Homemade food for cats – facts versus fiction.
When I ask my clients how they started making cat food for their own cats, I get a mix of responses. Some of my clients became suspicious of certain ingredients in commercial pet foods, while others hope a homemade diet may help with clinical symptoms of IBD, vomiting, or itchy skin.
I have been in this industry for almost three decades, and I think it’s time to share some information about homemade diets. There is an increasing trend toward making homemade dog and cat food. At its core, the homemade trend reflects a broader breakdown in consumer trust in the pet food and veterinary medicine industries. Making homemade pet food works for some cat parents. But it is a complicated process, not a guarantee of clinical improvement, and it is crucial to know the pros and cons before they even get started.
What are the benefits of homemade cat food?
Making raw or slightly cooked homemade cat food has some benefits. However, they may not be what you expect.
You know what is in it and can decide on the ingredients yourself.
It is less wasteful because you are not throwing away an aluminum can every day.
It may be less expensive, but this depends on the raw materials you use and how much you value your own time.
Homemade diets may be a good solution for comorbidities with conflicting dietary needs that cannot be met with a commercial diet. For example, a diabetic cat that has been diagnosed with early stages of kidney failure.
Some cats with food allergies or intolerances may show an improvement in clinical symptoms.
Some cats may even prefer it to commercially produced food.
What are the topics to consider when making homemade cat food?
If you do it correctly, it is a lot of work.
You may spend hours in your kitchen, only to be disappointed when your cat ignores the food and gives you a suspicious look after sniffing it for a couple of seconds.
There is no scientific evidence that homemade diets are better for your cat.
If you handle raw meat and organs, there is a high risk of harmful bacterial contamination.
A customized recipe for your cat, along with tips and tricks for making it and ongoing support, is typically expensive but worth it if you are serious about getting started.
Pet parents who moonlight as sous chefs for their cats often cut corners in their formulations over time, increasing the risk of feeding their cats an unbalanced diet.
How to recognize a professionally formulated diet?
To create a complete and balanced diet for cats, software and knowledge of their palatability preferences are essential. The software includes all the necessary information on nutrients, AAFCO’s minimum and maximum guidelines, caloric density calculations, appropriate feeding amounts, and adjustments for feeding a highly active kitten versus a less active senior cat.
Ingredients:
Very specific in terms of weight, cut, and quality of the ingredients.
Example: 1000 grams of 80% lean ground beef versus 2 lbs. of ground meat
Vitamins and Minerals:
Very specific: typically does not recommend completer, premix, or formulation; only works with a specific completer; or you must purchase a premix from the company.
Example: 1 capsule of 400IU Vitamin E versus 1 tablet of Vitamin E.
Instructions on how to prepare:
Very detailed with temperatures and mixing times
Example: Mix the dry ingredients with 100ml of cold water for 5 minutes, versus using one cup of water to mix in the completer and add it to the meat.
Caloric density and how much to feed:
Calculated for your cat’s current activity level and weight
If you feel that a homemade diet is what you would like to feed your cat, I am here to help you. We will discuss your specific case and address all your questions.
Feline Nutrition Glossary – Cat Nutrition Terms explained:
When you start researching cat food and nutrition science, you will find a lot of acronyms and abbreviations. This can make it feel overwhelming and discouraging.
In this blog, I will explain most terms and abbreviations that you may encounter: (please do not hesitate to suggest any other expressions that you feel are missing and necessary).
AAFCO: The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) is an independent organization that has been guiding state, federal, and international feed regulators with ingredient definitions, label standards, and laboratory standards for more than 110 years, while supporting the health and safety of people and animals.
FEDIAF: FEDIAF is the voice of the European Pet Food Industry Federation. It establishes nutritional requirements and labeling guidelines for the pet food industry.
NRC: The National Research Council (NRC) was founded in 1916 with a mission to help improve public policy, understanding, and education in matters of science, technology, and health. They published the textbook “Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats” in 2006, which defines the nutrient requirements of cats and dogs. It examines how nutrients are metabolized in the bodies of dogs and cats, the signs of nutrient deficiency, and diseases related to poor nutrition.
Complete and balanced: A pet food diet is complete and balanced if it contains all essential nutrients and if all the nutrients in the diet are present in the correct ratio. This definition is used by the AAFCO.
Dry food/kibble diet: Kibble is another name for dry cat food. It is made of ground-up ingredients, including meat, meat by-products, grains, legumes, vegetables, and fruits. These ingredients are mixed and then cooked in a process called extrusion. This term includes all extruded, shelf-stable diets with a moisture content below 10%.
Canned/wet food diet: The main difference between dry and canned cat food is the moisture content. Dry cat food contains about 10% water, while the remaining 90% includes dry ingredients such as carbohydrates, fats, and vitamins. Canned food has significantly more water, about 70% to 90%.
Raw cat food diet: This is the CDC’s definition of raw pet food: Raw pet foods and treats contain protein from an animal, like chicken and beef, and have not been cooked or heated to a high enough temperature to kill germs. Most consumers consider the term ‘raw’ to mean uncooked. But when it comes to pet food, “undercooked” is included in the term “ raw.
Ratio diets: These are diets based on percentages of ingredients. Ratio diets are often used to simplify diet formulation. BARF and Prey Model Diets are forms of ratio diets.
BARF: The BARF (Biologically Appropriate RAW Food) diet or BARF feeding program is about feeding dogs and cats the diet they evolved to eat over millions of years of genetic adaptation. It is one of the most popular raw diets, created by Dr. Ian Billingshurst. He was one of the first to name it a “species appropriate diet”. Now this has become more of a marketing slogan.
Prey Model Raw (PMR), Whole Prey Model, or PMR+: These diets are another popular type of raw diet. The philosophy of this diet is to nutritionally recreate prey by using meat, bones, and organs. The philosophy behind the 'Prey Model' of feeding a raw diet is to recreate the prey experience. For cats, the average prey animal that would be eaten would consist of 84% meat, 6% bone, 10% offal (5% liver, 5% another secreting organ). A complete PMR diet follows this 84:6:10 rule. Some subforms of this diet, for example, PMR+, recommend adding supplements.
Ratios: 80/10/10, 80/10/5/5, or 84:6:10. These numbers refer to the ratio of meat, bones, and organ meat. More specifically, they indicate 80% meat, 10% bones, and 10% organ meat. You may also see other variations like 84/6/5/5, which have a lower percentage of bones for cats. Additionally, there's a maximum of 5% liver and 5% other organ meat.
Meal completer: An all-in-one dry powder supplement designed to balance a meat-only diet. Meal completers have become very popular to ease the process of feeding raw food. The completer is added as a replacement for bone material, organ meat, and other vitamins and minerals that are essential for cats to formulate a complete and balanced diet.
Ingredients and nutrients: - and the important difference: Nutrients are the building blocks of the body, while ingredients are the food sources of those nutrients. Pet foods are formulated with ingredients. There are no essential ingredients, only essential nutrients. Ingredients contain both essential and non-essential nutrients. Essential vs non-essential nutrients: Essential nutrients are those that must be provided in the diet; non-essential nutrients can be provided in the diet or produced in the animal, provided adequate precursors are available.
Macro and micro-nutrients: Nutrients that may be required in relatively large quantities are known as macronutrients. Examples of essential macronutrients include protein and fat. Nutrients required in relatively small quantities are known as micronutrients. Examples of micronutrients include selenium, vitamin B12, and arachidonic acid.
Bioavailability: The definition of bioavailability in human biology is the amount of a substance that becomes available to its biological target through the bloodstream.
Digestibility: Digestibility refers to the amount of nutrient absorbed by the individual and is generally calculated as the amount of nutrient consumed minus the amount of nutrient retained in the feces.
Calcium – Phosphorus Ca:P ratio: This is a term you will see often in companion animal nutrition. Calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P) have an important relationship with each other. Both the absolute amount and the ratio are important. The optimal range for cats is 1.2 to 1.4. It can rise to 2:1 but should never drop below 1:1.
BW: BW means body weight. It is often used to calculate caloric requirements or for weight management plans.
FA’s: FA in nutrition means fatty acids. We talk a lot about fatty acids. Fatty acids can be grouped into saturated fatty acids (SFA), monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). We can also group them into essential and non-essential fatty acids. Essential fatty acids for cats are:
ALA: ALA means alpha-linolenic acid. This is an essential omega-3 fatty acid for kittens and must be provided in the diet. This fatty acid is found mainly in plant oils.
LA: LA, or linoleic acid, is an omega-6 fatty acid that is essential for cats, and so it must be provided in the diet. It's found in poultry fat and plant oils.
AA: AA, or arachidonic acid, is an omega-6 fatty acid that is essential for cats, and it must be provided in the diet. It's found exclusively in animals.
EPA: EPA is the abbreviation of eicosapentaenoic acid, which is an essential omega-3 fatty acid. It must be provided in the diet, and it's found mainly in fish.
DHA: DHA is the abbreviation of docosahexaenoic acid, which is an essential omega-3 fatty acid. It must be provided in the diet, and it's found mainly in fish.
PUFA: Polyunsaturated fatty acids are fatty acids with several carbon double bonds. These fatty acids are fragile and can easily become rancid. Depending on the position of their first carbon double bond, they can be categorized into three families: omega-3, omega-6, and omega-9.
SCFA: Short-chain fatty acids have a carbon chain shorter than 7 carbons. These fatty acids are produced by fiber fermentation in the colon and are beneficial to colon cells.
You can prepare homemade diets for your pets. The Feline Consultant is a virtual cat nutritionist who can answer any questions and concerns and guide you through this process.
References:
Fredriksson-Ahomaa, M., Heikkilä, T., Pernu, N., Kovanen, S., Hielm-Björkman, A., & Kivistö, R. (2017). Raw Meat-Based Diets in Dogs and Cats. Veterinary Sciences, 4(3), 33. https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci4030033
Parr, J. M., & Remillard, R. L. (2014). Handling Alternative Dietary Requests from Pet Owners. Veterinary Clinics of North America: Small Animal Practice, 44(4), 667–688. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cvsm.2014.03.006
Remillard, R. L. (2008). Homemade Diets: Attributes, Pitfalls, and a Call for Action. Topics in Companion Animal Medicine, 23(3), 137–142. https://doi.org/10.1053/j.tcam.2008.04.006
Wilson, S. A., Villaverde, C., Fascetti, A. J., & Larsen, J. A. (2019). Evaluation of the nutritional adequacy of recipes for home-prepared maintenance diets for cats. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 254(10), 1172–1179. https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.254.10.1172