What does it mean to see our cats and how on earth is that related to raw feeding? Bear with me, as I think these things are inextricably related.
I have lived with and loved cats since I was a little girl. However, I didn’t really see and understand cats more fully until Hazel came into my life. As many of you know, Hazel is my tortoiseshell rescue cat. She has been my greatest teacher in terms of who cats are, what they need, and what kind of relationships we can have with them.
Seeing and Empathy
One of the first steps in really connecting with anyone is to see them. And I don’t mean visually seeing them physically in front of you. But rather seeing them as an individual with their own histories, experiences, needs, wants, and ways of being in the world. This applies to human beings as well as any other living beings. The felt experience of being truly seen and accepted by someone is very powerful.
Seeing another in this way requires empathy. Empathy is a highly complex emotional process. Empathy is when we are able to recognize and understand how another person or animal might feel, not how we might feel. It requires us to put ourselves in another being’s shoes (or paws), so to speak, and see and feel from their perspective, rather than from our own.
Empathy creates an opportunity to shift our behaviors and respond in ways that are needed for that individual, not ourselves. I believe that this readily applies to our relationships with our beloved feline companions.
the danger of projection
Often we just project what we think and feel onto others. We then use that misinformation to shape what we think we know about them. Our cats are often the recipients of this kind of projection. We take our human thoughts and feelings and project them onto our cats. This is where anthropomorphism comes from and it can be dangerous to our pets.
How does this relate to raw feeding? When we project our humanness onto our cats, then we might think, “raw meat will make my cat sick” or “eating raw meat is disgusting.” While most of the time we don’t eat raw meat (although sushi and steak tartare are eaten by people), we are just projecting our own feelings about eating raw meat with these kind of thoughts. We are not thinking from our cats’ perspective and what they need.
Cats’ Nutritional Needs
What are our cats’ needs when it comes to nutrition? All cats (even our domesticated pet cats) are obligate carnivores, which means that they must eat a meat based diet. Cats have unique nutritional requirements for protein, specific amino acids, and vitamins/minerals that can only be met by eating meat. And of course, in nature all cats, big and small, eat other animals—raw.
Just because we brought cats inside our homes does not mean that their nutritional needs have changed in any way. And just because we think of them as family members and love them dearly, doesn’t mean that the same nutritional guidelines apply to us both. While both humans and cats benefit from eating fresh unprocessed foods, I think our cats deserve to be respected as the unique carnivores they are.
Seeing Our Cats=Stronger Relationship
We need to stop projecting our experience and start to see our cats. They have unique nutritional needs. We need to see them for who they are as a species and as individuals. This willingness to see our cats will expand not only to how and what we feed them, but also to consider their needs for mental stimulation, exercise, play, security, etc.
I have experienced this first hand with Hazel. As I learned more about feline nutrition, I learned more about her. She relies on me 100% to meet her needs as an indoor cat. I had to be willing to shift my thinking, accept her as a hyper carnivore, and make adjustments in how and what I was feeding her.
This process of learning about what she needed and providing that for her, strengthened my sense of connection to her. This opened up a whole new way of understanding her, and subsequently, deepened our relationship in ways that I have not experienced with my previous pets.
I believe that when we truly empathize with and see our cats, accept them for who they are, and strive to meet their needs, this allows for more compassion, respect, and ultimately transforms our relationship with them.
