Raw pork okay?

[southpaw]

I recall reading somewhere that raw pork shouldn't be fed to cats. Is that true? I used to feed my dog raw and I know pork is always highly recommended as a good source of red meat for them... some people choose not to feed it because of being worried about trichinella, but the general belief is that pork is fine.

Is it the same with cats? Just not recommended because of the possibility of trichinella, or is there some other reason?

Just wondering because the pet food deli gave me a sample of ground pork (amongst other proteins), and I want to make sure it's okay before I offer it to Jinx.

 

[ritz]

Raw pork, chunks, not ground, is fine to give your cat.  Trichinella is no longer an problem.  Ritz likes pork, although it can be fatty.

BUT ground meat of any kind, the kind that you get from a supermarket, is not recommended because of possible bacteria contamination from handling and poor storage (basically, a quality control issue).  Unless you see the butcher grind the meat and then are able to take it home right away, then I would not buy ground meat (including poultry) of any kind from a supermarket.

Now, if you're talking about grinding pork at home or buying it frozen from one of the Raw providers, then that's another story (and, threat   )

 

[carolina]

I have a thread about it where it has been discussed pretty well... http://www.thecatsite.com/t/241184/pork
I have been feeding it to my kitties and they LOVE IT. Laurie has been feeding it too, so has Lauren..... In my house it is pretty much their favorite - no issues... Very good meat, and no question I will be keeping it on their rotation.
Fatty, lean..... all relative.... You do want fatty, and you do want lean - what you want is to rotate them. You don't want just to feed one meat all the time.... As long as pork is fed on rotation, not a problem.

 

[ritz]

I agree with Carolina; I was only concerned about it being ground at a supermarket. 

Pork is part of my rotation.

 

[southpaw]

Thanks! I've got it thawing in the fridge now... hopefully he likes it because it's not expensive either.

And it's not ground from a supermarket - we have a local "pet food deli" that grinds their own raw diets, and they do their grinds a few days a week so it's all pretty fresh. It's basically the same as if I did it at home , but a whole lot more convenient (they include bones & organs and add supplements, as well).

 

[ritz]

Oh wow, that's great; I wish I lived where you did!

 

[mimosa]

You guys are lucky, in Europe a lot of raw feeders don't feed raw pork because of a concern of Aujeszki's disease http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudorabies

I don't feed pork for that reason, our country used to be Aujeszky free, all pigs got vaccinated against it, but a couple of years ago vaccination stopped because meat from unvaccinated pigs could be sold to more countries. I'm not taking any chances with local or foreign pork because there is no cure for this disease and it's almost always fatal.

 

[Willowy]

Huh, my uncle lost his hog farm to pseudorabies (and even now can't have hogs, 20 years later, because it's still in the dirt), but I never knew it could be transmitted by eating the meat.

 

[ldg]

Yeah, it hasn't been an issue in commercial pork in the U.S. since.... 2005? I believe it is. But it is present in wild pigs/boar, so definitely not recommended to feed wild game. (It's a problem in bears too).

I'm so sorry your Uncle lost his farm.

 

[Willowy]

Well, he didn't lose the FARM, just the hogs, and I think the government paid him for them (as part of the psudorabies eradication program). And the way the hog market is now, he's glad he got out of hogs back then. At any rate he didn't suffer financially because of it. He just raises corn and soybeans now.

I was curious and looked up some info, and I'm glad they eradicated it! I never knew much about it other than that's why my uncle had to stop keeping hogs, but that's pretty scary. I know a lot of raw feeders avoid pork, but I always thought that was because of trichinosis.

 

[ldg]

Well, he didn't lose the FARM, just the hogs, and I think the government paid him for them (as part of the psudorabies eradication program). And the way the hog market is now, he's glad he got out of hogs back then. At any rate he didn't suffer financially because of it. He just raises corn and soybeans now.
I was curious and looked up some info, and I'm glad they eradicated it! I never knew much about it other than that's why my uncle had to stop keeping hogs, but that's pretty scary. I know a lot of raw feeders avoid pork, but I always thought that was because of trichinosis.

Oh, thanks for clarifying (about your Uncle). My grandfather farmed (sheep & chickens; corn for feeding). It was during the age of highway building, and he ended up having two highways sliced through his pastures. Yes, he was paid for it, but he had to build a new barn after one of the highways, and it cost him more than he was paid for the ... whatever they call it when they take your property and you have no choice.

 

[speakhandsforme]

... whatever they call it when they take your property and you have no choice.

Eminent domain.

 

[ldg]

Eminent domain.

Thanks! I had a brain freeze! :lol3: