• Raw Feeding Your Cat

Feeding Your Cat the Way Nature Intended

Cats are true carnivores—designed to thrive on a diet rich in fresh meat, organs, and natural nutrients. This page is your guide to understanding how a species-appropriate raw diet supports your cat's health, behaviour, and long-term wellbeing.


What you'll learn on this page:

✓ Why Raw Feeding Works for Cats

Understand how your cat's biology is built for a meat-based diet and why highly processed food often falls short.


✓ The Building Blocks of a Raw Diet

Learn the role of muscle meat, bone and organ in creating a balanced feeding approach that mirrors a natural prey diet.


✓ How to Feed with Confidence

Clear guidance on portions, feeding frequency and how to tailor diets to your cat's age, condition and lifestyle.


✓ Transitioning to a Raw Diet

Step-by-step insight into moving your cat from kibble or processed food to raw - what to expect and how to manage the change.


✓ Common Questions Answered

From safety concerns to fussy eaters, we cover the most common hesitations around raw feeding.


Understanding Raw Feeding: A Return to Feline Nutrition

A balanced raw diet includes meat, bones, organs and green tripe from a variety of sources, in approximate prey proportions.

And, as a rule of thumb we recommend feeding from at least three different prey species over a week. This ensures a good variety of nutrients in your cat’s diet.

  • Minces: Our minces can contain a mixture of muscle meat, bone and organs. Feed the minces alongside other products listed below to make it a well-balanced raw diet.
  • Meaty Bones: Rabbit legs, rabbit shoulders, hare shoulders, possum pieces. See our Bone Feeding Guide for more information.
  • Green Tripe: You can include a small amount of minced product that contains tripe in your cat’s diet. Some cats enjoy it, but some don’t like the taste or smell of it. Tripe treats are a great alternative.
  • Organ Meat: Organs should be included in your cat's diet in approximate prey proportions. Most cats love organ meats.
  • Fillets and Meat Cubes: Fillets and meaty cubes are great for cats to chew on. If your cat is struggling to pass their stools, fillets or meat cubes are a good way to dilute their bone intake. Feed as part of a balanced diet - no more than ⅓ of the diet.

Never feed any cooked bones to your cat.

How Often and How Much?

Cats over 6 months can be fed twice a day.

For a cat with a healthy weight, aim to feed them approximately 3% of their body weight each day. Refer to the suggested feeding guide on your feeding plan for detailed info.

What else to expect when Changing to a Raw Diet?

  • Cats may drink less - this is because a raw diet has a high water content.
  • Bowel movements will be small, firm and less smelly.
  • If your cat is being fussy or leaving food in the bowl, you may be over feeding them. Take the food away and offer less for the next meal.
  • If your cat is losing weight or seems very hungry, then you should increase their daily intake a little at a time until you are happy with their weight and demeanour.
  • If your cat is gaining weight then you can feed a little less until their weight stabilises.
  • Use your cat’s body condition as a guideline for how much to feed.
  • Cats can be lazy so if they walk away from food that needs to be chewed (like a rabbit foot), try putting them in a quiet room for their meal.

Making the Transition to Raw Feeding Your Cat

Transitioning your cat to a raw food diet doesnt have to be hard.

Start with a mix of a similar prey source or flavour that your cat is used to eating. Make sure your cat is consistenly eating at set meal times. Stop feeding all processed food and introduce one of our favourite cat mixes.

For more tips on transitioning your cat to raw food, please check out our full page with more information.

Feeding Kittens

Nourish your growing kitten with a balanced blend of meat, bone, organs, and tripe sourced from a variety of prey—just like nature intended, and completely free of carbohydrates!

They typically need around 5% of their body weight in food, but during those exciting growth spurts, their portions should bump up towards 10%. As they grow, so should their meals—don’t let the portions stay the same!

Monitor their condition and adjust their intake as needed; most pets see their requirements naturally taper off around 8-10 months of age.

Keep things on track with regular weight and body condition checks. And remember, we’re always here—drop by the store anytime for expert advice and a friendly chat with your pet!

Initial Phase:
For the first two weeks, feed kittens a raw minced mix that includes meat, bone, organs, +/- green tripe, with up to ⅓ of meals as boneless meat. 

Bone Broth Addition:
Introduce bone broth as a soothing addition during the settling-in period. 

Gradual Changes: 
After two weeks, if all is settled, start introducing changes one at a time.

  • New Minced Mix: Introduce a different variety of minced mix gradually.
  • Whole Raw Meaty Bones: Start by offering one raw meaty bone every few days, replacing some minced mixes. Choose soft size appropriate bones like necks to begin with.

Expanding the Diet:
Once your kitten adapts to this routine, you can gradually introduce more variety. This will help them adapt well to the seasonal nature of a raw diet. 

Always add one new item at a time and monitor your kitten's response.

< 6 MONTHS : 3 - 4 Meals per day

6 MONTHS + : 2 MEALS

Calcium & Phosphorus: Raw meaty bones naturally provide a balanced blend of calcium and phosphorus in their whole food form—taking the guesswork out of meal formulations and eliminating the need for extra supplements. When young kittens receive an appropriate amount of these bones, they obtain exactly the nutrients required for optimal growth and development, with any excess simply excreted by the body.

Balanced nutrition is essential, as feeding only meat can lead to nutrient imbalances. Although some veterinarians express concerns regarding raw diets—often due to the risks associated with unbalanced feeding—many experts also recognise the value of a diet that includes raw meaty bones for promoting strong, healthy development. We are proud to offer a nutritional approach that not only addresses these concerns but also supports the natural, robust growth of your beloved pet.

  • Raw Meaty Bones:
    Chewing raw meaty bones helps promote healthy gums and aids in the natural shedding of baby teeth as adult teeth come in. Chat to our team about the suitability of whole bones for your pet.

  • Strong Teeth Development:
    Pet teeth continue to harden until about 2 years of age. A balanced approach to dental health is key during this phase - incorporating suitable whole bones, chews, chew toys and teeth brushing.

  • Hard Chews and Treats:
    While durable chews can be satisfying, they may increase the risk of tooth breakage.


Tip: Supervise and offer a variety of chew options to keep your pet’s teeth safe.
  • THE SCIENCE BEHIND RAW FEEDING
  • WHY ITS GREAT FOR CATS HEALTH

SUPPORTS STRONG BONES & HEALTHY JOINTS

Raw meaty bones are naturally rich in calcium and phosphorus in the ideal combination needed for bone health, repair and growth.

IMPROVES DENTAL HEALTH

Cats have teeth designed for carnivorous diet, reflecting their evolutionary history as carnivores. Raw meaty bones act as nature's toothbrush - ripping, tearing and crunching food are key actions for maintaining healthy teeth and gums.

A cat's scissor - like jaw is designed to chew by slicing and tearing food into swallowable pieces, rather than grinding it.

A raw diet also contains no carbohydrates, meaning it is naturally low in sugars. This can help support a healthier oral environment and a more balanced oral microbiome. Providing appropriate raw meaty bones and/or meat chunks helps to physically clean the teeth and slow tartar build-up.

IMPROVED DIGESTIVE HEALTH

Cat's digestive systems are adapted to handle raw food, leading to better digestion and nutrient absorption. The natural enzymes found in raw meat aid in breaking down-food, which can help reduce gastrointestinal issues such as constipation, diarrhoea and vomiting. Additionally, the high moisture content in raw food supports urinary tract health by promoting hydration.

HELPS CATS MAINTAIN A HEALTHY WEIGHT

Cats use protein rather than carbohydrates as their primary energy source so they thrive on good levels of high quality protein in their diet. If fed a diet high in carbohydrates such as biscuits they will attempt to meet their protein needs by overeating carbohydrates.

HEALTHIER SKIN & COATS

Raw food nourishes your pet's skin from within. Packed with essential vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids, it supports your cat's skin's natural barrier and helps to compact dryness, flakiness and irritation.

SUPPORTS URINARY HEALTH

Supports urinary health raw diets contains high moiture levels that will keep the unirinary tract healthy by ensuring promoting the corred pH in the baldder and a good flow of urine.

A raw diet supports the health of urinary tract through good moisture levels and promotion of acidic urine. Optimal gut health aids the production of neurotransmitters which may alleviate anxiety.

Your Choosing a Difference

Raw Feeding is not just a trend; it's scienctifically backed approach to feline nutrition that honours your cat's evolutionary dietary needs. By choosing raw food, you are investing in your cat's long term health, vitality and happiness.

At Paw Cuisine, we are happy to assit you in every step of the way in providing the best possible nutrition for your beloved feline companion.

Embrace the power of raw feeding and watch your cat thrive like never before. For more information and advice on raw feeding, please view our other educational pages link below.

  • WILDY GOOD NUTRITION 🐾