Bengal Cat Diet Guide 2023

Firstly, we must understand that for a Raw Meat Diet, you must understand what a healthy diet looks like for any Cat. You see, all domesticated cats have the exact dietary needs as each other. That’s because, in the wild, they would have eaten the same things. They are Meat eating Carnivores, and so would not get their protein from plants or vegetables. The cats in the wild would eat it all, bone, offal, fur, and everything else that a dead body would provide; it’s that simple.

Because cats are now domesticated, well within households anyway, that’s another subject!. They still need proteins and associated nutrients to have the best healthy diet possible. Cat food manufacturers offer all sorts of pre-prepared food; these come in the standard types of tinned wet, Dried, and Raw. So what is a Bengal Cat Diet and why is it so important?

Let’s put this into perspective, you are what you eat, and pets are similar to us. Also, it is worth pointing out at this stage, Never Ever feed cooked Chicken Bones to your Bengal Cat. These can be very brittle and could splinter and cause damage to their mouths and intestines, stomachs, and so on. It is just not worth the risk!

You see a cat needs a varied diet, but you should always be mindful when purchasing any pre-made foods to ensure that they don’t have any nasties in them such as these below:

So you see from this list above, there is a lot to consider. Fear not because you can make the little differences in choosing the right cat food by checking the labels.

The Bengal Cat Diet is very important, but we are not saying you don’t feed your cats any other food! Nope, not at all, but a little knowledge goes a long way to help protect your cat. They will thank you for it later on down the line as they get older.

So, let’s get back on track and talk about Raw Food. It is commonly known that a cat’s digestive system is specially adapted to handle raw meat. This does not change because the cat lives at home with you.

The digestive system is way shorter than that of a human being, so it can process fat and proteins much quicker than a human can. Actually, it’s about 15 hours compared to a human, which is anywhere from 35 to 55 hours.

We advise cutting your meat into about half-inch chunks unless you feed Kittens. If you’re feeding kittens, it will be minced fine for the first few months from going onto solids. The reason for giving your cat meat cut into small-sized chunks is because of the gastrointestinal tract. All cats are genetically made to tear into the meat using their strong jaws. You also find that they swallow them whole with minimal chewing. The insides of your furry feline’s intestines are developed so that it aggressively digests food rapidly, especially meat.

Grinding the meat up interferes with this and changes the digestion process. It would then also interfere with the significant absorption of nutrients. This is because it would pass through too quickly, you see.

I think we have established that Cats are not humans meaning they do not require fruit or vegetables to supplement their diet. Again this is clever marketing and they use these ingredients because they are cheaper and it seems more appearing to the human-cat owners too.

Did you know that cats actually cannot turn plant matter into usable energy?. Most people do not know this do a search and you’ll find out.

What is also known about this Bengal Cat diet is that they need a supplement called Taurine. This is essential, and it comes from Animal Offal. The secreting types are better, such as the Kidneys, Liver. However, also, Hearts are good and contain a lower amount but are still good to add. Also, vitamin A is needed, and this is retaken from raw meat. A cat cannot make this up in its body, so it requires this through food intake.

In addition to the above, they also require something called Arachidonic Acid. This is beneficial, especially during its life stages of growth, lactation, and gestation periods. Arachidonic acid is found easily in animal organs. This can be obtained effectively by having a tailor-made Bengal Cat Diet, another reason to feed them Raw food.

Everyone who has had a cat knows it’s a rollercoaster ride cleaning the Litter Tray out. One day it’s all stinky and damp and gross, and the next, it’s a bit better but still stinky, never consistent.

That’s because a dry kibble diet produces a lot of waste. After all, most of it goes straight through and into the litter box. The cat does not get much from it compared to the raw version of a diet. So, in contrast, it is healthier and produces smaller, low-volume stools and, yes, less smelly.

The bone is partly helping here too, and it keeps the faeces hard and almost odourless. You have to get the balance ratio of the recipe correct. This is explained further on with a fantastic balanced recipe for you to use.

At Trinity Lodge, we make our own scrummy food, ensuring that all the health benefits are in there. Two great things about making our own is that you know what’s gone into it, period. The other is that it’s cheaper than the well-known breeder’s pre-made raw food, which costs around £4.80 per 480g.

I can make 1KG for just over £2 if you shop wisely. That’s a considerable saving compared to pre-made Raw Food. You need to set an hour aside and crack on!. Our recipe is a well-balanced diet; it contains meat, a percentage of bone, offal, Taurine, and some Omega-3 Oils with some Vitamin supplements. So let’s crack on with the recipe.

Just a word of Warning, though, do not give your cat Cod Liver Oil. This is very high in vitamin A; while we need this vitamin, Cod Liver Oils have high concentrations. So much so it would be too much for a cat if given in large quantities; it could be toxic.

So remember, vitamin A is good, but leave out the Cod Liver Oil and go for Salmon or Fish Oil. Salmon oil smells, so your cat might not like it; who knows, but Fish Oil is a safer bet because it’s odour free to an extent.

So what is the perfect Bengal Cat Diet plan? well, we use 4KG of chicken thighs; we get these at 1.75 a Kilo from our local supermarket. These have the bone in and also have the skins on too. Remove about 20 to 25% of the bone from the meat used. For example, if you use ten thighs, take out the bone from two. This keeps the calcium/phosphorus ratio correct. Remove the skin from half of the thighs.

14 ounces – (400 grams) of raw chicken liver

28 ounces – (800 grams) of raw chicken heart

16 ounces – (.48 litre) water

8 – raw egg yolks

4000 mg – Taurine. This is in addition to the taurine you may have added if you didn’t use hearts. Taurine is water-soluble, so you don’t have to worry about your cat getting too much.

8000 mg – wild salmon or wild-caught small fish oil

400 mg – vitamin B Complex

400 IU – vitamin E

3 teaspoons – (16.8 grams) Light Iodized Salt or half of normal table salt

8 teaspoons – (16 grams) Psyllium Husk Powder (optional as above)

Start by slicing up the chicken thighs not too small, about half-inch pieces, or smaller if your cats are new to eating raw food. Once the thighs are trimmed, add the bone, heart, and liver to the grinder.

Also, add the fish oil at this point. In a small bowl, add the salt, vitamin B powder, IU vitamin E powder, Taurine powder, egg yolks, and water, then mix all this up. The originator from this Recipe, we use this, and it works for us. They have an online calculator for different weights; pop over and look.

We find the Chicken Necks to be a fantastic source of calcium, mainly because they form part of the Vertebra (spine). You will also find that they have other benefits if you give them whole; they act like toothbrushes.

Rooster Combs are suitable as an extra, along with Chicken cartilage. This is because there is Collagen in there, which creates a perfect diet for your cat’s bones, cartilage, and tendon development. These have minimal if non-nutritional benefits, though, so as stated, they are extra to your cat’s diet.

We do not let our cats eat Lungs though. This is because they have almost no nutritional value and they are high in phosphorus content. However, the Kidneys are a good source of protein. But not all cats are willing to eat kidneys due to their distinctive and sometimes pungent odour.

The Spleen also has very little nutritional value. It is rich in phosphorus and poor in calcium. Like the liver, it can also cause loose stools. We don’t bother with these in our Bengal Cat’s diet.

A worthy note is that when they have a Raw Wet Diet, you will find they drink far less water. This is because the water content of this type of diet is about 76% This amount is more than enough for the cat’s daily intake.

Please remember though your pet cat should always have access to fresh water on tap literally! Others who are on a dry diet will consume lots more water. So don’t worry if their water consumption drops when on wet food, this is normal. Learn more fascinating facts About The Bengal Cat there is a lot to learn, you’ll be surprised!

We understand that this might be too much for you so here are some links to pre-prepared raw meat dishes which you can buy, Natural Instinct & Pureform all do a good job at a price.