If your cat spends time outdoors, you've probably noticed they eat their raw prey whole - often leaving behind only the intestines. While feline hunting practices may seem strange to us humans, cats need nutrients from the whole animal - raw meat, organs, and bones - to thrive. With new freeze-dried safe raw options, feeding a biologically appropriate diet is easy.
Cats need raw nutrition from the whole animal - meat, organs and bones - to thrive
1. Raw Meat
Cats are obligate carnivores and eat their prey raw. Cats don't just prefer the taste of raw meat - they need the enzymes, vitamins, minerals & amino acids found only in raw meat to thrive. These essential nutrients are lost when exposed to high temperatures like cooking. This lost nutrition can't be fully replaced with "vitamin packs" typically used in cooked commercial pet foods, meaning many domesticated cats are missing out.
However, feeding fresh raw meat can be tricky and comes with some serious safety concerns like the risk of salmonella or parasites. Freeze-dried raw meat is the safest and easiest option for owners looking to incorporate raw meat into their cat's diet. This heat-free natural food preservation process removes water and pathogens from food while preserving over 98% of the nutritional integrity of raw meat. Plus, freeze-dried raw meat doesn't need to be refrigerated, making it easy to store and serve straight from the pantry.
Freeze-dried raw is the safest and easiest way to incorporate raw meat into a cat's diet.
2. Organs
Organs are a vital part of cats' natural diets, as they provide essential nutrients not found in muscle meat such as phosphorus, iron, copper, magnesium and iodine. Like muscle meat, many nutrients found in organs are heat sensitive and won't stand up to cooking. It is important to incorporate raw organ into a cat's diet to provide B vitamins and minerals which help feline bodies and brains to thrive.
3. Bone
When cats hunt, they eat their prey whole - including the bones - which contain marrow, collagen & amino acids that support gut health, joints & promote nutrient absorption. While it may be tempting to toss your cat a chicken bone from the dinner table, cooked bones are brittle and dangerous for cats to ingest. Bone broth is a safe and easy way to provide cats with the collagen, amino acids and nutrients from bone marrow that they crave. In addition to providing vital micronutrients to cats, powdered bone broth concentrate is extremely high in protein.
A Biologically appropriate raw diet supports holistic health - digestion, teeth, coat, even energy levels
Biologically Appropriate Raw Diet
Adding raw meat, organs and bones to your cat's diet can help promote dental health, regular digestion & combat skin problems which can lead to excess shedding. A raw diet supports behavioral and mental health too, like improved energy levels throughout the day. With freeze-dried safe raw Ultimate Raw®, it's easy to feed a nutritionally balanced biologically appropriate raw diet that includes raw meat, muscle & bone to help you cat live a happy, healthy life at home.
Our friend Arlo switched to Ultimate Raw® in his senior years when he could no longer go outside to hunt. His energy level and appetite have improved considerably and now he wakes us up every morning to let us know it's time to eat :) How has a raw diet made a difference in your cat's life? Let us know in the comments below.