Raw Food diet plan for Cats [2021]

That Mutt is mainly a dog blog, however I understand many of you have cats too!

This publish is all about why you may think about feeding your feline a raw diet.

If you have any type of concerns about raw feeding, please leave a note in the comments.

This publish is sponsored by Darwin’s natural Pet Products.

IN THIS POST:

Benefits of raw food for cats
Will cats get ill from raw meat?
How to shift your feline to a raw diet
Giveaway – Win Darwin’s raw food for your pet

Benefits of a raw diet plan for cats

Most healthy cats will benefit from a raw diet. right here are 7 benefits:

1. Cats are true carnivores

There’s no question about it; cats are carnivores designed to eat MEAT!

Eating raw food is the natural method for your feline to eat!

Cats do not requirement all the carbohydrates discovered in many dry pet foods. Their digestive systems are not designed to process high amounts of grains, as well as they do finest with a high-protein diet.

This is since raw food is fresh, whole as well as unprocessed. It’s the natural method a feline would eat in the wild. Raw food contains online enzymes important for digestion as well as taking in nutrients.

Eating raw meat will make your feline happy since he is designed to eat whole animals like mice.

2. A raw diet plan provides more wetness for cats.

Cats depend upon getting most of their water from their food.

The issue is, many feline owners feed their cats dry feline food which is obviously lacking in moisture. If a feline doesn’t get sufficient water, it can lead to kidney as well as bladder issues down the road.

I did not understand exactly how important it was to feed my cats a high-moisture food. For most of their lives, mine ate dry food. Unfortunately, my feline Beamer died from kidney illness in 2018 as well as my other feline Scout has kidney illness now.

My cats’ diet plan did not necessarily cause them to get kidney disease. I will never understand for sure. However, I believe it played a role. I plan to offer my future cats a raw or canned diet.

See my post: Raw food for cats with kidney disease.

3. much better general health

I believe a raw diet plan is the healthiest choice for most cats. people who feed their cats a raw diet plan frequently report their cats have:

healthier coats
less poop!
healthier teeth
less shedding (fewer hairballs!)
more energy and
fewer allergies

And while you can’t manage everything, feeding your feline a high-quality, balanced raw diet plan should ideally mean less general gos to to the vet. Ideally, this will end up saving you money on vet expenses over time.

The raw feline food from our sponsor, Darwin’s, is 100% genuine meat (chicken, turkey, or lamb) as well as contains no animal by-products or fillers! The food is grain free, as well as all of the turkey, chicken, as well as lamb in the meals are pasture-raised as well as free-roaming (cage free). The food contains no antibiotics, steroids or artificial hormones.

Learn more about Darwin’s raw feline food here!

You can likewise get as much as 75% off your very first order with Darwin’s with their trial offer! discover more here.

4. Raw food to assist a feline lose weight

Cats do not requirement all the carbohydrates discovered in most industrial dry foods. They requirement genuine protein, not corn as well as inexpensive rice by-products.

When you feed your feline a raw diet plan high in protein, it’s easier to assist him maintain a healthy weight. Raw feeders are likewise less likely to “free feed” their cats. Instead, they’re more likely to feed fixed amounts twice per day.

Unfortunately, many indoor cats in specific are extremely overweight in the United States.

We all understand that obesity is linked to all kind of health and wellness problems whether you’re a feline or a dog or a person. It doesn’t take a veterinarian to figure out that fit, lean cats are generally healthier as well as more likely to online longer.

5. Raw food for cats is affordable compared to feeding a huge dog.

Let’s deal with it, expense is one of the reasons more pet owners do not feed raw diets. It’s generally more costly to feed healthy, fresh food.

I hear about this barrier every time I compose about raw feeding, as well as I totally understand.

At least with cats (and little dogs) you’re not buying as much food since they just don’t eat as much!

Yes, feeding your feline a raw diet plan is more costly than feeding dry food, however it’s not as significantly higher like it is for, say, an 80-pound Lab. 

There are many raw feline food brands to select from such as Darwin’s (or you can make your own!).

See my post: affordable raw pet food

6. less poop in the litter box!

The reason for this is since a natural raw diet plan will provide your feline with all the nutrients he needs rather than fill him up with unnecessary, inexpensive components like corn. That means less waste. A great deal less.

7. Cats have been eating raw food ever since cats existed!

Commercial dry feline food is a relatively new idea. before “kibble” was invented, cats thrived on genuine food.

Which brings me as well …

Will a feline get ill from raw food?

No, cats generally won’t get ill from eating fresh raw meat since they are carnivores. They’re extremely unlikely to get ill from fresh raw meat from a raw feline food business such as Darwin’s.

Like dogs, cats have extremely acidic stomachs as well as short digestive tracts. This avoids bacteria from colonizing.

If your feline has been eating a dry or canned food his whole life, it would be a great concept to shift him to raw by slowly integrating the two foods.

This isn’t since your feline will get ill from bacteria in the raw meat. It’s since your feline may get an upset stomach from different food in general. similar to if you were to switch your feline from one dry food brand to another.

Of course, if your feline is out catching as well as killing mice or birds, there is a possibility he might pick up worms/parasites from eating these wild animals. If your feline goes outdoors, you may requirement to provide him a de-wormer every few months (ask your cat’s vet about this).

Cats eat mice, rabbits as well as birds in the wild

My hubby likes to tell the story about a time when he as well as some buddies were grilling burgers on the patio.

Our big, orange feline Beamer suddenly squeezed himself with the slats of the fence, bring a freshly killed rabbit across the yard. He then proceeded to drag the rabbit onto the patio as well as location it a few feet from the grill!

Apparently, Beamer decided he would join the celebration as well, BYOB style.

That’s Bring Your own Bunny.

Beamer ate the entire (raw) bunny – the eyes, the brain, the bones, the intestines, the heart, the kidneys, you name it. as well as then he relaxed on the deck in the sun, full as well as happy as well as purring.

When our dogs as well as cats online mainly indoors, we fail to remember they are animals, hunters as well as carnivores.

How to shift your feline to a raw diet

You can shift your feline from his dry or canned food to raw food slowly by mixing the two over a couple of weeks. Or, you can just switch your feline over to the new diet plan right away. There are pros as well as cons to both.

Slowly changing your feline to a raw diet

The benefit of this is you’ll slowly assist your feline change to the new food without upsetting his stomach. as well as since some cats are picky eaters as well as don’t like change, a sluggish shift may assist your feline change better.

Most raw pet food business such as Darwin’s suggest a sluggish shift where you add a few bits of the new food into your cat’s old food. perhaps about 25% new food as well as 75% old food for a few days.

If all goes well, you can do 50/50 for a few days as well as then 75/25 up until you’re at 100% raw food after about 10 days total.

For more details, see this post: exactly how to shift my pet to a raw diet

What to do if your feline is not thinking about raw food

My feline Scout is extremely picky as well as with him I would just slowly mix in bits of his raw food with his canned or dry food. He believes dry food is a treat so it assists to mix that in with his raw food. Not ideal, however with picky cats you have to get creative!

If your feline likes the structure of dry food, you can sprinkle some over the raw food. He may likewise like some dehydrated raw food.

Darwin’s suggests staying with a consistent feeding routine to your feline understands to expect food at specific times of the day as well as will develop up an appetite. This is likewise true since you don’t want to leave raw meals out all day.

For more info, inspect out the Darwin’s article on transitioning a feline to raw HERE

And of course, if you have any type of concerns about feeding your feline a raw diet, just publish them in the comments as well as I’ll do my finest to help!

Darwin’s giveaway! Win a month’s worth of raw food for your pet!

UPDATE: The champion has been selected as well as notified. Congrats to Brittany B.!

Would your dog or feline like to try a raw diet?

Let me understand in the comments!

– Lindsay

Lindsay Stordahl is the creator of That Mutt. She composes about dog training as well as behavior, healthy raw food for pets as well as running with dogs.

Related posts:

DIY raw feeding basics
Mistakes when feeding your dog a raw diet