The raw food diet for cats strives to mirror the kinds of food that your cat would eat “in the wild”, mainly live prey and whole food items. Several scientific studies* and scores of owner testimonies recommend a raw food diet for the cure of many common feline ailments, and for the general health of your cat. The research looks great, but the cost seems prohibitive especially in this economy. The commercially available products are expensive and some are not much better than canned cat food. But making your own raw cat food seems like it would be even more expensive, given the price of meat and all the supplements you need. But is it really?
Chat rooms dedicated to raw food diet for cats quote per meal prices between $0.30 and $1.50. It seems like a lot, until you compare it to the cost of high quality dry food. A twelve pound bag of high quality cat food can cost almost $40, and only lasts about a month. If you feed your cat twice a day, the per-meal cost comes out to roughly $0.70. So the cost of a raw food diet for your cat may not be as expensive as you think!
If you won’t be spending much more money, you won’t be saving much either. So why go through the trouble? The answer lies in a healthier cat. Many feline ailments, from allergies to irritable bowl syndrome, can be helped or cured by switching to a raw food diet. Drugs for skin ailments and digestive upset can run hundreds of dollars per month, not to mention the vet bills. Many cats fed on dry cat food also develop kidney and bladder issues as they age, due to the lack of moisture in kibble. Spending a bit more time and money on raw food for your cat may save thousands in health care costs.
It is possible to go raw for your cat and still keep the costs down. These three steps can help you have a healthier cat, and a fatter wallet.
Don’t Skimp On The Grinder
Raw diets for cats require bones as well as muscle meat and organs. If you make your own raw cat food, you will need to grind the bones up for health and safety reasons. You can spend hundreds of dollars on a fancy, heavy-duty grinder that will get the job done, but that’s not an option for most people. The author of the website www.catnutrition.org extols the virtues of the Tasin TS108 grinder. The cost is around $150. It is easy to clean, relatively lightweight and strong enough to grind most of the bones you may encounter for your cat’s diet. While it may seem like a lot of money for a kitchen appliance, you only have to buy it once. For comparison, that amount of money could be spent on just one vet visit or one prescription for your sick cat.
Supplements On Sale
Many of the vitamins and supplements you need are easy to find at the local grocery or health-food store. Since you won’t be going through them at a very fast rate, you can afford to shop sales and use coupons to purchase them. You can even buy some in bulk, saving you even more money. Just make sure you purchase supplements in the form that will last the longest, so they don’t go bad before you use them. For example, you should buy salmon oil in caplet form rather than liquid, as the liquid can go rancid quickly once exposed to the air.
Cutting Costs On Meat
Many people who feed raw food to their cats do so for health reasons. They search for free-range meat with no antibiotics or hormones. This is great for the cat but super-expensive for the cat owner. If your feline friend is in good health on dry food, the switch to raw will be much better for them even with “cheaper” meat. If you would like to go as free-range as possible, try to get organic organ meat. Organs, especially liver, carry the highest concentration of chemicals and drugs, so if you can’t afford to go fully organic, start there. You can also check the clearance section of your local grocery meat counter. If they have meat that’s just about to expire, they may sell it at a fraction of the cost. Look for meat that is around $2.00 per pound. You can also mail-order whole food for your pet at www.hare-today.com or www.wholefoods4pets.com . They may have seasonal deals that are cheaper than supermarket prices and offer some variety from beef, turkey, and chicken.
If you decide to go raw for your cat, the website www.catnutrition.org is a great place to start. The site has supply lists, recipies, and recommendations for how to talk to your vet about raw diets. You can also access the full JAMA article The Carnivore Connection to Nutrition in Cats at this website.
Sources:
Franny Syufy About.com Before you try a Raw Food Diet for Your Cat
ttp://cats.about.com/cs/catfood/a/bybrawdiets.htm
Raw Cat Food Supplies http://www.catnutrition.org/supplies.html
*Journal of the American Veterinary Association, 1 December 2002 (Volume 221, Number 11), Timely Topics in Nutrition, ” The Carnivore Connection to Nutrition in Cats “, Debra L. Zoran
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