Cats are obligate carnivores, which means that they must eat raw meat for best health and nutrition. However, switching a cat to a raw food diet is usually more expensive and less convenient than feeding the kitty from a can or a bag of dry food. Spending some time preparing raw cat food at home every month or two will make the daily feeding schedule run more smoothly while reducing the cost of this healthier alternative to commercial cat diets.
Prepare Raw Cat Food in Bulk
Dr. Michele Yasson's Natural Pet Foods Diet has suggestions about ingredients for raw meat meals. Create and freeze meatballs for thawing out as needed to feed the cats their raw meat.
- Buy meat from a trusted source. Grind it at home or have it ground fresh at the butcher shop, if possible.
- Avoid feeding raw pork or salmon, as they may contain parasites harmful to cats.
- Bones can be ground up with the meat, or a teaspoon of bone meal should be mixed in for every pound of raw meat, for necessary calcium.
- Wash hands carefully or use gloves while handling raw meat.
Include Vegetables in Raw Cat Diets
Cats naturally eat vegetables in the form of the stomach contents of their prey. To simulate this, puree raw vegetables and mix them into the ground meat until it is visually about 25% of the mixture.
- Use hard vegetables and fruits such as carrots, apples, avocados and radishes.
- Onions must be avoided as they can weaken a cat's blood cells.
Make meatballs of about an inch to an inch and a half in diameter and freeze them on a pan, to make it easier to transfer to a container for long term storage.
Using Home Prepared Raw Meatballs to Feed Cats
Raw meatballs that include 25% raw vegetable matter provide flexibility and convenience in feeding cats.
- Transition slowly. A cat raised on canned or dry food may not immediately recognize raw meat as edible. They may reject a completely raw diet, or eat so fast that the immediately vomit. Start by mixing one small meatball into a meal for one or more cats.
- Increase meat over time. The number of raw meatballs mixed into a cat's food can be increased over time as the cat accepts it. Some cats will always prefer some commercial food, but others will enjoy the natural diet and desire more of it.
- Add more vegetables as time allows. For the evening meal or a weekend treat, puree some tomatoes, lettuce, or other soft, watery vegetables. Dr. Yasson recommends up to 50% of a cat's diet can be raw vegetables. Using fresh vegetables such as these increases variety (which reduces finickiness) and allows the cat to get its water through its food, which is natural for desert species like felis catus.
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