Raw Feeding At Home - Considering the Raw Food Diet for Your Cat

Sometimes called the BARF diet for bones and raw food or biologically adequate raw food diet, the raw food diet has been drawing increasing interest in the pet lover community.

Richard Pitcairn, DVM, PhD, author of “Dr. Pitcairn’s Complete Guide to the Natural Health for Dogs and Cats,” Rodale Press, states that a pet’s health is improved by feeding a raw diet. He says that his clients have been feeding their pets raw meat for years.

When choosing meats for your cat, Dr. Pitcairn likes to suggest meats that are easily found and easy to prepare; many of his recipes use ground lean meat because it is high in protein but lower in fat. Meats that he recommends as interchangeable in recipes are: turkey or giblets; chicken or giblets; beef, chicken or turkey liver; mackerel; tuna; beef, chick or turkey hearts; lean ground beef; duck, among others. Dr. Pitcairn recommends a varied diet and using more than one kind of meat in each meal.

In preparing the meat, Dr. Pitcairn says that 1 pound of ground meat equals roughly 2 cups. He warns that you should not feed raw rabbit, fish or pork as they can carry particular parasites.

Though a strong proponent for homemade food, Ann Martin, author of “Food Pets Die For,” New Sage Press, does not favor the raw food diet. Her concerns are largely for bacterial and chemical contamination. Ms. Martin cites the research of Jeff Bender and Ashley Robinson, veterinarians at the Department of Clinical and Population Sciences at the University of Minnesota, about an epidemic of food poisoning in a cattery. The food poisoning was caused by Salmonella that was thought to be traced to the 4-D meat (dead, diseased, dying or debilitated) in cat food. She is against feeding a raw food diet because of the potential for bacterial poisonings such as this and notes that this bacteria can also be found in meat intended for human consumption. Freezing, she explains, destroys some but not all bacteria.

Dr. Pitcairn disagrees and says that in over 17 years of practice, he has not seen any food poisoning in raw diets used by his clients. He notes that though it is not impossible that a pet may become ill, he believes they are less susceptible. However, he leaves it up to the pet owner and suggests that if you do not feel comfortable feeding raw food, do cook it but realize that some of the nutrients will be lost.

When preparing food, Dr. Pitcairn has several suggestions on how to make it easier for the pet owner:
1. Develop a basic routine with recipes and supplies, keeping both handy.
2. Use grains that cook quickly like rolled oats or whole-wheat couscous.
3. Warm food from the refrigerator with warm water.
4. Prepare your cat food by coordinating your own food preparation.

Dr. Pitcairn recommends supplementing homemade raw meals with nutritional yeast, lecithin, powdered kelp, calcium and vitamin C. Regarding taurine, the crucial amino acid added to cat foods, Dr. Pitcairn notes that about 30 to 50 mg of taurine is available in his recipes when fed raw. When cooked, the amount drops to about 12 to 35 mg. He compared that with the normal taurine intake of a wild feline, which is 25 to 50 mg. Thus, his feeling is that adding a taurine supplement is optional when feeding a raw diet. If cooking the food, a taurine supplement is more critical. He also recommends adding tuna, clams, hearts and mackerel for their naturally high taurine content.

A quick raw recipe developed by Dr. Pitcairn for cats is:
Quick Feline Meatfest
1 cup raw or cooked chicken or turkey with its skin
1 ½ teaspoon bonemeal
Break up poultry just enough to mix bonemeal. Makes 1 cup. Daily feeding for a small cat is ¼ to ½ cup; medium cat ½ to 2/3; large ¾ to 1 cup.

Whether you decide to prepare raw or cooked homemade meals for your pets, freeze any extra meat or the unused food to protect it from spoilage. For smaller-pet households, divide the meat and prepared recipes into smaller portions to be stored (2-3 days worth in the fridge and freeze the rest). Thaw in the refrigerator 24 hours before serving. If the food isn’t thawed by then, add some hot water and break up the food with fork. Hot water, he says, also increases the palatability of food from the refrigerator.

Most importantly, if you decide to switch your cat to a raw diet, do so gradually to avoid gastrointestinal upset. Add a little bit to his regular food each day, gradually increasing until switched over.

Next article: Changing Your Cat’s Diet Type from Commercial to Homemade or Premium