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Feline Nutrition
Let's think just a moment about wild cats and where our domestic cats came from.
What do wild cats eat? In their natural setting, cats—whose unique make up makes them true carnivores--just would not consume the high level of carbohydrates (grains) that are in the commerical pet foods that we routinely feed them. Let's face it, you would never see a wild cat chasing down a herd of biscuits running across the plains of Africa or cooking and seeding grasses they managed to find. What about cooking her mouse and topping it off with corn meal gluten souffle?
In the wild, your cat would be eating a high protein, high-moisture content, meat-based diet, with a moderate level of fat and with only approximately 3-5 percent or less of her diet would consist of any carbohydrates. Did you know that the average dry cat food contains 35-50 percent carbohydrates and that some of the cheaper dry foods contain even higher levels?
It is just a simple fact that cats physiologicaly do not have the ability to utilize carbohydrates due to the lack of specific enzymatic pathways that are present in omnivores and the lack a salivary enzyme called amylase. Cats just do not have a dietary need for carbohydrates and, more worrisome is the fact that too many carbohydrates can be highly detrimental to their health!
I mentioned that in the wild, a cat's diet has a high moisture content. It is a little known fact that cats do not have a very strong thirst at all. This lack of thirst often leads to low-level, chronic dehydration when dry commerical food makes up the bulk of their diet.
You see, cats are designed to obtain most of their water WITH their diet since in the wild, their normal prey contains approximately 75 percent water. So, a cat consuming a dry-food diet does appear to drink more water than a cat consuming a canned food diet, in the end, when water from all sources is added together (what’s in their diet plus what they drink), the cat on dry food consumes approximately HALF the amount of water compared with a cat eating a natural raw diet or even canned foods.
Something to think about...
Okay, okay, I know many of you reading this have a strong negative reaction to the idea of feeding their cat raw meat but, remember, this is what a carnivore is designed to eat. Wild cats do not always consume their prey in its entirety immediately upon killing it so the meat that they eat is not always from a fresh kill either.
Cats are after all, cats and are very different from humans with respect to their susceptibility to ‘food poisoning’. Cats have a much shorter transit time through their intestinal tract than humans do (about 6-10 hours, usually less, for the cat versus 35-55 hours for the human). This is a very important point because the more time bacteria spend in the intestines, the more they multiply, eventually leading to intestinal upset.
Cats are designed to eat raw meat.
In reality, a properly handled and prepared raw meat diet actually has much less bacteria in it than many commercial dry foods do. Commercial pet foods may also contain high levels of mold toxins from grains which are never a danger in a grainless raw meat diet.
There are several ways to feed your cat a raw meat diet. One way is to prepare the diet yourself using a very simple recipe. This is what I do so that I can control the ingredients that go into the diet. My cats are and always have thrived on a raw meat diet that I prepare using either ground whole carcass rabbit from a reputable farm, or whole meats (usually chicken necks and thighs) from Whole Foods Market that I have the butcher grind for me. I then add just a few supplements to complete the diet.
Please, don't become overwhelmed or intimidated by the idea of making up your cat's food, honestly, in reality, it's quite simple and you can make up a large batch for several weeks that you can freeze. If you are interested in preparing your own cat food, I have found a great site: Making Cat Food.
Another way you can feed your cats a raw diet is to simply purchase ready-to-feed frozen commercial pet diets. I know that many people feed these diets with great results. I want to warn you though that, as is also true with canned foods, these products vary a great deal with in their quality and ingredients. Most of these products also contain items such as vegetables and in a much higher quantity than would ever be found in a cat's natural diet. Not only that but, the vegetables in these prepared raw diets are obviously not predigested as they would be if they were eaten when the cat killed her prey.
I feel I should note here that we, as omnivores don't usually think about when deciding to feed our cats raw is that carnivores eat meat, not vegetables. Cats do not have a physiologic requirement for vegetables and as was stated above, actually lack the enzymes needed to break down this food source for efficient utilization.
So it is very important to do your homework here. Read the ingredients. Compare the percentage of vegetables, and occasionally fruits, to the meat the product contains. Look for something that contains something like 95% meat/bones/organs and 5% vegetable/fruit matter. This is a pretty reasonable blend however, some cats with IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease) do not do well with any amount of vegetable matter in their diets at all. On the other hand I know of cats that do okay with 10% vegetable/fruit matter in thier diets. I personally belive the less vegetable/fruit in the diet the better. I personally do not feed any vegetables or fruit at all to my cats.
It is also important to know the meat/bone, calcium/phosphorus ratio. You want this balanced. You do not want a diet too high in calcium relative to the phosphorus which can cause constipation in addition to other medical problems.
Okay, one last note here. Most of us have always free fed our pets. Especially cats. I have had people ask me if my poor cat(s) did not get hungry during the day with out something left out for them. The Answer is "yes" at least they thought they were hungry anyway. Just remember that cats do not eat all day in the wild, in fact, sometimes they do not even for a couple of days if prey is scare. Here is a great article on "Free Feeding".
Following is more information on commercial food vs raw or home prepared cooked foods for our cats.
A rapidly growing number of veterinarians state that processed pet food is the main cause of illness and premature death in the modern dog and cat. In December 1995, the British Journal of Small Animal Practice published a paper contending that processed pet food supresses the immune system and leads to liver, kidney, heart and other diseases. Dr. Kollath, of the Karolinska Hospital in Stockholm, headed a study done on animals. When young animals were fed cooked and processed foods they initially appeared to be healthy. However, as the animals reached adulthood, they began to age more quickly than normal and also developed chronic degenerative disease symptoms. A control group of animals raised on raw foods aged less quickly and were free of degenerative disease. For a return to health, pets require a diet which strengthens the immune system and most closely resembles that which they would get in the wild. It's really easy to do.
Excerpt from Cats and the Natural Raw Food Diet
Cats and the Natural Raw Food Diet
by William Pollak D.V.M.
Cat's diet: "75 to 90% raw meat- raw means NOT cooked! It is fine to cook it if you must, but know that you are cooking it for yourself; not for your pet. Just cook the food as little as possible until you feel comfortable. Turkey, Chicken, Fish, Lamb, Venison and Beef- This is in the order of usually most liked to least preferred." "10 to 25% raw, (pulverized) finely grated veggies- fresh, above ground (carrots, turnips and parsnips are fine), dark green, leafy, cauliflower, broccoli (a cat favorite), cabbage, zucchini… whatever is fresh and happy at the grocery store is fine!!
"When transitioning a cat who is used to eating commercial food one must be prepared for some reluctance on part of the cat in accepting raw foods. Reviving a cat’s natural taste preference can represent a real challenge for both the care giver and their cat(s). It is important that the care giver be comfortable and confident with the new diet and must enforce the change despite any protest. All the cats that we have encountered, both in our own family and those of our customers, have been successfully transitioned to a raw diet when the change is approached with this attitude." Natascha Wille-Baker
Raw Food Diet for Cats: A Natural Solution
Why Consider a Raw Food Diet? The simplest answer is, "Because it closely approximates the diet cats would get in the wild; the diet to which their physiology is naturally attuned." Cats eat a varied diet in the wild, including organs, brains, and occasionally, stomach and intestine contents: mice and other rodents, small mammals, birds, fish, snakes and other reptiles and insects. However, for various reasons most feline caregivers do not have the resources, nor the time to offer live prey to their cats; others may feel squeamish at doing so (although frozen baby mice warmed to room temperature may afford a rare treat.) Enter the raw food diet, which most closely approximates the diet of felines in the wild.Proponents of the BARF diet suggest giving cats raw, meaty neck bones in sections, either whole, or ground. There are a number of variations of these diets, but the basics remain the same.
"The thought of listening to the cat crunching the skull of a mouse with its jaws during our dinner is appalling to us, so it is usually not permitted. Even though we know that mice are natural prey for cats, most of us prohibit our feline companions from eating mice because such behavior is upsetting to us and is deemed unbecoming of a house cat. I am not suggesting that the cat should be allowed to eat your hamster, but I am asking you to consider why so many of us choose to exclude raw, chopped chicken necks from their cats' dietary menu. It's not because chicken bones are bad for cats--- in fact, the raw bones will help clean kitty's teeth and provide a rich balance of calcium and phosphorous. The reason why such food is not allowed is because it is unacceptable to humans---raw chicken necks weren't on that poster of the "five basic food groups" that adorned the walls of our grammar school classrooms, and the thought of eating raw meat (especially poultry!) is repulsive to us." Mary L. Wulff-Tilford author of All You Ever Wanted To Know About Herbs For Pets
The goal in putting this article together for you is to get you to think to arm you with information. I hope you will continue to seach out information and be able to make wise, informed decisions on the care of your beloved cats.
I have provided this information as a source of reference. I cannot be held responsible for misadventure from the misuse of essential oils or any product or therapeutic method mentioned within this Website. If there is any doubt regarding any treatments or products mentioned, then please consult a qualified Holistic Veterinarian
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