Considerations

• Although a natural diet may be healthier for your cat, be aware of the risks involved. The American Veterinary Medical Association recommends that you feed your cats commercial foods since it is more likely to be balanced than a home recipe you've designed yourself.
  
  Before you start your cat on a natural diet, talk with your veterinarian. Consult with an animal nutritionist to develop a healthy, balanced meal plan to ensure your cat is getting all the nutrients she would normally get from her commercial food. Consider buying natural, premade meals for your cat. Several companies now produce natural, unprocessed foods for dogs and cats as a healthy alternative to normal commercial pet food (see Resources section below for more details).
  
  

Transitioning to a Natural Diet

• If your cat has been raised on a dry-food diet, it could take some time for her to adapt to a diet of natural, raw foods. If you've typically left out a bowl of dry food 24 hours a day for your cat to munch on whenever she pleases, your first step is to take that food away and only feed her a set number of times a day. As she gets used to eating only two or three times a day, she will begin to get used to the idea of hunger (instead of just eating whenever she wants).
  
  Next, transition her from dry food to canned food. Once she's taken to that, start adding in small amounts of raw, natural food. If your cat is resistant to the new food, do not force her to eat it. Starving her of the food she likes could cause her to not eat and cause a condition called hepatic lipidosis, a potentially fatal liver disease.
  
  Allow as much time as your cat needs to adapt to the new diet, and don't force her at any stage of the transition. Different cats have different tastes, and some may adapt to a raw, natural diet right away, while others may take quite some time to give up their dry food.