Are raw food diets good for cats? Everyone knows that proper nutrition is essential to a cat's well-being. Choosing a cat food can be overwhelming, especially when we have to worry about commercial pet food recalls. Some owners choose to feed their cats home-prepared diets so they will know exactly what is in their cat's food. These home-prepared diets may be cooked or raw. Many owners opt for a raw diet that mimics a cat's natural diet in the wild.

What Is a Raw Diet for Cats?

A raw diet for cats involves feeding them uncooked animal products. This includes muscle meat, organ meat, and bones. This type of food is sometimes called the BARF diet, which stands for "bones and raw food" or "biologically-appropriate raw food."﻿﻿

The ideal raw diet for cats is prepared based on a carefully designed recipe. Many cat owners choose to prepare these diets themselves at home, but commercial forms are also available. If you choose to feed your cat a raw diet, it should be one that has been determined complete and balanced by a veterinary nutritionist. Cats that eat an imbalanced diet are at risk for a variety of health issues.

Illustration: The Spruce / Alison Czinkota

Why Consider It?

Felines are obligate carnivores.﻿﻿ In short, this means they must eat animal products to survive. Cats don't actually need vegetables and carbohydrates in their diets. In fact, they can only tolerate carbohydrates in small amounts. Instead, cats thrive on high-protein, high-moisture diets that are rich in substances only found in meat. This includes amino acids such as taurine, fatty acids, and other essential vitamins and minerals.

Supporters of raw food diets believe that cooking meat can alter or decrease these vital substances. They advocate for a biologically-appropriate diet that closely mimics what a cat would eat in the wild. In general, small wild cats hunt and eat rodents and other small mammals, birds, fish, insects, and even reptiles. When it comes to feeding your own cat raw food, the idea is to create a diet that is similar.

There is much controversy revolving around raw food diets for pets. Those who support raw food diets have much to say about the health benefits: coats are shinier, teeth stay cleaner, obesity is prevented, and overall health is better. While these claims tend to ring true, the opposition has valid concerns about the safety of raw food diets.

Are Raw Food Diets Safe?

It is important to know that feeding raw food to your cat does come with some risks. Raw food may contain pathogens like Salmonella and E. coli that can lead to serious life-threatening infections.﻿﻿ Cooking food removes most of these pathogens, which is why we humans tend to cook our food.

Cats often digest raw foods better than humans because they have shorter, more acidic digestive tracts. Many pathogens will pass through a cat without causing any issues. Most cats will tolerate raw food, but those with health concerns (such as immune-mediated disease) may need cooked food.

Perhaps the greatest risk of feeding and handling raw meat comes down to cross-contamination. Feeding your cat a raw food diet can expose you and other people in your home to dangerous pathogens.﻿﻿ Pathogens may remain on preparation surfaces, food dishes, in cat fecal matter and even on your cat (especially around the face).

Raw diets should not be fed to cats living in homes with immune-compromised individuals. They should also be avoided in households with young children and/or elderly people.

While it's impossible to eliminate all risk, there are some ways to try to be safer when feeding a raw food diet to your cat:

Prepare the food in a contained area of the home; clean and sanitize thoroughly when done ﻿ ﻿ (use a 1:32 bleach to water solution if possible)

﻿ (use a 1:32 bleach to water solution if possible) Wear gloves when handling raw meat

Handle food frozen when possible

Use meat ingredients from a reliable source

Feed your cat in an area that is easy to clean (no carpeting or upholstery nearby)

Sanitize food bowls immediately after feeding (scrub clean, then use a 1:32 bleach to water solution, then rinse and dry bowls)

Bones are another safety concern when it comes to raw food diets. Some small whole bones or pieces of bones can cause complications such as gastrointestinal obstructions, oral injuries, and airway obstructions. If animal bones are included in your cat's raw food diet, they should be ground up well.

Complete and Balanced Raw Food Diets

One of the biggest mistakes owners make with raw food diets is not making sure the diet is complete and balanced.﻿﻿ Some people just feed "all meat and bones" or a wide variety of meats without actually paying attention to the calorie, fat, protein, and nutrient content. Do not assume your cat is getting everything needed for good health by simply feeding "as much meat as desired." Over time, an incomplete diet can lead to serious health problems for your cat.

You may think that random raw meat is healthy because feral cats and strays can subsist on this, but it's important to remember that wild animals have shorter life expectancies than domesticated pets. Part of this is due to diet. That's why it's important to follow a vet-approved recipe that is complete and balanced.

When developing your cat's raw diet, consult with your veterinarian about recipes that offer complete and balanced nutrition for your cat.﻿﻿ Know that many vets will not recommend raw diets due to the risks involved. If you feel strongly about trying a raw diet and your vet is not flexible at all about raw diets, seek out a veterinarian who is experienced with raw diets. Better yet, find a veterinary nutritionist with raw diet experience.

How to Prepare a Raw Diet for Your Cat

It is essential that you find an expert to help you develop a complete and balanced diet that will truly benefit your cat. Your vet may also recommend special supplements to ensure your cat gets the nutrients needed to stay healthy.

Ingredients used in a raw food diet may include the following:

Raw meat from muscles and organs (good sources include poultry, rabbit, and fish)

Raw bones, ground

Eggs

Supplements (often required)

You will likely need the following equipment and supplies to prepare the raw diet:

Large cutting board that can go in the dishwasher

Meat grinder

Poultry shears

Stainless steel or glass mixing bowls

Disposable gloves (latex or nitrile)

Storage containers (some people use ice cube trays or small freezer-safe containers)

Freezer and refrigerator space

Preparing a raw diet at home can be a bit time-consuming, so most owners prefer to make enough to last several weeks and keep it frozen.

Commercial Raw Diets for Cats

If you are not able to take the time to develop recipes and prepare raw food at home, you may wish to try one of the many commercial raw diets available. Raw diet supporters often consider commercial raw diets inferior to those prepared at home. However, they are considered healthier than feeding kibble.

Commercial raw diets are usually frozen or freeze-dried to reduce pathogens. Remember that safe-handling precautions should still be taken with these diets to prevent cross-contamination. Ask your veterinarian or veterinary nutritionist for help finding the right commercial diet. Make sure it is considered complete and balanced according to AAFCO standards.

Raw Diet Alternatives

If you would like to eliminate the risks associated with raw food, but still feed your cat an optimum diet, consider home-cooked cat food. You will still need to find a recipe that is complete and balanced.

Or, choose a high-protein wet cat food made with high-quality ingredients. Most vets and experts now agree that dry kibble has too many carbohydrates to be considered optimum for cats. Fortunately, many wet foods are prepared with few carbohydrates or even none at all. Reducing or eliminating carbohydrates in your cat's diet may increase longevity. A low-carb diet can also prevent health issues like obesity and diabetes mellitus in cats.