RAW FEEDING
Our cats are born carnivores, so feeding them raw meat is an excellent choice. Their digestive system developed to digest high protein and fat meals.
The advantages of a raw diet
Kibble is a highly processed food, and by the time it ends up in the bowl of your kitty, it has gone through such a long process that could affect its quality, and the vitamin and mineral content could be lost.
Your cat can more easily digest raw food, so it helps him be more active, healthy, and energized.
Raw diet helps your cat to reduce inflammation in his digestive system and all inflammation-related health issues.
And last but not least, we must mention that, as the raw meal is easier to digest, it will reduce the size and smell of their poop.
pre-made raw meals
Nowadays, we have access to excellent raw meals; we don't need to make our raw meat for our cats. Pre-made raw meals are easier to use, and we don't need to worry about the content because it is already prepared for our cats.
We order from two different companies: VIVA RAW and Darwin's Natural Pet Products. It is convenient because you don't need to measure the ingredients, but for one cat, they are quite big portions.
If you order from Viva and use the vivarawpets.com/JUDITJOZAN (code: JUDITJOZAN), you will receive a 20% discount on your first order.
Tips for feeding raw
1. Handle your raw pet food like you do raw human food.
2. Always freeze raw food for at least 24-48 hours. Before feeding, start defrosting it in the fridge.
3. If your cat does not fancy eating raw meal, you can try using the Tiki Cat food toppers, sprinkle Purina Feline Forti Flora on it, or add a teaspoon of raw meal to your cat's regular food daily and increase the portion.
4. So, how much is the portion per cat? It is recommended to feed 7-9 tablespoons a day under 5 pounds, 12-14 tablespoons under 10 pounds, and 19-20 tablespoons above 10 pounds.
5. I often add freeze-dried fish, or Stella & Chewy dinner morsel, or sardines on top of the cats' raw meal.
6. Don't leave the raw meal more than 1 hour available for your cat. After one hour, you can refrigerate it, but please toss it after 24 hours.
7. Make sure to wash the dishes you use properly (heavy wash in the dishwasher)
making your own raw meal
You can also decide to make your own raw meal for your cat(s). However, I must admit that it is more time-consuming, but I like doing it myself, so half of our raw meals are home-made.
When making your own raw meal, it is very important to find a good source of meat, where it is always fresh. In our are reliable sources are Costco and Vallarta Supermarket. I like Vallarta supermarket, because you can buy parts of meat that are not available in other stores (like chicken/turkey neck, liver).
To make your raw meal, you will need a kitchen scale, blender/grinder, ice cube trays and, and plastic containers.
Our cats like beef and turkey the most, but you can also buy them chicken, duck, or rabbit if you find some available. I personally do not recommend pork and game.
When shopping for meat, always check the label for sodium content, which needs to be less than 100mg per serving of 4 ounces. Please also check for any additives and preservatives! Avoid rosemary or natural flavour in chicken and turkey.
The meat-bone-organ ratio should be 80-10-10. You will also need a premix powder; I recommend EZ Complete.
I use a grinder, but you can use a blender. You don't need an expensive professional grinder, as long as it does a good job with meat and chicken neck.
After grinding and mixing the meat with the completer, it is time to freeze it. You can put them in a small plastic container, or I really like putting them in ice trays, which makes easily shareable bites.
