Can cats eat raw meat?

As a future cat guardian, you are faced with a dilemma: which meat is better for your cat - raw or cooked? Or maybe you have been feeding your pet prepared food for many years and are thinking about changing the diet to raw or cooked meat? The answer may surprise you because none of them are suitable for your pet. Find out why feeding your cat raw or even cooked meat is not a good idea.

What kind of meat does a cat need?

Cats by nature are obligate carnivores - their diet must include meat and animal products. This is because they contain certain nutrients that the animal needs, such as retinol or taurine. However, this does not mean that your pet's bowl should only contain meat (skeletal muscle).

Meat is a source of animal protein, fat, vitamins and minerals. It contains, among other things, easily digestible heme iron, vitamin A in the form of retinol or B vitamins. Despite its valuable nutritional value, meat cannot be an independent component of the diet. Your cat's diet should include other animal products as well as plant products. It is worth citing the example of wild relatives of the domestic cat. Their prey is small mammals and birds, which the four-legged animals eat whole. Therefore, their diet consists not only of skeletal muscle, but also of entrails, bones and undigested food debris found in their stomachs and intestines.

In animal nutrition, the quantity and proportions of individual nutrients are more important than what kind of meat to choose for a cat. The composition of ready-made complete products includes not only meat, but also other animal products, including hearts, liver and gizzards. Manufacturers of ready-to-eat foods also add plant materials, which are a source of dietary fiber (fiber). It helps, among other things, in removing hair swallowed by licking hair from the cat's digestive tract. Complete cat foods contain the appropriate amount of taurine, an amino acid necessary, among other things, for the proper functioning of the animal's heart muscle.

Can cats eat raw meat?

If you're wondering which raw cat meat to choose, we'd like to warn you that any animal products that haven't been cooked are not suitable food for your pet. This is supported by animal health and nutrition experts who agree that you should not feed your cat raw meat. The official position of WSAVA (World Small Animal Veterinary Association) is critical of raw meat diets. These foods are not safe for cats or the people around them.

Raw cat meat can be a source of dangerous bacteria, viruses and parasites. Eating contaminated meat causes bacterial poisoning, i.e. Salmonella, E. coli, listeria. Feeding your cat raw meat from unreliable sources, such as venison, promotes parasitic infestations of Trichinella or tapeworms. The most dangerous, however, is the consumption of raw pork - it carries the risk of fatal Aujeszky's disease, caused by the SHV-1 virus. Raw meat is especially dangerous for a small cat and for an older cat, whose immune system may be weaker than that of an adult healthy animal.

Some bacteria or parasites do not cause obvious symptoms in cats, but cats become carriers and can transmit the germs to humans. Microbes easily pass from a cat's body into the human environment. This can cause dangerous bacterial poisonings and parasitic infections, especially dangerous for young children, pregnant women, the elderly and other people with weakened immune systems.

Proponents of feeding cats raw meat suggest that wild cats naturally feed on the prey they hunt. Meanwhile, there is no need to compensate the purr for what it could have in natural conditions. It is safest for him to feed him complete, ready-to-eat food, as it ensures that he receives all the necessary nutrients in the correct proportions.

Boiled cat meat

You already know the answer to the question of whether to give your cat raw meat, but did you know that cooked meat is also not valuable for him? Although cooked meat is microbiologically safe and contains a large amount of animal protein, it cannot be the basis of a cat’s diet, since it is not a complete and balanced food. Feeding your cat only meat can lead to nutritional deficiencies.

Meat contains suboptimal amounts and proportions of calcium and phosphorus - there is a significant predominance of the latter element. Imbalances between these minerals in the body lead to disruption of calcium-phosphorus metabolism, which is associated with problems in bones and joints. Long-term calcium deficiency contributes to the development of hyperparathyroidism, which consumes the accumulated calcium reserves accumulated in the skeletal system, leading to bone demineralization. This is especially dangerous for kittens - it can cause abnormal growth and development of the skeletal system.

Small amounts of boiled meat given from time to time should not harm the cat, so if you want to pamper your pet in this way, there are no contraindications to it. If you don't know what kind of meat to choose for your cat, or your cat doesn't like such treats, look into delicacies designed specifically for cats. Both meat and prepared treats should be served in small quantities so that they provide a maximum of 10% of the daily energy intake. Remember to subtract the calories for snacks from your main meals.