Feed your cat's wild side for optimum health

Cats are just brilliant because they’re cats!

Science confirms that they’re approximately ten thousand years less domesticated than dogs. This accounts for their independent personalities and sometimes uncanny psychic perception.

Nothing beats building trust and respect with your cat than by tapping into their wild side through proactive play and enrichment, it helps build a relationship at an instinctual level.

Natural born hunters, with four retractable claws by engaging their in-built prey drive builds wellness.  As does feeding them on a diet that will help them thrive.

Descended from their wild desert cat cousins, domesticated cats are predisposed to absorb water from their food, which is why I recommend a fresh wholefood diet comprising a lot of moisture packed meats.

In fact, the ancestral diet comprising 80 per cent muscle meat, 10 per cent offal and 10 per cent bone, known as the 80:10:10 formula mirrors a cat’s biological and physiological needs as an obligate carnivore.

Cats’ digestive systems are short, highly acidic and designed to absorb nutrients quickly and efficiently from raw meat. This means in the wild they can eat on the go, creating energy whilst out on the prowl.

Being predators, cats are also prey. In the UK small cats can become victim to a fox or a dog. But compared to other regions where coyote and black bear can roam, cats in the UK are relatively safe from animal threats. Here they’re top of the food chain!

Cats will eat small amounts through the day, and every mouthful counts so they keep their blood sugars and energy levels balanced.

Cats should eat every day or issues with the liver might ensue, and risks of hyperglycemia, so make a meal out of mealtimes to build structure, routine and enrichment to the day.

The mystery of cats is unlike dogs. Cats haven’t been overly studied down to the logistics of cats being cats. I feel dogs have been studied too much, whilst some research is extremely empowering to know your dog could be able to detect your cancer before medics can.

But anecdotal true stories show that cats have been shown to do the same! Their sensory powers are no less than dogs, but maybe cats are more instinctual and tuned to nature – simply down to less domestication.

Cats and their purring is a stand-alone blog post (coming soon)! Whilst its clear purring is a complex physiological response to certain situations, it can mean your cat is happy, relaxed, but it can also indicate your cat is feeing anxious and stressed.

 Interestingly, purring it is thought to have enormous healing powers! It could have some connection with cats allegedly having nine lives!  Research suggests that the frequency between 125 -150 hertz of a cat's purring, could have therapeutic effects on the body and mind.

It has been demonstrated that the frequency of the vibrations produced by a cat's purr can aid in wound healing and inflammation reduction. This explains why your cat may purr more while healing from an illness or injury. The potential health benefits of a cat's purr for humans may be what I find most fascinating!

Complement this amazing natural resonance with a species appropriate diet, to fuel your cat’s inner Leopard– just look at their teeth – it’s a ‘mini-me‘ of an ancient Sabre-tooth Tiger!