Feeding Your Cat & Kitten - A Resource Guide
What should your cat eat? How much? How often? Raw or wet? Homemade or premade? And what exactly is so important about moisture anyway?
There is an overwhelming amount of information about feeding cats. Food companies have their recommendations, veterinarians have their recommendations, breeders have their opinions, and the internet has approximately 47 million more opinions.
I've spent years researching feline nutrition and experimenting with what works for our own cats and kittens.
Raw feeding is the foundation of how we feed our cats at Royally British Cats, and all of our kittens are raised on an all-raw diet. But I also know that feeding a cat isn't one-size-fits-all.
Maybe you're excited about making your own raw food. Maybe you want the benefits of raw without owning a meat grinder. Maybe you travel frequently and need something more convenient. Maybe you simply aren't comfortable feeding raw and want to understand your other options.
My goal with these resources isn't to tell you that there is only one way to feed a cat.
It's to give you enough information to understand why I feed the way I do, what your kitten is accustomed to, and how to make thoughtful decisions for your own cat.
🐾 Feeding Resource Guides
Know what you're looking for? Jump ahead to the guide you need.
🐾 Bringing Home an RBC Kitten
What Your Kitten Is Eating When They Go Home
🌱 Start With the Big Picture
🍽️ Choosing a Food
🥩 Understanding Raw Feeding
🐾 The Practical Stuff
Soft Stool, Diarrhea & Digestive Upset - Coming soon!
Bringing Home an RBC Kitten? Start Here!
What Your Kitten Is Eating When They Go Home
Your kitten has been weaned onto an all-raw diet and is accustomed to eating twice a day. Learn what they're eating, how I recommend handling the first few days home, and what to do if you need to change their food.
→ Read: What Your Kitten Is Eating When They Go Home
Start With the Big Picture
Not sure where to begin? These resources will help you understand the basics before you get into the details.
Why I Feed Raw
Why did I choose raw feeding in the first place? Here's my philosophy on feline nutrition, fresh food, moisture, and why raw became the foundation of how we feed our cats.
→ Read: Why I Feed Raw
How Cats Got Here: A Brief History of Pet Feeding
Ever wonder how we went from cats catching mice to feeding them little brown pellets out of a bag?
This is a look at how commercial pet food developed, how feeding practices have changed over time, and why the way we feed our pets today is very different from what cats historically ate.
→ Read: A Brief History of Pet Feeding
Water: Is Drinking Enough Actually Enough?
Cats are not always enthusiastic drinkers. Learn why I place so much emphasis on getting moisture through food, how cats naturally obtain water, and why a water bowl isn't the only part of the hydration equation.
Choosing a Food
There isn't just one way to feed raw—and raw isn't the only food option.
Raw vs. Wet vs. Freeze-Dried vs. Dry: Understanding Your Options
A straightforward comparison of the major ways people feed cats.
We'll look at:
Homemade raw
Premade frozen raw
Freeze-dried raw
Canned wet food
Dry food
What are the advantages and disadvantages of each? What does each option actually require? And which might make sense for your household?
→ Read: Comparing Cat Food Options
Homemade Raw vs. Premade Raw: Which Is Right for You?
Homemade raw is my first choice for my own cats—but that doesn't mean I think everyone should make their own food.
Making a complete homemade raw diet requires time, freezer space, equipment, ingredient sourcing, nutritional knowledge, and consistency. Premade raw can give you many of the practical advantages of raw feeding without requiring you to do all of that work yourself.
→ Read: Homemade vs. Premade Raw
My Recommended Raw Foods
Explore raw cat food brands, homemade recipe resources, whole prey, freeze-dried and dehydrated options, and other resources for researching a raw diet for cats.
Understanding Raw Feeding
If you're interested in raw, these are the resources I'd recommend spending some time with before jumping into homemade food.
How Raw Feeding Actually Works
Raw feeding is more than putting raw chicken in a bowl.
This article explains the basic nutritional building blocks of a complete raw diet and why different components are included—including muscle meat, organs, bone or calcium, essential fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, and amino acids.
We'll also talk about whole prey and why looking at what a whole animal provides can help you understand the nutritional concept behind raw feeding.
This is not a recipe. It's designed to help you understand what you're trying to accomplish when you formulate a raw diet.
Homemade Raw: What Does It Really Take?
Thinking about making your own cat food?
Before you buy a grinder, read this.
We'll talk about freezer space, sourcing meat and organs, equipment, supplements, food preparation, sanitation, time, consistency, and—perhaps most importantly—the willingness to keep learning.
Practical Stuff
Once you've decided what you want to feed, the next questions are usually much more practical.
How Much Should I Feed My Cat or Kitten?
How do you actually figure out how much food goes in the bowl?
We'll talk about calories, growth, activity, body condition, food density, appetite, and why there isn't one magic number of grams that works for every cat.
→ Read: How Much Should I Feed My Cat?
How Often Should I Feed My Cat?
Kittens and adult cats don't necessarily have the same needs or routines. Learn how I approach feeding frequency and why my kittens are fed twice daily.
→ Read: How Often Should I Feed My Cat?
How to Transition Your Cat to a New Food
Sometimes you can transition slowly. Sometimes you're flying home with a kitten and you simply have to change foods immediately.
Learn how I recommend handling both situations, including what to watch for in the litter box, when a probiotic may be useful, and why plain pumpkin can sometimes be a helpful tool for mild digestive upset.
Feeding Is a Lifelong Conversation
Your kitten's diet may change throughout their life. What works for a growing kitten may look different for an adult, and what works for one cat may not work for another.
My goal with these resources is to give you a place to come back to as questions come up- whether you're deciding what to feed, learning about raw, changing foods, figuring out how much to feed, or simply trying to understand your cat's nutritional needs a little better.
If you have a question that isn't answered here, feel free to reach out! I've been feeding and raising cats for years, and I'm always happy to help you think through your options.
Our Feeding Philosophy in a Nutshell
Fresh, meat-based, moisture-rich food is what I prefer for my cats.
Homemade raw is my first choice for my own cats.
Premade raw is what I'd recommend to many families who want to feed raw without making it themselves.
Freeze-dried raw is a secondary convenient option, especially when frozen food isn't practical.
High-quality canned food is a reasonable alternative when raw isn't right for your household.
And whatever you choose, learn what you're actually feeding your cat and why!
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