The Benefits and Risks of Feeding Cats a Raw Diet
Cats are obligated carnivores, which means they require certain nutrients to thrive. A well-balanced raw diet can provide cats with the following essential elements:
- Protein from meat or fish
- Amino acids, such as taurine and arginine (found in meat or fish)
- Fatty acids
- Vitamins
- Minerals
- Water
- Carbohydrates (not necessary, but a small amount can provide useful energy)
Feeding cats a raw diet has numerous benefits, including:
- Improved immune system, resulting in better resistance to illnesses
- Healthy fur and teeth
- Fewer urinary tract issues
- Reduced hunger and food cravings
- Better-formed and less smelly feces
However, it’s crucial to feed cats a raw diet correctly to ensure their health and well-being.
Implementing a Raw Food Diet for Cats
To start feeding your cat a raw diet, follow these steps:
1. Determine daily portion size
Calculate the daily amount of food your cat needs. You can do this by using the maintenance energy requirement or calorie-based approach. The former is a more popular and straightforward method. To find out how much raw food your cat requires, follow our guide on the 1mquotes website.
2. Determine weekly ingredient quantities
Once you know the daily portion size, determine the weekly quantities of raw ingredients needed. Calculating the required amount of food for a week (seven days) allows for better meal preparation.
For example, if your cat needs 1050g of food per day, you’ll require 4200g of food per month (1050g x 4 weeks).
3. Calculate monthly budget
Estimate the monthly cost by considering the average prices of ingredients. These prices may vary depending on the location and availability of items.
For instance, if you feed your cat a mixture of chicken and pork (50-50 ratio) and the average cost per kilogram is 65,000 VND for chicken and 90,000 VND for pork, then your monthly budget for raw cat food will be:
(2.1kg x 65,000 VND) + (2.1kg x 90,000 VND) = 325,000 VND
Please note that these calculations exclude additional costs for supplemental food and vitamins for your cat’s raw diet.
Getting Started with a Raw Diet for Cats
By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can understand your cat’s nutritional needs, minimize risks associated with raw feeding, determine the essential ingredients and their ratios, transition your cat to a raw diet, avoid common mistakes, select whole foods, and incorporate nutritional supplements when necessary.
With each chapter, you’ll gain more knowledge and be able to provide a balanced and complete raw diet for your beloved cat.
But before you dive in, let’s take a look at the monthly expenses of feeding cats a raw diet.
Calculating the cost of feeding your cat a raw diet can vary depending on various factors. However, you can have a rough estimate using a simple calculation.
For example, based on the previous scenario:
- A cat weighing 5kg requires 150g of food per day, resulting in a weekly requirement of 1050g (150g x 7).
- To feed the cat for a month (4 weeks), 4200g (1050g x 4) of food is needed.
Assuming you feed your cat a mixture of chicken and pork (50-50 ratio), with chicken priced at 65,000 VND per kilogram and pork priced at 90,000 VND per kilogram, the monthly budget for raw cat food will be:
(2.1kg x 65,000 VND) + (2.1kg x 90,000 VND) = 325,000 VND
Please note that these calculations are based on average prices and may vary depending on your location and market prices.
Now that you have an idea of monthly expenses, let’s move on to the next chapter.
2. Getting Started with a Raw Diet for Cats
If you follow the chapters ahead, you’ll be able to provide your beloved cat with a balanced, nutritious raw diet. This will help you understand their nutritional needs, minimize risks, determine essential ingredients and their ratios, transition your cat to a raw diet, avoid common mistakes, select whole foods, and incorporate nutritional supplements when necessary.
Let’s get started!