Why We Choose Raw Feeding

There are a lot of ways to feed a cat, and for our cattery, we've chosen exclusive raw feeding.

Not because I think everyone who owns a cat needs to become a raw-feeding expert. Not because I think every other food on the market is automatically terrible. And definitely not because feeding raw is the easiest option.

I feed raw because, after years of living with cats, raising kittens, breeding cats, researching feline nutrition, and paying attention to how my own cats do, I believe it is one of the best ways I can feed them.

At its simplest, my reasoning is pretty straightforward:

Cats are carnivores, and I want their diet to look like it makes sense for a carnivore.

Cats Are Built to Eat Animals

Cats aren't small dogs, and they certainly aren't little humans.

They're obligate carnivores. Their bodies are adapted to getting the nutrients they need from animal foods, and many of the things their bodies require are naturally found in animal tissue.

That doesn't mean a cat needs to catch and eat a mouse for every meal.

It does mean that when I'm deciding what I want my cats' diet to be centered around, I want the foundation to be animal-based food. That's one of the biggest reasons raw makes sense to me.

I'm not trying to make a cat's diet resemble mine. I'm trying to feed the animal I actually have.

If you want to understand more about what raw feeding actually means, I've covered that separately in [How Raw Feeding Actually Works].

I Like Knowing What I'm Feeding

One of the things I appreciate most about raw food is that it looks like food.

I can see what I'm feeding my cats.

Depending on the diet, that might mean recognizable pieces of meat, organs, bone, or other ingredients. I'm not looking at a little brown pellet and trying to picture what went into making it.

That doesn't automatically make raw food nutritionally complete, of course. A pile of meat is not a complete cat diet. The diet still has to provide everything a cat needs.

But I like having a much more direct relationship with the food I'm feeding.

If you're interested in what actually makes up a complete raw diet, that's a whole subject on its own, so I've broken it down in [Understanding Muscle Meat, Organs, Bone & Other Components].

I Like a Diet That Isn't So Far Removed From the Animal

This is probably the biggest philosophical difference for me.

The farther we move away from the actual animal and its natural food, the more processing, formulation, and interpretation we have to rely on. Raw feeding brings that relationship back a little.

Instead of asking, What can we manufacture into a convenient food for a cat? I'm starting with a different question:

What does a cat actually need to eat?

Then I want to build the diet around that.

That doesn't mean I think "natural" automatically equals "better." Plenty of things in nature aren't good for cats, and a raw diet can absolutely be poorly formulated. It means that I like starting with the biology of the animal and working from there.

And Then There Are the Cats Themselves

Ultimately, I didn't choose raw because I wanted to win an argument about pet food.

I chose it because I live with cats. I've watched what happens when they're eating this way. I've watched their body condition, their coats, their appetites, their energy, their digestion, and how they maintain themselves.

I've raised kittens on raw and watched them grow.

I've bred cats on raw and watched generations of them grow up.

And over the years, I've become more convinced- not less- that this is the way I want to feed my own cats.

That's obviously my experience, not a guarantee that every cat will respond exactly the same way.

Every cat is an individual.

But when you've spent years feeding the same species and paying attention to the results, those observations matter.

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Benefits of Feeding Raw

After years of feeding raw to my own cats and raising kittens on it, there are some differences that stand out.

Beautiful Coats & Healthy Skin

One of the first things people notice about my cats is their coats.

British Shorthairs already have that incredibly dense, plush coat, but good nutrition makes a difference in how that coat looks and feels. My cats tend to have soft, thick, glossy coats with healthy skin underneath, and I love that "teddy bear" look and feel.

Of course, coat quality isn't determined by diet alone. Genetics, grooming, health, and plenty of other factors matter too. But nutrition is a big piece of the picture.

Excellent Digestion & Smaller Stools

This is probably one of the most obvious everyday benefits of raw feeding.

In my experience, cats eating a properly formulated raw diet tend to have smaller, firmer, less frequent stools-and, importantly, much less stool.

Once you've lived with that for a while, going back to huge, stinky litter-box deposits is not exactly something you look forward to. 😂

Raw diets can be highly digestible, and when a cat is utilizing more of what they're eating, there's simply less waste left over.

If your cat is currently having digestive problems, though, that's a different conversation. I've covered that separately in Soft Stool, Diarrhea & Digestive Upset

More Moisture in the Diet

I also really like that raw food naturally contains a lot of moisture.

Cats aren't always great about drinking enough water on their own, and their natural prey would provide a significant amount of moisture along with the food itself. With raw feeding, hydration is built into the meal rather than depending entirely on how much water a cat decide

s to drink from a bowl.

That's one of the reasons I prefer a moisture-rich diet in general, and it's one of the things I appreciate most about feeding raw.

I've gone much deeper into the subject in Water & Moisture in Your Cat's Diet.

Lean Muscle & Healthy Body Condition

I like what I see in the body condition of my raw-fed cats.

They're substantial cats, they're British Shorthairs, after all, but I want that substantial build to be muscle and bone rather than excess fat.

A properly formulated raw diet provides plenty of animal-based protein, and I find it works very well for maintaining the solid, muscular body I want to see in my cats.

That doesn't mean raw automatically makes every cat lean, and it certainly doesn't mean you can feed unlimited calories without consequences. Portions still matter, and individual cats have different needs.

But I really like the body condition I see in my cats on this diet. Acedotally, I had a very overweight cat once come back to me when a pet parent was no longer able to care for him. He had been eating a commercial dry food diet. Within 2 months, he had lost 6 pound and was back to being an a great body condition and all I did was switch his food! We still 'free feed' our cats and we leave a lot of fat in their meat- yet we have never had a single overweight cat. Raw just supports their natural metabolic processes so effectively.

They Actually Enjoy Their Food

And then there's the really simple one: my cats love eating it.

Cats are carnivores. Give many of them fresh meat and suddenly you've got their full attention.

There are certainly picky cats in the world, and raw isn't guaranteed to be a hit with every cat. But I've raised generations of kittens that are enthusiastic about their meals, and I love watching them eat food they clearly enjoy.

The Overall Picture

More than any single benefit, though, I like the overall picture.

I like how my cats look.

I like their coats. I like their body condition. I like their digestion. I like how enthusiastically they eat. I like knowing what I'm putting in their bowls. And I like feeding them a diet that makes sense to me for the animal sitting in front of me.

None of that means raw is magic, and it certainly doesn't mean every cat will respond exactly the same way.

But after years of doing this, I have a lot of confidence in what I see.

That's ultimately why I continue to feed raw—and why it's what I choose for the cats and kittens I raise.

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Raw Doesn't Have to Mean Complicated

One misconception I think people have is that feeding raw automatically means spending hours in the kitchen every week making complicated recipes.

It can, if that's the route you choose. It doesn't have to.

There are complete commercially prepared raw foods available, and there are also people who make their cats' food themselves.

For my own cats, I prefer homemade raw, but I don't think everyone needs to start there, and for most people, I do not recommend homemade as it is a big commitment and responsibility.

If you're interested in the difference between the various options, I've compared Homemade Raw, Premade Raw, Freeze-Dried, Wet & Dry separately.

And if you're considering making your own raw food, What Homemade Raw Actually Takes will give you a much better idea of what's involved as far as commitment.

Is Raw the Only Way to Feed a Cat Well?

No.

I recommend raw. I believe raw is an excellent way to feed a cat. I think there are meaningful benefits to feeding cats a properly formulated, moisture-rich, animal-based diet.

But I don't think telling someone, "Feed raw or you're a bad cat owner," is helpful. There are practical considerations.

Some people don't have the freezer space. Some don't want to handle raw meat. Some travel frequently. Some have household circumstances that make raw feeding more complicated. And some people simply aren't comfortable with it.

I would much rather someone feed a complete and appropriate diet that they can consistently provide well than choose raw because they feel pressured into it and then struggle with it.

The goal is to feed your cat well—not to win a purity contest.

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Why My Kittens Go Home Eating Raw

This is where my personal feeding philosophy becomes part of how I raise my kittens.

My kittens are raised eating raw because that's what I believe is best for them.

By the time they go home, raw food isn't something they're being introduced to for the first time. It's already normal to them.

They're also accustomed to eating two meals a day, which I recommend continuing through at least the first several months whenever possible. You can read more about that in How Often Should I Feed My Cat?.

When your kitten comes home, I recommend keeping their food and feeding routine as familiar as possible while they adjust to their new environment. You can read more about those first few days in What to Expect When Your Kitten Comes Home.

If you decide you want to feed something different, that's completely okay too. Just give your kitten some time to settle in and then make the change gradually. How to Transition Your Cat to a New Food walks through that process.

Get It To-Go

If you're a future pet parent picking up a kitten from us—this is for you!

If you're driving home with your kitten, I'm also happy to send you home with a tray of their food! (Sorry airplane travelers! It's not very carry-on friendly!)

It will be given to you frozen, and because a new kitten generally doesn't eat a huge amount during those first few days, it will usually last for several days.

It's there to make the transition easier.

Your kitten doesn't have to deal with a new house and a completely different diet at the same time, and you have a little breathing room to decide what you want your long-term feeding routine to look like.

If you want to continue feeding raw, great.

If you don't, that's okay too.

You Don't Have to Figure It All Out at Once

This is probably the biggest thing I want people to take away from all of my feeding resources.

You don't need to become an expert before you feed your cat their next meal.

If you're interested in raw, start learning! Read about it. Look at the different approaches. Understand what makes a diet complete. Figure out what works for your household.

And if you decide raw is right for you, there's plenty of information here to help you go much deeper.

Start with How Raw Feeding Actually Works, and then branch out into the topics that are most relevant to you.

That's why I created this entire Feeding Your Cat & Kitten resource library in the first place.

I want people to understand what they're feeding their cats—not just blindly follow someone else's rules.

Raw is what we decided on. It's what we feed my cats, it's what we raise my kittens on, and it's what we recommend.

But ultimately, how you feed your cat is your decision.

My hope is simply that whatever you choose, you make that decision intentionally, understand what you're feeding, and give your cat the best care you can!