There is a definite shift in how people feed their cats. Instead of the dreadful kibble and canned food, many are now turning to making their own. However, there can be a dilemma between raw cat food vs cooked cat food. 

As more vets take up the baton of holistic health, one of the first things they need to consider is the diet they advocate. Diet is the cornerstone to health - you can destroy it or establish thriving health. You can destroy the immune system or you can restore it to its perfectly functioning ability.

So this change is welcomed, even if it is long everdue.

However, their original training can be so deeply embedded, some can be reluctant to embrace a raw diet, at least initially.

This can make it very confusing for people.

Probably the main claim is the bacteria in the meat.

The bacteria found in meat, which starts decaying immediately, is much more problematic than that found in rotting plants. As we are herbivores (yes, I know that's not a popular thought, but please bear with me), we are able to deal with the relatively mild bacteria found in decaying plant food - veggies, fruit, grains and nuts.

Certainly it can make us sick, but it is unlikely to kill us.

The stronger bacteria found in meat could because we are not equipped to deal with it.

Cats, on the other hand, are carnivores. They ARE equipped to deal with the stronger bacteria. Their stomach acid is around 20 times stronger than ours. You need strong stomach acid to digest meat.

The additional factor cats have of being 'fussy eaters' is important to understand. Unlike dogs, who can happily eat carrion and come to no harm, cats prefer to eat what they have just killed. They prefer very fresh meat, even though they have the capability to destroy the decaying bacteria found on meat that isn't so fresh.

Another strange claim was that people could become ill from handling the raw meat. People who eat meat are handling it every day, including professional chefs. What about butchers? Meat workers? Slaughter house workers? If one is adversely affected they all are. However, I haven't seen a hue and cry about these people handling raw meat.

Claim - cooking food is healthier for a cat's digestion.
Fact - there is no evidence to support this. In fact the opposite is true with fewer incidences of digestive issues.

A study at the University of Helsinki on dogs found that puppies were between 61-85% more likely to develop IBD as adults when fed kibble compared with raw food.

Dogs are omnivores, but at the carnivore end of the scale. Imagine how much worse that is for cats who are true carnivores. 

Claim - cooked food is easier for cats with digestive sensitivity
Fact - sensitive stomachs are a product of a poorly functioning immune system from past insults to it, eg drugs and  vaccines. Andrew Wakefield did a great expose on that, as have many others. Raw diets are one big area that can restore the functioning of the immune system. It's better to heal than to palliate.

Claim - cooking breaks down the food making it easier to digest and absorb nutrients
Fact - cooking kills essential enzymes and alters the protein making it harder to digest and assimilate. A raw diet digests easily and quickly. A cooked diet, whatever the contents, are much more difficult and slower to digest. A cooked diet has fewer nutrients as many are killed by cooking.

Claim - you can make a balanced diet with veggies and grains.
Fact - cats are carnivores, They do not have, because they don't need, a complex liver that is capable of breaking down carbohydrates. Veggies and grains cannot be digested or assimilated in cats and causes a steady decline in their health.
Cats need muscle meat, animal fat, organ meat and raw bones. That is the only way to create a truly balanced diet.

Then some desperate claims that make no sense.
Claim - cooking is better for the environment
Fact - cooking requires energy. Raw doesn't.

Claim - there is less packaging.
Fact - all food comes in packets. 

It's important to have discussions about every important topic and there are few more important than diet. However, let's stick to the facts. The main facts that stick out a mile are:

• cats are carnivores
• carnivores do not have the ability to deal with plant based food
• carnivores only consume plants for medicinal reasons
• the natural diet for all felines, both large and small, is raw meat and bones
• meat needs natural calcium (found in raw bones) to digest
• cats need to crunch on raw bones to clean their teeth and massage their gums
• ailing cats who have their diet switched to raw improve significantly, often completely recovering from the issue

Admittedly, it isn't always easy and straightforward to change a cat's diet. They can become junkies, just as we can. However, that is no reason to distort the facts.

Comparing raw cat food vs cooked cat food, there is little doubt that raw food supports greater health when balanced. Cooking meat can be one step in the process to converting to raw, but it cannot be balanced.