Natural Cat Care adovcates the fact that cats are obligatory carnivores, and as such, have special needs. For example, cats have a need for Vitamin A from animal sources such as liver or fresh eggs, and for taurine, an amino acid found in the fluid portion of raw meat. Cats also have a need for high levels of calcium and vitamin E.

The all meat (only) or all tuna diet that many cats appear to crave will not support a good level of health.

Our pretty house cats were all bred down from wild cats...they are still the same internally which means they are still carnivores, not meant to eat processed foods from a can or a bag.

Cats not only do not need grains or a lot of veggies in their diet they were not designed to be able to digest them properly, What they NEED is meat and bones.

The idea behind our recommendation here for the perfect cat diet is to provide a diet that approximates that which cats have been eating (and will still eat, if given the choice) in the wild. A cat’s natural diet in the wild, includes both meat and bone with very little vegetable matter. On making a kill the wild felid will eventually consume the entire carcass. Cats will also on rare occasion graze on herbs and wild plants, seeking out specific types of plants as their health may dictate. If you have an "outside" cat or barn cat, you know they do excellent on mice, birds, moles and small reptiles. Many cats that hunt will easily eat raw chicken wings or necks when offered. Others that have never hunted may absolutely refuse raw meat at first. Many people have found it very useful to use a meat grinder to begin with and help them transition by grinding the necks and wings or whole carcus, together with some organ meats and no vegetable material for their cats (a very small amount of greens from time to time is okay) until they get started on a good raw meat and bone diet. This can be a good way to get your cat used to and eating a raw prey diet but you should continually offer whole parts or whole carcases to your cat.

When switching from kibble or canned food to a raw diet, you should also add a multi-vitamin and Probiotics with Enzymes (Fastrack Feline Microbal Powder and or Enzymes Pro +) to the diet for several weeks.

While some raw feeders or owners that cook for their cats still use some cooked grains, I do not personally give them to my cats as it has been proved that domestic cats have a tendency to obesity, allergies and other ailments as God simply did not design them to require or digest carbs or grains in the first place. I have also found that cats are much more prone to chronic pancreatitis and diabetes on a carbohydrate diet.

If no bones are fed, (if fed, they should be RAW) and a vitamin supplement, Probiotics, antioxidant/immune booster and an omega 3 (fish oil) supplement are strongly recommended. Again, a taurine supplement is essential if raw meat is not used, or for cats with kidney or heart disease.

Healthy adult cats (over 1 year of age) are best fed once a day. Your cat should have access to the food for 20-30 minutes after which time any remaining food should be discarded. Nothing further should be given, except water, until the next feeding. These breaks between meals give the digestive tract time to fully process the food, to rest and regenerate, to optimize enzyme formation, and to cleanse before being asked to work again.

This schedule should be tailored to the individual situation based on the cat’s age, health, special needs, and family schedule. The only two hard and fast rules to this recommended diet are variety and moderation. As long as you keep this in mind, you will have your pet on a wholesome, nutritious and balanced diet.

It is VERY important to recognize that there is no single processed diet(no matter what they tell you in an effort to sell their product) that is going to meet the needs of every cat, and that growing kittens or older, inactive cats will have significantly different protein needs. Please make and appointment for a consultation or meet with your holistic veterinarian, as well as viewing the many different websites about whole food and raw food diets for our cats.

Disclaimer:
The information contained on this web site is intended as education/information only. It is not intended to replace your veterinarian. Please use your good judgement. Thank you

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