Cats are Obligatory Carnivores
Cats are predators and obligatory carnivores, so they need real animal protein in their diets. They also require fat, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that only come from animal sources. They evolved eating a prey based raw food diet, and more importantly, eating that diet raw. Cooking degrades nutrients in meat, causing losses of vitamins, minerals and amino acids.
Cats in the wild eat often eat the entire prey animal if it is small and will eat nearly everything except the intestines of a larger prey animal. This includes the bones of their prey, as raw bone is highly digestible and is their primary source of calcium. Cooking bone not only reduces the nutrients available but also makes the bone brittle and dangerous to ingest.
The Cats Digestive System
Cats’ digestive systems work differently than those of dogs. Their stomachs are smaller and more efficient at breaking down food. This means that cats do not need as much fiber as dogs. However, cats still need dietary fiber because it helps them maintain regular bowel movements.
The Benefits of Real Cat Food
Providing your cats, or kittens, with a diet that is modeled on what they would eat in the wild has many benefits, for you and your cat.
- Improved digestion;
- Greatly reduced stool odor and volume;
- Healthy coat, less shedding, fewer hairballs;
- Increased energy;
- Weight loss, if overweight;
- Better dental health;
- Better urinary health.
Perhaps the best benefit of feeding a biologically species appropriate raw diet is the peace of mind it can give you. Realizing that cats evolved to eat a diet that is about as unprocessed as it can get, many people have become concerned about the highly processed pet food they feed their pets. Raw diets are different. The ingredients are simple and identifiable, processing is minimal and it’s either fresh or fresh frozen. You know what you are feeding your cats or kittens.
