Is Canned Cat Food Cooked Or Raw?

On the other hand, wild cats only eat raw food, so a cooked diet isn’t natural for them. The raw cat diet is becoming exceedingly popular as more owners learn about its benefits.

Canned cat food can be both cooked and raw. Each has pros and cons, so whether to feed your cat cooked or raw food is up to you.

To make a well-weighed decision, learn about the risks of feeding cats raw food and how canned cat food is produced.

How Is Canned Cat Food Prepared?

Typically, canned cat food is cooked. The preparation process details differ depending on the manufacturer, but the general steps are the same.

First, the manufacturer chooses ingredients and mixes them according to the recipe, following strict hygiene and safety precautions.

Then, the ingredients are cooked within a sealed can, tray, or pouch. Most cat food manufacturers boil their products.

One would think that cooking cat food in a large container and distributing it in cans afterward would be easier, and this might be true. But the reason cat food is cooked right in the can is hygiene.

This way, the can or pouch remains sterile until the product is opened. Heat eliminates bacteria that might contaminate raw meat and other ingredients.

If food was cooked outside the can, it could have become contaminated while transferred into the can. Manufacturers also sterilize cans and pouches before cooking.

The cooking temperature and duration depend on the ingredients, but manufacturers strictly control them to ensure safety and flavor. Afterward, the food is cooled, labeled, and stored in the warehouse.

Cooking makes cat food safer and longer-lasting and helps mix the ingredients into an even mass. Whether cooked cat food tastes better is a topic for debate.

Is Canned Cat Food Processed?

Yes, canned cat food is always processed. Processed foods aren’t always bad – food processing can refer to basic actions such as canning, chopping, cooking, and cooling.

So, most of the food you eat is processed because you don’t eat it in its natural state – for example, soup or lasagna are processed, while fresh strawberries aren’t.

However, some ingredients, such as sugar, salt, and oils, can make processed food less healthy. Low-quality cat food, too, can contain dangerous amounts of fats and salt, but these ingredients are essential for your cat in moderation.

Does Canned Cat Food Contain Preservatives?

The shelf life of canned cat food is short, so many manufacturers add preservatives to prolong it. Not all preservatives are equal, so you should know the canned cat food ingredients to avoid.

Some natural preservatives in canned cat food are perfectly safe for your pet. They are essential to ensure your cat’s food remains safe for longer and doesn’t cause food poisoning.

Natural preservatives safe for cats include mixed tocopherols, citric acid, sorbic acid, ascorbic acid, rosemary, rosemary extract, sage, and clove.

Usually, preservatives are at the end of the ingredient list. Some canned cat food doesn’t contain preservatives at all.

However, natural preservatives are more expensive and not as effective as artificial ones, so some manufacturers use chemicals potentially dangerous to feline health.

BHA and BHT are the most common artificial preservatives in canned and dry cat food that might have a long-term effect on your cat’s health.

According to the World Health Organization, BHA and BHT are possible carcinogens. Another widespread preservative in cat food is ethoxyquin, which has also been linked with increased cancer risk in numerous studies.

The European Union and Australia have banned this preservative from use in pet food, but manufacturers in the United States still use it.

The FDA has received numerous reports of pet owners concerned about the consequences of ethoxyquin consumption.

Other artificial preservatives in canned cat food include Tertiary butylhydroquinone (TBHQ), propylene glycol, propyl gallate, and sodium metabisulphite.

Is There Raw Canned Cat Food?

Although most wet cat food on the market is cooked, some brands sell raw cat food. Raw food provides cats with a prey-like diet, enhancing their hunting instincts.

Many cat owners feed their cats a homemade raw diet, but is canned raw food safe for cats? Doesn’t it go bad too fast because it isn’t cooked?

Raw cat food is safe because it contains natural preservatives like rosemary extract and citric acid. It can be made from meat, poultry, and seafood, sometimes with vegetables and grains.

Which Is Better – Cooked or Raw?

When choosing between raw vs. cooked cat food, consider the benefits and risks of both diets.

The most apparent benefit of a raw diet for cats is improved digestion. This point might seem counterintuitive because humans better digest cooked food.

However, cats are carnivores, and their gastroenteric tract has evolved to digest raw meat. The feline digestive tract processes raw meat quickly, so bacteria don’t have time to thrive unless a cat has constipation.

A raw diet also reportedly reduces cat stool odor and volume because a cat’s body uses most of the food for energy and muscle maintenance.

A cat’s stool might become dry and crumbly, with little to no smell, which makes sense because cats in the wild strive to leave minimum traces to prevent other animals from hunting them.

When a cat’s system struggles to digest food, it produces more waste. Proper digestion improves coat and skin conditions, decreasing shedding and eliminating hairball problems.

Owners who have switched their pets to an all-raw diet often report that their cats have more energy. A raw diet rich in protein also helps overweight cats normalize their weight.

Lastly, a raw diet benefits feline dental health because chewing on raw bones and tough meat helps cats clean their teeth. Plague buildup usually results from food high in carbs.

Before you decide to switch your cat to a raw diet after reading about its benefits, we should note that many of these pros come from high meat content rather than the food being raw.

Low-quality wet cat food and kibble are high in carbs, leading to digestion issues, dull coat, weight gain, and poor dental health. However, high-quality cooked food can be equally rich in protein.

The most significant drawback of raw food for cats is questionable safety and short shelf life. Natural preservatives cannot make raw meat last for months, so the cat should consume the food quickly.

Plus, even with all precautions, there’s always a risk of raw meat being contaminated with harmful bacteria. Observing safety guidelines isn’t easy, so high-quality raw cat food tends to be expensive.

Cooked canned food is cheaper, has a longer shelf life, and is less likely to be contaminated with bacteria. However, some brands contain thickening agents and are too high in carbs.

Because cooked food is softer, it doesn’t help maintain cat teeth’ cleanliness and can promote tartar buildup.

As for which is tastier, answers vary. Some cats prefer raw food, whereas others are accustomed to eating cooked food and find a raw diet odd.

It’s more about food quality than its cooking method. Ensure that your cat’s canned food is high in protein, low in carbs, rich in microelements, and doesn’t contain artificial preservatives.

Should You Cook DIY Cat Food?

Many cat owners prefer to feed their pets homemade food, which is understandable because you can be sure about the ingredient quality and amount. However, the answer to whether you should cook homemade cat food isn’t straightforward.

Homemade raw cat food is generally safer than commercially produced raw food because you know the ingredients are fresh. You can hand-pick the best meat and add-ons from trusted sellers.

However, even expensive raw meat from a trustworthy supplier can be contaminated with bacteria. Raw beef and lamb are the safest options, but vets don’t recommend raw fish and pork for cats.

Small bones in raw meat are a choking hazard. You don’t necessarily need to cook meat to remove the bones, but you should at least cut it into small pieces.

Although the odds of raw meat being contaminated with pathogens are low, the best option is to boil your cat’s food for about 10 minutes. This way, the meat will preserve its flavor, but harmful bacteria will die.

Some DIY cat food recipes include raw eggs. However, raw eggs can be infected with salmonella, which causes severe gastroenteric upset, so it’s best to boil eggs before giving them to your cat.

Vegetables are also better boiled. Cats are carnivores, so their gastroenteric tract cannot break down carbs properly. Boiling or steaming makes vegetables softer and easier to digest, reducing the risk of constipation.

However, if your cat prefers raw food, there’s no harm in feeding it a raw diet as long as you wash the ingredients, buy meat from a trusted supplier, and follow safety precautions.

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