I have so many people asking me about how I make my Raw Cat Food recipe, so I thought I would put pen to paper (so to speak) and write it out here for everyone. I am a HUGE fan of raw cat/dog food. I have seen the benefits first hand and I will never go back!

If you have been following my blog, I wrote a post entitled Four Building Blocks to Better Health for your Pet: .https://kimberleybarker.net/2022/01/four-building-blocks-to-better-health-for-your-pets/ and Food was the very first thing I mention in that post. Food is of utmost importance for all species that occupy our wonderful planet earth, including humans. And while we all aren’t perfect and follow a strict nutrition plan all the time, I espouse to the 80/20 rule. Because after all, we need to have balance and fun in our lives! And isn’t pasta and chocolate fun? 🙂 Consistency is also key here even for our furry friends.

You ask why is Raw Feeding so important? Here are some key facts to keep in mind:

  • Commercial food was created for humans convenience, not for our pets best health
  • Cats need moisture in their food and when they are in the wild, they get it from their prey, not from a water bowl. Cats were originally desert animals, only able to get water from their prey.
  • Cats who are feed a kibble diet drink a lot of water because they aren’t getting it from their food.
  • Dogs and cats teeth are designed to rip and tear flesh
  • Dr. Karen Becker, DVM  maintains that for an animal to maintain optimal health, they must have a species appropriate diet.
  • The diets of carnivores from their very history, is lots’ of variety and what is in season (certain animals were more available at certain times of the year)
  • Dogs and cats digestive tracts can handle naturally occuring bacteria because genetically they were designed to eat prey that weren’t “clean”.
  • Eating prey meant they had to hunt for their food, so they need exercise, please schedule plenty of play time with your animals.
  • Cats and dogs still maintain their natural digestive tracts and haven’t evolved to handle starches like wheat, corn and other products put into commercialized food.
  • Cats and dogs are pretty resilient and have tolerated the commercialized foods they are being fed, BUT and this is a big BUT, they suffer from degenerative diseases (much like we do) because they are not feed nutritionally appropriate foods.
  • There are raw materials used by pet food manufactures to create dog and cat food on the shelves. Those raw materials can include: uninspected pieces from the seafood industry, grains, left over restaurant grease,  (oh god- yuk!)] , need I go on?  You can see why our animals are suffering from illness?

So what do I use to create my Raw and Real Cat Food recipe?

  • Protein sourced from a credible store or website. By this I mean, the meat was not grown with antibiotics, or grains of any kind. I get mine here:https://hare-today.com/referral?id=7772e44
  • I also go to a local store that carries locally sourced meats that are “clean.” That store’s name is Farmer and Artisans. You can find them here: https://www.farmersandartisans.com/    The store owner, Julie,and her Manager Kim, are some of the nicest, kindest people and so very knowledgeable on fresh, local food in town.
  • My cats favorite right now is rabbit – they have pretty expensive taste! And when I look at the bunnies outside, I shed a bit of a tear. Thank heavens my cats are not outdoor cats!
  • I rotate my protein every few weeks, so that the cats don’t become allergic or bored by eating the same thing all the time.
  • PreMix with species appropriate vitamins and nutrients in it. I use this: https://felineinstincts.com/
  • I use Krill Oil to add Omega 3’s into their food, for their skin and digestive health. Krill is a smaller fish and my cats seem to prefer this over salmon oil. I have used the salmon oil from feline instincts and it is very good! I used it for years! Just wanted to change it up! I order it on amazon. It can be found here:
  • I also add in liver powder which I also purchase from https://felineinstincts.com/.
  • The actual recipe to mix all of this together is located on the bag of premix from Feline Instincts. The recipe does have water added to it.
  • This premix came highly recommended to me by a veterinary by the name of Donald Hamilton DVM, who wrote the book, Homeopathic Care for Cats and Dogs.  Dr. Hamilton will forever be in my heart. He helped me with my cat named Bailey for many years. He is a gentle, caring and very smart soul. I will forever be indebted to Dr. Hamilton!
  • After it is mixed all together, I store the food in pint size Ball jars that can be stored in the freezer. I keep one jar out for the cats and put in the fridge.
  • As I use half the jar, I take another one out of the freezer, run it under cool water and put in the fridge, so I have one ready to go.

How do I give the food to my cats?

  • I have two cats, so I use a glass, dessert cup and fill it up half way.
  • I warm up a water bath in a sauce pan , just until the water is pretty warm and then put the dessert cup in it.
  • Be careful not to let the water run into the dessert cup and don’t let the water get too hot. You do not water to overheat or boil the food – the nutrients will go out of  it.
  • And yes, I touch it with my finger to see if it is warmed.
  • Then I split that between my two cats.
  • I feed them four times a day. I know people , say , what? yep, I do. There is not filler in this so, they don’t get too full because there is no grain in the food.

I hope this helps you get on the road to feeding your animals raw food! Remember, you need to transition your animals from their existing food to raw. We don’t want to overwhelm or upset their tummies. Some cats take to this quite easily others, take some time.

Do you feed your cats raw food? If so, I would love to know what works for you and your pet family. Please share.

 

Thanks so much,

Kimberley

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