First Steps to BARF for Cats

BARF (Biologically Appropriate Raw Food Diet) guarantees an incredibly high nutrient intake and is certainly one of the best ways to healthily feed a cat. No matter if you are a homebody or an adventurer, the small hunters need a large amount of meat to meet their biological needs through a proper diet plan. Eating in the wild consists of mice, birds, fish and insects, so it is our responsibility to get as close as possible to this combination of proteins, fats, carbohydrates and fibre. In addition to the raw meat, the correct high-quality supplementary feed for cats can help to put together a species-appropriate nutritional plan. So, make sure the little tigers do not lack any nutrients and at the same time you are able to avoid synthetic additives, thereby sparing your cat.

The right amount of food for BARF (in) cats

Cats need 25-30g of meat per kg of body weight (bw)/day. 95% meat, including fat and bones, makes up the bulk of the meal as the cat is a pure carnivore.

Within the meat portion a cat should get between 8-15% fat, or it can be replaced by lard or salmon oil, which contains valuable omega 3 fatty acids and the cat essential arachidonic acid. 

The required amount of meat should include some offal such as liver (with 3-5%); kidney (5-10%); lung (5-10%); rumen/poultry stomachs (5-10%). The greater proportion is therefore muscle meat (head meat, skirt meat, heart, breast meat).

Furthermore, 1/3 of the meat should be meaty bones in the form of wings, necks (chopped or whole) or other rolled bone. If the animal cannot digest this amount, one resorts to natural calcium supplements in powder form such as eggshell powder or calcified seaweed in the specified dosage.

Generally, for guidance: 
Calcium: 80mg/kg bw/day
Phosphorus: 70mg/kg bw/day

Add to that 5% fiber such as raw, pureed vegetables and fruits and nutritious vegetables such as parsnips, carrots, zucchini, cucumber and others. Please avoid nightshade plants such as tomatoes or potatoes. You can easily grate and stir the vegetables over the meat – that’s how picky cats can be. When cats eat mice and day-old chicks, the coat or feathers naturally make up the dietary fibre.

Taurine sources for BARF – cats

The taurine needs of a healthy cat can be met by different natural sources, such as self caught prey, because fresh blood is one of the best sources of taurine. Hearts are also rich in taurine, preferably chicken, fed several times a week.

Taurine-rich foods include:

• Mussels
• Tuna 
• Oysters 
• Lamb
• Beef
• Chicken
• Cod 
   

Green-lipped mussel powder is a healthy alternative as it contains natural taurine. In addition to the BARF feed, a knife tip of the green lipped mussel powder daily is sufficient, thus ensuring that the cat optimizes its daily taurine intake with this additional, natural source.

In nature, cats catch 6-12 mice a day, with an average taurine content of 70mg, which makes it relatively clear that over-supplementation of taurine does not occur as rapidly as undersupply. A deficiency and the associated deficiency symptoms must be taken very seriously. If you are unsure whether your cat will be well supplied with taurine, green lipped mussel powder is ideal for supplementing the daily BARF diet.

Moisture content and how much to feed your cat

80% moisture is recommended in the feed, which is possible with a pure wet food/BARF feeding. Dried vegetables/herb flakes such as Canis Extra Top-Fit-Mix flakes should be soaked with water and then added to the food. If the cat is not accepting the conversion, you can put the flakes in goat’s milk from our pasture fed goat’s milk powder.

Sometimes, nutrients may be fed in the form of herbs, algae (Spirulina or Chlorella) or brewer’s yeast. You can add them individually or together.

Cats who go about as they please and catch their own prey should be fed a reduced quantity. 

Ultimately this should be considered with observation, if a cat is putting on weight then reduce the feed and vice versa. It would be ideal to feed your cat 3-4 feedings a day, but 2 meals would be sufficient. The food should not stand for any length of time. It then becomes unappetizing for the cat, because unlike a dog, it is not a scavenger.

Calculation example for BARF (in) cats

And this is how you calculate the desired amount of ingredients for your cat:

BARF for cats - recipe ideas

Our recipe suggestions can give you some ideas for getting started with the Cat BARF. For ease of reference, the grams are rounded in the following recipes.

Pure variety BARF ideas for cats

For all recipes you can add to the meal, a ½ teaspoon of dry goat’s milk powder mixed with warm water. This has proven itself to be helpful in breeding preparation, after operations such as castrations or as added support following illness. 

Felins Plus® Poultry & Fish cold-pressed dry food, provide a variety and cats like to chew on the healthy pieces. All Felins Plus foods are easily combinable with BARF or with the menu rolls, however, we recommend keeping the dry food always below 20%.