NATURE'S WAY

THE SPECIES APPROPRIATE

RAW PREY MODEL DIET

The basic premise of a raw ‘prey model’ diet for feeding domesticated cats, is that it resembles, (or is modeled upon) as closely as possible, the natural, species appropriate diet that Nature herself has been providing for all small species of cats for millions of years.

The physiology of every cat, even domesticated cats, is that of a meat eater. Felines have evolved over countless generations to be carnivores, so they are naturally designed to consume and digest the whole, raw carcasses of prey animals.
For this very simple, basic reason, feeding cats a steady diet of cooked, canned or kibbled commercially manufactured, so-called pet “foods” is clearly not a species appropriate diet for them. Such an unnatural, species inappropriate diet puts a strain on a cat’s entire system, and may very well, over the course of time, take a serious toll on the health of cats being fed this way.
The closer we can approximate the raw diet that Nature has designed felines to eat - a diet they have been eating successfully for eons - the more natural, digestible and appropriate their diet will be. And the closer we can come to modeling our cats’ diets this way, upon Nature’s ideal, the more the natural benefits of eating this way will impact their overall health and well being.
A prey model diet for cats is comprised of a combination of whole, raw, small carcasses, (for example, the raw, meaty bones of small game hens, chickens, duck, quail, rabbits, mice, rats and/or fish) along with parts of other, larger carcasses, (such a things like turkey, lamb, goat, pork, ostrich, emu, elk, venison and/or beef) which are fed in the relative proportions that are found in the average prey animal, so that the overall diet comes as close as possible to containing the same ratio of bones, organs, meat and other tissue (such as skin, fat, sinew, tendons, cartilage, fur, feathers and scales etc.) that makes up a whole carcass.

These proportions of body parts are relatively the same in virtually every prey animal, and the percentages of these ratios are, approximately:

5 - 10% organs (with half that amount being liver)

10 – 15% edible bone

80 – 85% meat, fat, skin, connective tissue etc.

These percentages, although approximate, should serve as the basic guidelines for your cat’s diet. These exact proportions do not need to be fed at each and every meal, but rather should combine to comprise the overall diet over the course of time.

To make up for the fact that most all of the raw meat that’s readily available to us to feed our cats does not come from wild, pastured or foraging animals, (whose flesh would naturally contain a greater concentration of the vital nutrients that cats require for good health) but instead is farmed for human consumption, it’s important when feeding a prey model diet to provide as much of a variety of different kinds of meats as possible.
Another consideration to keep in mind is that the majority of farmed meats (many of which are grain fed, rather than pastured) are deficient in Omega 3 essential fatty acids. For this reason, unless your cat’s diet regularly includes items that are high in O 3’s, such as oily fleshed fish like salmon, menhaden, mackerel, sardines or grass fed meats, it’s important to provide these EFA’s by feeding a good quality fish body oil. (Not cod liver oil.)

For more information about the many benefits of feeding your cat a prey model diet, as well as the many reasons why feeding this way is so ideal, please click here.

To read more about the practical, every day basic nuts and bolts of feeding prey model to your cat, along with tips on starting kittens on a raw diet and/or transitioning grown cats from a diet of kibbled or canned pet “food” to raw, please click here.

The articles on this website contain research, opinions and personal reflection that may be of use to you in learning more about how and why to feed your pet a species appropriate raw diet, and are provided for informational purposes only. This information is educational in nature, and is not intended to replace professional veterinary medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. All the information found on this site is to be used at your own risk. The author cannot be held responsible for any unfavorable results that may arise from the use or misuse of any of the content presented herein.