Post by Laura_in_FL on Dec 19, 2017 19:07:16 GMT -5
Here's my take on it from my reading (I'm not a vet and don't claim to be an expert):
1. Cats are obligate carnivores. That means their bodies are set up to get ALL of their nutrition from the bodies of their prey. Their natural diet contains only trace amounts of carbs from the digestive tracts of their prey. (They chew on grass and other plants mostly to make themselves throw up to eliminate hairballs.)
2. Cats can't digest plant foods properly - they have very short intestines and they don't have the gut bacteria to break plant foods down. Most carbs just ferment in their intestines. (Got a gassy cat that makes stinky, wet poos? That's very likely why. Healthy cat poo is small, firm, and has little smell.)
3. Kibble can't be made without a lot of carbs. They are needed to bind the kibble together.
4. Cats do need to chew something hard/crunchy occasionally for jaw and dental health. You can train your cat to safely eat raw bones. (But they have to be raw bones - cooked bones splinter.) Alternatively, there are a number of cat treats out there that can provide safe chewing and tooth cleaning without the risk of feeding bones and without adding carbs to the diet.
5. Cats have a short digestive tract and incredibly strong stomach acid. They are much less likely to get sick from spoiled food than people are. But it can happen.
6. Commercially-reared poultry and livestock shouldn't have parasites like wild prey can.
7. Food safety is important for making raw food. The right way: fresh people-quality ingredients, prepared immediately in a clean kitchen, finished food stored frozen, thawed in the fridge no more than 2 days in advance, warmed right before serving in a clean dish, with any uneaten portions removed promptly. If you follow these practices, kitty is very unlikely to get sick.
8. Over the years, many cats have gotten sick and died from commercially prepared cat food, too. There is no 100% risk-free way to feed your cat.
9. Follow-on to #7: Getting supplies from a trusted local butcher/farmer/seafood market or buying bulk frozen meat is often fresher and safer than buying raw meat at your supermarket that has been sitting in the meat case for who knows how long. If you can't find (or can't afford) meat and poultry that you're confident with making into raw food, then you're better off feeding your cat commercial canned food.
Having said ALL of that, after my research I believe that even if raw feeding is not for you, cats get much improved nutrition and a lower chance of developing obesity and diabetes by ditching the kibble and feeding a quality, grain-free canned cat food with as few carbs as possible. But good canned food is not cheap, either.
More reading about kibble: http://feline-nutrition.org/answers/answers-what-dry-food-does-to-your-cats-appetite
1. Cats are obligate carnivores. That means their bodies are set up to get ALL of their nutrition from the bodies of their prey. Their natural diet contains only trace amounts of carbs from the digestive tracts of their prey. (They chew on grass and other plants mostly to make themselves throw up to eliminate hairballs.)
2. Cats can't digest plant foods properly - they have very short intestines and they don't have the gut bacteria to break plant foods down. Most carbs just ferment in their intestines. (Got a gassy cat that makes stinky, wet poos? That's very likely why. Healthy cat poo is small, firm, and has little smell.)
3. Kibble can't be made without a lot of carbs. They are needed to bind the kibble together.
4. Cats do need to chew something hard/crunchy occasionally for jaw and dental health. You can train your cat to safely eat raw bones. (But they have to be raw bones - cooked bones splinter.) Alternatively, there are a number of cat treats out there that can provide safe chewing and tooth cleaning without the risk of feeding bones and without adding carbs to the diet.
5. Cats have a short digestive tract and incredibly strong stomach acid. They are much less likely to get sick from spoiled food than people are. But it can happen.
6. Commercially-reared poultry and livestock shouldn't have parasites like wild prey can.
7. Food safety is important for making raw food. The right way: fresh people-quality ingredients, prepared immediately in a clean kitchen, finished food stored frozen, thawed in the fridge no more than 2 days in advance, warmed right before serving in a clean dish, with any uneaten portions removed promptly. If you follow these practices, kitty is very unlikely to get sick.
8. Over the years, many cats have gotten sick and died from commercially prepared cat food, too. There is no 100% risk-free way to feed your cat.
9. Follow-on to #7: Getting supplies from a trusted local butcher/farmer/seafood market or buying bulk frozen meat is often fresher and safer than buying raw meat at your supermarket that has been sitting in the meat case for who knows how long. If you can't find (or can't afford) meat and poultry that you're confident with making into raw food, then you're better off feeding your cat commercial canned food.
Having said ALL of that, after my research I believe that even if raw feeding is not for you, cats get much improved nutrition and a lower chance of developing obesity and diabetes by ditching the kibble and feeding a quality, grain-free canned cat food with as few carbs as possible. But good canned food is not cheap, either.
More reading about kibble: http://feline-nutrition.org/answers/answers-what-dry-food-does-to-your-cats-appetite