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During a ten year period from 1932 to 1942, Dr. Francis Marion Pottenger, Jr. studied cats that had their adrenal glands removed and were given adrenal extract as a measure of the strength of an adrenal product brought to market. The cats studied were thought to have an optimum diet consisting of raw milk, cod liver oil and cooked meat scraps consisting of liver, tripe, sweetbreads, brains, heart and muscle. Unexpectedly, these cats had a low rate of post operative survival and were found to have many abnormalities ranging from a decreased fertility to skeletal deformities, neurological problems and organ malfunctions.
An Unexpected Finding…
Just by coincidence, Dr. Pottenger stumbled on something that he never expected to find. Because he had a limited supply of cooked meat scraps for a steadily increasing large population of cats, he ordered raw meat scraps from a local meat packing plant. Being a scientist and controlling all variables that could produce a difference in results, Dr. Pottenger fed the raw meat scraps consisting of muscle, viscera and bone, to a select group of cats so that he could observe any change. To Dr. Pottenger’s surprise and within just a few months, this group of adult cats and their kittens, appeared significantly healthier and more vigorous with a higher survival rate after their operations.
Dr. Pottenger’s Ten Year Cat Study…
Dr. Pottenger decided to verify these facts scientifically with a controlled experiment in 900 cats studied over four generations. The same basic diet was fed to five groups but the major portion of their diet was varied. Two groups were given a raw diet consisting of raw milk and raw meat. The remaining three groups were fed processed foods consisting of pasteurized, evaporated and condensed milk. Cats fed the raw diet in all generations remained healthy and lived normal life spans. The three groups fed the processed diet developed disease in every generation. In the first generation, the disease occurred at the end of their normal life span. The second generation developed disease and illness in the middle of their life span. The third generation was ill from the beginning of their life and many expired before six months of age. The fourth generation did not survive or was not produced because of sterility in the third generation adult cats.
Implications for Healthy Pets…
The findings of this study have implications for all species of animals and humans. There is no single more important factor than a natural raw diet for domesticated pets such as cats and dogs.
