Cats are carnivores, but almost all canned or boxed cat food is largely vegetable. In fact, most canned or dry cat food contains only about 6-7% protein (meat or other proteins), while a cat’s diet should consist of at least 95% meat. How is that possible? Cat food manufacturers make fake meat from waste grain, in short, what you see in a tin looks like meat, but it is grains that have been processed in such a way that they look like meat. What is healthy food for your cat?
A cat is an obligate carnivore, so a mandatory carnivore. A cat’s stomach therefore contains such strong stomach acid that it can digest even the bones, cartilage, bones, and even feathers and fur of small rodents. In nature, a cat does not eat plant food because it is not herbivorous. In nature, the only plants that a cat ingests is grass to vomit hairballs. That grass is not used as food but used to stimulate the stomach to vomit. The grass is also regurgitated for that reason. Because conventional cat food in supermarkets usually contains hardly any animal products, a new generation of cat and dog food products has entered the market, in which a high percentage of meat (animal proteins) has been processed.
Meat is necessary for carnivores
A cat naturally needs meat to stay fit and healthy. Cats that eat (only) chunks and / or canned cat food are more vulnerable to disease, their coat becomes dull and they are often lethargic and tired. They also have an increased risk of cancer and other conditions such as diabetes and obesity. In nature, cats eat raw meat, bones with cartilage, hair and skin from the prey they have caught, including most organs. They do not eat the vegetable residues in the stomach contents of their prey. Most cat food that you buy in supermarkets contains no or minimal amounts of meat, and usually not in kibble. These products are often bursting with carbohydrates and are mainly made from waste plants. Grains are processed with aromas and flavors in such a way that it smells like meat and looks like it.
Cat food with more than 50% animal protein
Chunks containing more than 50% animal protein
More and more products for cats (and dogs) are coming onto the market that contain a lot of animal proteins. Cat chunks that contain more than 50% animal protein include:
- Power of Nature Fees Favorite (54% animal protein).
- Thrive (52% animal protein).
- Wildcat Etosha (53% animal protein).
- Power of Nature Meadowland (54% animal protein).
Wet food that contains more than 50% animal protein
Canned food and pouches for cats with wet food that contains a lot of animal proteins in the form of fresh sea and land animals include:
- Schesir cans and pouches (bags) contain (55% fish, or more than 60% chicken fillet)
- Carny canned food (contains more than 60% animal proteins), content varies per meal, the Multi-meat cocktail contains a combination of 30% beef consisting of lung, meat, heart, kidney, udder, 29% chicken consisting of liver, stomach, neck, meat, and 6% game.
A cat’s natural food
Cats have been kept as pets for more than 4000 years, and until the 19th century they still simply ate their natural food in our country. In nature, cats’ natural food consists of small rodents and birds. To humans, cats have not only been companion animals, but also ideal for keeping homes free of mice and rats. As cats have become more companion animals, and mice and rats are less bothered, the raw meat menu has gradually been converted to canned food and cat chunks. In the past, people just got some waste meat from the butcher, or they bought a raw fish for the cat.
Isn’t raw meat dangerous for a cat?
There will always be people who will argue that raw meat is not good for cats. Even vets sometimes claim that canned or dry kibble cat food is better, but vets also often earn money from certain (very expensive brands) of cat food, so it is difficult to get an objective picture. This is confusing for cat owners, but a healthy cat will benefit from its most natural food. You cannot make a carnivore from a carnivore, even if you force it, it will never be healthy. Animals that still live in nature, such as foxes and other carnivores, also eat prey animals and no one wondering whether they should not eat canned food. Fortunately, there are also many vets who recommend raw meat.
Bacteria in raw meat
Meat eaters such as cats have very strong stomach acid, which means that they not only digest raw meat well but can also handle it well. Their stomachs can digest everything, including the bones in prey. In fact, from the most common (largely) vegetable canned food and dry kibble, cats develop intestinal disorders and often kidney disorders. They usually have continuous loose stools and they are often less fit. Their muscles are built with proteins. It is also often said that fresh meat can contain a lot of bacteria. That’s right, and it also spoils faster than baked or cooked. But people are also not advised to follow the raw meat menu of a cat or lion. Cats have been eating raw meat in nature for millions of years, and their stomach acid is deadly to most bacteria.
Which animals does a cat eat in nature?
- Birds, whole with feathers, with bones and beak and viscera (almost all species).
- Mice, complete with fur, guts, bones and teeth.
- Fish with bones and fins.
- Insects with wings and legs.
- Moles (if catchable).
- Rabbit (if to be caught or as bait).
- Frogs (not toads).
- Bait from basically any dead animal left behind by other hunters.
Cooking or baking meat for the cat?
Cooked meat isn’t nearly as good for them. Boiled or fried bone splinters and is dangerous for a pet. Cooked bones also have a different composition than raw. A cat can eat cooked meat without bone or bone when cooled, but raw is more natural and better for them.
KVV raw food
Of course it is still important to offer your house cat a sufficient variety of fresh raw food and if your cat has an illness it may be necessary to offer different food depending on the disease. You can also buy KVV, which stands for ready-to-eat fresh food. The disadvantage of CDV is that it is often expensive. Plain fresh meat and fish doesn’t have to be that expensive. You have to vary well here. Feeding raw too one-sided (for example chicken meat every day) can lead to shortages in the long run.
Create your own raw meat menu for the cat
A well-varied meat menu for cats includes a variation of weekly cuts from four different animals, and not necessarily more than 10% fatty fish (or fish oil / krill oil). For example, the weekly raw menu to prevent nutritional deficiencies looks like this:
- 30-40% raw bone in meat (do not heat (!) And without sharply sawn off parts.)
- 15-20% organ meat, of which 3-5% liver, 2% kidneys and 5% heart.
- 40-55% muscle meat.
- weekly 2 day-old chicks or 2 raw eggs.
Freeze-dried mice
This menu can always be supplemented with prey such as mice or poultry. If you find a dead mouse, however, it is true that it must not have died of poison. Better to order freeze-dried dead mice and / or other frozen prey.
Hygiene
It goes without saying that good hygiene must always be maintained with raw meat. Wash hands well before and after preparing meals. The mop will also have to be taken over the floor more often because cats love to eat the meat next to the bowl. They cut it with their teeth by tearing it off. In the summer, leftover raw meat and blood also attract flies more quickly. So does the cat leave something after eating? Then pack this and put it in a closed container in the refrigerator. The cat can eat it later in the day. Always dispose of rotten meat immediately. Keep floors and cutting areas clean.
Stool
What is immediately noticeable when cats are served their natural food is that they hardly poop anymore. This is because meat is almost completely used by the gastrointestinal tract of cats. They may defecate once a week, which is a thin, elongated dry residue. The stool smells much less and is neither wet nor too thin. That the stool changes like this is normal when cats eat raw meat.
Ailments that can be related to incorrect nutrition
- kidney problems.
- bladder stones.
- allergy.
- diabetes.
- ear infection.
- problems with liver / intestines / kidneys.
- bowel movements.
Is fresh meat expensive for cats?
Cats can be fed with all kinds of raw meat, poultry with bones and all (uncooked and uncooked), beef, turkey, raw (fatty) fish, duck, rabbit, other prey … The meat (land meat and sea meat) must be raw and are uncooked. Cats also do not eat cooked or fried meat in nature. You can buy raw meat from the supermarket or some pet stores. With (uncooked) bones and bones and all, in nature they also eat bones from their prey. Cats’ stomach acid is so strong that they can digest it just fine. You can also order raw cat meat online and it will be delivered to your home frozen in a frozen package. You can also buy chicken hearts and other organ meats from, for example, Turkish butchers. In Dutch butchers you can also get heart and organ meat, but nowadays it is possible only to order. There are also brands of cat food that do sell raw meats, such as:
- CATS Nature is a brand of cat food formulated raw meat especially for cats. This has been compiled by a vet.
- Bandit cat food: fresh organic meats of organic origin (Skal quality mark).
- Natudog: snacks for cats and dogs on a natural basis, made from 100% dried meat and / or fish.
- Carny canned food: this is a very affordable brand with a high content of raw meat and vitamins and minerals necessary for the cat
BARF and Carny
Carny
Carny is an affordable cat food with a high raw meat content. Cats love it and it contains a lot of meat and nutrients that cats need to function optimally. And it is affordable, slightly more expensive than vegetable canned food from the supermarkets, but that is understandable since it contains a lot of real meat. Carny is canned cat food with whole meat and has a balanced composition.
BARF
BARF food is natural food for carnivorous pets. So you can expect from a brand that you buy all kinds of products that are natural for your cat, dog or ferret. BARF has many variations, composed of different meat and fish types. With and without bone. Also complete prey such as packaged dead mice or rats. If you buy it online you pay extra shipping costs, so it might be useful to check in your area first if they sell this somewhere. BARF is also not too expensive (depending on what you buy) but makes it easier to put together a complete menu for your cat or dog. You can buy it by the pound, by the kilo or even by many kilos at once. It is neatly delivered to your home with a special car in which everything is transported frozen. Disadvantage: it is often already pre-ground. The cat then has little to chew.
Cats get used to eating raw meat
If cats have been fed canned food and kibble all their lives, they (sometimes) have to get used to raw food at first. For example, start by cutting some raw meat into small pieces and scoop a tablespoon of raw meat / fish through some canned food into the feeder. Mix well so that the raw pieces of meat are also covered with the regular canned food. In most cases, the cat will eat the meat right away and discover how delicious it is. Display the next meal like this, but keep increasing the raw meat ratio. After a few days you can offer the cat pure meat. Tastes differ, so you should also try out what your cat likes to eat. After some time, also give enough meat with (also raw) bone (but no sharp sawn off bones or splinters), for example raw chicken or other poultry with bone and cartilage.