Cats on Raw Food

Cats are natural predators. We forget that from time to time. If you're like me, your cat represents a member of the family. .. well, one that purrs, but still... and its hard to imagine that they could harm another helpless living animal. One hour outside in the yard is all it takes to turn your sweet snuggle-bunny into an intestine-ripping, beak-chewing terrorist to wildlife. I'll never forget the image of my childhood cat batting a bloody baby mouse body around the driveway, trying to get it to get up and run again so he could play some more. I should have known then that dried up little chunks of cat food pellets isn't an appropriate diet for such an animal.

Now, I'm not saying I'm going to set up a caged hunt with some pigeons or mice just to satiate the evil needs of my house cat, but there must be some better answer than commercial cat foods, which I've read are mostly made of by-products of the meat industries, like tumors, deformed limbs, and even euthanized cattle. Dry foods have no where near the high moisture (water and oil) level that cats need to consume in their food since drinking water is not sufficient for them. Wet foods tend to have moisture, but the fat-to-water balance is off.

Our pets manifest the effects of such deficient food sources differently over time, some with food allergies, skin reactions, diarrhea, premature aging, obesity, kidney strain, dental cavities, urinary tract problems, and the more important and common effect may be that the cat's general immune system may be compromised and left vulnerable to all disease.

Can a cat eat raw meat and not get sick? Yes. I have always heard that cats have acidic saliva and stomach fluids that allow it to neutralize more bacteria during digestion. Maybe that is true: I'm not a veterinarian but my cat has been eating raw, organic turkey and chicken for over a year and he gets much less sick than when he eats processed foods, even the natural ones.

It took him a while to figure out how to eat raw meat but he mows through it now like its caviar on Fancy Feast. I can throw a small chicken wing or drum down and he will start at one end and eat the whole thing, bone and all, right down to the tip. [I don't think you're supposed to feed cats cooked bones because they can splinter and be dangerous in the throat but raw bones are supposed to be okay. I have to confess, I supervise him every time, just in case!]

Anyway, he is a happier, more fit, more handsome cat now at 7 1/2 years old than he's been since he was one year old. He is a poster child for a raw diet! I'll be posting more tips on how to start your raw diet for cats or dogs (plus resources for birds and horse diets) and some time- and money-saving tricks to help you get through it. Please comment and share your experiences anytime. I'll try to help answer questions you may have or help you find the resources. Long live the pets.