raw

[kat003]

Wondering if it would be ok to feed raw meat every so often like a treat or just to add to the diet. Like chicken feet and other small things. Is it safe to get the meat from the store or does it need to be from a sourced company or something else. Will feeding her these things mess up her system or help?

 

[Maurey]

You should be careful and gradual about adding organ and bone to the diet, as they can cause diarrhoea and constipation, respectively. I wouldn’t personally feed chicken feet to a cat (unless it’s from a very young animal),but chicken necks are a good alternative.

it’s okay to add unsupplemented raw meat into the diet, as long as it’s not more than 10% of what your kitty eats in the day. Raw muscle meat on its own isn’t a complete diet, so you don’t want to offset the crucial nutrients your kitty will be getting from their complete diet.
For sourcing, I’d go with a pet raw food supplier with a good rep, or a local butcher over what’s provided in a typical supermarket. If you do have access to a butcher, see if you can get cuts of meat with the blood still in it, as that’s very beneficial for a cat. With butcher-sourced meat, I’d recommend for freezing for at least 3 days before feeding with butcher sourced meat for food safety reasons, especially with pork or wild game. With other cuts, it’s up to you, but unless you implicitly trust your butcher, better safe than sorry :>

 

[LTS3]

Raw meat as treat is ok. Sometimes independent pet stores sell frozen raw bones and such. But you can feed whatever you find at a butcher shop or supermarket or even source from a place like Hare-Today.com For meat, only buy whole cuts from a butcher shop or supermarket, never the already ground stuff, and make sure the meat hasn't been enhanced with flavorings or broth or anything.