Why Do People Not Feed Their Cats Whole Prey Or Mice/rodents?

[MistyRino]

Your cat probably already has salmonella in it’s stomach. Cats have short and highly acidic digestive tracts that are made to process all kinda of bacteria. I’m not worried at all.

By the way, kibble is also at high risk of carrying salmonella and other bacteria harmful to humans.

If you’re that concerned about disease, you probably shouldn’t live with a carnivore.

I'm not too worried, but I only wanted to say to add some dry kibble if you ONLY feed raw! (And yes I know my cat probably already has salmonella in it’s stomach)

 

[Azazel]

I'm not too worried, but I only wanted to say to add some dry kibble in you ONLY feed raw! (And yes I know my cat probably already has salmonella in it’s stomach)

Why would I add overly processed vegetables and grains from unknown sources to an obligate carnivore’s diet?

 

[recurringecho]

Yes they are, but you want to be careful of salmonella. I'd rather be safe than sorry, but we all have our own opinions, and all cats are different!

As Azazel said, Salmonella can contaminate anything, even dry food. In addition, all raw meat can contain salmonella, not just mice, so if you are already feeding raw food, there's no reason biological reason for you to not feed clean, food-grade raw mouse (at least that I can think of). And if you're really worried, you can always cook it.

As for the original question, I think it's because of the lack of availability in the large scale markets. No company like Purina or Hills Science is going to invest in raising, grinding, and prepping mice/small birds/lizards when they can just churn out what they make right now and continue to profit.