Nature isn’t like us, but it can be understood
and can be loved without wanting to change it.
The domestic cat may seem familiar at first glance, but is in many ways alien upon closer observation. Cats differ from humans in nearly every way. Their social lives, communication, dietary needs and the way they move through the world are often the very opposite of our own. And yet, few animals have found a closer place in the human heart.
The cat has become part of our daily lives, part of our language and culture, and a living embodiment of many of our most noble values. As a companion, the cat is unrivalled.
Look carefully. Before deciding how this animal should live,
first understand what millions of years have already shaped it to be.
Members of the cat family, Felidae, have roamed the Earth for 10 to 15 million years, adapting to life in almost every climate and on nearly every continent. They have taken their place at the top of the food chain as perfect predators.
Understanding that evolutionary journey is the key to understanding their nutritional needs. It would be a mistake to use our own human needs as a guide for how to feed them. Likewise, comparing domestic cats to lions or tigers is nearly as misleading as comparing them to humans or dogs. The small cats deserve to be understood on their own terms.
Fortunately, nature has already written the instruction manual.
Understanding is the first act of respect.
Biologists know what each species of wild cat is adapted to eat, and modern nutritional analysis allows us to examine those foods in remarkable detail. DNA research has confirmed that the domestic cat remains genetically almost unchanged from its original wild ancestor, the African wildcat. We also know from evolutionary studies that each species specialises in a particular ecological niche to ensure survival in the competitive game of life. Taken together, this gives us a surprisingly clear answer to what a domestic cat is designed to eat.
Mice.
That answer is beautifully simple.
The difficult part is convincing ourselves to serve five to eight of them every day.
That practical obstacle is what eventually led me to adopt the motto “Reinvent the Mouse.” Rather than trying to feed whole prey, why not recreate the mouse nutritionally using fresh meat and carefully selected ingredients that are readily available to all of us?
What is this organism telling us about itself?
Cats are true carnivores. They meet their nutritional needs entirely by eating other animals. A diet of small prey, particularly rodents, supplies everything they need and supports their biology that has served cats so well for millions of years.
Over the past few decades, more and more cat owners have become interested in understanding what their cats actually need, rather than simply what happens to come in a bag or a tin. The quality and biological relevance of food have become more important than ever. Many turn to homemade cat food due to ongoing recalls, or because they know that these foods are highly processed. Chronic health issues in cats are another major reason why owners seek alternatives.
Whatever brought you here, you’re are among a large number of people with curiosity and conviction that cat food is something that can be homemade.
Preparing homemade cat food gives you control over the quality and source of the meat you feed. More importantly, it changes the way you look at your cat. You stop seeing a pet that needs feeding and begin seeing a beautifully engineered small predator whose needs suddenly make perfect sense. Once that happens, making homemade food no longer feels complicated. It simply feels logical.
Feline Future exists to help people understand cats.
This website—and my work as a whole—is a celebration of the cat: a marvel of adaptation, a charismatic, powerful and graceful athlete. It is also a celebration of curiosity, independence, self-reliance, new ideas, and the revival of old skills. As a lifelong cat enthusiast, I hope you’ll find yourself inspired and thought-provoked. Understanding your own backyard predator can become a stepping stone toward a better understanding of the natural world.
While cats are often thought of as easy, low-maintenance companions, living with one can become an engaging and deeply rewarding hobby. Cats are specialised in their habits and unyielding in their needs. The more closely you observe a cat, the more questions seem to appear. Why don’t they chew? Why do they hardly drink? Why do they love to sit in our lap? How can they jump in one leap from the floor onto the top of the fridge?
Learning about their behaviour, their biology, and their nutritional needs offers us a glimpse into the wild nature from which they came.
The domestic cat is an opportunity for humanity
to love something exactly as it is, without wanting to change it.
Perhaps that’s where the journey really begins.
If understanding one familiar predator helps us appreciate the natural world that shaped it, might it also encourage us to look differently at its wild relatives still living in our forests, grasslands, mountains and deserts?
Caring for a companion animal connects us to something much larger than ourselves: the world of finite resources we all depend on and share.
