Natural Cat Food

Many cat owners aren't sure what sort of food to feed their cats. A natural cat food may be worth considering if you'd like to give your cat a more balanced and healthy diet. A lot of foods you find in stores are lacking many essential ingredients for optimal health and contain a lot of additives and preservatives.

A natural cat food diet is free of hormones, chemicals and pesticides. Feeding your cat a natural diet may reduce the risk of diseases in the bowel and intestinal tract as well as providing a range of other health benefits.

If you aren't sure what kind of cat food to feed your cat, there's a publication online that has reviews, comparisons and other information about all the different brands of cat food available today. Petsumer Report is an online pet food information publication that you can subscribe to for access to this kind of information. If you're currently in the process of choosing a cat food, it is well worth taking a look.

What About Feeding Your Cat All Tuna?

Most people feed their cat tuna from a can, whether it be a tuna based cat food or tuna made for people. Some may even be giving their cat this exclusively, not knowing the potential harm they could be doing.

Tuna does not contain enough vitamins, minerals or nutrients. Since it is lacking in vitamin E, your cat can end up with a Vitamin E deficiency, which can result in Steatitis or Yellow Cat Disease.

Another thing to consider when feeding your cat tuna is the level of mercury found in it. It's not a problem if consumed at low levels, but if a cat's diet is consisting mainly of tuna, he can end up with health problems in the future.

Be careful when giving your cat table scraps or canned food that is meant for humans. Try to keep your cat’s intake of these foods to a minimum so that they make up no more than 10% of your cat's overall diet.

Should You Feed Your Cat A Raw Food Diet?

Cats have a natural craving to eat meat, especially since in the wild they would eat things like mice, rodents, small animals, birds, fish, snakes, and insects.

As a cat owner, it's a bit difficult to provide this type of meal for your cat, but you can still give him the benefits of a raw diet.

Is a raw diet safe for your cat? The thought of eating meat uncooked probably makes you squeamish, but your cat is different. A cat’s stomach is more acidic than ours, so they can handle eating raw meat.

There are some risks involved with a completely raw diet.

A common risk is contamination from bacteria or parasites, which could have infected the meat. To prevent this, you can cook it, or freeze the meat for at least a week, then thaw it out before feeding it to your cat. Be sure to wash it with clean water before your cat eats it.

Most experts think that meat needs to be cooked to kill any bacteria, but others believe that feeding your cat raw meat is ok as long as it has been frozen for at least a week before it is given.

What Are The Benefits Of A Raw Diet?

When executed properly, a raw food diet can be safe and beneficial. There are many health benefits, as was suggested by a test that was done with two groups of cats who were given either raw or cooked foods.

Three generations of cats were given cooked food. This group had problems with their reproductive system and could no longer reproduce.

This same group had developed major medical problems that included: mouth and gum infections, bladder infections, heart lesions.

Once this group was switched to a raw diet, within four generations they were healthy again.

Should You Supplement A Natural Cat Food Diet?

When making natural cat food for your cat, make sure it has plenty of vitamins and minerals. You may need to supplement with vitamins.

You can use bonemeal powder or tablets to provide more calcium and phosphorus for your cat. Also, flaxseed oil can be added for omega fatty acids.

Alfalfa, barley grass, wheat grass and spirulina can be used to provide more antioxidants.

Deciding exactly what type of food to give your cat is important. Whether you decide to give your cat a natural cat food diet, or raw diet, be sure that you are fully informed of all the health benefits and risks before making a choice. 

 

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