Converting Cats to Raw Diets


 

By 6-12 months of age, cats become fixated on whatever foods they have eaten to date. This means that if a cat has been eating only dry food, it will continue to eat only dry food. If a cat has been eating only canned fish varieties of cat food, it will continue to eat only canned fish varieties of cat food. In other words, adult cats that have not been introduced to raw foods as kittens might present a challenge!

 

The easiest way to circumvent this problem is to introduce your cat to raw foods when it is a kitten. Most kittens will eat any food placed in front of them, as they still maintain their instinct for raw foods. This is the time to begin feeding chopped up chicken (buffalo wings are easiest; chicken backs and thighs are cheapest) using a large knife and a kitchen scissors.

 

Wysong makes a commercial dehydrated raw diet, Archetype, that is 100% nutritionally complete, balanced, and exceeds all of AAFCO's requirements. This diet is also free of harmful bacteria. The first five ingredients are beef and chicken, beef and chicken liver, and ground bone. The diet also contains fish oil, probiotics, and a host of other nutritious natural ingredients. Rehydrating this diet and offering it as a meal is inexpensive and extremely healthy!

For adult cats who have never been introduced to raw foods, hiding the raw meat in canned food often is the easiest option. Simply mix a tiny amount of turkey burger or hamburger in with the canned food and don't tell your cat. Then, each day, gradually increase the amount of burger in the diet. If the amount exceeds 50%, you will need to contact us for supplements to balance out the diet. Similarly, you can mix Wysong's Archetype in with the canned food, either by rehydrating it first and then mixing it in, or by crumbling a few small pieces and mixing them in while adding a small amount of water to the food. (Archetype is a dehydrated diet and requires the addition of water.)

Some cats will constantly reject any attempts to add raw foods to their canned foods. In these cases, even though we advise against feeding dry foods to cats, you can try to add a small amount of crumbled Archetype onto the dry foods. If you are lucky, at a later date your cat will allow you to rehydrate the Archetype a little bit before adding it to the dry foods.

 

Another trick is to mush some raw chicken liver into the canned foods. It is safe to feed a small amount of raw liver every day to your cat. Often the cat that will reject burger meat in its food will accept raw chicken liver in its food. (Top)