Why Feed Your Cat A Raw Food Diet

Why Feed Your Cat A Raw Food Diet?

To understand why it's important to feed your pet cat a biologically appropriate raw food diet, we first need to understand a cat's biological makeup and nutritional requirements.

Domesticated Cats Vs Wild Cats

Domestic cats have been around for thousands of years. Evidence of their domestication can be found in Egyptian hieroglyphs and paintings. They were also domesticated in China and Japan as early as 10,000 years ago.

All cats, both domesticated and wild, are members of a family or tribe known as Felidae. This includes lions, tigers, ocelots, and lynxes among others. Even though domesticated cats look vastly different from their relatives (size being the biggest contributing factor), they still share over 95% of the same DNA and the same biological setup. This means their digestive systems and nutritional requirements are still very similar to wild cats.

Humans have not only managed to domesticate cats to live in our homes, but we intentionally breed certain traits into their DNA that you wouldn’t usually find in wild felines. But even with these differences, they still share a majority of similarities with their wild ancestors.

Understanding A Cat's Biology

Cats (domesticated or otherwise) are obligatory carnivores, which means they are required to eat meat and can only get certain essential vitamins and minerals from certain carnivorous foods and cannot divert them from other foods. If their diet is not fed as complete and balanced, they will have nutrient deficiencies and will likely suffer serious health issues down the track as a result.

Everything about a cat is designed for hunting and killing. Here are a few interesting facts about how a cat's biology  idea that they need a raw meat diet for optimal health:

  • Cats have sharp claws designed to kill prey by piercing their necks or crushing their skulls when they jump on them from above.
  • They have excellent night vision due to their tapetum lucidum which reflects light back through the retina giving them high-resolution night vision for hunting mice and other nocturnal prey.
  • Cats have a short digestive tract and lack the enzymes necessary to digest plant-based protein. Their stomach acid is very strong to digest raw meat.
  • They don't have as many taste buds as humans do, so they don't need to eat food with strong flavors.

The Benefits Of A Raw Food Diet For Cats

In Australia, approximately 37 per cent of pet-owning people have a cat according to a study conducted by the University of Melbourne. That's a lot of pet owners needing to feed cats! But there's still a huge gap in understanding what the optimal diet for cats looks like.

Feeding your cat a raw food diet has many health and wellbeing benefits.

  • A study conducted by Cornell University found that feeding cats a raw food diet can reduce their risk of developing kidney disease by up to 80%. Kidney issues are one of the highest causes of death in cats.
  • A raw food diet can also help with dental health because it reduces tartar buildup and reduces the amount of plaque on teeth.
  • When cats eat cooked food, their teeth become brittle and susceptible to plaque buildup. A raw food diet can help prevent this from happening.
  • Taurine is an essential amino acid that's crucial for a cat's health but sadly, also the most common nutrient deficiency in cats because of their processed modern diets. The most optimal way for a cat to obtain taurine is through raw meat. If you feed your cat Raw & Fresh raw cat food meals, then you don't need to worry - they will get sufficient taurine in their diet naturally.
  • Some cats might need a raw food diet because they have digestive issues or they are too sensitive to certain ingredients in conventional dry food and processed kibbles.
  • Raw food diets reduce the risk of obesity and diabetes in cats, which are usually caused by processed pet food.
  • Feeding your cat raw meat is good for their health because it provides them with the protein that they need without any added sugars or fillers.
  • A raw food diet provides the most nutritionally-dense food for your cat, in the most bio-available way.

Cats thrive on a fresh raw diet. For more information about buying our raw cat food online, please get in contact with us today!