Raw feeding can significantly improve the vitality of your cat, with many health benefits ranging from improved digestibility and coat health to quality stools.
Cats are obligate carnivores, meaning they require high quality animal sources to obtain the correct levels of proteins, vitamins, and minerals. Felines come equipped with carnassial teeth. A balanced and complete raw diet emulates the food that cats would naturally consume, rather than relying on heat processed diets. These were created with human convenience in mind, rather than the nutritional health of cats.
Our pre-prepared complete raw diet for your cat contains top quality, fresh ingredients and is easy to feed, monitored for microbial contamination and you have our guarantee there will be no grain, artificial additives, or processing with high temperatures.
Healthy Coat, Less Shedding and Fewer Hairballs
Essential fatty acids (Omega-3 and Omega-6) promote healthy skin due to their anti-inflammatory properties. Maintenance of exceptional fur condition reduces shedding, which subsequently results in the cat ingesting less loose hair when grooming. The improved gut motility initiated by a raw diet also allows higher hairball motility, allowing them to pass through the gut without issues.
Better Dental and Skeletal Health
Teeth are kept naturally clean by raw meat, raw bones, and connective tissue, all of which promote a healthier oral microbiome. Unlike carbohydrate-rich diets, plaque build-up is limited, and gum disease prevalence is reduced, keeping dental diseases at bay.
Connective tissue provides an exemplary source of glucosamine, chondroitin and collagen which support a cat’s joints as they age.
Raw bones also provide calcium and phosphorous which promote a strong skeletal system and support growth. In our cat meals, bone is finely ground making it even more digestible for your cat.
Better Urinary Health
The high moisture content of a raw diet mimics the natural prey diet of a cat, where most water is obtained through meals, which maintains hydration. Cats are not naturally good drinkers, therefore a high moisture diet prevents chronic dehydration.
Hydration maintenance prevents alkaline urine and urinary tract inflammation which therefore reduces the likelihood of cats developing urinary and kidney diseases.
Improved Digestion
A feline-appropriate raw diet is highly digestible, with nutrients having a higher bioavailability compared to their cooked diet counterparts, where heat processing adversely affects vitamin and mineral content.
Cats have a short digestive tract, allowing them to efficiently process raw food in just 12 hours. This combined with their highly acidic stomach gives little time for bacterial proliferation, rendering cats as naturally resistantly to many foodborne pathogens.
Reduced Stool Odour and Volume
This higher digestibility results in higher quality stools whilst ensuring cats eliminate less often. Most of the food consumed in a raw diet is used by the body. This ensures optimal gastrointestinal and metabolic performance, unlike with diets high in carbohydrates, which cats struggle to digest efficiently due to their short digestive tract.
Weight Loss and Maintenance of a Healthy Weight
High protein and moisture content in raw diets aids the loss of accumulated fat and maintenance of muscle. Cats overeat when provided an improper diet to compensate for nutritional deficiencies, therefore a species-appropriate raw diet encourages satiety and will prevent cats overeating.
Cats do not require carbohydrates and have a limited enzyme repertoire able to digest them. Raw diets exclude carbohydrates which prevents obesity and reduces likelihood of developing diabetes.
An increase in energy provided by raw diets also assists in the burning of calories, preventing obesity.
Lucy James | BSc Bioveterinary Science student at Hartpury University
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Looking to enhance your pet’s diet? Take a look at Cotswold RAW’s range of raw cat food.