This guide will be your step by step resource for transitioning your Cat or kitten to a species appropriate raw diet. If you follow this guide and familiarize yourself with our files and website (www.TheNutritionCode.info) you will have no problem transitioning. However, if you do find yourself in a sticky situation feel free to post in the group if you have any questions or concerns https://www.facebook.com/groups/1433569413365162/

 

A few things to remember before we start

1. A Prey Model Raw Diet is made up of meat, organs and bones in the following ratios Muscle Meat = 80% (containing 15% heart)  Bones = 10%   Liver = 5%    Offal/Organs = 5%

 

1. Our Feline companions are obligate carnivores and do not need fruits, veggies or grains. As obligate carnivores, they are not designed to consume or utilize these foods. https://www.thenutritioncode.info/carbohydrates and https://www.thenutritioncode.info/carnivores are great articles to look at.

 

   2. You will not need artificial vitamins and minerals. With variety and rotation of proteins your feline companions will get everything they need from their food. Don’t believe us? Check out these charts https://www.thenutritioncode.info/no-need-to-supplement

 

   3. Cats DO need taurine (this is the difference between cats and dogs.) however this is easy to supply with hard working muscles meats (heart, thigh meat, shoulder meat etc.) https://www.thenutritioncode.info/taurine-and-cats

 

   4. Slow and steady wins the race. Following the guide is important, but each cat or kitten is different and may need a slower transition. Listen to your cat or kitten and watch their poop. These are best indicators of how things are going. https://www.thenutritioncode.info/poop

 

 

Cats and kittens need to eat. If they do not within 24-48 hours they can develop fatty liver disease which if severe enough can result in death so we want our babies eating a balanced diet ASAP.

 

Cats are high energy creatures that demand moderate fat and protein requirements so while it’s important to feed a variety of proteins (at least 3-4), it’s important to include plenty of red meats as well as white meats.

 

Examples of Red Meat:

Beef

Lamb

Pork

Venison

Veal

Goat

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Examples of White Meat:
Turkey

Chicken 

Fish

Rabbit

Pork

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Bones ideal for cats including:
Small whole prey (mice, day old chicks or quail etc.)
Poultry necks

Rabbit ribs
Poultry Wings
Poultry Feet

 

There are two methods you can use:

 

Method #1: Cold Turkey

 

Although yes you can feed cold turkey, this method involves stopping all commercial food including kibble and canned food and replacing with an almost balanced raw meal. In this method feed 85% muscle meat, 5% liver (note this is half the normal organ recommendation) and 10% bone for two weeks. This can help avoid stomach upset due to the richness of the organ meats. If there is no upset after 2 weeks you can feed the full organ recommendation.

 

Method #2: 7-10 Day Transition

 

If you are transitioning an adult cat especially one that has been fed a kibble diet most of its life and refuses to transition using the cold turkey method, using a high quality canned food is your best transitioning tool. It is recommended you transition over a 7-10 day period. If your companion eats a kibble based diet, now would be the time to transition to a canned food. Canned food is getting closer to raw feeding as it contains more meat, less carbohydrates, is full of moisture and easier to digest. Over this time period you will want to use 25% of the new food to 75% old food the first day, continue this for a bit, then move into 50% new and 50% old food. In a few days, transition to 75% new food, 25% old food. Than finally on the 7th to 10th day your companion should be consuming 100% raw.

 

The following is a list of good wet/canned cat foods to transition with if need be​

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• Earthborn

• Nulo

• Soulistic

• Natural Planet Organics​

• Tiki Cat

• Ziwi Peak

 

Step One: Eliminate ALL kibble in the diet. Kibble and raw not only digest at different rates which can cause digestive upset but because of the carbohydrate load (fruits and veggies are carbs in addition to grain) the stomach acid is not strong enough to break down bone or neutralize bacteria which can leave your companion open to illness https://www.thenutritioncode.info/mixing-raw-and-kibble

 

Remember every cat and kitten is different. If you see lose stool or other things you may question taking a step back, slow down and post in the group.

 

You are more than welcome to add Omega 3’s in the form of oily fish, raw egg (which can greatly aid with hairballs) as well as bone broth. Be mindful to introduce these slowly as they can be rich to a previously kibble fed companion.

 

How much should you feed?

 

For Adults Cats should be fed 3% of their adult weight

 

Most people split this amount into at least two meals per day

 

Example:

Remy. She is a domestic short hair and weighs 8.6 lbs.

​Since our cat is an adult we want to feed her 3% of her body weight per day.

3% of 8.6 lbs or 8.6 x 0.03 is 4.1 oz per DAY.

 

Again, this is just a guideline. Cats that are more active may need a higher percentage, while cats that are having trouble losing weight or have slow metabolism may be need a lower percentage.

 

For kittens, there are two methods.

Method 1: You can feed 3% of their predicted adult weight

Method 2: You can feed them as much as they would like to eat per meal (within reason we don’t want them to vomit) from a balanced batch

 

Most people split this amount into 3 or more meals a day.

 

Sample STARTER Recipe:

 

Beef Recipe for a 10 lb. Batch

 

4 lbs. of Beef Chunks

11.6 oz. of Chicken Gizzards

1.2. lbs. of Beef Heart

8.1 oz. of Beef Liver

3.25 lbs. of Chicken Necks

Modify bone broth4 raw eggs (both egg white and yolk)

 

NOTE: DO NOT PRACTICE TOUGH LOVE WITH YOUR CAT. They will starve themselves and this can result in fatty liver disease which in turn may lead to death

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Meat

Organs

Bone

The Math 

Carbohydrates

Recipe Generator

No Need to Supplement

Detoxing

Feeding Chart

Weaning Kittens to Raw

Taurine 

Cat FAQ

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