is raw meat good for my cat?

Answer 1

raw meat and mice are a little different since the insides of mice are pretty much sterile (no harmful bacteria) and very fresh (since they just killed it)...raw meat shoulndt be too much of a problem if you familiarize them with it early and ease them into it... i.e. do not give them a whole meal of raw tuna when they are used to dry cat food... also, make sure to rinse the chicken or raw meat since they can get bacteria on the way to your house (processing, packing, etc)...

Answer 2

A cat's (and dog's) teeth go bad and rot because there are only 3 things that will clean teeth. Not dry, not wet/canned and not ground up raw. The only 3 things are feeding raw meaty bone such a turkey/chicken necks, brushing the cat's teeth yourself or putting the cat under and the vet cleans the teeth. 1) eat raw in the wild it's natural for them 2) they have more acidity in there stomach and therefore can handle raw food The 2 statements above are true. I've been feeding since Jan '09. Binnie has gotten an infection once during this time period because of the bacteria. She got an infection due to her petsitter not washing out her food bowl with antibacterial soap as instructed. This was the only reason. When feeding raw food, most of the food stays in the body and acts as nutrients, so there is very little waste. My cats poop about 5-6 small terds and it has very low odor. Edit: Suzi. Of course that study is grossly biased since it's done by Purina. Someone who has done thorough research on raw feeding knows to always feed a variety of meats. Rabbit lacks taurine and apparently thiamine. You should never feed just one meat all of the time as that one meat will lack something that another wouldn't. If I were to feed my cats purely chicken super mix (2/3 meats/bone, 1/3 organs), my cats would have an overdose of several vitamins as that's too much organ all of the time. My cats have a mixture of chicken, chicken super mix, turkey, duck and I'm introducing quail. Variety is a balanced diet.

Answer 3

I have fed my cats a raw meat, home-prepared diet for seven years now. I use a supplement powder for calcium and other things.

It's something you cannot just go into by throwing some grocery store meat at them and considering it to be an adequate diet. It is much easier to do with dogs as their meat can be cooked and they are omnivores so potatoes, carrots and other veggies are fine. There are many groups of raw meat feeders for cats on Yahoo. I belong to Holisicat and they have recipes in the files. www.catinfo.org goes into raw feeding. Go to: felineinstincts.com for information on the supplement powder I use. Felice will send you a brochure with a lot of information in it.

The benefits are really spectacular. You will never know just how soft and silky a cat's coat can be until you've tried the raw meat with a cat.

So you must put time and energy in your education about making the diet perfect for your cat and you and the cat will be rewarded for your efforts.

Answer 4

I would never give raw meat to my cats but apparently, it's something people do. I think that cats have been domesticated long enough and there are too many dangers to giving your cat raw food- bacteria, choking on bone. One of my cats is also missing a canine so I don't think she could effectively tear raw meat. I might give them my cooked meat though, they definitely like it better than that stuff in the can.

Answer 5

Raw meat carries a variety of bacteria and parasites which is why we humans cook it. Meat alone is not a sufficient diet for your cat; they also need vegetables and other nutrients. In the wild, the cat ingests the entire animal it kills--bones, stomach and all. By eating its herbivore prey's stomach contents, the cat acquires its daily portion of veggies as well.
If you want to feed your cat a natural diet, I suggest you purchase a recipe book. That way you will insure your kitty is getting all the nutrition it needs while also making certain you are not giving it anything bad, as cats have different physiologies from humans or dogs. There are things which we can eat but they cannot.

Answer 6

Yes. Raw meat is your cat's natural fare, cats are carniverous hunters, and contains taurine and other elements which are necessary for feline health. Store bought cat food contains these things as well, but if your cat enjoys raw meat (mine will only eat cooked meat), give him a treat, by all means!

Just make sure that it's absolutely fresh (he won't eat it if it isn't) and that any utensils, the cat's dish, your own hands etc are perfectly clean when they come into contact with the meat.

Answer 7

NO.

Give her cooked meat/bone/skin. Cats are obligate carnivores but due to domestication they are better on cooked food which, coincidentally, will not transmit any pathogens there might be in raw meat. (Even butcher's meat is best served cooked. Unless you know the animal you're trying to feed her was raised conscientiously, you don't know what is in the meat)

Answer 8

My cat was on a raw food diet for a year. I would recommend buying raw food from a pet store so that it has vitamins already in the meat. They also require additional vitamins as a supplement to keep their taurine levels normal. Raw diets are great for pets with allergies and are closer to what they would experience if they were in the wild.

Answer 9

Raw meat is fine for a cat. Food purchased for humans is clean and inspected. They say the best food for a cat is a raw mouse.

Answer 10

NEVER NEVER give a cat raw meat. There are eggs in uncooked meat,which when digested, hatch into worms and parasites. Experts have spent years of researching and developing special food specifically designed for cats,hence Whiskas, Go-Cat etc....

Would you take the chance and eat raw meat yourself?