HOW TO FEED YOUR CAT RAW

Some cats will take to raw food right away.Almost all kittens and young cats will  switch over to a raw diet without much of a transition. You will be feeding your cat anywhere from 2% - 4% of their body weight on a daily basis. Age, activity levels & metabolism needs to be taken into consideration when feeding and switching to raw.

Maintain the raw food frozen as cats will only eat fresh foods.  A cats metabolism is not designed to combat bacteria or digest ‘ripe’ meat. Therefore, they have developed a unique sense of smell that indicate them if the food is not fresh enough to eat.  

It’s recommended to feed your cat its raw meat at room temperature as it seems to be associated with the temperature of a freshly killed prey. This will entice your cat to eat its food as it will feel more natural. In addition, kibble and canned food are most often stored at room temperature which your cat has grown accustomed to. Always take up and discard any uneaten food after thirty minutes.

Once your cat is settled and happy with the raw diet, incorporate organs for additional nutritive supplements and to assure that your cat is getting their necessary intake of taurine (a type of amino acid) which they cannot naturally produce on their own.

For the older cats and picky eaters here are some steps to make the transition from kibble to raw:

Stop free feeding your cat and present meals twice a day for 15 – 20 mins. Allow your cat to eat and remove the leftover kibble. Introduce again for next meal.

Serving portioned meals through the day will serve you three purposes:

           

            1) Increases your cats’ appetite, in turn making your cat more willing to switch to raw.

            2) Breaks cycle of your cats’ dependency on kibble.

            3) Helps your cat fall into a scheduled eating pattern.

Switch kibble to canned food for easier transition to raw.

Incorporate little by little raw food. Increase the raw food as you decrease the wet food.

Your cat will tell you if it’s getting too much, or not enough intake of the raw food. If it’s losing weight, increase the portions. If it’s gaining weight decrease the portions.

The transition process if any is worth it as your cat will benefit from its raw diet. You can expect the following  improvements in your cat’s health:  betterment of their oral health, improved digestion which will lessen or eliminate ‘kitty breath’, smaller less stinky stool that is biodegradable and an overall positive influence on your cats’ quality of life. 

Thanks for reading,

Margarita & Patrona