Feeding of the cats… one of my favorite topics. We feed our cats mainly with raw food, which is basicly meat containing bones. According to all the information we’ve learned it’s the healthiest diet for the cats. There are a lot of information sources in the internet about BARF (Bones And Raw Food) for cats. For those that know some Finnish, or are willing to use Google Translator, please check the Poseidonian breeder’s recipe on their website! We make our raw food mixture based on this recipe.
There is a good selection of frozen raw meat for cats and dogs nowadays in the pet stores. In Finland we have stores e.g. Pet Nap, Faunatar, Musti ja Mirri, etc. There are some ready-made meat mixtures for cats available, but for some reason our cats don’t like those. Also, we humans prefer to know exactly what is in the mixture, so it’s good to make your own food mix, and it’s not difficult at all.
Below a series of photos describing my last raw food preparing session. I make a batch that is enough for two weeks for our five cats, a little more than 3 kg. This bowlful contains half of that.
Following Poseidonian’s recipe, mix fiber husk (psyllium) and water and let them be for a while. Separate the egg, add the yolk to the bowl (and spare the egg white for your breakfast omelette for next morning). Add cat multivitamins and omega 3 oils to the mixture (optional step… if you skip this, be sure to give your cat daily his or her portion of both). Calculate the amount of vitamins and omega 3 oils based on how many food portions you are making, and check the instructions of your vitamin and oil package.
Then the meat. I usually purchase the batch of meats from the store the previous day, and let them thaw in a cooler bag. The meats should be just barely defrosted so you can mix them, but don’t let them get warm. We have here whole chicken hearts, ground mixture of chicken organs (liver, gizzard, etc), ground turkey, ground chicken necks and wings. Occasionally I add ground pork heart, but this time the store had run out of it. Part of the meat must include bones, to maintain good ratio of calcium and phosphorus. If you don’t have enough bones, be sure to add calcium. An easy calcium supplement for cats is egg shell powder, which you can make from uncooked, washed egg shells.
Mix well. I used to mix with a kitchen aid mixer but now I’m finding it easier to mix with a big spoon, manually. Divide for portions, the size of which is good for your use. Freezer bags work well, but we like re-usable plastic freezer containers.
After a little bit of learning, even those cats that refused to eat anything but dry food are loving the taste of this raw food mixture!