Can Cats Eat Raw Chicken?

There are only a few instances where cats can eat raw chicken.

First, the safest option for cats to eat raw food is to purchase commercially made raw food diets. Many of these recipes are either flash-frozen or have undergone high-pressure pasteurization to kill off harmful bacteria.

However, cat owners can also feed their cats homemade raw food diets, but these recipes are a little riskier because there isn’t a step to eliminate harmful bacteria.

If you want to feed your cat raw chicken breast from the grocery store, the first thing you have to do is ensure that you purchase fresh and organic chicken. You also always have to monitor the chicken and prevent it from reaching room temperature.

Once you prepare your cat’s meal, make sure that your cat eats it immediately. Raw chicken can only be left out until it reaches room temperature. Once it stays at room temperature for a couple of minutes, it’s unsafe for your cat to eat. Therefore, raw chicken can’t be left out for cats that like to graze.

The general recommended amount of raw chicken that your cat can consume is between 2% to 4% of its ideal body weight per day. For example, if your cat’s ideal body weight is 10 pounds, it should eat anywhere from ⅕  to ⅖ pounds of raw chicken a day.

Keep in mind that this is just an estimate. The best way to find out how much raw chicken you should give your cat is to consult your veterinarian.

Yes, raw chicken is suitable for cats if it gets served properly. Some of the benefits of raw food diets are that you know exactly what you’re feeding your cat and that your cat isn’t ingesting any preservatives. These benefits make many cat owners interested in starting their cats on a raw food diet.

However, when you compare raw chicken to cooked chicken, it all comes down to your cat’s taste preferences. Some cats will prefer raw chicken, while others enjoy eating cooked chicken more. There isn’t too much of a nutritional difference as long as the chicken gets prepared correctly.

As we mentioned before, raw chicken has to be as fresh as possible in order to avoid giving your cat contaminated food. When it comes to cooked food, make sure that the food company slow-cooks the chicken for an appropriate amount of time. Overcooking the chicken can cause it to lose nutritional value.

Cats can eat other raw natural meat products, such as raw ground turkey and raw beef. They can also eat organ meat, like chicken liver or hearts. It’s also safe to occasionally give your cats raw chicken bones. However, avoid giving them too many bones because this can lead to constipation.

Therefore, if you want to give your cat bones, only serve them about once or twice a week. Also, make sure that the bone is large enough so that your cat can’t swallow it whole.

Cats can’t eat knucklebones or large bones with a dense exterior. These types of bones can damage your cat’s teeth. Instead, stick with giving your cat smaller bones, such as chicken bones (wings), drumsticks.

Once raw cat food has been left out and reaches room temperature, it’s no longer safe to eat at all. It doesn’t matter if you cook the chicken. By the time the chicken has been left out, the bacteria can multiply to the point where cooking the meat doesn’t decontaminate it. Therefore, make sure that you only leave the appropriate amount of raw chicken out for your cat.

If your cat likes to take its time eating its food or prefers to graze, only leave out small amounts of raw chicken or give it as treats instead. You can also try reducing the portions and feeding your cat more frequently throughout the day.