Raw Diet For Cats -Why is it Important?
Posted by Holistic Pet Care on Sep 13, 2020
Customers ask often about a raw diet for cats and why is it important. I thought I'd put up a short post again about this subject as it is a necessity for cat parents to understand for totally healthy feline well being .
Cats are obligate carnivores, cats have physical requirements that is imperative for them to eat raw meat.
Their body’s anatomy is made to function and thrive on a raw meat, species appropriate diet.
Cats are designed to be total predators.
Felines evolved from eating a raw prey-based meat diet.
The only other food in the wild they may eat is occasional grasses for the enzymes. Some experts say wild cats get folic acid from chewing, but not swallowing, grass. Or can or will possibly berries during berry season.
It is also said they eat grasses to assist in clearing their digestive system of anything they couldn't digest such as their own fur, bird feathers or bones from their prey.
In the wild cats consume:
- All types of rodents, such as mice, gophers, shrews, rats, squirrels, rabbits or hares
- Many types of birds and songbirds, such as finch, sparrows or robins
- Also reptiles and insects, such as lizards, and snakes, bugs, spiders, grasshoppers and more.
Cooking heats over 180 degrees kills nutrients in meat, causing the degradation of vitamins, minerals and amino acids. The low quality meat used in overly-processed cat kibbles and canned foods is overcooked at very high temperatures. The food value lost during the cooking process must be added back in with artificial nutrients, synthetic ingredients made in a lab China no doubt.
A cat's digestive tract is made for raw food, as the short digestive tract is designed to digest raw meat in roughly 5-6 hours. This is like a little fuel burning oven which kills any bacteria or other germs associated with raw meat, cats are able to avoid food poisoning because if this fast burning system. There aren’t any vegetarian cats that actually thrive.
Cats have absolutely NO need to eat carbohydrates which are actually hard on their body as they just don't have what it takes to properly digest carbs.
A raw diet is far more superior in digestibility for cats. than a diet of kibble and canned, over cooked low grade ingredients.
Even the highest grade cooked cat foods are not healthy due to the added fillers. Felines evolved eating a diet with almost no carbohydrates, they have only one enzyme system capable of digesting any type of carbs.
Often our house cat pets are operating on a nutrient deficiency. So your cat could be missing out on some important nutrients and vitality only raw meat supplies!
Feeding your feline with a diet that is what they are designed to eat has many health benefits:
Improves digestion
Litter box odor and stool volume are reduced
Healthy, shiny coat, less shedding, fewer hairballs
Increased well being energy
Weight loss, if overweight
Better dental health
Better urinary health
If you are a cat owner and you would like more on how to transition your cat to a raw meat diet go to: http://catcentric.org/nutrition-and-food/raw-feeding/raw-feeding-your-cat-just-the-basics/ for more info
