A Retrospective Look

There’s a lot to unpack here, because there are so many compelling reasons to feed raw, to make it at home, and to use TCfeline as your guide. This page explores those reasons from a place of lived experience. I’ll take an honest, reflective look at feeding homemade raw cat food, based on three decades of feeding my own group of cats.

What Were Our Expectations in 1995?

In the late 1990s, the raw feeding movement was fresh, hopeful, and, at times, carried a touch of youthful overconfidence. Back then, going back to “what cats eat in the wild” was sometimes spoken about as a cure-all. But how much of that idealism has actually stood the test of time?

Let’s begin with the reason many people consider switching to raw feeding in the first place:
To prevent illness.

Back then, the idea wasn’t just to prevent disease—it was to cure it. Today, we take a more measured approach.

That said, I can speak with confidence about what I’ve observed in my own study group of cats. While I can’t explain exactly why these conditions haven’t occurred, I can say definitively that they haven’t:

• Bladder stones (both struvite and oxalate)
• Chronic Irritable/Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)
• Diabetes
• Obesity or difficulty maintaining a healthy, lean weight

That’s four of the eight most common non-infectious, non-parasitic diseases in cats prevented—and these results are reproducible.

What About Chronic Kidney Disease?

Thirty years ago, I hoped that the high moisture content of a raw diet might also prevent Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). Sadly, it turns out there are other factors at play—primarily inflammation and oxidative stress linked to ageing. The urinary system appears to be a weak point in feline physiology, and for many cats, the kidneys seem to have a natural “expiry date”.

In my male cats with CKD, the average age of noticeable decline in kidney function was 15–17 years. On average, they lived for another three years with appropriate care. Interestingly, this has affected my male cats more than my females—especially those males with a history of urine spraying.

My female cats haven’t shown measurable changes in kidney values, though it’s important to note that blood test abnormalities typically only appear after roughly 75% of kidney function has already been lost.

Acute kidney failure has been the cause of death in several of my female cats, often as a secondary complication to another sudden illness or conditions such as Hyperthyroidism.

What About Hyperthyroidism?

Hyperthyroidism is another of the most common diseases in ageing cats, and yes, it does occur in raw-fed cats. Early theories suggested it might be caused by excessive iodine in the diet, but analyses of the raw diet have consistently shown iodine levels on the low end.

Now, researchers are exploring a different theory: that chronic iodine deficiency might actually trigger the abnormal growth of the thyroid gland—similar to goitre in humans. In response, TCfeline is now fortified with iodine at levels comparable to what’s found in wild prey. That’s because meats, and most other foods, are naturally poor sources of iodine. Wild cats likely meet their iodine needs by consuming the thyroid glands of their prey.

Cancer and Ageing

Cancer has not played a major role in the health journey of my cats. It’s notoriously difficult to diagnose in cats and can be the hidden cause behind a slow decline in older animals that don’t respond to typical treatments.

One of the supervising vets of my study group once said, referring to cats:

“If you’re lucky enough to live long enough, you’ll get kidney disease, hyperthyroidism, and/or cancer.”

He wasn’t being flippant—just realistic. And I’ve come to see his point. If a cat develops CKD, hyperthyroidism, or cancer at 16 or 17 years of age, and then lives another 2–3 years with supportive care, I wouldn’t consider that a failure of the raw diet.

The Ongoing Challenge of Dental Disease

Dental disease is one of the hardest conditions to fully prevent. There’s a genetic component, and enamel strength is influenced by a kitten’s early development—factors that can’t be changed later in life.

It’s also nearly impossible to replicate the natural tooth-cleaning effect of chewing whole, furry prey. While feeding raw doesn’t contribute to dental disease more than commercial food, claims that dry kibble “cleans teeth” are a complete myth.

All food residue—regardless of type—is used by oral bacteria to produce plaque, which forms into tartar unless manually removed. Wild cats, including those studied in collar-monitoring projects, often develop tartar as well. Dental disease exists in wild populations; it’s not solely a consequence of domestic diets. Learn more about Dental Health and feeding a raw diet.

My Jakarta street cat Indi consuming a Meadow Vole.

Approximately 1/3 of owned companion cats in Canada have uncontrolled outdoor access and are inadvertently “raw fed” through predation on small wildlife, rats, and house mice. Figures are similar in the USA, while they are in reverse for the UK, Europe, Australia and New Zealand with 2/3 of owned cats allowed uncontrolled outdoor access. This occurs without objection from veterinarians, who do not appear overly concerned about the considerable risk of infection from bacteria, viruses, and parasites in wild prey—risks seemingly accepted as part and parcel of having a cat. This stands in stark contrast and contradiction to their strong opposition to the intentional feeding of a raw meat diet, which poses a lesser risk of infection with disease-causing organisms.

Why Feed Raw?

To Avoid Ultra-Processed Foods

We now understand that ageing and disease are closely linked to inflammation and the immune system. Much of today’s anti-ageing research—and research into extending our “health span”—focuses on ways to reduce inflammation, limit oxidative stress, and support immune function.

Food plays a vital role in all of this. A good diet can help combat inflammation and oxidative stress while supporting the immune system. It’s now widely accepted that ultra-processed foods fuel inflammatory processes and provide very few antioxidants. They’re also a major contributor to obesity, which in itself is a driver of inflammation.

Dry and canned cat foods are undeniably ultra-processed. The raw materials used in their production typically come from factory farming as by-products—recovered and repurposed more for profit than nutrition. Before these by-products even reach the pet food plant, they’ve already undergone several stages of processing.

Most of the “meat” ingredients in commercial pet foods are actually rendered and spray-dried animal protein powders. These arrive at the manufacturing site in bulk (often in tonne-sized bags or rail containers) and are then rehydrated, mixed with plant-based meals, fortified with synthetic vitamins and minerals, and finally heat-extruded into kibble or pressure-cooked into cans. Ironically, the heat-processing step often destroys many of the nutrients just added.

If we apply what we know about the effects of ultra-processed foods on humans to our pets, then it’s reasonable to conclude that these commercial diets contribute to inflammation and oxidative stress in cats too.

To Prevent Obesity

Dry food is by far the most popular type of cat food—largely because it’s affordable, palatable, and convenient. It’s also what many breeders, shelters, and vets recommend.

But it’s very easy to overfeed cats on dry food. Pet owners are often encouraged to leave it out all day (free-feeding), or they underestimate how calorically dense it is. Because most of the water and volume has been removed, the average adult cat only needs around 2–3 tablespoons per day to meet their energy needs. That’s not much—and when overfed, weight gain can happen quickly.

The problem is, it’s extremely difficult to help cats lose weight once they become obese. Cats rely heavily on protein for energy, and they convert dietary carbohydrates straight into body fat. Worse, they’re not good at accessing energy from their fat reserves. This can lead to hepatic lipidosis, a dangerous and potentially fatal condition in which the liver becomes overwhelmed by mobilised fat.

Obesity contributes to inflammation, hastens ageing, and raises the risk of disease. Studies in humans and other animals show that calorie restriction and intermittent fasting may extend lifespan. While we don’t yet have the same studies in cats, the principles likely apply. All of this makes a strong case for feeding dry food sparingly—if at all.

Because of Microbes – Wait, What?

One of the main objections raised by critics of raw feeding is the potential risk of bacterial contamination. But in over 30 years of feeding 51 cats a raw diet—amounting to roughly 11 tonnes of raw meat—I’ve never had a cat of any age fall ill from a food-borne bacterial infection.

The one pathogen from meat that raises concern in cats is Salmonella. Even so, the risk remains limited in healthy adult cats. While Salmonellosis can be fatal in both cats and humans, it is rarely fatal in either. In humans, accidental ingestion usually results in mild symptoms, unless the individual is very young, very old, or has underlying health issues. Most cats do not exhibit signs of illness at all. Birds and reptiles are the most common natural reservoirs of Salmonella. In fact, a most significant risk factor for cats acquiring the infection is through hunting wild birds. This has led to the colloquial term “Songbird Fever” being used to describe Salmonellosis in cats. It is worth noting that while many veterinarians express strong concern over feeding fresh raw meat, they are generally less alarmed by their clients’ cats hunting and consuming wild prey—despite this being a well-established route of Salmonella transmission. This contradiction highlights a disconnect that deserves further scrutiny.

Throughout this site, I consistently recommend against feeding raw poultry. If you are preparing raw food at home—particularly for kittens or senior cats—red meats such as beef, lamb, or venison are a safer alternative. Poultry can certainly be included in a feline diet, but it is best offered cooked to minimise any risk.

Making homemade cat food sustainable in a busy household relies on simplicity—like skipping the unnecessary step of cooking. Raw food also freezes better and maintains a texture that cats enjoy. And the truth is: cats thrive on raw meat.

Yes, raw meat is not sterile. But here the benefits may actually outweigh the risks. Earlier, I mentioned that inflammation, oxidative stress, and immune stagnation are key drivers of disease and ageing. A well-functioning immune system needs to be challenged by small, everyday insults like bacteria, viruses, fungi, and such microbes. Regular, low-dose exposure keeps the immune system primed and responsive.

Before becoming house cats living in meticulously clean environments and eating ultra-processed food, cats encountered microbial “insults” all the time—from prey, from the ground they walked on, from grooming themselves, and from social contact with other cats. These encounters didn’t just stimulate their immune systems—they also helped seed and maintain their microbiome, especially in the digestive tract.

Much of the conversation around raw feeding focuses on harmful bacteria. But we overlook the beneficial microbes cats get from eating raw meat—microbes that support gut health and overall immunity. No sachet of probiotics or spoonful of yoghurt can substitute for the natural, species-appropriate bacteria found in raw meats.

A mounting body of evidence suggests that good health is not possible without a complex and healthy flora of microbes in the gut. These beneficial organisms—our allies—colonise the gut, skin, and mucous membranes, and they come from the natural, living world… and from living foods like raw meat.

To Provide a High-Moisture Diet

The ancestors of our domestic cats—who remain genetically nearly identical to today’s cats—live in dry climates and are well adapted to arid environments where water is scarce. These cats are capable of meeting their entire water requirement from prey, as long as they catch enough of it.

Cats don’t sweat and rarely pant. They also conserve water efficiently by concentrating their urine and extracting every drop of moisture from their faeces. While cats can feel thirst, drinking water doesn’t seem to bring them much pleasure—unlike eating—suggesting that drinking is an emergency response, not a preferred behaviour.

The feline urinary system is finely balanced and easily disrupted. It is, in many ways, their Achilles’ heel. This is why both experts and vets strongly recommend high-moisture diets, which help cats meet their hydration needs through food. Many cats simply do not drink enough water when eating only dry food.

High-moisture diets are widely recognised as having the most significant effect in preventing urinary crystals and bladder stones. Quite simply, more water in the diet means more urine, more often. This flushes the bladder, keeps minerals diluted, and reduces the chances of stone or crystal formation.

To Save Money

Switching from dry food to canned food to improve hydration and protein levels can be prohibitively expensive. On top of that, canned food creates waste: empty tins that need rinsing, storing, and recycling. And while cats often enjoy freshly opened tins, many refuse leftovers—prompting owners to buy more expensive, single-serve tins.

By contrast, feeding a homemade raw diet with TCfeline premix is at least half the cost of feeding canned food.

Here’s a cost comparison:

• The typical cost of canned food per cat is about $150/month or $1,800/year.
• A raw homemade diet using TCfeline costs around $917/year—including 73 lbs of meat at a generous $10/lb, and two pouches of premix with tax and shipping.

Even compared to a mixed diet (half dry, half canned), homemade raw is still cheaper—while offering superior nutrition.

Because It Is Safe

There is no doubt in my mind that feeding a homemade raw diet using TCfeline is safe for cats. I can’t offer peer-reviewed scientific studies, but I can share 30 years of lived experience and long-term observation of 51 individual cats.

Over three decades, I’ve consistently fed my cats a homemade raw diet made with the TCfeline premix. On average, my “study group” consists of 12 cats at any given time. Some are born in my home; others arrive as kittens, adolescents, or adults. All of them remain on the diet for life, with some eating it exclusively for over 20 years.

In total, I’ve prepared and served over 11 tons (22,000 pounds) of raw meat, averaging 2 lbs per day. And in all this time:

• Not a single cat has ever fallen ill from food-borne bacteria or parasites.
• No cat has ever been diagnosed with a nutritional deficiency.

The meats I feed vary widely. Because I feed so many cats, the bulk comes from roadkill deer, with additional meats from farm-raised sheep and cattle, hunted wild game, and considerable amounts of store-bought pork and poultry. I’ve also used quite a bit of grocery store-bought ground beef and, in earlier years, no small number of whole frozen prey like mice and day-old chicks.

To sum it up:
30 years. 51 cats. 11 tons of raw meat. 0 food-borne illnesses. 0 nutritional deficiencies.

Important: My experience is based entirely on feeding a homemade raw diet using my own TCfeline premix, prepared according to my directions. These results cannot be extrapolated to all raw diets or other premix brands. Some premixes do not result in a complete and balanced food, and some commercial frozen raw foods are poorly formulated. Not all raw diets are equal, and not all are researched or created responsibly.

To Oppose Factory Farming and Corporate Greed

Feeding homemade cat food is not only a health decision—it’s also a conscious stand against factory farming and profit-driven corporate food systems.

Modern food production generates vast amounts of by-products. Nearly every item at the supermarket—meat, dairy, eggs, bakery goods, oils, juices, soy products—creates as many by-products as it does products. Rather than paying to dispose of this waste, corporations turn it into profitable animal feed and pet food.

There is an entire industry built on repurposing slaughterhouse and fishing waste, spent dairy cows, laying hens, unwanted male chicks, seed and cereal by-products, fruit pulp, and more—most of it directed towards livestock and pet food. And among these, pet food is the most profitable, because of the emotional bond people have with their pets. This emotional bond is shamelessly exploited.

Now, with raw feeding on the rise, companies are again seeing opportunity. Many commercial frozen raw diets are little more than the next profitable way to use waste. Once again, we’re back to industrial by-products—just dressed up differently.

The only true way to control the quality and source of your cat’s food is to make it yourself.

For me, homemade cat food is part of a broader philosophy. When we begin to care deeply about the needs of one species, such as the strict carnivorous nature of cats, we often find ourselves becoming more mindful of the needs of other species, including the animals we raise for meat.

This awareness creates demand for ethical, sustainable meat, which in turn supports small-scale farming, community resilience, and food sovereignty. It gives people the opportunity to live with the Earth instead of just living off it. That, to me, is the deeper meaning of homemade cat food.

Why Make It Instead of Buying It?

In addition to the earlier point that many frozen raw pet food companies are now profit-driven corporations, I get the feeling that several industry brands have simply adapted their frozen dog food formulas to also capture the growing cat food market. The frozen meals available for dogs and cats are largely made with fatty meats and fresh ground bone, which isn’t ideal for many cats—as we now understand.

To put things in perspective: if I fed 11 tons of meat to 12 cats over 30 years, then a company producing frozen raw food for a customer base of 12,000 cats would use 11 tons of meat every two weeks. So where is all this meat coming from? I venture to guess that it’s not the same quality lean meats you’d find at the grocery store.

Commercial frozen raw foods largely rely on fresh bone in the meat as a calcium source. Balancing a meat-based diet using bone alone requires a significant amount of bone—too much, in fact, for many cats. Young kittens raised on frozen raw diets, for instance, have been presented to veterinarians with rickets caused by calcium deficiency, as they were unable to digest the bone fragments properly. Kittens and adult cats have also been seen with severe constipation and obstipation from excessive bone content, or with struvite bladder stones due to high mineral excretion. The later can be explained by large amounts of excess calcium and phosphorus ending up in the bladder where they formed a stone because urine flow was restricted. Urine flow can become restricted, causing urine retention and incomplete bladder emptying, when large dry fecal material, caused by too much bone in the diet, presses on the urethra.

The high proportion of low-grade protein from bone and the elevated mineral content (especially phosphorus) also pose a problem for older cats. Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is a slow-progressing illness that is notoriously difficult to detect—symptoms and abnormal blood test values usually only show up once 75% of kidney function has been lost. Around 40% of cats aged 10 years and 80% of cats aged 15 years are diagnosed with CKD. Since kidney disease is generally undetectable until it’s quite advanced, it’s reasonable to assume the disease begins developing years earlier. During those early stages, dietary intervention—like reducing macro minerals (especially phosphorus) and switching to high-value protein with a complete amino acid profile—can help slow its progression. Diets high in bone content don’t meet any of these criteria and may actually hasten the loss of kidney function in cats over 10 years old.

Why Use a Premix? For Convenience and Safety

Homemade cat food is a commitment and often not very convenient. There’s nothing wrong with making the process easier by using a product that combines most of the necessary ingredients into a single scoop. It’s not lazy or cutting corners—it’s practical.

TCfeline premix has its roots in my original Do-It-Yourself Cat Food Recipe, which, many years ago, helped ignite the raw feeding movement. The premix is essentially an all-in-one combination of those original recipe ingredients (except the meat), now shaped by 30 years of experience in feline nutrition. It’s a truly researched and scientifically developed product, analysed and tested to ensure it transforms meat into a complete feline diet. It mimics the nutrient profile of a mouse and meets or exceeds the AAFCO Cat Food Nutrient Profiles and the Nutrient Requirements of Cats published by the National Research Council.

It’s no longer just the dry form of the original recipe ingredients—it has become so much more and better.

Why Use TCfeline Premix?

Because I love cats more than I love money. That may be a flaw—one that could land me in a tent under a bridge in old age—but it’s the truth. I started this because I love cats deeply, and that’s still what drives me.

TCfeline is the original, first-ever homemade cat food premix or nutrient completer of its kind. I invented this concept, and others have since copied it as its popularity grew. Two other brands currently on the market were started by former business partners of mine. They didn’t do the research to develop the product—they simply duplicated the idea—and many of their claims stretch beyond what any single premix can responsibly support.

Claims that a single premix is equally suited for kittens and seniors raise red flags. Yes, wild cats eat the same prey throughout life, but wild cats rarely live long enough to become seniors. In a domestic setting, senior cats do exist and do have distinct nutritional needs. That means some premix brands are either too weak to support kittens and breeding queens, or they contain too much of certain nutrients that may not be suitable for older cats. A one-size-fits-all approach is not science—it’s marketing.

With TCfeline, you get the following guarantees:

• You’re buying a product created by the original inventor of the homemade raw cat food premix.
• TCfeline was developed after I had already been making and selling premade frozen raw cat food in Vancouver for years.
• TCfeline has roots in the Feline Future Foundation, a non-profit that developed and freely distributed one of the first DIY raw cat food recipes.
• TCfeline is used daily with my own study group of cats.
• It is tested continuously with in-house feeding trials that span decades—literally—with the same cats, confirming it supports health from kittenhood to old age.
• Every batch of TCfeline is tested in real time by this same group—my quality control team is made of living, breathing cats who eat it every day.
• A select number of these cats are kept for the purpose of reproduction, so their kittens can be weaned onto the diet and raised on it—allowing a full-circle validation of the diet’s suitability from birth through adulthood and beyond.

Gordon’s Wildcat (Felis lybica gordoni) in captivity eating a white rat. The Gordon’s Wildcat is a a subspecies inhabiting the United Arab Emirates and the Sultanate of Oman and in very close proximity to the birthplace of the domestic cat and genetically very close to what is believed to be the direct ancestor of domestic cats. Nearly extinct in the wild, Gordon’s Wildcats are one of the most endangered subspecies of the Wildcat. In 1986, a breeding program was initiated in Abu Dhabi, with a captive male and a wild caught female. Owners of this colony became concerned that the entire subspecies could be wiped out by a catastrophe and sought to establish breeding programs in other areas, sending cats to Germany and California. Video used under license. Credit to Lubos Chlubny. Info Source:International Society for Endangered Cats (ISEC) Canada.