Can you give raw chicken to a cat? If you are asking yourself this question it is because you want to please your cat by offering him raw chicken but you are afraid that there are risks. You wonder if your cat might get sick from eating raw chicken or choke on a raw chicken bone.
Well even if cats are carnivorous animals, you will find below that there are risks in giving raw chicken to your cat.
Is raw chicken dangerous for a cat?
NOT : In the wild, a cat hunts for food on small animals such as mice or birds. His body is therefore suitable for a diet based on raw meat. A cat's digestive system is therefore able to digest raw chicken.
However, giving your cat raw chicken puts her at risk of bacterial infection. Cats have died of salmonellosis after eating raw chicken. But this is quite rare today because chickens intended for human consumption contain less and less enterobacteriaceae of the genus Salmonella.
What will be important is to give a cat raw but very fresh meat. Above all, do not give raw chicken that has been stored for several days. You should only feed your cat raw chicken that you have just purchased.
Many breeders and veterinarians confirm that raw chicken is not dangerous for cats and can be part of their daily diet, especially for a BARF diet. See how to feed a cat?
Personally, I opted for a kibble diet which simplifies my life and which is perfect for cats!
Are raw chicken bones dangerous for a cat?
YES : In nature, a cat that feeds on the prey it hunts can eat the bones and all the organs of the animal it has killed. So in theory, if your cat eats raw chicken, he can eat the bones as well. Especially since these bones are nutritious because of their calcium, mineral and phosphorus content.
However, giving your cat raw chicken bones is a health risk. Indeed, even if raw bones are less dangerous than cooked chicken bones, they can cause digestive problems (vomiting), suffocation, sometimes if they are too sharp they can perforate your cat's stomach or cause bowel problems (blood in the stool).
Is raw chicken good for my cat?
YES : Raw chicken has nutritional value which is good for a cat's diet. Indeed, this meat is rich in protein and low in fat. It must of course be integrated into a varied and balanced diet. See how to feed your cat naturally?
How much raw meat for a cat?
- If you choose a BARF diet, the recommended daily ration is 40 to 50 grams per kilogram of the cat's weight. For example, a young cat weighing 4 kg should eat 200 grams of food per day. But raw meat must be accompanied by pasta, rice and other starches and vegetables. See this simulator to calculate the daily ration:
http://barf-asso.fr/calcul-ration-chat/
- If you choose a household diet, the daily ration for an adult cat consists on average of:
- 50% meat or fish
- 20% cereals or starches
- 20% cooked vegetables
- 10% food supplements
The daily portion of this food should be 40 to 50 g per kg of the cat's weight. So, for example, for a cat weighing 4 kg, the daily amount of meat is about 100 grams.
See how feed a cat without kibble.
- If you feed your cat dry food, you can use raw chicken as a treat for your cat. Indeed, if you make dressage sessions, you can reward him by offering him small portions of raw chicken breast.
Can we give raw chicken to a kitten?
NO: Even if the BARF program says that you can start to introduce raw meat into the diet of a kitten from 6 months, I think the risks listed above are even more serious for a more fragile kitten than an adult cat.
In addition, the growth of kittens is too closely linked to their diet to take the risk of not knowing how to measure the portions ...
For all the already weaned kittens, I recommend a kibble diet which is the most balanced diet and best suited to the needs of kittens according to their weight and age.
