A cat real food diet is all about providing your furry friend with essential nutrition. It’s the best way to guarantee that they get all of the essentials for a long, happy, and healthy life.
High-quality, nutrient-dense canned or dry cat food is your best bet for providing your cat with a complete and balanced diet that’s safe to eat. But if you want them to experience even more natural living, raw meaty bones can also be provided as an option.
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Cost
Budget-minded pet parents don’t need to sacrifice quality cat food when feeding them raw. Many people manage to provide their cats with a robust, nutritious diet for less money than what they would spend on bargain bin kibble each month!
Chicken and other poultry products tend to be the most economical sources of proteins, especially when purchased in bulk. A ten pound bag of wings, necks, and carcasses for just $10 can be cheaper than comparable dry cat food at twice that cost.
Organic poultry may be more costly initially, but the extra investment pays off over time when your cat receives nutritious, antibiotic-free meat.
Feeding your pet raw meaty bones is another cost-effective option. Make sure the bones are ones your cat could easily hunt in the wild, such as chicken wings and necks.
Quality
When it comes to real food diets for pets, there are plenty of options available. It is up to each pet owner to select a diet that fits within their family budget and meets all their nutritional needs.
A veterinarian can assist you in selecting a quality diet at an affordable price point. Consulting with a veterinary nutritionist is also recommended to determine which type of food best meets your cat’s individual needs.
For instance, if your cat has a medical condition that necessitates a special diet, you may want to invest more than $500 on high-quality raw food or homemade cooked food.
No matter which diet you feed your cat, make sure it meets all the nutritional standards set out by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) for dogs and cats. Additionally, look for food that contains fewer calories than other commercial options.
Environmental Impact
Real food diets for cats have a much lower environmental impact than meat-based pet foods. Animal proteins tend to produce higher carbon dioxide emissions than vegetable-based sources, so switching your cat’s protein source from meat to insects or plant proteins would significantly reduce their CO2eq emissions.
In a study published in PLOS ONE, Marcio Brunetto and colleagues assessed the environmental effects of commercial dry and wet diets for cats and dogs, as well as homemade diets. These included commercial pet foods sold by companies as well as recipes recommended on websites to be cooked at home by owners.
Their research revealed that the average cat’s ecological footprint is approximately one-third that of a US citizen, and it accounts for 25-30% of all animal product consumption in America. Furthermore, cats are major sources of methane and nitrous oxide emissions – two powerful greenhouse gases.
Safety
Commercially prepared cat foods are designed to give your pet a balanced diet that meets the nutritional requirements set out by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). They may come in dry, semimoist, or canned form.
Foods may differ in water content, protein level, caloric density, palatability and digestibility. Furthermore, they may contain different nutrient sources like antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.
If you decide to feed a raw diet, be sure to thoroughly wash your hands with soap and water after handling the raw food. Doing this helps prevent contamination of surfaces or objects that have come into contact with raw food.
