Cat Raw Food Feeding Guide

raw food / Cat feeding guide & calculation

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Benefits of feeding a cat a raw diet

  • Improved digestion
  • Greatly reduced stool odor and volume
  • Healthy coat, less shedding, fewer hairballs
  • Increased energy
  • Weight loss, if overweight
  • Better dental health
  • Better urinary health

How much raw meat and bone should you feed your cat?

Daily amount for an adult cat should be around 2% to 3% of the total body weight of your cat, spread over 2 meals, morning, and evening.

Kittens can eat up to twice their bodyweight as they are still growing.

Transitioning your cat from wet to raw food

Day 1 & 2 Mix 10% of raw food with your cat’s current wet food for 2 days in a row.

Day 3 & 4 Increase the amount of raw food by another 10% and decrease the amount of the current wet food.

Day 5 to 10 Apply this method until you have eliminated the need to mix the current wet food and raw, until your cat is solely eating raw.

Transitioning your cat from dry food to raw food

Day 1 & 2 Serve 10g of raw food into your cat’s bowl, then crunch and sprinkle a few bits of kibble over the top of the raw food.

Day 3 & 4 Serve 20g of raw food and sprinkle the crunched kibble over the top.

Day 5 & 6 Serve 40g of raw food and sprinkle less crushed kibble.

Repeat this process until you have completely cut out the dry food and your cat is eating a raw meal twice a day.

Cats may prefer their food at room temperature so allow the food to thaw thoroughly.

If the cat does not get the required amino acids from protein, then problems can occur. An essential nutrient for your cat is the amino acid, Taurine, which the cat cannot synthesise sufficiently by itself to meet its needs. The diet of a cat must therefore contain Taurine in sufficient quantities. If there is a shortage, then there is a high risk of serious and untreatable damage to major organs such as the eye and the heart.

Taurine is found almost entirely in meat and supports the concept of the cat as an obligate carnivore. Good diets, that include meat, therefore, are essential for the health of your cat to ensure normal growth and development. The need for Taurine is higher in older, pregnant, and lactating pets. Taurine deficiency can lead to poor eyesight, nervous system disorders and immunodeficiency. The amino acid in Taurine has important functions for the immune system and is essential for keeping the cat’s retina healthy. Taurine is found in muscle meat (chicken thighs, hearts, turkey hearts etc), the amount of Taurine found in each meat depends on how hard the muscle works, darker meats can indicate higher Taurine levels (tongue, liver, spleen, kidney, heart),  a complete raw cat food should have all the essentials a cat needs, many cat owners feed their cat the same food as they may be feeding their dogs and may need to add additional Taurine to the diet, such as chicken, turkey or duck hearts.

If your four-legged friend rejects raw bones or cannot eat them, you can feed minced bones. They’re just as nutritious and contain important calcium and phosphorus. Bone meal is a suitable alternative for whole or ground bones. The ground animal bones have a balanced calcium-phosphorus ratio and can easily be mixed with the feed. Both calcium and phosphorus play an important role in bone metabolism and for tooth substance, and the two minerals are also necessary for blood clotting and muscle activity.

As always if you have concerns about your cats health please consult with your vet before making any dietary changes.