BARF Natural Diet-Is It The Healthiest Option For My Beloved Cat?

BARF diet also known as biologically appropriate raw food, bones and raw food and born again raw food is a diet program for felines. The foundation of this diet is base on the belief that bones and raw food are the closest form of food cat cats eat in the wild, and should be best for feline health.

Supporters of the BARF diet claim that cats would be healthier feeding a raw diet. Suggesting that cats feeding on commercial food would be detrimental to their health as proven in many studies done across the country because the cooking process destroy many essential nutrients that cats would require.

While those that were in favor of the cook diet argue on the fact that raw food can carry bacteria that causes food borne diseases and that alone far more outweigh the benefits that a raw diet could bring along. Critics also say that raw bone shards can break teeth and perforate the intestinal tract. With all said, both sides still has problems coming out with concrete evidences to proof their claims.

An example of such research was done by Lisa Freeman, DVM, and Kathryn Michel, DVM, publish in the journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, March 2001. It was done by evaluating five dog food diets, 3 homemade and 2 commercial. Studies show that raw diets lacked phosphorus and potassium and had high levels of zinc, and all these elements, added together are a big concern when feeding puppies. In addition to that, one homemade diet shows presence of E. coli 0157:H7, a well known cancer causing bacteria to humans.

On the other hand, the Pottenger Cat Studies, conducted between 1932 and 1942, found that cats that were feed a raw food diet which consist of raw meat, bones, raw milk and cod-liver oil, outlived and out-reproduced their peers that were fed a cooked diet. And surprising, the study also found that cats that were fed a cooked diet had problems to reproduce after several generations. And this condition improves only when they change the diet back to the raw diet.

There are also critics of the Pottenger study, and they cite the fact that no one knows for certain what aspect of the raw food diet actually affected the health of the animals, whether it was raw meat, raw milk or cod-liver oil. They also note that the study has yet to be reproduced to determine scientific merit.

Even Ann Martin, the author who took on the commercial pet food industry, calling them to task for the unhealthy ingredients used in pet food, does not support the raw food diet. In a Better Nutrition article, June 2005, she notes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had found that a high percentage of raw meat contains at least one form of bacteria. She quotes a veterinarian who explains that certainly it was normal in the wild for wolves to eat raw meat, but it was also normal for wolves to occasionally die of salmonella poisoning.

She describes a study in the Journal of the American Animal Health Hospital Association that showed that two cats became sickened by salmonella in raw food that led to their deaths and that the bacterial cultures of the cats and the meat were identical.

Although there are many examples of cats living a healthier and longer life on a raw diet, there are no clear evident to proof the benefits of the raw diet, and how much, if any bacteria, can be destroyed by the cats stomach acids. If you are considering changing your cats diet, it is recommended to talk to your veterinarian first.

Moses Wright is the webmaster of Feline Cat Diet. More helpful information on Commercial Cat Food and Special Medical Cat Diet can be found on his website. You are welcome to reprint this article if the content and live link are keep intact.

Why You Should Stay Away From Diet Pills
Diet pills or as they are commonly known appetite suppressants, are being doctor prescribed all the way from the 1950s. Early...

How To Choose The Best Cat Food Brands Your Cat Deserves
From Purina, Friskies, 9Lives to Lams, there are so many cat food manufactures out there with large corporation owning severa...

Commercial Cat Food - Should I Feed My Precious Cat Canned or Dry Food?
With the current busy lifestyle that we are leading in modern days, few cat owners can be blamed for feeding their cat commer...

How Healthy Diet Can Help You Burn Fat
Healthy diet is one of the initial steps you must look in to when you begin thinking about how to increase your metabolism. Y...

Is All Natural Carpet Cleaning For Me?
Carpet cleaning has changed quite a bit over the last few years. It used to be that you had no choice in carpet cleaning chem...

What Supplements To Take For Memory Improvement?
In the recent years, natural supplements have gained a lot of popularity in improving health and overall well being. Naturall...

Keep Your Pet Happy With Dog Health Insurance
It is said that dog is man's best friend....... And sometimes more than it, it takes a place in your heart and becomes an int...

Relieve Stress With Completely Natural Techniques
We are surrounded by stressful situations. In our modern life, it is hard to avoid. Our life pace is busy and hectic. Learni...

Natural Anxiety Cures On The Spot
Natural anxiety cures can be the solution you had been hoping for if you have been struggling with anxiety. Do you have poor ...

How to Lose Body Fat Fast
Baby fat has become the biggest problem for women after delivery. Unless you control it in time, even you are at a high risk....

Make Pet Care An Easy Task With Dog Health Insurance
The woof of a dog can be the most pleasant sound to a doting pet owner and especially after a tiring day at work. Even health...

Adrenal Fatigue Treatment - Four Ways to Restore Your Vitality
Committing to an adrenal fatigue treatment plan is critical to recovering from stress overload. Putting the pieces of your he...

Important Nutritional Information on Cat Food
Cat Food Fact #1 Cats must get their ProteinProtein is crucial for your cats health, and generally comes from fish, meat or p...

What Is Affordable Pet Health Insurance?
If we are honest nothing is ever more dear to your heart than your pet! Doesn't matter if it is a cat, dog, rabbit or a pytho...

Flax Seed for a Health-Conscious Household - Even Kitty
What does a regular American household aspire for these days? Owning a modest brick house in the suburbs and a lifestyle fina...

Loss of A Beloved Cat
Have you experienced the loss of your beloved cat? If you have, you know that it is not easy. It was a year ago today that ...

Nocturnal Panic Attacks
Around half of all people who suffer from panic disorder will experience a nocturnal panic attack. While panic attacks durin...

The Beauty of Natural Slate Flooring
Add some elegance and sophistication to your home! This time, try natural slate flooring for your home, office space or any o...

Why Are Cats Getting Fatter?
In todays fast food world it is a sad fact that it is not only the human population that are becoming fatter. Our pet cats ar...

How to Cope with Stress
In business, stress is often associated with the demands of the career or with work and family imbalance. To avoid burnout, t...