Dogs and cats are carnivores, and the healthiest dogs and cats eat meat regularly.

We would like to see carnivores like dogs and cats eating a species-appropriate diet.  Whenever you have a system designed for a certain fuel, it’s best to use that fuel.  If you have a car that runs on gasoline, it’s not going to run better on hydrogen or diesel.  It doesn’t matter if we’re talking about a mechanical or biological system.  Now you might be able to switch fuels, say unleaded gasoline in a car that requires leaded gasoline (remember those cars?), and it would probably run . . . but not well.  It wouldn’t run optimally.  The same thing applies for dogs and cats.  We can put kibble in their system, we can give them canned dog food and cat food, and their machinery can run on it, but it won’t run optimally.  It will be prone to malfunction and disease and other problems.

We want to feed what is most appropriate for their bodies, and that means coming as close to raw prey as we can.  Dogs are a little more omnivorous, while cats are obligate carnivores, but in any case primarily they’re both carnivores. 

Cats Don't Drink

Cats are a desert species – they have descended from a species adapted to desert living.  They have the special physiological adaptations for conserving water, and they get all of their hydration needs met through their food.  Cats generally don’t have a sense of thirst.  Cats have a great problem with dry food.  Dry food kills cats.  If you have a healthy cat on a healthy diet (no dry food), you’ll find that he or she virtually never takes a drink of water.  If you keep something tasty like a little broth or milk around, they’ll drink it because it tastes good, but they will not be driven to drink out of thirst.  Any cat that is drinking is ill – either from dehydration, from dry food, or from some other condition like cancer, kidney disease, thyroid disease, etc. 

Feed A Species-Appropriate Diet

So what is a species-appropriate diet?  For dogs and cats both, the closer you come to imitating raw prey, the better they do.  Mostly this means raw meat and cooked veggies.