Open a bag of raw cat food and you find a list of names. Chicken breast. Beef liver. Taurine. Manganese citrate. None of it is there by accident. Every ingredient in The Cat's Standard formula earns its place because a cat's body asks for it, whether that request comes from a muscle, an organ, or a single enzyme pathway that runs on one specific nutrient and nothing else.
This is the foundation article for our nutrition pillar. It walks through every ingredient common to both Cat's Standard formulas and the biology behind each one.
Two formulas, one standard
The Cat's Standard runs two formulas. Adult Maintenance feeds a grown cat holding steady. All Life Stages feeds kittens, pregnant queens, and nursing mothers, life stages with higher mineral demand than an adult at rest.
The two formulas share eighteen ingredients, in near identical ratios. All Life Stages adds two more, dicalcium phosphate and magnesium bisglycinate, to cover the extra calcium and magnesium a growing or reproducing body needs. Everything below is common to both formulas. It is the standard itself.
The proteins and organs
Cats are obligate carnivores. Their bodies are built to run on animal tissue, not to tolerate it as one ingredient among many. The formula reflects that directly.
Chicken breast makes up the largest share, close to 39 percent. It is the clean muscle meat, the primary protein source. Chicken carcass follows at around 35 percent, ground with the bone still in it. Bone is not filler here. It is the formula's natural source of calcium and phosphorus, the pairing a cat's skeleton is built from.
Chicken gizzard and chicken heart sit at 7.5 percent and 5 percent. Heart is muscle, not organ, despite the name, and it carries taurine and CoQ10 at levels breast meat does not. Gizzard adds a dense, chewy texture and its own mineral profile.
Beef enters in two forms. Beef trim, lean muscle at 5 percent, and beef liver at 7 percent. Liver is the formula's vitamin A and copper source, the organ every raw feeding guideline calls essential and no muscle meat can replace.
A full breakdown of each protein, cut by cut, is next in this series.
What a cat cannot make for itself
Some nutrients a cat's body can build on its own from raw materials. Others it cannot. Those go into the formula directly, in exact amounts, because there is no fallback if they are missing.
Taurine is the clearest case. A cat cannot synthesise it, or store it in any meaningful reserve. Without a steady dietary source, the heart muscle weakens over time. The formula adds taurine powder on top of what the meat itself provides, because meat alone does not guarantee enough.
Salmon oil supplies EPA and DHA, the long chain omega-3 fats tied to coat condition, skin barrier function, and inflammation control. Land animal fat does not carry these in useful amounts. Fish oil is the direct route.
Vitamin E and vitamin D3 round out the group. Vitamin E protects the fats in the diet from oxidising before the body can use them. Vitamin D3 governs calcium absorption, the same mineral the bone in chicken carcass is supplying. One ingredient does not work without the other doing its job downstream.
The trace mineral and electrolyte system
Raw meat and bone cover most of what a cat needs. They do not cover all of it. The remaining ingredients close specific, measurable gaps.
Choline chloride supports liver function and fat metabolism. PureSea kelp powder is the formula's iodine source, feeding the thyroid. Potassium chloride and non-iodized salt manage electrolyte balance, sodium, potassium, and chloride, the trio that keeps hydration and nerve signalling working correctly.
Manganese citrate and ProPath Zn 170 provide manganese and zinc, both cofactors in dozens of enzyme reactions, from wound healing to skin integrity. Ferrous sulphate monohydrate supplies iron, the mineral behind oxygen transport in the blood. Vitamin B complex covers the eight B vitamins together, since they work as a group in energy metabolism and rarely function well in isolation.
None of these ingredients are large by weight. Most sit under half a percent of the formula. Their function has nothing to do with quantity.
Every ingredient, at a glance
| Ingredient | What it does |
|---|---|
| Chicken breast | Primary muscle meat, main protein source |
| Chicken carcass | Natural calcium and phosphorus from ground bone |
| Chicken gizzard | Dense texture, mineral contribution |
| Chicken heart | Muscle tissue rich in taurine and CoQ10 |
| Beef trim | Secondary lean muscle protein |
| Beef liver | Vitamin A and copper source |
| Salmon oil | EPA and DHA omega-3 fats |
| Taurine powder | Heart muscle function, not synthesised by cats |
| Vitamin E | Protects dietary fats from oxidation |
| Vitamin D3 | Governs calcium absorption |
| Choline chloride | Liver function and fat metabolism |
| PureSea kelp powder | Iodine, thyroid support |
| Potassium chloride | Electrolyte balance |
| Non-iodized salt | Sodium and chloride balance |
| Manganese citrate | Enzyme cofactor |
| ProPath Zn 170 | Zinc, skin and enzyme function |
| Ferrous sulphate monohydrate | Iron, oxygen transport |
| Vitamin B complex | Energy metabolism, group of eight B vitamins |
The Cat's Standard is coming soon. Formulated to exceed AAFCO, FEDIAF and NRC. 15g protein per pack, under 2% carb calories. Human grade. No grains. No fillers. See the formula when it launches.
