Raw Feeding Cheat Sheet
For Adult Cats And Kittens
This quick resource covers the exact nutrients your cat needs, 73 ingredients you can use safely, and how to calculate your cat’s calories with one simple formula.
Raw Feeding Cheat Sheet
For Adult Cats And Kittens
This quick resource covers the exact nutrients your cat needs, 73 ingredients you can use safely, and how to calculate your cat’s calories with one simple formula.
How To Raw Feed Your Cat For Beginners
Ready to ditch processed cat food and start feeding your cat a species-appropriate raw diet? Well, then you’ve come to the right place! This guide will show you how to prepare safe and nutritious raw meals for your cat in just 4 simple steps.
A raw diet is basically a “homemade version” of what our cats would naturally eat in the wild. Prey animals.
Since we can’t go out and hunt for our pets, raw feeders buy animal parts and feed them together to mimic a prey animal’s body.
When a feline eats its prey, it doesn’t only eat the meat—it eats the organs and bones as well! Each body part provides nutrients our cats need to stay healthy—like protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals.
Raw meals should include specific body parts in the right portions to provide cats with the nutrients they need.
Step 1: Understand The Basics Of A Raw Diet
- 55-65% Muscle meat
- 6-8% Raw bone (8-10% for kittens)
- 15-25% Muscular organs
- 2-4% Liver
- 6-8% Secreting organs
And a few meal additions to make the meal nutritionally complete!
What are muscle meats?
Muscle meats are cuts of skeletal muscle that serve as the main source of protein in raw diets. Muscle tissue makes up the majority of a prey animal’s body. This is why raw diets are 55-65% muscle meat.
Muscle meats also supply essential minerals and B vitamins, which are crucial to the diet.
These are meats like…
- Pork chops
- Chicken thigh
- Ground turkey
- Duck breast
- Beef stew meat
- Lamb loin
*See the free raw feeding cheat sheet for a full list!
What are raw bones?
Raw bones are any uncooked animal bones that are small enough for your cat to chew up and swallow safely. They’re loaded with essential nutrients like calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium which keeps your cat’s bones strong. They’re also great for scraping tartar off the teeth.
Have you heard that feeding bones to your cat is dangerous? Well, did you know that this is mainly due to cats eating cooked bones?
Cooked bones become brittle and splinter into sharp shards. They’re also much harder to digest after cooking due to collagen breaking down.
Raw bones are soft, easy to digest, and a natural food source for felines. The muscle meat that surrounds the bone provides a cushion when your cat chews. This helps prevent teeth breakage, so always feed bones with meat surrounding it.
NOTE: If you can’t feed whole meaty bones, bone meal or seaweed calcium is a fine replacement.
Here’s a list of safe raw meaty bones to feed:
- All quail bones
- Chicken necks
- Chicken and duck feet
- Chicken and duck wig tips
*See the free raw feeding cheat sheet for a full list!
What are muscular organs?
Muscular organs are organs that help “transport” things in the body, like blood, oxygen, and food. These organs make up a good portion of a prey animal’s body, so try to feed at least one if you can!
These are organs like…
- Heart
- Lungs
- Gizzards
- Green tripe
What is liver?
Liver is a special secreting organ that needs it’s own portion in the diet because of how nutritious it is.
Liver is particularly high in vitamin A, which is important for vision, growth, and immune system function. Ruminant animal livers like beef, lamb, goat, and bison are also uniquely high in copper, so always add at least one of these to the meal every so often.
Most animal livers are fine to feed, like…
- Beef liver
- Lamb liver
- Chicken liver
- Turkey liver
*See the free raw feeding cheat sheet for a full list!
What are secreting organs?
Secreting organs are organs that “secrete” things in the body, like enzymes, hormones, and mucus.
Just like a prey animal’s body, liver isn’t the only secreting organ, so we need to add at least one more. Secreting organs are act as a carnivore’s multivitamin! They’re high in many important vitamins like vitamin D, vitamin A, and B vitamins, and minerals like iron, copper, and zinc.
These are organs like…
- Kidney
- Spleen
- Brain
- Pancreas
*See the free raw feeding cheat sheet for a full list!
Raw Feeding Cheat Sheet
For Adult Cats And Kittens
73 Raw food ingredients categorized into muscle meats, meaty bones, muscular organs, liver, secreting organs, and more so you know exactly how to portion a raw diet safely.
Step 2: Find Out How Much Raw Food To Feed Your Cat
Now that you know what goes into a raw meal, it’s time to figure out how much you should actually feed your cat each day!
There are 2 ways to do this:
- Calculating how much to feed per their body weight
- Calculating how many calories they need a day.
Beginners can start out with calculating how much to feed per their body weight.
*For more experienced raw feeders, my article on how to calculate calories is coming soon.
How much to feed per your cat's body weight
Use these charts to determine the best match for your cat. The percentages are the amount of food to feed daily based on your cat’s weight.
Adults
Overweight: feed 2% of their body weight
Inactive: feed 2.5% of their body weight
Average activity: feed 3% of their body weight
High activity: feed 3.5% of their body weight
Kittens
2-4 months: feed 10-8% of their body weight
4-6 months: feed 8-6% of their body weight
6-8 months: feed 4-3% of their body weight
12-24 months: feed 4-3% of their body weight
Example #3 - Weight Of Food
Here’s a simple calculator that will do this for you if you’re having trouble!
Daily Raw Food Calculator
Daily Raw Food Calculator
How much of each ingredient to feed
Now that you know how much to feed your cat needs each day, let’s figure out how much of each ingredient we need to feed.
First, reference the amount of food your cat needs daily.
Then, take each percentage (55% muscle meat, 8% bone, 25% muscular organ, 4% liver, 8% other secreting organ) and turn that into a decimal.
Finally, multiply that decimal by the daily weight of food your cat needs.
Example #4 - Ingredient Portioning
Here’s a simple calculator that will do this for you if you’re having trouble!
Raw Portions Calculator
NOTE: The “bone” weight is only the weight of the raw bone, and does not count the muscle meat that’s surrounding the bone. The muscle meat surrounding it will need to be counted into the “muscle meat” portion.
How to find out the bone percentage of each meaty bone
It’s also to determine the bone percentage in the meaty bone you’re feeding.
Raw meaty bones aren’t just made of pure bone, they have muscle meat surrounding the bone. This muscle meat needs to be counted into the muscle meat portion, not the bone portion.
Here are the estimated bone percentages of different raw meaty bones:
- quail (10%)
- chicken wing (46%)
- chicken neck (50-75%)
chicken toes (80%)
- chicken foot (60%)
duck foot (60%)
- duck toes (60%)
duck neck (50%)
- duck wing (39%)
- rabbit leg (14%)
*See the free raw feeding cheat sheet for a full list!
- quail (10%)
- chicken wing (46%)
chicken toes (80%)
- chicken foot (60%)
duck foot (60%)
- duck toes (60%)
duck neck (50%)
- rabbit leg (14%)
Example # 2 - Bone Percentage
Let’s say I have a chicken neck that weighs 1.3 oz (37g).
I will then need to reference the bone percentage. Chicken necks are about 50% bone.
To find out how much that means in weight, turn 50% into a decimal (0.5) and multiply that by the weight of the chicken wing (1.3 oz or 37g)
0.5 x 1.3 = 0.65 oz of pure bone.
Let’s say I have a chicken neck that weighs 1.3 oz (37g).
I will then need to reference the bone percentage. Chicken necks are about 50% bone.
To find out how much that means in weight, turn 50% into a decimal (0.5) and multiply that by the weight of the chicken wing (1.3 oz or 37g)
0.5 x 1.3 = 0.65 oz of pure bone.
Here’s a simple calculator that will do this for you if you’re having trouble!
Raw Meaty Bone Calculator
NOTE: The “bone” weight should be close or equal to the bone weight you calculated above in the “raw ingredient calculator.”
Raw Feeding Cheat Sheet
For Adult Cats And Kittens
- Avoid digestive issues with size-appropriate bones — plus, get bone percentages for 25+ bones to prevent overfeeding or underfeeding.
- How to calculate your cat's daily calories with one simple formula (so you can customize your cat's meals to their individual biology and activity level).
Step 3: Determine the missing nutrients in the diet
Since we can’t add all the body parts of a prey animal in our cat’s raw meal, the meal will be a little low in certain nutrients. But don’t worry! There are a few nutritious whole foods we can add to provide those nutrients.
Nutrients low in raw diets, and what foods provide them
Omega-3’s (EPA +DHA)
- Salmon
- Mackerel
- Sardines
Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol)
- Salmon
- Mackerel
- Sardines
Zinc
- Cooked/canned oysters
- Red meat
- Pasture raised egg
Manganese
- Cooked blue/black/Chilean mussels
- Green tripe
- Hemp seed hearts
Iodine
- Kelp
- Dulse
- Laver
Vitamin E (α-tocopherol)
- Natural vitamin E oil supplement
- Wheat germ oil
- Sunflower seed oil
*See the free raw feeding cheat sheet for a full list!
The amount to feed varies depending on the cat’s age and weight, but in general, it’s a very small portion of each of these foods.
- Fish – 5 – 8% of the meal’s weight
- Eggs – 1 yolk
- Nuts and seeds – 1% of the meal’s weight
- Shellfish – 3% of the meal’s weight
- Dry parsley – 1% of the meal’s weight
- Seaweed – 1/8 tsp or less, but this greatly depends on the brand and it’s iodine concentration
NOTE: These ingredients do not count into the muscle meat, organ, or meaty bone portions. These are just extra ingredients added to the meal.
Step 4: Slowly Transition Your Cat To Raw
It’s time to switch your cat off of their old food and onto their raw meal! But there are some things you need to know so the switch goes smoothly.
A gradual, slow transition is usually best for most cats. This gets their body accustomed to the new food. The only exception would be kittens, as kittens often do well on a quick switch.
Start with lean, light muscle meat proteins
Rich red meats and fat could cause gi upset in the beginning. It’s best to start with a lean, light muscle meat protein like…
- Chicken breast
- Lean ground turkey
- Rabbit meat
If your cat is sensitive to these proteins, you can start with any protein you know they do well on.
- Chicken breast
- Lean ground turkey
- Rabbit meat
If your cat is sensitive to these proteins, you can start with any protein you know they do well on.
Only feed 1-2 proteins during the transition
Introducing too many animal proteins at once could cause some gi upset. During the switch to raw, only feed 1-2 proteins. After the transition, you can then start introducing new proteins one at a time.
GI upset during the transition
If your cat experiences any gi upset (diarrhea/vomiting) during the switch, remove the ingredient that’s causing it. Once the stool is back to normal, introduce it again, but feed a smaller portion. Increase the amount over the course of a few more days.
It’s also encouraged to feed at least one food that can help the gut during the switch, like…
- Psyllium husk powder
- Bone broth
- Kefir or another probiotic source
- Digestive enzymes
- Slippery elm bark (only if your cat is actively having gi upset)
T R A N S I T I O N I N G
Day 1-2: Remove a 1/8 portion of your cat's old food, and add the muscle meat
A small portion of muscle meat will begin the switch over to raw. Feed this for 2 days and monitor your cat’s stool. If the stool is firm and they’re doing well on it, you can then add in the raw meaty bone.
Day 3-4: Remove a 1/4 portion of your cat's old food, and add the bone
Bone helps keep the stool firm, so it’s a great next ingredient to add. Feed this for 2 days and monitor your cat’s stool.
Day 5-6: Remove a 1/2 portion of your cat's old food, and add another muscle meat protein
Protein variety really helps add more essential nutrients to the diet. This is optional at this point, but encouraged. If you don’t want to add another muscle meat, add more of the muscle meat that’s already in the bowl. Feed this for 2 days and monitor your cat’s stool.
Day 7-8: Remove a 5/8 portion of your cat's old food, and add the muscular organ
Muscular organs are great for boosting nutrients in the diet, but they do have the potential to cause loose stool, so feed a small amount and work your way up as the days go by. Feed this for 2 days and monitor your cat’s stool.
Day 9-11: Remove a 3/4 portion of your cat's old food, and add the liver
Secreting organs like liver may cause loose stool if fed too much too quickly, so feed this for 3 days before going onto the next ingredient. Feed 1/3 of the amount you calculated on the first day, 1/2 on the second day, and the full amount on the third day. Monitor your cat’s stool.
Day 12-14: Remove the rest of your cat's old food, and add the other secreting organ
Just like liver, other secreting organs may cause loose stool at first, so feed this for 3 days as well. Feed 1/3 of the amount you calculated on the first day, 1/2 on the second day, and the full amount on the third day. Monitor your cat’s stool.
NOTE: By the end of the transition, you should be feeding the the amounts that you calculated for your cat’s daily intake. However, if your cat does better on a lower secreting organ intake, it is ok to reduce the secreting organ and increasing the muscle meat.
Final days: adding the whole foods to complete the meal
Once your cat is eating a fully raw meal, you can start adding in the ingredients needed to make the meal nutritionally complete. Remember to add them in one at a time, and give them a day or so before adding the next one.
How To Meal Prep
Yay! Your cat is fully switched over to a raw diet. Now you can take the recipe you created and prep multiple day’s worth of meals. This can be as little as a week’s worth of meals, or as many as a month’s worth.
Items you'll need
Supply list
- A kitchen scale
- A cutting board
- A sharp chef’s knife
- A sharp butcher knife
- Freezer space
- Meal prep containers
Optional but helpful supplies
- Dedicated freezer
- Gloves
- A tub/bin to defrost meat in
- Apron
- Reusable bags
Supply list
- A kitchen scale
- A cutting board
- A sharp chef’s knife
- A sharp butcher knife
- Freezer space
- Meal prep containers
Optional but helpful supplies
- Dedicated freezer
- Gloves
- A tub/bin to defrost meat in
- Apron
- Reusable bags
The basisc steps to meal prep
1. Thaw all your meats in the fridge.
2. Have a dedicated space on the counter or table for preparing your cat’s raw meals. Make sure all items you use to eat with/off of are away.
3. Have your recipe in hand, and start portioning out the meat, bone, organ, and meal additions into the prep container. Remember to check the weights of each with your kitchen scale!
4. Once everything is portioned into the prep containers, seal them and put all meals into the freezer except the one for that day, or the next day.
5. Rinse all the tools off and put it in the dishwasher or hand wash.
6. Sanitize the area you prepped on thoroughly with antibacterial soap and warm water.
NOTE: Everything can be prepped into the prep container except for oils because they oxidize when exposed to oxygen. Add all oils at meal time.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
No! Unless you’re feeding wild-caught meat that has visible debris on it, you do not have to wash off raw meat. Bacteria can actually spread from washing meat in the sink due to splashing.
If you’re in the US, Canada, or EU, I can confidently say you do not have to freeze raw meat sold at grocery stores/butchers/markets/etc. The only time you need to freeze meat before feeding it is if it’s wild-caught meat. In this case, freeze it for 3-4 weeks.
Raw meat can be thawed quite a few times if it’s total time thawed is under 5-7 days. Freezing and thawing does not make raw meat go bad. Raw meat goes bad if it’s been thawed in total of 5 days or more, or if it has sat out at room temperature for a long period of time.
If it’s fresh, 5 days is the general maximum.
There are many tricks you can try if your cat is being picky with a new food, or just raw food in general. Some things you can try: chopping the meat into smaller chunks, feed it frozen, feed it with a tasty topper on it, hand feeding it, lightly searing it, feeding it in a different bowl/plate, feeding it in a different area, sitting with your cat, leaving the room, or just swapping to a different protein or part.
Not at all. Every cat is different of course, but it is not inherently dangerous to feed both foods together. Even though commercial food might take longer to digest, or digests at a different gastric pH, this does not meat that bacteria will start to multiply due to the raw meat. The body knows how to handle both foods. Think about us humans who eat sushi. We are eating cooked rice, but also raw fish. Do we get sick because our digestive system doesn’t know how to handle both simultaneously? Nope!
Mariah
Mariah is the founder of Paws of Prey. She’s been passionate about animals since childhood, with a special interest in wildlife, exotic pets, and species appropriate nutrition. Her mission is to help pet owners provide the best life for their animals through proper nutrition.
Mariah
Mariah is the founder of Paws of Prey. She’s been passionate about animals since childhood, with a special interest in wildlife, exotic pets, and species appropriate nutrition. Her mission is to help pet owners provide the best life for their animals through proper nutrition.
Raw Feeding Cheat Sheet
For Adult Cats And Kittens
- 73 Raw food ingredients categorized into muscle meats, bones, organs, and more so you know exactly how to build a raw diet safely.
- Discover exactly what nutrients your cat needs (and which raw foods provide them), so you can be confident your cat will never deal with nutrient deficiency.
- Avoid digestive issues with size-appropriate bones — plus, get bone percentages for 25+ bones to prevent overfeeding or underfeeding.
- How to calculate your cat's daily calories with one simple formula (so you can customize your cat's meals to their individual biology and activity level)
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