Back to the Beginning: Feeding Cats Like Carnivores

If we’re serious about feline health, we have to start with what cats were built to eat.

Last week, we talked about the importance of probiotics and how they support digestion, immunity, and mood—especially when paired with prebiotics like medicinal mushrooms. If you missed that post, you can catch up here. It lays the groundwork for everything we’re diving into today. Cats are what we call obligate carnivores. That means they don’t just prefer meat—they’re biologically dependent on it. Their bodies are designed to extract nutrients from animal tissue, not plants. Unlike omnivores or herbivores, cats have a short, highly acidic digestive tract. They don’t produce salivary amylase, the enzyme that breaks down starches in the mouth, and they rely on nutrients like taurine, arachidonic acid, and preformed vitamin A—all of which are found naturally in animal sources, not plants.

In nature, a cat’s diet is raw, whole prey: bones, organs, muscle, fur. There’s no kibble, no synthetic vitamins, no fillers. Just what their bodies recognize and use.

So when we look at commercial cat foods—especially the dry, grain-heavy ones—it’s easy to see where things go sideways. These formulas often rely on carbohydrates to bind ingredients and bulk up the product. And while fiber is important, it’s often misunderstood.

Cats don’t need fiber the way herbivores do. But they do benefit from functional fiber—a type of fiber that doesn’t just add bulk, but actually supports digestion and gut health. Functional fiber helps regulate stool quality, reduce hairballs, and feed the beneficial bacteria in the gut. It’s not about calories or filler—it’s about function.

Some examples of functional fiber include:

• Psyllium husk, which absorbs water and helps form well-shaped stools
• Pumpkin, which soothes the digestive tract and supports regularity
• Medicinal mushrooms, which contain compounds like beta-glucans that act as prebiotics
• Fur and feathers in whole prey diets, which provide insoluble fiber that helps move waste through the colon

Let’s pause on beta-glucans for a moment. These are naturally occurring sugars found in the cell walls of mushrooms. They feed the good bacteria in the gut—helping them grow, stabilize, and support the immune system. Think of beta-glucans as fertilizer for the microbiome.

When paired with feline-specific probiotics—like Adored Beast’s Felix’s Flora or Feline Gut Soothe—functional fiber helps build a resilient digestive ecosystem. Probiotics are live beneficial bacteria, and they need the right environment to thrive. Fiber and prebiotics create that environment. Together, they support regular bowel movements, reduce hairballs, and even stabilize mood through the gut-brain axis (yes, the gut talks to the brain more than most people realize).

And yes, this fits perfectly within a carnivore framework. Even wild cats consume fur, feathers, and partially digested plant matter from prey stomachs. It’s not about diluting the diet. It’s about supporting the system that processes it.

That’s why I lean so heavily on our Super Immune Mushroom Blend at Head To Tail. It’s not just a prebiotic—it’s a full-spectrum immune modulator. With organic fruiting bodies of Turkey Tail, Lion’s Mane, Cordyceps, and Red Reishi, it nourishes the gut, manages inflammation, and supports cognitive and emotional health. It also feeds the microbiome with beta-glucans and polysaccharides, helping the whole system stay balanced and resilient.

Feeding cats like carnivores isn’t just about raw meat. It’s about honoring their biology and supporting digestion, immunity, and microbiome health with intention.