Can Cats Eat Raw Chicken?

Quick Take

• Your cat can eat raw chicken and look completely healthy while still putting every person in your household at serious risk. See the carrier risk →
• Wild cats eat raw meat every day, so why is it dangerous for yours? The difference comes down to something most owners never consider. Understand the bacterial dangers →
• Cleaning your kitchen after handling raw chicken may not protect your family as much as you think. See the household contamination risks →
• Raw and cooked chicken bones are both off-limits for cats, though the dangers are completely different, and one is actually worse than the other. Compare the bone dangers →

Cats are obligate carnivores, meaning their bodies are biologically wired to survive and thrive exclusively on animal meat. Unlike omnivores, they lack the metabolic enzymes to convert plant matter into essential nutrients, making meat a non-negotiable requirement for their survival. It is well known that raw meat can be dangerous to humans, but what about cats? Can cats eat raw chicken? Domesticated cats should not be fed raw chicken due to the significant health risks it poses, according to major veterinary organizations. While wild cats are adapted to eat freshly killed prey, house cats eating store-bought raw meat face different risks due to processing and storage. In the wild, a cat consumes a fresh kill immediately. Store-bought raw chicken undergoes extensive slaughtering, packaging, shipping, and storage. Continue reading to learn more about why domesticated house cats shouldn’t eat raw chicken.

Why Can’t Cats Eat Raw Chicken?

Feeding your pet cat raw chicken is a dangerous game of bacterial roulette. Uncooked poultry is frequently contaminated with harmful pathogens like Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria. While a cat’s acidic stomach offers some defense, these aggressive bacteria can still trigger severe gastrointestinal distress.

Your cat can become an asymptomatic carrier, potentially putting vulnerable people in your household at risk of infection through petting or handling the cat’s food bowl. Beyond the invisible microscopic threats, raw chicken also poses severe physical hazards if prepared improperly.

Raw chicken bones are also a choking hazard. To satisfy your feline’s cravings safely, it is highly recommended to serve thoroughly cooked and unseasoned chicken.

Both the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) discourage feeding raw diets to companion animals because of the severe health risks they pose to both pets and humans.

Some argue that raw meat is the most natural food for cats, but cats are domesticated animals, and the diseases that can be caught from raw meat are also natural. That certainly doesn’t make them good for our cats’ health.

What Dangers Lurk in Raw Chicken?

Your human family can also be put at risk, even if you disinfect surfaces after preparing the meat. The FDA warns that bacteria from raw pet food can be spread to people, objects, and surfaces that come into contact with the food or the pet.

Any homemade diet is likely to cause nutritional deficiencies. This risk isn’t exclusive to raw diets, but feeding raw chicken as an occasional treat is less likely to cause problems.

If you do want to feed any kind of homemade diet, it’s vital to have the help of a certified veterinary nutritionist.

Benefits of Feeding Raw Chicken to Cats

Although raw chicken provides high-quality protein and hydration that suit a cat’s natural diet, veterinarians strongly discourage feeding it due to the risk of dangerous pathogens. Commercial wet food provides similar hydration and nutritional benefits as raw chicken, but without the risk of harmful bacteria, making it a much safer daily option.

Can Cats Eat Chicken Bones?

Cats should not eat chicken bones.

Raw chicken bones can cause choking or intestinal blockages, and they also carry the same bacterial risks as raw meat, which can make your cat or family ill.

However, raw bones are less likely to splinter than cooked bones.

Cooked chicken bones should also be avoided, as they are more likely to splinter and can cause tears in the throat or digestive system.

How to Serve Chicken to Cats

Here’s how to cook chicken for your cat to ensure it is completely safe to eat:

• Skip the seasonings, butter, and other additives! Just plain chicken will be tasty to your cat, and some additives can be dangerous to them.
• Cook the chicken thoroughly until it reaches an internal temperature of 165-175 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Cut the chicken into small pieces and remove all bones before serving.
• Serve only fresh chicken, and always clean and disinfect any surfaces that come into contact with raw meat.
• Remember: if the chicken isn’t safe for human consumption (such as if it was left on the counter overnight), it’s also not safe for your cat! Cook and store your meat products properly.

Avoid giving your cat cooked chicken prepared for humans, as it often contains seasonings or other ingredients that can be harmful to cats.

If you choose to serve raw chicken, thoroughly wash and disinfect all food preparation surfaces. Only serve fresh meat and only as much as your cat can eat at one time. Wash their bowl immediately after they finish eating.

Be aware of the risks, and wash your hands after touching your cat, as they may transfer bacteria from raw meat onto their fur while grooming.

Monitor your cat and the rest of the family for symptoms of illness, and see a doctor or veterinarian if needed.

Avoid feeding your cat homemade food, whether raw or cooked, unless a certified veterinary nutritionist has formulated the diet specifically for your cat.