Preparing a raw diet for your cat

In my previous post on 10-16, I talked about why a raw food diet benefits your cat. Today's post will cover how to prepare it.

The easiest way to feed your cat a raw food diet is to purchase BARF frozen patties, which are complete with everything needed for your cat's health, and it also costs a little more money because it's all done for you.

The second way is to purchase the raw meat, organs, and bones preground, and add the supplements. A good place to purchase preground meat, organs and bones is Hare Today Gone Tomorrow. The mix will look very much like ground beef in consistency. Supplements can be purchased in a dehydrated form, such as Honest Kitchen Prowl Dehydrated Cat Food, available at Only Natural Pet Store (link is at the right), and you just add water to rehydrate them and mix in with the meat mixture. If you add your own supplements (such as cod liver oil, fatty acids, enzymes and taurine),this is where it gets tricky and you'll need to use a recipe and the right proportions to be nutritionally balanced.

The cheapest way is to grind your own meat. If you purchase the whole bird or prey including bones and organs, the balance of meat, organ and bones will already be correct. Suggested meat is chicken, turkey, pheasant, quail, and cornish game hen. You can try beef, but my cats don't like it much, so I don't use it. Most things I've read say to stay away from feeding your cat raw fish. If you don't use the whole bird, you can grind up the meat and organ meats, and add bonemeal. It can be purchased from Naturally Happy Pets. This is not garden grade bonemeal; it is from USDA beef for feeding animals. Then add the supplements mentioned above, but again make sure the proportions are correct based on a recipe. This is vital to your cat's health.

A good source to read for your cat's diet, along with many other aspects of your cat's life is Cat Health Secrets. I mix up a big batch, divide into small containers, and freeze until ready to use.