Raw food diet for your Siberian cat
Cats are predators and obligate carnivores, which means that, in nature, they only eat meat – that of smaller prey animals and birds. All of that meat is raw.
A lot of people nowadays are trying to mimic that diet for their domestic cats. It’s hard to argue with the fact that raw meat diet is the best for cats. It’s the most nutritionally dense and well-balanced food that your feline friend could want.
Boiled meat is second best to that. In the process of cooking at high temperatures (boiling, for example), a lot of nutrients and minerals in the meat are destroyed or lost. The meat itself changes its structure and water content, thus skewing the mineral and vitamin content and water balance of the food.
Cooked meat is still far superior to any canned food, let alone dry food. But if you want to go one step further – raw meat is the way to go.
Here are some health benefits you can expect in your Siberian cat after switching them to raw meat.
Better digestion and overall health
Cats’ bodies are perfectly designed to digest and metabolize raw meat proteins. It’s their natural food and everything in their body is optimized for it, as well as dependent on it for optimal health. Commercial cat food has carbs in it, and lots of other things that your cat doesn’t need (you can read more about it here), and cooked meat is not as natural for them as raw meat.
An extremely short digestive tract of a cat and it’s set of enzymes designed specifically to process raw meat allows the food to pass through their system in about 10-12 hours without risking a possibility of bacterial contamination. (Thus raw meat is not dangerous to cats like it is for people.)
Raw meat has all the vitamins and minerals needed for the Siberian cat health in the perfect balance which cannot be mimicked by any commercial food or supplement. Feed your cat raw and you will see significant changes in the quality of their coat, their muscles, and their energy.
A lot of diseases or conditions that your cat currently has may be greatly alleviated or cured with the transition to raw foods.
Less poop and less smell!
Here’s one you will love. On raw food diet, your cat will produce less poop and it will smell much nicer. Or less offensive. Whichever way you look at it, it will make your time scooping poop out of the litterbox much less painful! Explanation?
On their natural diets, the cat’s body will use up and process much more of the cat’s food than before, and the “leftovers” are going to be far more compact. Because the food is natural, there won’t be any indigestible elements that actually stink in your cat’s poop. You win all around!
Your cat will get slimmer
Commercial food has a lot of carbohydrates, none of which are needed for your cat. Feeding your cat bad commercial food, and especially dry food, will predispose your cat to obesity and potentially even diabetes! Raw meat does not contain carbs and is perfectly metabolised by your cat without storing excess fat. Your kitty will get slimmer and healthier!
Better hair and stronger teeth
Your cat’s coat will shine like new on the raw food diet. And their teeth will be stronger and much less predisposed to dental issues. All thanks to those minerals, vitamins and other nutrients in the meat, created and perfectly balanced by nature for the health of your feline.
Your cat will have more energy
If your kitty is a couch potato, raw food diet might make it more much more excited about moving around and playing. For one, meat is a perfect source of energy for cats.
Also, your cat will feel much less tired when its body doesn’t have to deal with the negative effects of sub-par commercial foods, including health effects and all that energy spent digesting something that’s not natural for your kitty.
Urinary tract health
Commercial food (dry food in particular) causes severe and chronic dehydration in cats, which, in turn, can lead to multiple kidney and urinary tract conditions of varying degrees of severity. Natural food such as raw meat has no carbohydrates and a perfect moisture balance which prevents issues with the urinary tract and keeps your kitty healthy.
Can A Cat Get Food Poisoning From Raw Meat?
Of course, raw meat can contain bacteria, such as salmonella or e-coli. Isn’t your cat at risk of poisoning if they consume it?
The answer is – not likely. Remember that your cat isn’t human. It’s an animal that eats raw meat all the time in nature. Their short digestive system and their high stomach acidity help them pass food through their system quickly.
Any bacteria that the meat might contain will either be destroyed or expelled from the system before the bacteria actually has a chance to multiply to the levels where it becomes dangerous.
What about parasites?
If you freeze the meat before giving it to the cat, it will effectively destroy most of the potential parasites. Your cat’s system is also well-equipped to handle any parasite attacks with ease.
All in all, you really don’t have to worry about any negative effects of your cat eating raw meat as it’s just the most natural thing for it to do. Do freeze the meat and thaw it in the fridge right before you give it to the cat, and you should be just fine.
What Can You Give Your Siberian Cat On The Raw Food Diet?
Meat. Such as beef, turkey, rabbit, chicken, duck, lamb or any other type of meat. (Beware that beef sometimes does cause allergic reactions in some cats.) You can even change it up once in a while and give your cat different types of meat to give them access to more different nutrients and vitamins, as well as tastes.
Organ meat. Organ meats, such as heart, liver, brain, tongue, and kidneys, are all a great source of nutrients, vitamins, and amino acids in a very easily available form. Those meats also tend to be somewhat cheaper than more conventional meats.
Bone. While it is never advisable to give your cat cooked bones as it can be potentially dangerous, raw bones are absolutely safe. It is the cooking that makes bones brittle and sharp thus able to potentially wound and injure the animal. Raw bones don’t pose that threat.
Also, they are highly digestible and very nutritionally dense. They are also very good for the cat’s jaws and teeth. Bones are a great source of calcium, and really the main source of it on the raw meat diet. So if you are feeding your cat raw meat diet, don’t forget to throw in a bone or two regularly.
Some Caution Measures When Handling Meat
Only thaw meat in the fridge, not at room temperature. Thawing it in the fridge will prevent a proliferation of bacteria.
Use gloves when handling raw meat.
Clean all the cutlery and dishes properly after every contact with raw meat.
Do not use pre-ground meat from the store. That type of meat is meant for human consumption which means cooking. It’s unsafe for your cat to consume it raw as it might have increased amount of bacteria. (You don’t know how long it has been sitting, and whether it was properly handled, frozen, etc).
Always keep all raw meat frozen!
If you are not ready to feed your cat raw food, here in this article I talk about more general approach to Siberian cat food that isn’t necessarily raw but still highly nutritious and good for your Siberian cat’s health.
