Why Raw for Cats

In Nature cats eat their prey whole. Cats are naturally equipped with strong jaws and very sharp teeth that are made for ripping and tearing meat, and crunching through the pliable raw bones of small animals. They also have very strong stomach acids,  a very short digestive tract that are made to efficiently process raw meat and bone. If you have ever seen a cat consuming a mouse it has caught, you’ll understand how perfectly natural it is for these carnivorous animals to eat whole raw foods. Cats fed a prey model diet of whole raw foods are compelled to use their jaws and teeth for the purpose they were designed. This slicing and tearing action of ripping apart whole, raw meats and raw meaty bones provides a scrubbing and flossing action that helps to keep gums  healthy, teeth clean and white, and jaws strong. And a healthy mouth is vital to the overall health of any animal. Indeed cats are actually obligate carnivores, which essentially means that the nutrition they require to thrive must come from the meat, organs and  bones of the bodies of other animals. The cat’s particular anatomical and physiological design, the most ideal and natural way for them to consume that flesh and bone is in it’s raw state.

Cats more so than dogs need less processed food, due to the enzymes they require to digest. The less processed for cats the better, they do not produce Taurine, and the more a product is Manufactured the less Taurine is available to the cat for digestion. Meat, tripe, bone, organ and supplements or a portion of pureed  vegetation are filled with the enzymes needed to properly digest and assimilate nutrients. Nutritional analyses have been done on several types of raw prey items and they do contain all the essential nutrients required by your companion. Bioavailability of prey  items has not been studied in a laboratory but it has definitely proven to make for resilient animals in the wild. Wild felines/canines are capable of surviving in harsh conditions with few or no chronic health problems. Kibble has only been fed to dogs/ cats for approximately 100 years, whereas raw meat diets have fed the order Carnivore for 60 million years

Below are some of the advantages of feed raw;

• SHINIER, HEALTHIER SKIN AND COAT
• FIRMER, SMALLER, LESS SMELLY STOOLS
• REDUCTION IN FLATULENCE (GAS)
• BETTER DIGESTION
• IMPROVED WEIGHT CONTROL
• LESS SHEDDING
• REDUCED OR ELIMINATED NEED FOR VETERINARY DENTAL WORK
• DECREASE IN ABNORMAL HYPERACTIVITY
• REDUCTION OF SKIN ALLERGIES, FLEAS, AND FOOD ALLERGIES
• MORE ENERGY AND STAMINA
• REDUCED VISITS TO THE VETERINARIAN, DUE TO AN OVERALL HEALTHIER PET
• LESS WAX BUILD-UP IN EARS

A human diet is not good for your pet …

In Australia we have been directed by doctors and Medical professionals to go more towards a natural diet for ourselves to reduce carbohydrates and increase greens and balance our meat. This has come from our own history, where we ate from the fresh markets or our own garden, and balanced with our protein intake, consuming little to no preservatives. So if we do the same thing for our dogs which we should be doing for ourselves, we go back to the wolf / dingo or the big cats / prairie cats to see how they ate, and what do we find? A raw meat diet with very little to no vegetables complete with the vitamins and minerals required sourced from the animals they digested, with that there may be a requirement due to farming etc, some vitamins and minerals are no longer evident in our own foods, due to farming and other primary industries, so there may be a need for your companions diet to be supplemented accordingly. For example Tomatoes historically had a high level of iodine which they no longer have, so adding Kelp, high in iodine, provides a solution for this. For supplements please discuss with your holistic vet.

By feeding a raw diet, you are ensuring that your pet is getting their essential amino acids and enzymes in their natural state and in their purest form. The 10+ year shelf life of kibble cannot hold key vitamins that help maintain a healthy diet for dogs.