very sick, and even lead to their death. That's one reason vets can be against it. We can help get new parents started with raw feeding if they choose to do so. There are options for commercial pre-made (frozen or freeze dried), semi homemade (Powdered Supplement Mixes you add to fresh meat) , fully homemade raw diets and whole prey. These are all outlined below. Kittens get fed as much as they will eat for the first year of their lives, in multiple small meals throughout the day. Adults will on average get fed around 3% to 5% of their body weight per day, we choose to feed ours two times a day.
Fish should be limited for ALL cats no matter what breed. The fish that is fed should be limited to no more than 10% of a cats diet and should only include small oily fish like sardines or mackeral, tinned fish not raw. Raw fish can contain freeze resistant parasites and many raw fish species contain thiaminese which destroys thiamine. More information on this HERE. Variety in the type of protein source is key, and keep Sodium to less than 100 mg per 4 oz. serving of meat. The more variety you include - the more rounded the nutrition is, and the less likely your cats are to become fussy eaters. Almost any type of non-carnivore meat is OK to feed as long as your cats like it and can tolerate it. (We include Turkey, Chicken, Beef, Duck, Rabbit, Venison, Lamb) Start with one protein type at a time, and introduce new ones very slowly and also one at a time. Since there are no fillers in this type of diet there is very little waste once digested so almost no litter box smell and definitely less volume when they defecate. They do urinate more, but since they get so much water in their food it is very dilute.
Homemade Raw
Homemade raw is the least expensive option, requires the most work and planning on the part of kitty servants, but can be the best as you know EXACTLY what your cat is eating. When it comes to homemade raw it is VERY important to start with a balance of 80% muscle meat, 10% bone and 10% secreting organ. (That’s a good starting point, but some cats do better with less or more bone) Be sure to include a good source of taurine (found in hard working muscle meat) and some Omega 3's (salmon oil, krill oil or sardines are good sources).
The recipes we use for all of our raw can be found HERE. We've gotten almost all meats/organs from the grocery store except for the rabbit, and the supplements from Amazon (links in the recipes). Keep in mind there are different ways to do raw properly, these are just examples of what we do here. Technically our recipes are balanced without the supplements (with the exception of bone meal in the boneless recipe, taurine in the rabbit recipe and Salmon Oil in all our recipes) but we choose to add supplements to ensure fully rounded nutrition. Make sure you adhere to safe meat handling, storing and thawing techniques. Just as you would when preparing your own meals.
We use a Weston 22 Pro for our grinding, but one that big is only necessary if you grind a lot (OR if you just like big toys!): https://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0716Q44T2/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1524080702&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=weston+22+meat+grinder&dpPl=1&dpID=41q8VB8dsfL&ref=plSrch
You can also use a smaller grinder such as this, which will handle meat and soft bones but require a little more prep work to get the meats small enough to fit in:
http://www.onestopjerkyshop.com/tasin-ts-108-tasin-ts-108-electric-meat-grinder/
OR you can just chunk the ingredients instead of grinding it, depending on what your cats will accept. We grind all ingredients into large plastic meat tubs (like THESE ) , adding salmon oil capsules to the meat as we’re grinding. Then we put the dry supplements in a mixing bowl, add water and mix with a whisk before pouring into the ground meat and blending by hand (with gloves if you choose!!).
Whole Prey
Whole prey involves feeding animals that have been raised for the sole purpose of feeding other animals. They have been previously humanely dispatched and frozen prior to shipping. These can include Chicks, Quail, Mice, Rats, Guinea Pigs and Rabbits to name a few. These will be fed as is with fur or feathers and all body parts intact. If fed this way they are the purrfect recipe and fully balanced as is, as long as you feed a variety of these and not the same species all the time. Some suppliers of these animals are here:
- https://www.laynelabs.com/
- https://bigcheeserodents.com/
- http://www.chickenhawkfood.com/products_and_notice_to_rehabilitators
Semi-Homemade Raw
Semi-homemade is another option. It is more expensive than fully homemade but is less time consuming and requires less planning. Semi homemade options involve adding a pre-mix supplement to fresh meat and water to make a complete diet. Some examples of those are here:
There are also options like Alnutrin that involves adding the supplement, fresh meat, fresh liver and water.
Commercial Pre-made Raw
The most expensive option (usually - but not always!!), but the very least time consuming is fully prepared commercial raw. Good readily available pre-made frozen options are VivaRaw, Darwins, Vital Essentials, Primal, Stella & Chewys. Good Freeze dried options include Vital Essentials, Primal and Stella & Chewys. There are also small companies in various areas that may make raw pet diets (Like RAWGanics in NY State). Just ensure what you feed is a properly balanced option, not all of the diets available are balanced.
- https://vivarawpets.com/ For more information and one-time discount code Click HERE
- https://www.darwinspet.com/product/raw-cat-food/ Special Trial Offer ($14.95/10 lbs) located HERE
- https://primalpetfoods.com/#
- https://www.vitalessentialsraw.com/cat/food/
- https://www.stellaandchewys.com/
- https://www.facebook.com/RAWganicsPetFood/ (Local farm in NY State that has very good quality at relatively low prices! There are also some co-op pickup locations or distributors in MA, NY, NJ and CT)
Canned Food
The next best diet is a high quality canned food. Aim for grain free, no carrageenan, no meat by-products, and the lowest amount of carbs/legumes/fruits/veggies you can find. Limit fish based flavors to once every week or less. There are many arguments over which are the best canned foods, it seems none are perfect. In the long run, the best kind is the one the cat will eat since they shouldn't go for more than about 24 hours without eating something. Some of my girls pretty much stop eating when they are in heat, so I have to tempt them with canned food. They are very picky so we settle for the least terrible option they will actually eat.