Food for Persian Cats

What is a Raw-Food Diet?

• A raw-food diet for Persians is one in which you prepare raw food for your cat such as chicken wings, frozen mice, and ground meat. Persian-cats.com says that a raw-food diet may be beneficial to your cat because it is similar to food the cat would eat if it were not domesticated. Therefore, your cat's body will more easily process raw foods.

Benefits

• A raw-food diet will give your Persian more energy, improve breath and odor of excretory material, help your cat maintain a healthy weight, and improve dental health, according to Persian-cats.com.

Health Risks

• Raw meat may contain germs and bacteria, putting your cat at risk of contracting disease. Persian-cats.com says ground hamburger meat is more risky than other meats and recommends against using it. As a safety precaution, you should disinfect surfaces both prior to preparing food and after preparation is complete. You should also dispose of uneaten food after a half-hour and freeze meat if you are not using it immediately.

Types of Food

• A raw-food diet contains many types of meat. Depending upon which meats your cat likes, you can feed it chicken, beef, or pork. You can also purchase frozen mice from pet suppliers to feed to your cat.

How to Introduce the Raw-Food Diet

• Persian cats tend to be picky eaters because of their sensitive stomachs. You may want to introduce the new diet a little bit at a time. Persian-cats.com suggests beginning with cooked meats or blander raw meats and gradually introducing the new foods. If the cat refuses to eat, try mixing sweet canned vegetables such as canned yams into the food. This may remind the cat of its canned food and encourage it to eat.