What Do Savannah Cats Eat?

The Savannah Cat Diet:

What Should You Feed Your Savannah Cat?

All cats are carnivores -- meat eaters -- and that means their bodies need and rely on the proteins, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients found solely in meat. Throughout the ages, cats evolved as efficient, skilled hunters that eat raw meat, which is rich in protein, moisture, some fats and  very few or no carbohydrates. Their diets today should still follow this model. Their bodies are designed to process and metabolize a diet rich in protein, moisture and a very limited number or no carbohydrates.

In fact, carbohydrates aren't actually good for cats. Carbs stress their systems, which aren't engineered to process them. We advocate a raw meat diet for Savannah cats, because it is what they are most suited to digesting properly, and it doesn't stress their immune systems. If cats don't get enough protein, their muscles actually begin to atrophy and they become obese from eating too many carbs. To be frank, a diet that's rich in kibble but inadequate in meat protein is setting the cat up for obesity, kidney failure, and many other health issues.

We urge you to adopt a raw meat diet for your Savannah cat or kitten, and science supports this view. 

However, it must be a well balanced raw meat diet. This is the most nutritionally appropriate diet for Savannah cats, and it is the most cost effective choice, as well. It does take planning, however.

Kittens should be fed as much raw food as they want, twice daily, and they will eat a lot! Savannah cats keep growing steadily until they are about two years old, and they need a lot of fuel to keep pace with that rapid growth rate. Adults need about 5-6 percent of their body weight in raw food each day, but they will eat more if it's offered. Savannah cats burn off a lot of calories, rather like high performance athletes do! So they need a lot of raw food to keep their bodies thriving and strong. If you are concerned that your cat is eating too much, or too little, ask your vet immediately about the problem. They can evaluate your cat's physical well being and steer you toward any changes that their diet needs.

And be sure to discuss this topic extensively with your breeder when picking up your kitten. They are experts on Savannah cats!

Feline Nutritional Foundation: Statement of Principle:

"A balanced raw diet includes flesh, organs, a bone or ground bone and a small amount of vegetation...It should match a wild diet, such as mice or rabbit... (but) cats cannot live on meat alone." The statement continues by saying felines should get calcium from bone, not a supplement. They digest raw bones -- not cooked bones, which can be life threatening if shards break off in their throats and choke them when they try to eat it. 

Foods like beef, lamb and pork can provoke allergic reactions, and canned fish may be contaminated. When you adopt your kitten, be sure to ask your breeder how and what to feed your new companion before heading home. Here are some websites to help you learn about cat nutrition:

1) http://www.FelineNutrition.org;

2) http://www.PerfectlyRawsome.com;

3) http://www.haretoday.com/raw_food_feeding_calculator;

For recipes, head to:

http://www.feline-nutrition.org/nutritional/making-raw-cat-food-for-do-it-yourselfers.

What About Canned Cat Food?

Go to any grocery store and you'll see a lot of different canned cat foods on display. But many of them are not nutritionally supportive of your Savannah cat's dietary needs. We recommend you buy only those products with the WSAVA seal of nutritional approval -- that's the World Small Animal Veterinary Association, an international group of more than 200,000 veterinary professionals. Their stamp means that the product you are about to buy meets their rigorous testing standards and is a healthy choice for your cat. The association's mission  is to "advance the health and welfare of companion animals through an educated, committed and collaborative global community of veterinary peers."

To sum up, any canned cat food product that does not carry the WSAVA seal of nutritional approval, its guarantee that the food meets its strict guidelines, is not a product you should choose for your cat.

For more information about this association, its mission statement in full and its recommendations for feline diets, go to its website at:

http://www.WSAVA.org

The products approved by WSAVA carry a seal given by the AAFCO, the Association of American Feed Control Officials. This voluntary association membership association is mandated by law to regulate the sale and distribution of feeds and animal drug remedies. For more information about this agency, visit its website at: http://www.AAFCO.org.

Red Flags You Should Be Aware Of:

We call these products "BEGS" -- which stands for "boutique brands," "exotic ingredients," and "grain replaced by pulse." Let us explain:

1) Boutique brands are those that rely on trendy marketing to sell their products, and they rarely or never contain the nutritional qualities your cat requires. Furthermore, they do not carry AAFCO seal and meet WSAVA nutritional guidelines, and you should steer clear of these brands at all costs.

2) Exotic ingredients include things like duck, kangaroo, even alligator and/or bison. All these are anathema to felines, and feeding your cat these ingredients could do real physical damage. Again, look for the WSAVA guarantee when shopping for your cat's canned foods.

3) Grains replaced with pulse refers to acceptable grains (like rice and corn) that are replaced by filler such as lentils, beans, peas, etc. These are NOT good for felines, and should never be part of a healthy diet.

Remember: People can go vegan if they feel it's the right choice for them. Cats are carnivores and they need meat. Don't ask your cat to eat something that thousands of years of evolution and instinct has taught them to avoid.

Choosing A Dry Food:

For all the reasons we just cited, we sincerely hope you will not give your Savannah cat a heavy dry food diet. But we understand that often the motivation is economic, as dry food often lasts longer and the animal is filled with smaller amounts. Canned food is as much as 85 percent moisture (a good thing!) but can get expensive over time.

Still, we want you to be fully informed before deciding to give your cat dry food. Please read on to see just a little of what current scientific research is saying about the potential consequences of a dry food diet for felines.

Most importantly, look for dry foods that have the AAFCO seal of approval and meet the WSAVA guidelines. First and foremost, those two elements should be the deciding factor in your choice of dry food. Small amounts of rice and corn are acceptable; peas, beans, potatoes and legumes as primary ingredients are not. 

No Smelly Poop!

Well, almost none -- that's what you'll discover when your cat is on a well balanced raw food diet. The wrong dry food can give them gas, or diarrhoea, or they may even contract a parasite if you switch their food up constantly. Check your cat's stools to see consistency and odor, and if anything seems amiss, get them to the vet for a fecal swab. 

U.T.I.s:

Urinary track infections are not to be trifled with, because they can cause serious harm to your cat's health, and yet can go undetected for months. These are often caused by the wrong type of dry food, one that's heavy on those peas, potatoes and legumes that don't belong in a cat's diet. Cats don't get a lot of water without encouragement, so canned food -- which can contain as much as 85 percent moisture -- is a great way of getting them to consume it while giving them a big hit of protein. 

FDA Alarm Bells:

Last summer, in June of 2019, the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) began cautioning pet owners and veterinarians that Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM) was on the rise, in cats and dogs. This is caused when fiber in dry pet foods sucks out taurine from their systems and leaves them at risk of DCM. Although it can be treated with medication, DCM can lead to congestive heart failure in many animals. 

What Are The Experts Saying?

So far in 2020, scientific evidence supports our recommendation that giving your cat a well balanced, raw food diet achieves optimum health on all levels of feline wellness. Here is a quote from Lisa Freedman, an expert on the link between dry food diets and DCM:

" The apparent link between BEG diets and DCM may be due to ingredients used to replace grains in grain-free diets, such as lentils or chickpeas. But also may be due to other ingredients commonly found in BEG diets, such as exotic meats, vegetables or fruits... not all pet food manufacturers have the same level of nutritional expertise and quality control, and this variable could introduce potential issues with some products..."

Lisa Freedman, DVM, PhD, DACVN.

New research this year is showing that, with the correct medication and supplementary therapy, most pets recover from DCM in a year or less. This news is encouraging. But you will protect your pet from ever getting these problems if you start them on food with the AAFCO label that meets the WSAVA guidelines.

Do more reading at these links:

1) FDA Notice: Potential Link Between Certain Diets and Canine Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM): http://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinarian/news-events.

2) Q&A -- fda.gov/animal-veterinarian/animal-health-literacy/questions-answers-fda-center-veterinarian-medicine-investigation-possible-connections-between-diet-and.

You should always discuss diet and how to achieve optimal health for your Savannah cat when you go to pick up your new companion at the breeder. They are experts, and along with your vet, can provide the most recent information and best research into any and all matters relating to your cat's diet and health.

A Final Note From F1 Savannah Cats:

As top breeders of Savannah cats for almost 15 years, we are committed to helping your raise a healthy, happy, well socialized companion animal that will thrive with your family for many years to come.

A raw food diet, rich in the right proteins and minerals, is part of that process. Savannah cats are strong, beautiful and fiercely intelligent creatures that need meat. To function at their peak, they need the substances that evolution designed them to digest, and that means raw meat.

Talk to your breeder. Talk to your vet. A raw food diet may be new to you, but with our help and the help of others like your vet, you can raise a vibrant, healthy pet that will give you and your family joy for many years to come!