What meats do I use and where can I buy them?

Muscle and organ meats are the most essential foods for cats, and special care should be applied when selecting them. Meats must be raw, fresh (e.g. not spoiled) and preferably not previously frozen. Heat processing of meat will destroy or alter most essential nutrients. Feeding cats cooked meat therefore leads to deficiencies and results in poor health, and ultimately to a premature death.

With the Instincts raw diet premix you have choice and control over the primary ingredient in your cat’s food: the meat. Instincts is equally suited for care givers who want a pure, organic food for their cat, as well as care givers who want the best food for their cat without spending a small fortune. It is your choice! During our studies and research we have tried nearly all possible sources of meat for our cats’ food, and the following list demonstrates how creative you can get, depending on your resources and preferences.

Cuts of meat from the grocery store/ super market.

Your typical grocery store or supermarket offers a variety of cuts from chicken, turkey, beef, or lamb that you can either grind or cut into small chunks at home or buy already ground. For many years these meats represented the staple for our own cats, and most often we bought the meats already ground to safe on labour.
When buying ground meats make sure they are very fresh. Especially turkey meats develop an off-flavour. Also choose leaner ground meats and avoid regular hamburger and sausage meats.

Organic/ specialty meats from the health food store.

Health food stores offer a variety of free range, un-medicated meats like beef, buffalo, venison, chicken, turkey, and even emu. A great choice for your cat, the sustainable farming, and the planet, but often not affordable to the multi cat household.

Specialty meats from the meat packer.

Buy the same meats available at health food stores directly from the meat packer/ distributor for half the price! Try rabbit, caribou, or muskox, too. However, be prepared to make a lot of cat food at once, because meat packers only sell in larger quantities.

Meat from farmers.

This is a great way to buy the best quality meat for your family and your cat. Buy a half side of beef or lamb, have it cut and wrapped, and stash it in your chest freezer for a year supply of meat for everyone! Chicken and Turkey can be bought this way, too, but still need to be de-boned.

Meat raised on our own farm.

Yes … we are fortunate to be living in the country on a small farm where we can raise our own animals for butcher. It is a lifestyle that takes a lot of work and is not likely one you choose just for your cat (although he/she would probably love it). It made the list, because it is an option. It appears that a number of people in North America are drawn back to the farming tradition … if only as a hobby.

Meat from hunting.

Hunting is a highly regulated recreational activity with deep roots and lots of tradition. Today it goes hand in hand with governmental conservation efforts and population control, and hunters cannot go out any time of the year shooting whatever moves. If your family or a friend hunts, meat from deer, elk, moose, and goat makes great food for your cat. Do not feed meat from predatory animals like bear to your cat to prevent infecting your cat with parasites.

Road kill.

Why not? Thousands of deer, elk, and moose die on our roads from collisions with vehicles every year. If the carcass does not end up in the ditch, it is picked up by the highway maintenance crew and dumped in the woods or carted to the rendering plant. When driving on the road especially at night, it is not difficult to spot a recent casualty. If you are a practical person why not utilize this resource? Feline Future used to have an agreement with the local highway maintenance crew from whom we received all fresh road kill deer for a number of years.

• All meats may be served ground or chopped into small cubes.
• Feed a variety of meats to your cat. This provides stimulation, prevents fixation, and guarantees a well-balanced meal plan.
• Leaner meats are preferredover very fatty meats like regular ground hamburger, chicken with skin, or ground lamb. A high fat content in meat disturbs the proper digestion of the food. However, meat that is too lean like skinless breast meat from chicken and turkey is not a good choice for your cat long term either, causing a deficiency in essential fatty acids (Omega 6). Feeding lean meats only for a long period of time may leave your cat hungry all the time and the fur may no longer be glossy. 
• When using InstinctsTC, if possible, choose liver from the same type of animal as the meat used in preparing your cat’s food. We have observed that combining different types of meats and livers in the same meal can lead to indigestion. However, if you cannot match up meat and liver, please don’t omit the liver altogether. Liver is an essential part of your cat’s diet. Instead, prepare your cat’s food with miss-match meat and liver. If your cat does not regurgitate her food, it is perfectly safe to continue feeding the miss-matched meal. Or you can purchase InstinctsPLUS, which already contains liver and appears to be compatible with all meats.
• Do not feed raw fish, because it leads to a deficiency of the vitamin Thiamine. Feed fish very sparingly, cooked, as treats only.

Readily available meat choices we can suggest:

… or try more exotic meats such as ostrich, buffalo, caribou, elk, moose, muskox, goose, duck, or pheasant.