I handle raw meet all the time, just before feeding. My bobcats and cougar have given my hands a good sniff and at times, will lick my hands, but they have not grabbed my hand thinking it was food. Unlike snakes, who tend to go by scent and body heat, cats are more visual and also go by sound. They do use scent, but it appears to be more of a secondary means of finding food, such as if they would come by a fresh kill. Since my cats do not get live prey, they have learned that humans bring them their food. Cats learn to hunt, it is not instinct. Now, I have had my bobcats come running into the kitchen from a sound sleep, if I have been cutting up beef for them. However, I can never tell if it is do to the scent of the meet, or just by the sound of me cutting the beef on the glass cutting board. They also love these Bil-Jac liver treats. If I pick up the package, they come running before I open it. So just the sound of the package will get them excited. With Carmelo, I can feed him by hand. Before every feeding, I go in with him and give him a full cougar body hug. I put the pan of food down and give him another hug while he is eating. He never growls or makes any attempt to bite me. He just purrrs and purrs. With the bobcats though, they are a different story. I can hand feed them, but once they get the food, you are not getting it back and you can not touch them. They are very protective of their food.
