There is significant debate on whether we should feed our feline friends raw meat or not. We’ve put together a quick guide looking at the considerations and the risks of feeding your cat raw meat.
Feeding a raw diet for cats is a controversial topic and there can be genuine health risks to you and your pet. If you decide to try raw-feeding, it is always best to discuss this with your vet first. They can give advice on responsible raw-feeding, making sure your cat receives a suitably balanced diet, and highlight some of the health and hygiene concerns that need addressing.
What is a raw food diet for cats?
Raw cat food refers to a diet that includes raw meat, sometimes containing raw offal and bone, in addition to other uncooked ingredients such as vegetables. A raw diet can be homemade or commercial, with the commercially available types being sub-divided into complete and complementary diets.
A complete diet will contain the correct balance of nutrients that your pet needs in order to be fed solely on this food. However, a complementary food should be fed in combination with another diet, in line with the manufacturer’s recommendations. Homemade raw diets are not recommended as they can be very variable in terms of whether they adequately and consistently meet your pet’s nutritional requirements. This means they should only be fed under specialist guidance, and are likely to need additional supplementation to avoid deficiencies.
There are purported benefits and drawbacks to a raw food diet for cats, which contribute to both sides of the debate on whether cats should eat raw meat. Here is what you need to know about raw cat food:
Can cats eat raw chicken and other meats?
There are food safety concerns to both pet and owner with feeding raw chicken, which will be discussed in more detail below. Supporters of raw diets for cats often mention that these diets allow the cat to consume food that is more similar to the diet of wild cats. After all, no one is cooking the rodent a wild cat just caught for dinner! It is important, though, to consider that our domesticated felines have come a long way since their ancestors, and that life expectancy of our pets is greater than wild cats.
