We all want our cats to stay their healthiest and choose the best nutrition for them. One of the many questions that cat parents have a hard time answering is which food is better for their cat’s wellbeing: raw food or processed food?
In recent years, many cat parents have embraced the idea and potential of raw meat diets, and as cats are natural carnivores, the raw diets sit very well with their digestive systems. However, this diet should be carefully administered because when cats get a completely balanced and carefully prepared raw meat diet, they thrive on it!
So, this is a major responsibility, and not many experts recommend this diet because it requires your full attention.
What Does a Raw Meat Diet Contain?
A raw meat diet for cats consists of animal proteins that include muscle meat, bones, organ meat, and other fiber sources. It is called raw because it remains uncooked. This type of diet is usually called the BARF diet, short for “Biologically-Appropriate Raw Food” or “Bones And Raw Food.”
Many cat parents choose to administer these diets by themselves using carefully designed recipes. You have to remember to put out a nutritious-balanced diet. They are also available commercially, but most parents don’t deem them safe. So, you better get the right amounts of proteins and carbohydrates fed to your cat because those exposed to an unbalanced diet for long become at risk for many health issues.
Is Raw Meat Diet Safe for My Cat?
Nothing comes without risks, and feeding your cat with raw food comes with its fair share of risks. The dangers of well-known pathogens like E. Coli and salmonella are always present in raw food materials. These pathogens can lead to many different infections that sometimes become fatal. Heat always gets rid of all these bacteria, which is why most people prefer cooked meals to feed their cats. However, cats have a better digestive system than humans, making them less likely to contract diseases, but that’s not guaranteed. If you want to ensure that your cat remains healthy, eating a raw meat diet, then you have to take measures to ensure its safety.
Most commercial raw food suppliers use HPP (High-Pressure Processing) method to ensure safe nutrition for cats. Cat parents should also adhere to all food safety, cleaning procedures, guidelines, and storage recommendations of experts when they decide to feed their cat raw meat diet.
Benefits of Raw Meat Diet for Cats
Even though there’s a lot of controversy surrounding this topic, a raw meat dietfor cats has loads of benefits. We may consider the fact that cats are innate carnivores who have a raw meat diet in the wild and prefer hunting and preying on rodents and other small animals. So if you want to transition your kitty from a processed to a raw diet, you’ll see that it will have some significant effects on the feline’s health. Some of the benefits that this diet has on your cat’s health include:
Due to less processing and no cooking, the food provides more protein
The diet includes fewer carbohydrates, so it prevents your cat from diseases like diabetes and obesity
A raw meat diet encourages your cat to have more water intake
This diet also supports their dental health and strengths their teeth with the raw material
There are many raw meat diets available that can easily be done at home by following the correct procedures and guidelines.
Health Concerns Helped by Raw Meat Diet
Cats are desert descended animals; therefore, they naturally have a weak thirst drive. But a raw meat diet with high water content ensures hydration in cats which helps them solve many water-related health issues like urinary problems and alleviates their complete health.
The most crucial problem solved by the raw diet is their kidney problems. When their kidneys start working effectively, all underlying problems start solving on their own, like the metabolism of protein becomes efficient and the waste gets processed better. This prevents the cat from getting diseases like diabetes and high cholesterol. It also keeps your kitty from getting obese.
Transitioning Cats to a Raw Meat Diet
A sudden change in pets’ diet is the cruelest thing you can do. When it comes to changing your pet’s diet, a slow and gradual transition is the best decision that you can make. Keep their processed food and keep putting pieces of raw food in their bowl. After that, keep a time of each diet, at one time of their feeding give them processed food and the next time they are hungry, provide them with a raw meat diet. And lastly, switch the processed food to raw meat food completely.
Cats are one of the most finicky animals when it comes to their diet. Whenever we try to change their diet, it’s likely that your cat will not like it and stop eating altogether. But giving them the least processed food is the best thing we can do for our beloved furballs!
Alternatives to a Raw Diet
Even though you cannot completely mirror the benefits that a raw diet provides by switching it up with something else, you can still minimize the heat damage and the excessive amount of carbohydrate intake that dry kibbles and processed food give your cat.
To provide the best nutrition to your cat, you can replace processed food with dehydrated and freeze-dried foods and wet cat food made with the highest quality ingredients and provide your cat with the best nutrition. Most wet cat food is made with the least amount of carbohydrates that are best for your kitty, and it also ensures that your furball doesn’t suffer from any heat damage!
Yes, not many cat experts are behind this idea. They just want your cat to be as healthy and comfortable as you in their diet. But diseases shorten your cat’s lifespan; you have to think that they have the best life in their youth as well as in their old age, so get a good raw meat diet plan for your kitty today and watch it blossom!
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