Raw chicken wings/necks for declaw cats

[rone]

My neighbor have 2 cats, 4 & 5 years old, had gone to the vet to have their teeth cleaned twice in the last 3 years. I mentioned offering raw chicken wings/necks since she's in her 60s, that's when she mentioned both cats have no claws (front & back). Can she still offer them to her cats?

She found the kitties in a vacant apartment. When she took them to the vet (a friend), she was told both were starved & dehydrated with no other health problems.

 

[beandip]

I haven't seen my cats use their claws for that. I don't think it would be a problem. Just remind her that bones are OK raw, but not cooked.

A lot of them don't seem to "get" what to do with meat on a bone. Paisley is the only one here who will really eat a wing like that...so far.

 

[vanillasugar]

Of my two cats, Nya only BARELY touches the meat with her paw when trying to eat it off bone. Claws aren't involved at all. Buddy's paws don't even get close to the meat, he's all about those teeth

So why not? There's no reason why a cat would NEED their claws to get a good meat and bone chewy!

 

[rone]

Thanks for answering my questions so fast

!

When people feed wings, it's not just the tip (the part that has least meat) right? Does the wing/neck need to be chopped in big chunks or can be offered whole? From reading threads on this forum I understand bones splinter easily when cooked- is it possible for cats to break & swallow smaller bones on raw food? If yes, is it safe for them? Skinless or with skin? They should be offered at room temperature just like wet food right? Besides washing prior feeding, anything my neighbor should watch out for? Just try to get all the info before I knock on my neighbor's door.

 

[beandip]

Although raw bones are safe I would always recommend supervision while they are eating them.

I offer parts that are big enough that they have to chew, but small enough that they can work with them. Some cats do better than others with that. For ones that are slow to get it, I would probably break the wing at the joint(s) and just give them that.

I feed meat/bones cold, out of the fridge. Ground up raw, on the other hand...my boys are picky and like it room temp.

They might not recognize it as food, in which case putting something more familiar on it (like a smear of wet cat food) might help.

 

[vanillasugar]

Style and type of feeding really depends on the cats. Some cats don't know how to eat off bone, and need to be taught gradually, by starting small and over time being given bigger and bigger chunks. Skin is fatty, so that's to be kept in mind in the decision to leave it on or not. Cats can pretty much any part of a chicken, so long as they're accustomed to it. And of course, SUPERVISION is key as is understanding your cats eating style. I never leave my cats unattended with bone-food. And I often have to hold one end of whatever Buddy is eating, or he'll try to swallow it whole without chewing.

http://s29.photobucket.com/albums/c2...le/raw%20cats/
I don't want to post the photos directly, as it may gross some people out, but that's the album with my photos of the cats eating whole foods. They usually get quail, as it's small and the bones are easier to manage, but this week they had chicken drumsticks, and almost consumed the entire thing, only leaving the knobby end of the bone.