The Benefits of a Raw Food Diet for Cats

Ever consider a raw diet for your cats? Well, there’s a lot of evidence to suggest it can be of notable benefit. Here’s how:

Improved Digestion

Cats have to eat meat because they are obligate carnivores. There aren’t vegan cats. This is because the digestive system has been designed for meat. Their digestive tract is acidic and short, it takes 12 hours for the cat to process species-appropriate raw food. This gives very little time where bacteria can proliferate, which makes cats great at avoiding food poisoning.

Carbs don’t need to have carbohydrates and they have a limited ability to digest them. It is easier for them to digest  raw cat food compared to a plant-based diet. They have evolved eating a diet without carbs, and this is why they only have one enzyme that can handle them. This is different from humans and dogs who have many enzymes in their system that can handle carbs. 

Reduced Stool Volume and Odor

When cats get a proper diet, most of their food is used, and this results in less stool volume. This can be reduced by up to half. This also results in them eliminating the stool less often, which can be once a day. The stools come out a little crumbly, dry, and hardly smell. This makes sense in the wild because the predator is small enough to also have to keep worrying about being preyed upon. The last thing it would like to leave is an advertisement of its presence.

When they have a diet with a lot of carbs, their system is going to have a hard time digesting the excess carbs. The waste is going to be greater than it needs to be because most of what they have eaten cannot be efficiently processed. You have to deal with smelly and big puddles in the litter box. That is not normal.

Less Shedding, Healthy Coat, Fewer Hairballs

When you put your car on a raw cat food diet, you are going to notice their coat getting silkier and softer after a few weeks. The diet should have unsaturated fatty acids, omega-3, and omega-6. These should come from animal sources because cats are limited when it comes to making the acids from plant sources. The essential fatty acids contribute to a healthy coat and skin, and this reduces shedding.

Increased Energy

When people switch their cat’s diet and follow the raw cat food diet, they notice an increase in energy in their cats. Cats that you thought were couch potatoes start running and playing around. When you give your cats species-appropriate raw, they will easily get their energy from their food.

Cats can utilize proteins to get energy because that is how they have uniquely adapted. The protein they consume is burned in their liver into energy through a process known as gluconeogenesis. Humans and dogs also burn protein through the same method, but it turns on and off depending on the protein in the body. Cats cannot do that. They always have a high burn rate, which makes it important to give them a diet with quality protein from meat sources.

Weight Loss

If you have an overweight cat, then you will notice weight loss after feeding it a raw cat food diet. When you feed your cat improper food, it is going to overeat trying to make up for the nutritional deficiencies. When they eat species-appropriate raw food, they won’t overeat because the food is satisfying to them. Your cat is not going to feel hungry all the time. If the cat used to wake up at night for food and behaving like they are starving, you will notice some changes and they will sleep right through the night. They are going to burn off more calories because of the increased energy.

Better Dental Health

Dental health in cats is determined by genetics, just like in humans. Cats living in the wild usually don’t have tooth loss because of periodontal disease or even gum disease. Why is this the case? Chewing on meat, bone, connecting tissue, fur, and skin helps to keep the teeth clean. Carbs create a starchy film that encourages gum disease by promoting plaque buildup. Food rich in carbs is not going to help in controlling tartar. You can keep dental diseases at bay by reducing or removing carbs from your cat’s diet. When you give the cat raw meaty bones, you are giving it the “nature’s toothbrush”. Bacteria from dental infections can easily spread to the rest of the body and cause issues.

Better Urinary Health

Raw cat food mimics the natural prey because of its high moisture content of about 65-70%. A mouse has a moisture content of 65-75%. High carb and low moisture food especially dry food cause chronic dehydration in cats and alkaline urine. This can result in urinary tract inflammation. Cats in the wild don’t have to worry about problems like urinary tract inflammation because they get enough moisture in their food.

Peace of Mind

One of the best benefits you are going to get when you feed your cat a raw food diet is peace of mind. When most people realize that their cats have evolved to eat unprocessed food, they start getting concerned about the highly processed foods they have been feeding their cats. Raw cat food diets are good because of the smile and identifiable ingredients. There is minimal processing and it is fresh. You know exactly what your pet is eating.