Can Cats Eat Raw Meat [What Owners Said About Raw Meat]

The question can cats eat raw meat is a popular question, I have made proper research, ask questions, and made a poll on Facebook groups and Reddit groups about this question.

The rate of feeding cats with raw meat is on the rise, such that some cat owners ignore the advice of the vet. There will be a lot to discuss so let’s rock and roll.

From the poll I made on Facebook, I found out that 40% of cat owners who feed their cats with raw meat are from Europe and The United States.

Continents that mostly feed cat with raw meat — Continents that mostly feed cats with raw meat

I didn’t interact much with other parts of the world because, from my findings, the United States and Europe have the highest number of home cats as opposed to other parts of the world.

I took a poll of 314 owners of different breeds of cats, who actually keep their cats indoors.

I also interacted with some cat owners who kept outdoor cats, but most of them are not from Europe or the United States.

Let’s get down to the business of the day!!!

Table of Contents show

Can Cats Eat Raw Meat

Yes, cats can eat raw meat because cats are great carnivore/omnivores hunters known to hunt and eat live mice which is also raw meat, again raw meat contains enough protein, minerals, and vitamins needed to sustain and maintain a healthy life for a cat.

The only problem a cat may have is eating stale or contaminated raw meat.

Even in some parts of the United States, some indoor cats hunt and eat mice in the absence of their owners, you can only notice this when you see the remaining part of the mouse.

There are many dangers that come with cats hunting and eating mice which are as follows;

Your cat can get lost while hunting mice.
Cars may kill your cat while chasing after mice.
Your cat can get sick from eating infected mice.
A cat may not live the expected lifespan.
Cats can get worms from mice.
Easy transmission of infectious pathogens.

Back to our topic of the day!!!

Learn more about helping your cat drink water.

Why most Vet don’t recommend raw meat

Vets kick against feeding your cat with raw meat for five major reasons which are as follows;

Contamination

When cats eat contaminated raw meat they get sick through ingestion of microbial pathogens like bacteria pathogens or fungi.

Vets find it had to approve raw meat basically because they think raw meat is easily contaminated.

2. Incomplete diet

Most vets believe that because of the domestication of cats, the system of a cat may not see raw meat as a complete diet, thereby lacking other essential nutrients.

The vet knows little about nutrition, and will always recommend kibbles, however, most cat owners don’t stink of kibbles.

3. Regulated proportion

This has been a challenge to most owners who feed their cats with raw meat, what portion of meat, and in what proportion will you mix to get a better and balanced raw meat diet?

This question should be left to animal nutritionists, not vets.

4. Sensitivity of cat stomach

Research on domestic cats shows that over 50% of domestic cats have a sensitive stomach and changing meals can cause unnecessary health challenges.

Giving raw meat to a cat with a sensitive stomach can sometimes be a big issue, so most vets believed cats can be sensitive to raw meat.

5. Handling

Handling raw meat is never an easy task because it can be easily infected with pathogens.

Most vets think some cat owners can not handle the hygienic practices involved in feeding a cat with raw meat.

Learn more about common health problems in cats.

What should I feed my cat?

I made a poll about these on 8 cat owner’s group, not everybody responded, however, I kept a record of the response and run an analysis on the response, and came up with the results we will be discussing.

I love dealing or interacting with cat owners, not just what the vet says because the result of the poll turns out to be different from what the vets say.

In the first poll, I distributed a questionnaire, the question was What do you feed your cat dry or wet food?

After this result, I went further to single out all those who said they feed wet food, because my goal is to know if raw meat actually hurts cats.

I sent back another questionnaire to 311 people from their personal profiles, funny enough, only 280 persons replied.

I just wanted to know if cats can actually eat raw meat or if a cat have died from eating raw meat.

It turned out that out of these 280 persons, some of them feed raw meat, I then made a chart.

I still selected another group of people to ask further questions.

I love asking questions a lot.

I now sent another questionnaire to 100 people who agreed their feed their cats with raw meat.

Most of them find it hard to tell me the truth or hesitated, but at last, I got what I wanted to know.

Ratios for feeding cat with raw meat — Ratios for feeding cats with raw meat

Down to my final pool, before I conclude, I sent out a questionnaire to 200 persons and asked how their cats take the raw meat.

Before we proceed, let me say that most of them sent me recipes they use in feeding their cat with raw meat.

For those who may ask what is organs, this is the internal organs of an animal like kidney, liver, etc.

How do you feel feeding your cat with raw meat?

I was talking to some cat owners about feeding their cats with raw meat, they said it’s fine, this is a difficult call to make because they are some myths about feeding raw meat to pets.

I got fired up when I got online to see what other websites say about feeding your cat raw meat.

Just like I said before I love asking questions, so here are my questions for you.

Are vets nutritionists?
What is the difference between a vet and a nutritionist?
In school how many nutritional courses do vets offer?
Who stands a better chance of providing the best mixture of food, for animal vets or animal nutritionists?
Do you think a cat can die from eating raw meat in proper hygienic practices?
A cat that lives on kibbles only and a cat that lives on a mixture of raw meat and homemade meals which one is likely to live longer?

I have more questions, but I will stop here, use the comment section to answer as many of my questions as you can. Let’s roll on.

Myths about feeding cats with raw meat

Here are the common myths about feeding your cats raw meat;

A Raw Meat Will Make Your Cat Aggressive.
Most Cat Owners Can’t Afford To Feed Raw
It’s Dangerous To Give Grounded Bones To Your Cats.
A Raw Meat Diet Isn’t Suitable For all cat breeds.
A Raw Meat Diet Isn’t A Balanced Diet.
Feeding Raw Meat Places Your Cat At Risk Of Salmonella.
Feeding A Raw Meat Diet Is Time Consuming And Complicated.
Raw Meat will kill your cat.

What other sites say about feeding your cat raw meat

Here is what RSPCA Pet Insurance said about feeding cats with raw meat, “They must have meat to get the nutrients they require.

While it’s perfectly acceptable to feed your cat commercial dry or wet food, you can offer variety in your feline’s diet by feeding it cooked or raw, fresh meat. Many cats love fish; however, it is not an acceptable food for daily feeding”.

According to Purina, Even though cats can eat raw meat, it doesn’t necessarily mean they have to. There are pros and cons to feeding your feline raw meat, which is why it’s important to look at both sides of the debate before deciding.

The Spruce said, You may think that random raw meat is healthy because feral cats and strays can subsist on this, but it’s important to remember that wild animals have shorter life expectancies than domesticated pets.

Here is what FAQcats said, Yes, cats can safely eat raw meat.

However, when it comes to ground beef, the meat needs to be fully cooked.

What is my take on it as a cat owner and researcher?

I have lots of concerns about meat hygiene, aside from that feeding your cat with raw meat is never a bad idea, but what I think is a bad idea are;

Not giving your cat other types of food and going 100% raw meat.
Feeding your cat with long-stored raw meat.
Not talking with a nutritionist and going on to do what others are doing.
Feeding only raw meat without adding other parts of meat like organs.
Not talking to your vet when you want to switch to raw meat.
Giving Your cat undercooked meat
Giving Your cat stale or spoiled raw meat.
Buying raw meat from any source and not a reputable butcher.
Allowing your cat to eat mice.

Before I go let me ask you my last question, have you heard or seen a cat dying after eating raw meat from a reputable butcher store?

Let me answer some questions you may have:

Can cats get sick from eating raw meat?

No, cats can not get sick from eating raw meat, however, cats can only get sick from eating raw meat if the meat has been contaminated with pathogens like bacteria that cause food poisoning, if the cat has a sensitive stomach, or if the raw meat contains cat allergies.

What kind of raw meat can I feed my cat?

According to WebMD, here is a common recipe for your cat:

3 pounds of whole fowl or rabbit, including bones, organs, and skin
1 cup water
2 eggs (use raw yolks, and lightly cook the whites)
2000 mg wild salmon oil
400 IU vitamin E (powdered E in capsule form works)
100 mg vitamin B-complex (start with a smaller amount when beginning a raw meat diet; the vitamin has a strong odor)
2000 mg taurine, powdered
¾ tsp lite salt with iodine (when using chicken parts)
Liver (add 4 oz if the meat you are using does not include organs)
Psyllium (add when first introducing the raw meat diet to your cat.

To read more about this topic, please download this article by Lisa A. Pierson, DVM.