Bella Maine Coons

If you had told us four or five years ago that we’d one day co‑own an all‑natural raw pet food store, we probably would have laughed and never believed it. Nathan spent most of his life teaching martial arts, fighting in the ring, and working in film—first as a stunt actor, then as a cinematographer and photographer. His last major project was serving as the Director of Photography and Editor for a series featuring the late Burt Reynolds, “In Sanity, Florida”, which can still be viewed on Amazon Prime and YouTube. Tina, on the other hand, was a lifelong farm girl who gave horseback riding lessons, raised her two sons – one with now a family of his own, and spent every spare moment outdoors with her hands in the dirt tending to her gardens and herbs. She also worked for years as a retail manager. So how did two people with such different backgrounds end up raising Maine Coons and running a store called Natural Carnivore?

As it turns out, fate has a way of nudging you exactly where you’re meant to be. When we first started researching pet nutrition for our own animals, it felt like opening Pandora’s box. The deeper we dug, the more unsettling the information became. Eventually, we discovered all‑natural and raw feeding—and when we made the switch with our own pets, everything changed. Their health, energy, digestion, and coats improved so dramatically and so quickly that we couldn’t ignore what we were seeing. Before long, we were full‑time raw feeders, and our passion for species‑appropriate nutrition was born.

Interestingly, it seems that birds of a feather really do flock together. Whenever we were out with our two Maine Coons, Bear and Bella, people would stop us constantly—store employees, families, other pet owners—asking what we fed them and how we kept them so healthy. We found ourselves sharing what we’d learned, explaining the raw diet, and watching people’s eyes light up with curiosity. We enjoyed those conversations more than we ever expected.

The true turning point came during a vet visit. Our veterinarian at the time was amazed by our cats—their coats, teeth, muscle tone, and overall health. He praised us for doing such an exceptional job… until he learned we fed them raw. In an instant, his tone changed. He scolded us, called it irresponsible, and insisted it was the worst thing we could do—despite just telling us how remarkably healthy they were. That moment stuck with us. It was confusing, frustrating, and eye‑opening. And without realizing it, that was one of many small butterfly‑effect moments that pushed us toward something bigger.

Those moments—combined with our growing passion for nutrition, our love for animals, and our desire to help families—eventually led us to where we are today: co‑owners of Natural Carnivore, an all‑natural raw pet food store dedicated to species‑appropriate nutrition, education, and transparency. What started as a personal journey for our own pets evolved into a mission to help others discover the same life‑changing benefits. Along the way, we also found ourselves raising Maine Coons, building a community of like‑minded families, and sharing the adventures that brought us here.

Today, we’re living a life we never expected but wouldn’t trade for anything. Natural Carnivore is more than a store—it’s a passion, a purpose, and a place where our love for animals and our commitment to their well‑being come together every single day.