Caturday ~ Feline Nutrition Q & A

Hi Friends,

Yep, it’s that time again!

Let’s talk more about what’s in a raw feline diet and what a proper diet can do for your cat.

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Would a raw food diet for dogs be similar to one for cats?

Not really. There may be some similar ingredients but over all cats have much different requirements than dogs.

Dogs are omnivores and can utilize plant based matter such as veggies and grains. Cats are obligate carnivores, the only strict meat eaters on the planet, and they can not and  do not utilize nor digest plant matter in a useful manner.

A cat should be fed a strictly raw meat, bones, and organ diet while dogs diets can vary greatly.

A very readable scientific paper on a cats specific requirements can be found here:

http://www.catinfo.org/docs/DrZoran.pdf

Another large difference between dog and cat Raw diets is that cats must have a lot more Taurine in their diets than dogs, again pointing to the obligate carnivores that they are. Taurine is found largely in the strong muscle meat of animals. It is found in all muscle meat but the stronger the muscle the more Taurine in it, which is why it is so important to feed a proper whole prey model diet consisting of meat, bones and organs. The most Taurine enriched muscle in the body is the heart because it is the hardest working muscle int he body. 

Without taurine (Meat) a cat will die.

Cats are obligate carnivores.

Dogs are omnivore’s.

Ergo, no. A cats diet is different from that of a dog.

A dog can live off a cats diet but a cat could not live on a dogs diet.

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How important are grains, vegetables and fruit to a cat's diet?

Grains, vegetables and fruit are completely inappropriate for a carnivore. 

Cats are obligate carnivores, strict meat eaters and can not utilize plant based matter. They are meant to eat meat, not vegetables and grains such as corn, peas and rice which are common in many manufactured cat foods.

As confirmed in “The Carnivore connection to nutrition in cats”, by Dr. Zoran, found at http://www.catinfo.org/docs/DrZoran.pdf, cats can not derive the proper nutrition from plant matter, either grain or vegetable. Cats bodies are created to absorb nutrients from meat only, not rice and peas. 

Cats even lack the digestive enzyme to digest plant matter, further scientifically proving thier lack of need or want for these matters. That alone should prove the importance of meat in your cat’s diet.

Furthermore, cats have absolutely no use for the carbohydrates that grains provide and they end up suffering from obesity, diabetes and other diseases because they can not utilize the sugars these foods load them down with. 

A fantastic essay written by Michelle T. Bernard on why cats don’t need vegetables and grains can also be found at  ttp://www.blakkatz.com/catsarentweasels.html . Her book is also a fantastic resource.

I own it, use it and highly recommend it!

http://www.raisingcatsnaturally.com/ She has been raising cats on a raw meat diet for over 20 years.

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What types of issues with cat’s would switching to a raw diet cure/prevent?

I have marveled many times at my cats and the miracle that happens when you feed a cat raw. From life threatening IBD (Irritable Bowel) and FLUTD Feline Lower Urinary Tract disorder) to the simple vanity of a perfect shiny dandruff free coat. My husband and I, along with our vet, have seen the improvements happen in our 14 cats with our own eyes. We also cured 3 of our cats fully of diseases that were about to end thier life. Raw feeding SAVED Meow, Phat Boy and Baby Bear. Saved them from death.  

Deadly feline illnesses such as diabetes, kidney disease, obesity, allergies, Irritable Bowel Disease (IBD), bladder stones, kidney stones, urinary tract blockages and Urinary Tract Infections (FLUTD), with and without deadly crystals can all be treated and cured with a species appropriate raw diet and the guidance of a vet that has taken the time to educate themselves about feline nutrition.

I am glad to know that my cats likelyness of getting the above diseases is very very low now because I am feeding them the way nature intended. 

Both of these websites cover a lot of information specifically on how Raw diets cure ailments. 

http://www.catnutrition.org and http://www.catinfo.org.

A proper diet, quite simply, is the basis of all health and wellness. A feline body that is fed an appropriate diet of what nature intended it to eat will have the absolute best chance at fighting off any illness that could possibly befall it.

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I hope you enjoyed today's Caturday!

Until next time…

Carmen and the Primcats