Feeding Raw


Your Savannah is already being raised on a premium quality raw mix exclusive to our cattery.


Savannah Cats are ObliGate Carnivores


What does this mean?
~ The term Obligate Carnivore specifically refers to the cats diet. Your Savannah will benefit most from having a diet rich in animal sourced proteins, carbohydrates, fat, as well as minerals and amino acids required for metabolic function. They will not get as much benefit from diets containing things like cooked starches, vegetables, and/or fruit.

In plain and simple terms-your cat needs to eat meat to live!

~ Savannah Cats Specifically have a hard time digesting corn, brewers' rice, and certain types of yeast. It is imperative to their long term health we avoid these ingredients in their food.


Cooked VS. Raw Feeding
What is the best road for you?


How do we decide if switching to raw feeding is right for our home?
~ Savannah cats need to eat meat. Thankfully most cooked cat foods are made with meat! The difference between cooked and raw recipes, other than the fact one is cooked-is usually the overall percentage of meat and Meat Sourced Ingredients. Raw food has an undoubtedly higher value of nutrition to obligate carnivores, as long as the recipe is prepared properly and with ingredients to make it balanced. Throwing a chicken breast down for your cat to eat is not feeding them a raw food diet. And likewise, some dry kibbles are not worth the $ you will be saving. Good dry/cooked food recipes cost upwards of $70CAD++/16lbs. A good raw food recipe will cost you about the same, if not a little less since you can do some of the processing yourself.

What are Meat Sourced Ingredients?
~ Animal Products in processed (in most cases, also cooked) cat foods can go by many names. In this example we are going to talk about chicken only. Ground Chicken, Chicken Meal, Chicken By-Product-what is all this mean? Well, "Ground" is exactly that, the whole ground animal (except for organs, and certain parts of the body) While "Meal" is made from the scraps that don't quite make the cut to be called "Whole Ground" Chicken. "By-Product" actually refers to the result of the first two processing steps; this is what is leftover. Sounds yuck-however due to the processing style, it still contains some vital nutrients and minerals that would otherwise be lost.

Can I buy Dry Cooked Kibbles and feed that to my Savannah?
~ A lot of dry food recipes are not suitable for your Savannah cat. When thinking about a dry food to choose over a raw food diet for your Savannah we are looking at the first 5-10 ingredients primarily, found on the list on the bag. The Meat Source Ingredients mentioned above should appear exclusively within the first 5 ingredients, and be several, if not all, of the next 6-10 ingredients in the list. If you see Corn, Rice, Wheat, or even Peas right up at the top in the first few ingredients (1-3) - this is a major indicator this food is not a suitable diet for your Savannah cat. Continuing down the list of ingredients you will see everything from fruits, vegetables, cooked starches, herbs and more meat/meat sourced ingredients. Midway through, towards the end of the list of ingredients we will see supplements designed to ensure that the food meets the NRC/AAFCO Nutritional Guidelines. Sometimes these ingredients are formulated to meet/exceed importation standards (ie, Canada importing cat food from USA) as well as meet those nutritional guidelines.

What does "80-10-10" mean & why are these numbers relevant?
~ An 80-10-10 diet (for raw fed cats) refers to an overall percentage of contents. When choosing a raw food diet we are looking for 80% whole ground muscle (no bones), 10% organs (like heart, liver, and other secreting organs), & 10% bone. Foods that do not display this particular set of numbers on the package are not formulated with the same contents-even when it's on the same site by the same brand. Foods with "80-10-10" (without a breakdown of what each percentage entails) sometimes refer to 10% fruit/vegetable content. That 10% has to come from somewhere, so it is important to look at what what the fruit/vegetables will be replacing & how it will impact your carnivore. You can always add some vegetable content yourself.

What does "RMB" mean & why is it important?
~ The term "RMB" refers to a "Raw Meaty Bone" diet. This is exactly how it sounds - raw, uncooked muscle meats still attached to bone. This can be an extremely challenging and restrictive diet. Local pet stores sell RMB diets by the box, however we do not recommend feeding this to your Savannah cat without consulting an actively licensed feline nutritionist for guidance.

What does "Live Prey" mean & why do we care?
~ Some breeders feed "Live Prey" to their oblique carnivores. This is also more or less how it sounds, It involves teaching your carnivore to eat an animal promptly after killing it. In this example we are referring to chick/chicklets, aka young (Day Old Chicks) chickens. This style of raw feeding can be messy, emotional, frustrating, and also somewhat restrictive due to sourcing. We do not recommend this feeding style for your pet unless you consult an actively licensed feline nutritionist for guidance.

Adding your own veggies:
~ Vegetables in your cats diet are not without some benefit. For example, small amounts of raw pumpkin can be used to increase fibre in their diet. It's important to note that obligate carnivores have a lower Bio-Availability when it comes to cooked starches, fruits & vegetables. Bio-Availability refers to how much of certain nutrients your cat actually derives from these foods. This can vary based on cooked, raw, and type of vegetable, fruit or starch. Because of this we recommend no more than 3% of your cats overall diet be sourced from anything other than meat.

Balancing your carnivore's diet:
~ It's extremely important to feed your cat a balanced diet that includes all the amino acids, proteins, fats, micro & macro nutrients that your cat needs. As mentioned above; buying cuts of, or ground, meat from the grocery store & giving it to your cat simply will not keep them in adequate health. The risks of an unbalanced diet can affect your new family member in as little as a matter of days, which is why it is so important to decide the best practice of feeding for your family before bringing your family member home.


Dry, Wet, Cooked or Raw

Whether you decide to feed a mix of dry and wet cooked food, or continue feeding raw to your new Savannah cat-we want to know!

We have recommendations for all price ranges & lifestyles, based on the continued health of your Savannah cat.