We believe that feeding your cat a raw food diet that closely mirrors what nature intended offers countless benefits. Having raw fed our cats for over a decade, we’ve seen firsthand the benefits of a raw diet for our cats, including improved health, vitality, and overall wellbeing.
Of course, there are pros and cons to raw feeding. However, after extensive research, we are convinced that raw cat food provides better nutrition. Since starting our raw feeding journey, we’ve observed significant improvements in the overall health of all our cats. This has been especially noticeable with Charlie, who suffered from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) – the very reason we originally transitioned to raw food.
Cats are obligate carnivores, meaning they thrive on a meat-based diet. A raw food approach supports their natural physiology, leading to a longer, healthier, and happier life. Let’s explore the key benefits of a raw diet for cats and what you can expect.
Better digestion and nutrient absorption
Cats are natural hunters, built to thrive on a meat-based diet. Their short, acidic digestive systems efficiently break down raw meat, typically processing food within 12 hours. In contrast, commercial pet foods – often packed with carbohydrates – can be harder for cats to digest, as they lack the necessary enzymes to break down grains and vegetables.
Switching to a raw diet allows your cat to absorb nutrients more effectively, resulting in fewer digestive issues. If your cat tends to overeat or constantly begs for food, you may notice a significant shift. Many raw-fed cats feel fuller for longer, reducing excessive hunger and begging behaviors.
Managing food sensitivities and gut health
Beyond digestion, the benefits of a raw diet for cats extends to managing food sensitivities and supporting immune system health. A biologically appropriate raw diet helps reduce gut inflammation, making it a natural solution for dietary intolerances and gastrointestinal discomfort. Common symptoms like diarrhoea, constipation, vomiting, nausea, and excessive hairballs are often linked to food sensitivities.
Food intolerances don’t just affect digestion, they can also show up as skin issues, such as itchiness, dryness, flakiness, or inflammation. Your cat’s skin may feel hot to the touch or appear red and irritated, indicating an underlying sensitivity.
Many cats react negatively to common ingredients found in commercial pet foods, such as wheat, corn, and soy. By eliminating grains and starches and transitioning to raw food, you help lower overall inflammation, giving your cat’s skin the chance to heal. Some cats experience significant relief from allergies, with symptoms improving or even disappearing entirely on a well balanced raw diet.
Stronger teeth and fresher breath
A cat’s dental health is influenced by both genetics and diet. When fed carbohydrate-loaded kibble (cat biscuits) this leads to a build-up of plaque and tartar, and much like in humans, this can lead to dental issues over time.
In contrast, cats who eat a raw diet typically have stronger jaws, cleaner teeth and healthier gums. Their breath tends to smell fresher, too. The act of tearing through chunks of raw meat and chewing raw meaty bones naturally scrapes the teeth, working like a built-in toothbrush and flossing system.
Oral health is more than just fresh breath, it’s a crucial part of overall wellbeing. Bacterial infections that originate in the mouth can spread internally, affecting vital organs. A raw diet supports your cat’s dental hygiene while reinforcing their natural chewing instincts, keeping their teeth and gums in top shape.
Healthier skin and a shinier coat
A raw diet supports your cat’s skin and coat health by delivering essential fatty acids that nourish from the inside out. Many cat parents notice that their cat’s fur becomes softer and shinier soon after transitioning to raw food. When we made the switch, one of the first changes we saw was just how luxuriously silky soft our cats’ coats had become – it was like stroking an angora rabbit.
Raw feeding is also believed to reduce shedding and, in turn, minimise hairballs. While many cat owners cite this as true, this is one the benefits of a raw diet we haven’t seen in our cats. They are all medium-haired with thick coats and continue to shed a lot of fur particularly between seasons.
Smaller, less smelly poop
When cats are fed a species appropriate raw food diet, their bodies utilise more of their food. That means less mess for you and fewer litter box cleanups.
Let’s talk stools for a moment. When our cats ate commercial, processed cat food their stools were noticeably larger and smellier. They pooped in the litter box at least once a day. Since switching to a raw diet, their stools have become significantly smaller, about half the size they once were. They are also drier, firmer, and nearly odorless. With more efficient digestion, they use the litter box far less frequently to poop, typically having a bowel movement on average every two to three days. This is by far, one of the best benefits of a raw diet for cats – less poop to scoop!
More energy and weight control
Ever felt sluggish after eating too much processed food? Just like humans, cats experience changes in energy levels depending on their diet. When fed a species-appropriate raw diet, they become more physically and mentally stimulated. A high-quality meat protein diet, balanced with essential nutrients, will give your cat much more energy than commercial pet food.
If your cat is usually a couch potato, spending hours napping in a sunny spot, don’t be surprised if they become more active and want to play. Our own cats transitioned to raw food when they were young, and even now, as they enter their senior years, they remain energetic and active.
For cats who are overweight, the shift to raw food, combined with their increased energy and rekindled interest in play, can naturally support them to shed those extra grams. Feeding a biologically appropriate diet helps regulate appetite and metabolism, making it easier for cats to maintain a healthy weight without restrictive portion control.
Improved hydration and urinary health
Unlike dogs, cats don’t drink a lot of water – they rely on their diet for proper hydration. Their bodies are designed to extract moisture from their food, making diet a key factor in maintaining kidney and urinary health.
While commercial canned foods provide a water content similar to raw diets, cats who eat dry kibble are often dehydrated. Over time, this lack of moisture can lead to serious health issues including chronic kidney disease (CKD) and urinary tract issues.
Raw food diets typically have a high water content of around 70%. That’s similar to the natural moisture content found in prey like mice and birds. By feeding raw, you ensure your cats receives the hydration they need to keep their kidneys functioning efficiently, flushing out toxins and reducing the risk of painful urinary conditions such as cystitis, infections, bladder stones, and crystals.
Healing through raw feeding
Charlie’s journey is proof of the healing power of a raw diet for cats with food sensitivities. As a kitten, he struggled with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and had frequent bouts of diarrhoea, vomiting, and nausea that severely impacted his quality of life.
We did a lot of research and spoke to many people online who told us about the benefits of a raw diet for cats. Stories of how it had helped their cats recover from gastrointestinal issues, including IBD, gave us hope. After trying everything – commercial raw diets, novel protein diets, and even veterinary prescribed medication with no success, we realised we had nothing to lose.
The transition to a homemade raw diet was gradual, but within weeks, we saw the first signs of improvement. Over the following six months, Charlie continued to heal, experiencing only a few minor flare-ups along the way. Today, he is a thriving senior cat with no signs of IBD, living a happy, healthy life. Raw feeding didn’t just improve his digestion – it gave him his life back.
Final thoughts
Since transitioning our cats to a raw food diet we have seen many of these benefits firsthand – from better digestion and increased energy, to healthy skin, shinier coats and overall improved wellbeing. That’s why we are strong advocates for raw feeding cats.
We believe that feeding a species appropriate diet gives cats the best chance to live long, happy and healthy lives.
I have fed my dogs raw off and on, but not the kitties yet. I like this post. Makes me want to try this with my own
We might have to try Ricky on raw again. He didn’t seem to care for it when we gave it to him last time.
I’ve read a lot about the benefits of raw feeding for cats. I’m glad it’s working for some. I don’t have plans to switch at this time, but I do like to keep informed about it.
It is amazing what a species appropriate diet can do for a kitty! Cat food is slowly evolving. I think it some ways that slowness has to do with misconceptions that many people have about nutrition in general. All of the carbs that humans are eating these days aren’t good for us either. I love the idea of raw diets and it is something that I would love to be able to do, but to make a long story short, I’m doing the best I can with the resources I have.
I am trying REALLY hard to get Dusty (14) to eat 100% raw but he won’t. I know its better for him so I try to make it predominantly Jimbo’s raw or Feline Natural freeze dried raw as a compromise. I know it’s a slow steady process transitioning to raw and you can’t just ‘do it’ – fair enough. I will keep trying with Dusty. Some of our others do not like raw at the moment, but others enjoy a portion!
Great information thanks! I hate when people try to make their cats vegetarian. I’ve never tried feeding raw, but have tried freeze dried raw, my dogs love it!
I have started adding a bit of freeze dried raw as a topper to Rosie’s food. She’s mildly interested so we will keep experimenting and see what happens.
I’m going to switch to raw for one of my dogs as soon as I can. The health benefits are amazing. It’s great to know it’s so good for cats too!
I love the idea of a raw diet, processed food just can’t be the best way to feed any animal, but I’m so worried about messing it up, especially since my pets already do okay with their kibble.
Mr. N loves eating raw and we’ve definitely noticed a difference since we switched.
This is great info for anyone with a cat! All benefits are amazing, but I think my sister would say that her cat doesn’t need more energy ?
These are such great reasons to feed a raw food diet to cats. I am looking into making the switch!
I haven’t tried feeding my cat raw food yet. My main issue is preparing having time to prepare the food (and there are no freeze or dry raw food alternatives where I live).
We eat a partly raw diet, and it works great for us! It would be even better if we could always eat raw, but price wise, it’s prohibitive since my human doesn’t grind it herself. Binga does get a mostly-raw diet, because she has been helped the most by it.
Raw diets are great, but I feel like there are many cat owners who don’t really understand what a complete raw diet entails. Many cat owners completely forget about the importance of feeding organs, bones (or replacements), and proper supplementation. There’s so many great resources out there, and many established recipes. If your new to raw feeding, please seek out these resources (there are many great articles here at pawesomecats)!!
Mum finally switched us to raw feeding three weeks ago, and we all love it : Zorro eats with pleasure, as if he had always been waiting for being fed raw, I love meaty bones, and Mum is delighted to see that we product small non-stinking stools. Joy is in the air ! Purrs
I would love to switch Cosmo to raw, but he’s not interested. So I’ve started adding freeze dried raw to his meals and I’m working on transitioning him from kibble to canned. I bought several cases of Tiki Cat (through our co-op) and he’s barely interested. I’ll be trying Bravo next. He’s so frustrating, but I love him.