A large number of meats and cuts can be used with CompleteMe Hypo Feline. If tolerated, we recommend feeding a range of different meat types and cuts. Don't exclusively feed very lean meats. 5-8% fat is a good everyday choice; this equates to about 55-65% calories from protein, similar to the diet of a feral cat or small wild cat. Feed occasional higher and lower fat meals as well. Try to include different textures as well, for example, chunks, small strips, mince, etc. Poultry: Skinless and boneless chicken thigh, drumstick or breast, mince (2-3% fat), gizzards, hearts (fat trimmed off) Skinless and boneless turkey or duck breast Skinless and boneless pheasant, pigeon, quail, guinea fowl, or goose Pork: Lean pork mince or diced pork loin with 5-10% fat, rump steak (untrimmed) Lamb, beef, goat, or venison: Extra-lean diced lamb or goat meat (including heart or tongue) with 5-10% fat Lean venison fillet or steak (e.g. shoulder, backstrap, rump eye, leg steak) Extra-lean (5 star) beef mince, gravy or chuck beef with 5-10% fat, blade, round or rump steak (fat trimmed off), eye fillet or topside roast or steak (fat trimmed off) Game meat: Lean kangaroo mince or steak with 2-3% fat Wild or farmed boneless rabbit or hare meat Emu fan fillet, rump, or flat fillet (1-3% fat) Ostrich fillet, loin, or rump (2-3% fat) Wild boar backstrap, boneless leg, or loin chops Lean horse meat (5% fat) Crocodile (body meat, leg, strip loin, tail fillet) Buffalo steak or fillet (5% fat)

Feeding guide for cats with food sensitivities

Feeding guide for cats with food sensitivities

With CompleteMe Hypo Feline

Make novel or limited protein, cooked or raw cat food at home quickly and easily. Suitable for cats with allergies, sensitivities, or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Choose your proteins and other ingredients with our simple, flexible guide.

Makes 1 kilogram of food, which can be portioned and frozen.

Ingredients

1 kilogram of lean raw muscle meat (2-10% fat)
Please see the FAQs below for options for meat types and cuts.

15 grams CompleteMe Hypo Feline

Optional:

3 mL of omega-3-rich oil
(we recommend marine algae oil, as it is palatable and contains no animal-derived protein)

1 to 3 teaspoons of prebiotic fibre
(choose from: chia seeds, oat or barley bran, psyllium husk, inulin, FOS (fructooligosaccharides), hydrolyzed collagen or gelatine)

Cats with IBD may respond better to some types of fibre than others. We routinely see our patients doing well on psyllium, barley bran, and chia seeds, so these may be a good starting point. Psyllium may help with both constipation or diarrhoea by normalising stool consistency.

Directions

Batch prep with raw meat:

Dice or grind the raw meat, as desired.
Combine with 15 grams CompleteMe Hypo Feline, and mix well.
Portion and refrigerate, or freeze.

Batch prep with cooked meat:

Gently cook the diced or ground meat in a pot or slow cooker with 50-100 mL water, until cooked (20-30 minutes).
Allow to cool, then combine the cooked meat (including liquid from pot), 15 grams of CompleteMe Hypo Feline, and mix well.
Portion and refrigerate, or freeze.

How to make individual meals:

Combine 50 grams of raw boneless meat (2-10% fat) with 1/8 (one eighth) level teaspoon (0.6 gram) of CompleteMe Hypo Feline. Mix and serve.

Storage and safety

Use with homemade diets only

Do not add to any commercial cat food, or use with any other nutritional supplements (containing vitamins and/or minerals).

Raw feeding safety

For raw meat, freeze for 10 days before use to destroy parasites like Toxoplasma. In areas with Trichinella, please freeze pork for 3 weeks before use. In areas with highly pathogenic avian influenza, we recommend avoiding raw poultry.

Storage and feeding

Larger batches can be made and frozen for convenience. Keep refrigerated food for 3 days, and frozen food for 3-4 months. Please discard any uneaten food after 30 minutes.

Feeding guidelines

Based on your cat's body weight, these amounts (per day) may be a good starting point:

2 kg: 80-100 g
3 kg: 110-130 g
4 kg: 130-160 g
5 kg: 160-190 g
6 kg: 180-220 g
7 kg: 200-240 g
8 kg: 220-270 g

Adjust up or down based on your cat's size, age, body condition, and activity level. This is a general guideline; please consult with your cat's veterinarian as needed. We recommend feeding 3-5 meals per day.

For cats with moderate to severe gastrointestinal disease, or underweight cats, we recommend calculating your cat's energy requirement and required grams per day with the help of your cat's veterinarian. Be sure to monitor your cat's weight every few days; an at-home digital baby scale makes this very quick and easy.

Nutritional information

Food made as per the instructions above is complete and balanced, and meets the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Cat Food Nutrient Profile for maintenance in adult cats.
It is not suitable for growth and should not be fed to kittens or reproducing females.

The average kcal/gram for the diet is: 1.3 kcal/gram

The average protein for the diet is:
72.2% on a dry matter basis
59.1% on a caloric basis

The average fat for the diet is:
19.2% on a dry matter basis
38.8% on a caloric basis

Average phosphorus for the diet is:
0.3% as fed basis
0.7% dry matter basis
1.35 g per 1000 kcal ME

All possible combinations are ultra-low in carbohydrate, high in moisture, and have controlled calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and sodium.

FAQs

What meat can I use?

A large number of meats and cuts can be used with CompleteMe Hypo Feline. If tolerated, we recommend feeding a range of different meat types and cuts. Don't exclusively feed very lean meats. 5-8% fat is a good everyday choice; this equates to about 55-65% calories from protein, similar to the diet of a feral cat or small wild cat. Feed occasional higher and lower fat meals as well. Try to include different textures as well, for example, chunks, small strips, mince, etc.

Poultry:
Skinless and boneless chicken thigh, drumstick or breast, mince (2-3% fat), gizzards, hearts (fat trimmed off)
Skinless and boneless turkey or duck breast
Skinless and boneless pheasant, pigeon, quail, guinea fowl, or goose
Pork:
Lean pork mince or diced pork loin with 5-10% fat, rump steak (untrimmed)
Lamb, beef, goat, or venison:
Extra-lean diced lamb or goat meat (including heart or tongue) with 5-10% fat
Lean venison fillet or steak (e.g. shoulder, backstrap, rump eye, leg steak)
Extra-lean (5 star) beef mince, gravy or chuck beef with 5-10% fat, blade, round or rump steak (fat trimmed off), eye fillet or topside roast or steak (fat trimmed off)
Game meat:
Lean kangaroo mince or steak with 2-3% fat
Wild or farmed boneless rabbit or hare meat
Emu fan fillet, rump, or flat fillet (1-3% fat)
Ostrich fillet, loin, or rump (2-3% fat)
Wild boar backstrap, boneless leg, or loin chops
Lean horse meat (5% fat)
Crocodile (body meat, leg, strip loin, tail fillet)
Buffalo steak or fillet (5% fat)

Why would I add extra fibre or omega-3?

For some cats, the included fibre in CompleteMe Hypo Feline will be adequate to ensure healthy stools. However, particular cats (for example, older cats, inactive cats, overweight cats) may be at risk of constipation, and therefore benefit from some more fibre in their diet. Added fibre can also help to support a healthy gut microbiome, and there is plenty of evidence that indigestible parts of an animal carcass, like collagen in tendons, can act as fibre in the diet of wild cats.

Extra omega-3 can also benefit some cats. For example, large cats like Maine coons can be at increased risk of joint disease, and feeding an omega-3-rich diet may have an anti-inflammatory effect. Overweight cats or older cats may also benefit, given their increased risk of arthritis. Finally, cats with severe disease may benefit from the stronger anti-inflammatory effect of added omega-3.

Where can I buy marine algae oil or fibre for my cat?

We recommend buying marine algae oil capsules via iHerb. Some high quality brands that contain both EPA and DHA include Nordic Naturals Algae Omega, Sports Research Vegan Omega-3, and Wanderlust Plant Omega-3 (Australia only from Chemist Warehouse).
If you would prefer to avoid capsules, consider Dog By Dr Lisa omega-3 oil, or Adored Beast Potent-Sea Omega-3.

For fibre supplements, iHerb can also be a good choice. However, many options are available from supermarkets or pharmacies (for example, plain psyllium husk). Barley bran may be harder to find and need to be ordered online.

Can I use raw meat?

You can include the meat raw or cooked, depending on preference. We strongly recommend human-grade meat for any meat that is fed raw. Please discuss raw-feeding with your cat's veterinarian; raw feeding is not necessarily suitable for all cats or households. For cats with moderate to severe gastrointestinal disease, cooked diets are a sensible and cautious choice. They can be just as nutritious and the food safety risks are obviously lower.

Can I add offal to the diet?

Please do not add any additional liver, kidney, pancreas or spleen to the diet. This could result in an excess of some nutrients.

Heart, gizzards and tongue can be used as muscle meats; please trim off visible white fat around the base of the heart before using.

It is important to be aware that offal from many types of game meat in Australia (e.g. kangaroo offal, venison offal) is not classed as human-grade. This means there may be a higher risk of parasites or harmful bacteria being present. Therefore, only include game meat offal (heart, tongue, gizzards) if cooked.

My cat needs a low phosphorus diet; can I use CompleteMe Hypo Feline?

For cats with chronic kidney disease needing a low phosphorus diet, we recommend using CompleteMe Renal Feline. It only contains venison and green-lipped mussel (no other animal proteins), so is well-tolerated by most cats with allergies. You can use novel proteins with CompleteMe Renal Feline; please see our feeding guide for more information.

We are very mindful of phosphorus in all our feline products, though. CompleteMe Hypo Feline contains no added water-soluble phosphates, like dipotassium phosphate or sodium hexametaphosphate (SHMP). High dietary water-soluble phosphates may contribute to the development of chronic kidney disease in cats. Total phosphorus in the product is controlled and recipes just meet the AAFCO minimum requirement for adult cats.