OUR PHILOSOPHY ON FELINE NUTRITION
Food can be used as medicine or poison; it can hurt or heal. Understanding the effect of nutrition on gene expression allows us to control the development, severity and longevity of disease, as well as the reversal of disease. For these reasons, our goal as breeders is to use our extensive experience and knowledge to help you make the healthiest choices for your pets. We hope that reviewing this page helps you feel empowered to make a positive difference, whether small or large, in your pets life. Ready. Set. Learn.
NON - NEGOTIABLES
Human Grade
Species Appropriate
Minimally Processed
Varied Proteins
Step 1
IDENTIFY THE PROBLEMS
Diseases Caused by Ultra-Processed Pet Foods
- Diabetes
- Chronic Allergies
- Periodantal Disease
- Lower Urinary Track Disease
- Autoimmune Disease
- Obesity
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease
- Pancreatitis
- Chronic Kidney Disease
- Cancer
Step 2
INVESTIGATE THE INGREDIENTS
Too many to list. Here's a start.
- Artificial Colors
- Emulsifiers
- Preservatives
- Excessive Carbohydrates
- Feed Grade & Excessive Supplementation
- Added salt & Sugar
- Moistening Agents
- Numerous Undeclared Ingredients
- Making Sense of Pet Food Labels
- Much More!
Step 3
IMPLEMENT THE SOLUTION
Follow these 4 simple rules:
- Feed Human Grade Diets ONLY
- Feed Species Appropriate Ingredients
- Feed Foods that Are Minimally Processed
- Feed a Variety of Nutrient Rich Animal Proteins
OUR LIST OF BEST CAT FOOD BRANDS, 2025
MAKE COMMON SENSE COMMON AGAIN!
CATS ARE STRICT CARNIVORES
- Cats are not omnivores or vegetarians. Feeding them 40 - 60% carbohydrates, as in most bags of kibble, is highly inappropriate.
- Thirty million years of evolution have conditioned the cat to eat a diet comprised of 90-95% animal protein, 5-10% animal fat, and <5-10% animal based indigestible fiber (such as fur, feathers and nails).
- Cats evolved to obtain almost all their water intake from food; about 65% in whole prey; compare that to 8 – 12% in kibble.
- Raw fed cats have a very acidic stomach, around pH 1-2.5, and it is equipped to handle low to moderate levels of pathogens such as salmonella and e.coli without causing any ill effect. Comparatively, kibble fed cats digest at a higher pH, around pH 4, and while this serves as a good momentary adaption to digest a high carbohydrate diet it is not protective against common bacterial invasion and this adaptation cannot be sustained for long periods of time without causing dysbiosis in the body.
FRESH FOODS ARE BETTER THAN PROCESSED FOODS
- Purchase online, locally or make your own.
- Small portions sizes available from many companies allowing owners to switch proteins on a daily or weekly basis.
- Store in a freezer.
- Feed at room temperature or warm.
NUTRITION IS THE LARGEST PREDICTOR OF DISEASE
- Most people would agree with this but it is not common practice to feed fresh, species appropriate foods to our pets. Lets change that! ​
- Nutrients, amino acids, vitamins and antioxidants are significantly more bioavailable in fresh foods than processed foods; in fact, most are outright absent in processed foods. ​
- Harmful chemicals are created during the ultra-processing of feed grade food-like products, such as AGEs -Advanced Glycation End-products, which significantly accelerate aging and negatively impact gut health. ​
- Due to strict regulations to control pathogens in the raw food sector and absence of similar regulation in the feed grade sector, feeding a human-grade raw food diet is safer and healthier than feeding kibble. ​
VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF LIFE
- Nutrition is the largest external factor to influence the expression of our genes, as well as our pets genes. It is more impactful than hereditary predispositions that cause illness, which is estimated to affect about 5 - 10% of the pet population. And it is often more impactful than environmental toxins, such as those obtained from topicals to control fleas and ticks. ​
- Veterinarians today recommend ultra processed dehydrated diets like physicians historically recommended smoking tobacco; just because it’s normal doesn’t make it safe. ​
- Choosing to feed less metabolically stressful foods to our pets will significantly decrease the onset, severity and longevity of disease. ​
- Feeding ultra processed foods such as kibble on a regular basis increases the risk for common illnesses such as urinary disease, diabetes, obesity and pancreatitis.​
FOR THE AVID READER
OUR FAVORITE PET BOOKS
Both books include comprehensive discussions and concepts that apply to
both cats and dogs. They have revolutionized the way we view pet nutrition
and how we raise our clowder.
RAW FEEDING IS EASY, AFFORDABLE & SAFE
RAW FEEDING IS EASY
- Adding frequent variety of species appropriate whole fresh foods to your pets diet is the best way to encourage a healthy and diverse microbiome, to streghnten the immune system and to to prevent nutritional deficiencies from forming.
- Cats imprint on foods at an early age. Adopting cats that have been weaned and raised on a varied diet of species appropriate fresh or gently cooked foods diversifies their palate and sets them up for sucess.
- Variety encourages a robust appetite. Cats who do not experience immediate pain or discomfort during and after meals develop the confidence needed to try new foods without trickery.
- Adding frequent variety of species appropriate whole fresh foods to your pets diet is the best way to encourage a healthy and diverse microbiome, to streghnten the immune system and to to prevent nutritional deficiencies from forming.
- Cats imprint on foods at an early age. Adopting cats that have been weaned and raised on a varied diet of species appropriate fresh or gently cooked foods diversifies their palate and sets them up for sucess.
- Variety encourages a robust appetite. Cats who do not experience immediate pain or discomfort during and after meals develop the confidence needed to try new foods without trickery.
RAW FEEDING IS AFFORDABLE
- The average cost to feed a 10 lb middle aged, moderately active cat per month a commercially produced species appropriate balanced raw diet with rotating proteins is between $2-4 a day. (as of Jan 2025). Homemade balanced raw diets are cheaper.
- With improved health come less veterinary bills, less headaches and heartaches.
- Investing in a deep freezer can reduce the cost of raw feeding by enabling bulk purchases, especially if you have multiple pets to feed.
- The average cost to feed a 10 lb middle aged, moderately active cat per month a commercially produced species appropriate balanced raw diet with rotating proteins is between $2-4 a day. (as of Jan 2025). Homemade balanced raw diets are cheaper.
- With improved health come less veterinary bills, less headaches and heartaches.
- Investing in a deep freezer can reduce the cost of raw feeding by enabling bulk purchases, especially if you have multiple pets to feed.
RAW FEEDING IS SAFE
- Recals for kibble, canned food and treats are far more common than recalls for raw pet food. From 2012 - 2019, the top 4 contaminants were: 1) bacterial; salmonella and listeria, 2) lethal amounts of supplements such as Vitamin D, 3) detection of unapproved antibiotics and 4) phenobarbital (euthanasia drug).
- Because the FDA doesn’t require companies to test for many common foodborne toxins, pet foods are not recalled for shocking levels of glyphosate (roundup) and AGEs.
- Most veterinarians are general practitioners, not feline nutritionists. Over 90% are improperly trained to address diet beyond knowing which ultra-processed junk food to recommend. They are adviced by the sponsors of the pet foods they carry and many are incentiviced by a commision on every sale. Many vets fearmonger as a tactic to convince pet owners that feeding fresh, raw foods is bad.
- Recals for kibble, canned food and treats are far more common than recalls for raw pet food. From 2012 - 2019, the top 4 contaminants were: 1) bacterial; salmonella and listeria, 2) lethal amounts of supplements such as Vitamin D, 3) detection of unapproved antibiotics and 4) phenobarbital (euthanasia drug).
- Because the FDA doesn’t require companies to test for many common foodborne toxins, pet foods are not recalled for shocking levels of glyphosate (roundup) and AGEs.
- Most veterinarians are general practitioners, not feline nutritionists. Over 90% are improperly trained to address diet beyond knowing which ultra-processed junk food to recommend. They are adviced by the sponsors of the pet foods they carry and many are incentiviced by a commision on every sale. Many vets fearmonger as a tactic to convince pet owners that feeding fresh, raw foods is bad.