Our couch cats evolved from the Near Eastern wildcat (Felis silvestris lybica which is a sub-species of the African wildcat.

That evolution started around 10,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent region of the Middle East, and nowadays this includes the modern countries of Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, Palestine, along with parts of southeastern Turkey and western Iran.

Our domestic cats evolved from desert-dwelling ancestors and as a result they have a low thirst drive and they get most of their water from the prey they catch.

This ancestral trait means domestic cats can often be underhydrated, especially if fed a dry food low in moisture content.

Naturally, eating small prey would provide 70-80% moisture just from the food they ate.

Cats have highly efficient kidneys adapted to conserve water, but a diet low in moisture can still lead to health issues, especially related to the kidneys and urinary tract.

The best diet for our mini carnivores is one high in moisture content like a raw diet or wet/canned food.

Dry kibble is NOT RECOMMENDED as a steady food source for our cats.

Our Choice Is A Raw Diet and Organic Suppliments

Nutrition, especially in the pet industry, tends to go a bit overboard now-a-days.

You will hear that the daily diet must be 'complete and balanced', and commercial food products will often come with those words blazoned across their packaging.

Let me ask you this, do you eat a complete and balanced meal every meal? No, neither do I.

I balance over time, lets say over a week, and that's also how I approach feeding our cats and dogs.

As obligate carnivores meat is the first ingredient, but that can't be all they get.

I follow the "Prey Model" diet. This diet mimics the nutritional makeup of a whole prey by consisting of approximately 80% muscle meat, 10% bone, and 10% organs, where half of those organs should be liver.

This diet does not include fruits or vegetables, but focuses on animal-based products to provide a balanced meal for the obligate carnivore.

The Diet Breakdown

80% Muscle Meat: This is the primary component and can include any meats like chicken, beef, turkey, and rabbit. Variety is the spice of life, and each protein source will have their own nutritional profile. For example, chicken generally has a higher omega-6 content than beef.

Chicken generally has a higher omega-6 content than beef, especially when comparing conventionally raised chickens to those raised on a more natural diet.

Conventionally raised chickens are often fed grain-based diets high in omega-6 fatty acids, leading to a higher omega 6 content in their meat.

Beef has a higher omega 3 ratio, but a good way to balance a chicken based diet is by adding a source of fatty fish like mackerel, herring, sardines, or salmon.

Here is a good article to learn from.

10% Bone: Raw, edible bones provide calcium and other essential minerals. Examples of bones for cats include quail, chicken necks or wing tips, and rabbit ribs.

10% Organs: This is split between liver (5%) and other organs (5%) like kidney or spleen. Liver is crucial for vitamin A, but feeding too much can be harmful and cause diarreah.

The Key Principles:

Mimics natural prey: The diet is designed to replicate what a cat would eat in a natural setting (the wild), which would  consist of the whole animal, including bones and organs.

Excludes plant matter:  An obligate carnivore is an animal that must obtain certain nutrients from animal flesh

Cats are obligate carnivores, meaning their diet must primarily consist of meat. While they can digest some plant matter, their digestive system is not optimized for processing it. They lack the necessary enzymes to break down cellulose, a component of plant cell walls. They can, however absorb certain nutrients from plant matter such as vitamins, minerals, and fiber.

Feeding a cat a vegetarian diet will lead to deficiencies in essential nutrients like taurine, arachidonic acid, vitamin A and B3.

I, personally, add a sprinkle of a mixture of wheatgrass, spirulina, kelp powders along with some Nutritional Yeast flakes every day

Some products and companies we buy from are:

Foothills Naturals organic Kelp powder

Yupik organic wheatgrass powder

Canadian Protein Spirulina

Frontier Co-op Nutritional Yeast

Important Considerations:

Nutritional Balance: It's crucial to achieve the correct ratios to ensure your cat receives all necessary nutrients. Some variations suggest slightly different ratios for kittens or adults, such as 84% muscle meat, 6% edible bone, 5% liver, and 5% other organs.

Raw egg yolk adds valuable nutrients and are higher in calories and most nutrients including fats, carbohydrates, vitamins A, D, E, and K, vitamins B9 and B12, as well as iron, phosphorus, calcium, and more. Egg whites are very high in protein while also being richer in vitamin B3, potassium, and magnesium, but - over consumption of egg white can cause a biotin deficiency. A protein in raw egg whites called avidin, is a glycoprotein that tightly binds to biotin. Consuming too much raw egg white can cause a biotin deficiency, but cooking egg white denatures avidin, allowing for proper biotin absorption in the digestive system.

Fermented Milk Products

Adding a bit of natural, un-flavored, organic, yoghurt and/or kefir is a good idea along with some raw fermented goat milk.

Big Country Raw Goat Milk

Homes Alive Pets, Happy Days Raw Goat Milk

Modern K9 Raw Fermented Goat Milk

We also prepare and feed our own homemade bone broth. This is an excellent way to get some plant nutrition into our cats by keeping the left over veggies you prepare and eat yourself, as well as adding collagen etc. buy using, wing tips, poultry feet, ungulate hooves, joint bones, etc.

I also add some wheatgrass powder, spirulina and turmeric powders to my bone broth, along with some mushroom powders. 

Real Mushrooms

Real Mushrooms Science and Medical Team

Fortunately There Are Lots Of Options