When you get home from the supermarket and see your hungry cat on the doorstep, you can give him a piece of raw chicken. However, before you do so, you should learn whether the raw chicken is safe for your cat and whether it can cause worms if he or she eats it. While the topic of eating raw chicken is still debatable, you can give your cats raw chicken under certain conditions. If the meat served is from good portions of the chicken and is in good condition, the cats are unlikely to get worms.
Meat for cats should meet human consumption standards, and you should be cautious if it does not. Don’t worry, though. You can always learn things and do better. Continue reading to learn about the pros and cons of feeding raw meat to your dog.
Can Cats Eat Raw Chicken?
Cats are obligate carnivores, meaning they can’t live without eating meat. To stay healthy and active, they eat high-protein foods. You probably already know this if you own a cat. But, can you feed raw meat to your cats, such as raw chicken, raw beacon, and so on? Yes and no are the answers. Serving raw meat to cats is a topic on which scientists are conducting research but have yet to find a solution.
Cats are both wild and domesticated, and their characteristics are similar in most circumstances. While wild cats get their proteins and vitamins from raw meat, domesticated cats have yet to make up their minds. When your cats eat raw meat, they run the risk of becoming infected with parasites and bacteria. Serving homemade raw meat to pets, as well as humans, was found to be harmful in a study. Because pathogens can be found on raw meat, it can be contaminated and cause illness in both pets and humans.
It’s possible that this will put an end to your habit of throwing raw meat slices to your cats. However, the likelihood of illness is entirely dependent on you. As a cat owner, you should be aware of the risks of allowing your cats to eat raw meat. Based on their eating habits, you should conduct research and serve raw meat only when it is safe for your cats. You can also make an appointment with your veterinarian to discuss whether your cat is capable of handling raw meat.
When serving raw meat to your cats, you should properly prepare it and do everything you can to make it look as good as possible. Take the time to clean it and remove any potentially harmful items that could harm your cats’ health.
Risks of Feeding Raw Chicken To Cats
Before you decide whether or not to feed your cats raw chicken, let’s discuss the risks associated with raw diets.
Parasites and Bacteria
When you give your pet raw meat, this risk of sickness is always there. Both people and animals can get sick from parasites and bacteria in raw food, which can make them sick. Even though cats can digest raw meat better than humans, they can, sometimes, get intestinal problems because of the bacteria. But, their digestive tracts are shorter and more acidic. This lets them get rid of any pathogens or parasites that are still in their systems. But if there are more parasites in the meat than common, your cat could get sick. If you feed your cats raw food and they start to have stomach problems, you should take them to the vet right away.
All raw meat has harmful pathogens that can make your cat sick, but you can keep your cat’s health from getting worse by giving them clean, fresh meat. You must clean the meat well and do it more than once before giving it to your cats. And when you wash the meat, you have to wear washing gloves, which you then have to wash again.
Nutritional Deficiencies
If you feed your cat raw meat, they might not get enough of certain nutrients. Even if you feed your cats fresh, raw food, there is a chance that they aren’t getting all the nutrients they need. Even though raw chicken has proteins, your cats need vitamins from other foods to stay healthy. If you own a cat, you should know what it needs to stay healthy. You can avoid nutritional deficiencies in your cats if you know how to feed them a balanced diet.
You can get vet-approved cat food that is made just for cats and is full of nutrients if you want to feed them healthy food. These packages of food have all the nutrients your cat needs, and vets test and approve them regularly. If you find it hard to give your cat a balanced diet on your own, you can try these foods.
Bone Pieces
When your cats eat raw meat, the bones in the meat can cause them to choke or hurt their intestines. So, giving your cats raw meat without checking it first can be dangerous. Even after cooking, it’s not a good idea to give your cat meat with bones. Even so, they can still hurt their intestines.
Symptoms Of Worms In Cats
When your cats are suffering from intestinal worms, they may show the following symptoms.
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Tarry feces
- Weight loss
- Distended abdomen
- Skin lesions
- Poor body condition
If you’ve given your cats raw meat and they show any of the above signs, you should take them to the vet right away. Your cat’s health could deteriorate as the condition worsens.
How to safely serve raw chickens to cats?
Even though there are risks associated with feeding cats raw food, there is a good chance that your cats can consume raw food. Take your cats to your veterinarian for advice before serving raw chicken meat to your cats. Domesticated cats, unlike wild cats, have become accustomed to eating only processed food. They should be able to handle it if you suddenly switch to raw meat.
Your veterinarian can examine them and tell you if they are healthy enough to handle raw meat. If your veterinarian has given you the green light to serve raw meat, here are some tips on how to do so safely.
- Only buy fresh meat from reputable stores, and serve it as soon as possible. When purchasing meat from a store, only buy from those you can trust, as contaminated or old meat can cause problems. Also, do not leave the meat out for long periods of time and serve them right away.
- Carefully prepare the meat and remove any potentially harmful elements. Clean the meat carefully and thoroughly, removing any bones that may be present.
- Serve the meat on clean plates after it has been prepared to ensure that it does not become contaminated. Ensure that your cats eat them without fiddling with them.
- Wearing washing gloves while preparing the meat is a must. After washing, clean your gloves and thoroughly wash your hands.
- After your cat has eaten the raw meat, keep an eye out for any signs of illness. Take good care of them and feed them a nutritious meals.
Finally
It’s entirely up to you whether or not to feed raw meat to your cats, and there are ways to keep them safe from worms. Understanding your cat’s eating habits and nutritional requirements can help you prepare the right meals for them.