PMR is designed to provide domestic cats with a fresh diet which replicates that of a wild feline, without requiring the pet to hunt and kill wild prey. The recommended guidelines for a PMR diet is 79-84% muscle meat, 6% raw edible bone, 5% liver, 5% other secreting organs, and 0-5% animal based fiber, in order to achieve optimal balance and eliminate all processed foods and grains.
It is ideal to feed whole cuts or whole prey to cats to provide teeth cleaning benefits, higher taurine levels, and endorphin release. Feeding ground raw food will not provide teeth cleaning benefits. Grinding also exposes the natural taurine in the meat to oxygen which destroys the amino acid. To compensate for this, certain steps may be necessary when feeding ground raw food.
Franken Prey is another term used for a diet that follows PMR ratio guidelines but is not composed of whole, intact prey animals.
Instead, a variety of ingredients are used to complete the ratio guidelines. Meals may consist of multiple protein sources and different ingredients in a single feeding.
Muscle Meat
PMR diets consist of raw muscle meat to provide essential protein, amino acids, and water-soluble vitamins. The muscle meat ratio guideline starts at 79-84% of the overall daily intake.
It is important to note that the muscle meat ratio does not mean to feed muscle meat exclusively. This ratio is a large category containing multiple ingredients such as saturated fat for energy and muscular organs, such as heart.
Heart should make up 20% of the muscle meat percentage in order to provide cats with dietary taurine.
Raw Meaty Bones
Soft, raw edible bones are an important component in PMR diets to provide essential calcium, phosphorous, and other essential nutrients. The raw edible bone ratio guideline starts at 6% of the overall daily intake. This ratio indicates the actual bone required and does not include the meat on the bone.
The amount of raw meaty bones a cat may need to maintain firm and consistent stool can vary. The 6% ratio is a starting guideline. However, many cats do well on 6-10% raw edible bone content. Always adjust according to the cat’s individual needs.
Liver
Liver is an important ingredient in PMR diets as it provides essential fat-soluble vitamin A and water-soluble vitamins. Ruminant livers will also provide the essential mineral copper. The liver ratio guideline starts at 5% of the overall daily intake.
The 5% liver ratio is a starting guideline. This amount of liver provides more than the recommended allowance for vitamin A. For cats who are sensitive to organs, feeding as low as 2% liver will still provide enough essential vitamin A.
Other secreting organs
Other secreting organs such as kidney or spleen are beneficial ingredients in PMR diets to provide essential minerals and water-soluble vitamins. The secreting organ ratio guideline starts at 5% of the overall daily intake.
Other secreting organs are beneficial in completing essential nutrient requirements for cats. The 5% ratio guideline is a starting recommendation, and more or less, a secreting organ can be fed to complete nutritional requirements.
Animal Based Insoluble Fiber
PMR ratio guidelines fail to include fiber-based foods, which would be present in true whole prey feeding. Therefore, including an animal-based fiber source to Franken Prey feeding methods is recommended. Foods that include fur or feathers provide insoluble fiber to the diet to promote colon health.
Traditional PMR ratios do not provide an animal-based fiber ratio guideline. However, 2 to 5% by weight of “furry” or “feathered” ingredients is a good recommendation to include in daily meals. This will help provide 1-2% fiber in the diet. Be sure to account for any bone and meat that is also provided by the furry ingredients.
It is important to note that the 2-5% ratio refers to the furry ingredients as a whole, which will also include the skin and tissue in the weight. Do not feed the weight in fur or feathers alone. Appropriate sources of fur can include: rabbit feet, rabbit ears, rabbit heads, feathered poultry heads or legs, raw or safely dried animal skin with fur.
When furry or feathered ingredients are not accessible, it is recommended to include a fiber source such as psyllium husk in PMR diets at 1.25 tsp per pound of food.
