Madeleine Hull
Cats are obligate carnivores, meaning they require certain nutrients that can only come from meat. A raw diet for cats can include animal protein (typically muscle meat), organs, bones, and a fiber source. Many cat owners are interested in switching their cats to a raw diet, but opinions vary on the best age to do so. Some sources recommend waiting until a cat is older than 6 months, while others suggest that kittens can be gradually introduced to raw food. It's important to note that raw diets come with risks of foodborne illnesses like Salmonella and E. coli, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises against raw diets for pets due to these risks. Before making any changes to your cat's diet, it's always best to consult with a veterinarian to ensure your cat's nutritional needs are met and that you're following safe food handling procedures.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Age to start feeding cats a raw diet | Sources suggest that cats older than 6 months can be fed a raw diet. Kittens younger than 3 months should be weaned to raw food. |
| How to transition to a raw diet | Start by reducing the current diet by 1/4 and replace it with 1/4 of raw food. Gradually increase the raw food portion and reduce the current diet over 7-10 days. |
| How much raw food to feed | Cats should be fed 2-5% of their body weight. Nursing and older cats may require a higher protein intake. |
| What to feed | The raw diet should be made up of 80-90% meat, 10% bones, and 10% offal (5% of which must be liver). Cats can be fed chicken, beef, lamb, duck, kangaroo, goat, rabbit, oily fish, etc. |
| Benefits of a raw diet | Raw food is full of nutrients and can help support cats' overall health and well-being. It can also help with urinary problems and improve kidney health. |
| Risks of a raw diet | The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advise against feeding raw diets to pets due to the risk of bacteria such as Salmonella and E.coli. |
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What You'll Learn
Cats over 6 months can transition to raw food over 16-20 days
Firstly, it is important to determine how much raw food your cat should eat per day. This is calculated based on a percentage of body weight, age, and activity level. Generally, you would feed 10% of body weight at 8 weeks of age, decreasing to 4% at around 6 or 7 months of age.
On days 1-5, start with only meat and bones coming from the same animal. You can feed 70% meat and 30% raw meaty bones or, depending on how you count it, 90% meat and 6-10% pure bones.
From days 16-20, introduce the liver. Some cats can be sensitive to liver, so start with 2-3 grams per day. You should now be feeding 30% raw meaty bones, 5% organs, 5% liver, and 60% meat.
On days 21-25, introduce small oily fish to provide all the ingredients for a balanced diet. You can start with sardines or sprats. You should now be feeding 30% bones, 5% organs, 5% liver, 10% fish, and 50% meat. You can then add more meat, organs, and raw meaty bones to provide a diverse and balanced diet.
It is important to go slowly when introducing anything new, especially liver, which is very rich in vitamins and can be difficult to digest. Before moving on to each new step, always verify that your cat is having well-formed stools.
Cats are obligate carnivores, which means they require certain nutrients that can only come from meat. A high-quality raw cat food will be made up of 100% natural ingredients, including protein, healthy fats, key vitamins and minerals, and bone content. Cats also require taurine in their diet, which can be found in darker, harder-working muscle meats such as heart and thigh meats.
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Cats need taurine, found in dark, hard-working muscle meats
Cats can be introduced to a raw diet at different ages, with some sources recommending starting with kittens as young as three months old. However, it is important to consult a veterinarian for tailored advice.
Taurine is an amino acid, a building block of protein, and is critical for normal vision, digestion, heart muscle function, a healthy immune system, and the maintenance of normal pregnancy and fetal development in cats. Cats require relatively large amounts of taurine in their diet, and it is found almost exclusively in animal-based proteins. Taurine is found in the highest concentration in seafood and hard-working muscles such as the heart and tongue, as well as poultry dark meat (meat from the thigh).
When feeding a raw diet to cats, it is important to ensure they receive adequate taurine. While most raw meat provides enough taurine, some cuts, such as rabbit and chicken breast, are particularly low in this nutrient. Processing methods, including cooking and freezing, can also reduce taurine levels in meat. Therefore, when feeding a raw diet predominantly composed of low-taurine meats or when grinding meat, it is recommended to supplement with taurine. Taurine deficiency can lead to severe health issues in cats, including dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), retinal degeneration, reproductive failure, and gastrointestinal disturbances.
To ensure a sufficient taurine intake, it is recommended to include taurine-rich cuts such as hearts, lungs, tongue, and dark meat from poultry in your cat's raw diet. Approximately 20% of their diet should consist of these taurine-rich options. By providing a variety of meat sources and paying attention to the specific needs of your cat, you can help ensure they receive adequate nutrition, including sufficient taurine, from their raw diet.
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Raw food is free from grains and fillers
Cats are obligate carnivores, meaning they require nutrients from meat to survive. While raw food diets for cats may seem to resemble the diet of a wild cat, they may not be appropriate for domestic cats, who have a much longer life expectancy.
Some people believe that raw food is healthier for cats because it is free from grains and fillers. Commercially prepared cat food often contains grains as cheap fillers, and cats derive no nutritional benefit from these carbohydrates. Carbohydrates can be difficult for cats to digest, leading to inflammation and food intolerances.
However, raw diets also carry risks. Many raw diets are nutritionally unbalanced and contain nutrient deficiencies. They are not formulated to be "complete and balanced" and have not undergone AAFCO feeding trials to determine nutritional completeness.
The FDA, AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association), AAHA (American Animal Hospital Association), and CDC (Centers for Disease Control & Prevention) all recommend against feeding cats a raw diet. Raw diets are more likely to be contaminated with pathogens such as Salmonella, E. coli, Listeria, and Campylobacter, which can cause significant illness in cats and pose a threat to humans in the household.
If you are considering feeding your cat a raw diet, it is important to work closely with your veterinarian to ensure your cat is getting all the nutrients it needs.
Regarding the age at which to start feeding cats a raw diet, some sources recommend waiting until cats are older than six months. One source suggests that kittens under three months old can be weaned onto raw food, but it is important to work with a veterinarian to ensure the kitten receives adequate nutrition.
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Cats require more protein than omnivores
Cats are obligate carnivores, meaning their bodies have adapted to a diet consisting strictly of meat, which provides animal protein. Their metabolism is especially suited to a meat-based diet. While herbivores and omnivores can synthesize certain amino acids, cats have a more limited ability to do so. As a result, they have evolved to ingest specific amino acids that already exist in meat sources because their bodies do not produce enough of them for survival.
Cats require a minimum of 26% protein in their diet, much higher than that of dogs (12%) or humans (8%). Kittens require 19% of their diet to consist of animal protein to meet their methionine requirements. Cats can also eat diets containing up to 70% protein. They are poorly developed to efficiently digest carbohydrates. Denying cats animal-based proteins is likely to cause severe health issues and malnourishment.
Cats can be transitioned to a raw diet, which should be done gradually. It is recommended for cats older than 6 months, especially those that already occasionally ate raw meat, or younger cats that are not yet addicted to kibbles. The transition usually involves replacing a portion of their current diet with raw meat and gradually increasing the proportion of raw food over several days.
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Raw food can help with urinary problems
Cats are not naturally thirsty creatures, so it's important that they stay hydrated through other means. Raw food helps keep cats hydrated, preventing urinary problems. It also helps maintain proper urinary pH levels, reducing the risk of urinary problems.
A raw food diet can help prevent feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD), which includes abnormalities in the structure and function of the bladder and urethra. FLUTD can be caused by a lack of moisture in the diet, which is common in cats that eat dry kibble. A raw food diet can help to prevent and ease the symptoms of FLUTD.
Cats on a dry kibble diet are also more prone to bladder infections and urinary crystals. Raw food can help to prevent these issues by providing the necessary moisture and nutrients. It is also grain-free, allowing cats to absorb minerals such as phosphorus and magnesium, which are essential for good urinary health.
Some cat owners have reported success in treating their cats' urinary issues with a raw food diet. One owner added marshmallow root, glucosamine, and cranberry supplements to their cat's raw food to fight struvite crystals. Another owner fed their cat a mix of raw and canned wet food to dissolve urinary crystals.
If you are considering switching your cat to a raw food diet, it is important to do so gradually. Start by replacing a quarter of their current diet with raw food, and gradually increase the proportion of raw food over 7 to 10 days. It is also important to ensure that your cat's raw diet is balanced and includes a variety of proteins, organs, and other nutrients.
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Frequently asked questions
Cats older than 6 months can be introduced to a raw diet. Kittens younger than 3 months can be weaned onto raw food by switching from industrial food to raw meat.
A raw diet for cats should include animal protein, organs, bones, and a fibre source. Cats require taurine in their diet, which can be found in darker, harder-working muscle meats such as heart and thigh meats (turkey and chicken).
You can transition your cat to a raw diet by gradually reducing their current diet and replacing it with raw food. Start with one type of protein, such as turkey, and then introduce other proteins like chicken, beef, or lamb. You can also introduce raw meaty bones like chicken necks and duck necks.
