Why Raw Works for Cats
Primal Pet Foods offers an easy, species-appropriate way to keep your cat’s diet as nature intended. Since dogs and cats are very different animals, we offer a diet that is formulated specifically for cats.
Raw = Moisture = Hydration
With raw feeding, cats actually hydrate directly from their protein-source as there is significant moisture present in raw diets. Cats are usually averse to hydrating from a water bowl, often making the typical domesticated cat dehydrated, which can contribute to fur-balls, lethargy, and other complications when fed a highly processed, heat-treated diet.
Higher meat content
Cats are obligate carnivores and lack the necessary enzymes for digesting plant matter. With cats, meat is the name of the game.
Cats are designed to eat raw
Cats benefit from chewing on small bones, like chicken necks, for increased tooth and gum health. If you compare the open mouths of cats and lions, it becomes evident that both have evolved with equivalent needs to hunt and eat fresh meat.
Appropriate ingredients
Many cats don’t do well consuming grains, gluten, wheat, soy, preservatives, hormones, or other processed ingredients found in many contemporary non-raw cat foods. Feeding raw is intended to provide living foods that will help your cat thrive.
Fascinating Feline Facts
Imprint eaters
Cats are successful hunters that rarely needed to scavenge, and therefore, have evolved into what are known as “imprint eaters.” Domesticated cats usually eat the same things that they were introduced to as a kitten throughout the entirety of their lives. Start them off right by introducing raw wholesome foods at a young age!
Transition is key
Cats tend to be very picky eaters, who are very resistant to changes in diet. Palatability, ingenuity, and patience are key in transitioning your cat over to a new diet. Learn more about helpful transitioning tips here.
Transition your cat to raw feeding
Unlike dogs, cats may boycott unwanted foods until they’re beyond starving. A cat should never go more than 24 hours without eating. It can take about 3-4 times as long to transition felines to feeding raw as it does for canines, so don’t be afraid to use different ‘tricks’ to ease the process. Keep in mind that when transitioning cats to raw, palatability (texture, taste, and temperature) and persistence are key.
Feeding Strategies
We recommend portioning meals from the freezer ahead of time and placing them in the refrigerator for decreased prep times at feeding. Primal frozen formulas are safe to store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Allow food to sit out
Remove one meal portion from the refrigerator, set it in a safe and clean place, and allow it to warm up to room temperature before feeding. Primal frozen food is safe at room temperature for up to 2 hours.
Freeze-dried crunchies
Some cats may prefer the crunchiness of our freeze-dried Primal formulas. Try crunching up our freeze-dried nuggets over their usual food, and/or over the raw frozen formula to provide them with an option that is more familiar to kibble.
Water warm-up method
Remove the meal from the refrigerator and place it in a zip-seal bag. Fill a large bowl with room temperature water and submerge the bag for about 20-45 minutes. This gradually defrosts the food without cooking it.
Now that you know that your cat is designed to eat raw and wants a raw food diet, it’s the perfect time to introduce a biologically appropriate Primal raw food diet formulated to meet the specific needs of your cat!