Most cat owners are often tempted to share what is on their plates with their cats. The problem with doing this is that not all foods are safe and healthy for your cats. So, what meat can cats eat?
By nature, cats are meat-eaters as meat forms an essential part of their diet. However, it would help to consider what meat cats can eat before offering your feline friend that morsel of meat.
What meat can I feed my cat?
Cats are carnivorous animals that thrive mainly on meats. The following meats are healthy and ideal for your cat.
1. Chicken
Chicken is one of the world’s most consumed meat. If you are wondering what meats can cat eat? Chickens are one of them.
Though cats can eat chicken, it still has to be well prepared. Cats require a high protein diet to maintain their metabolic function and sustain an active and healthy lifestyle.
Chicken is very rich in animal protein and natural minerals, and vitamins.
Benefits of chicken to cats
The protein in chicken will help your cat to:
- Develop muscle mass
- Maintain healthy fur and skin
High-quality chicken cuts and organs, especially chicken livers, contain natural minerals and vitamins, including:
- Selenium: It helps to reduce shedding and hairballs in cats. It also helps to enhance their immune system.
- Phosphorus: Helps to maintain bone development and heart and liver function.
- Vitamin B6: Helps prevent feline diabetes by enabling glucose release and improves kidney function.
How to feed your cat chicken
Some of the most common parts of the chicken that is ideal for your cat are:
- Main parts: These pats are tender and nutritious. They include the breasts, wings, and drumsticks. The best way to feed your cat chicken is to gently boil the meat cuts and remove all the skin containing unhealthy fat.
- Giblets: The giblets include chicken liver rich in protein and vitamin A.
How much chicken should I give my cat?
As a rule of thumb, it is best to keep chicken to less than 10% of your cat’s total daily calorie intake.
Also, ensure that all the bones have been removed as they can cause severe internal damage to your cat’s stomach. Chicken should not be regularly used as a primary nutrition source for your cat.
2. Beef
Beef is a top contender for the most consumed meat worldwide.
If you are a pet owner and still thinking about what meat a cat can eat, consider adding beef to your cat’s diet. Cats can digest beef meat without any problem.
Beef is typically the flesh of cow, bull, or ox, consumed as food by man and animal. Beef meat can be cut into steaks, short ribs, or roasts.
Health benefits of beef for your cats
- Beef contains minerals such as iron, manganese, zinc, and selenium, which help nourish and keep your cat healthy.\
- Beef is also rich in Vitamin A, C, and B complex.
- Cats require a lot of taurines, and beef is a decent taurine source.
How safe is beef for cats?
Beef is safe for cats, especially if it is cooked to at least 145 F. If you consider feeding your cats beef, look out for ground beef as it is less expensive and easy to prepare.
How much beef should I give my cat?
Beef is a healthy meat source for cats. However, it should not be included in your cat’s regular diet. This is because your cat may be unable to digest a high portion of beef, resulting in side effects and gastrointestinal issues.
You must note that some cats could be allergic or too sensitive to beef. Such cats may experience vomiting and diarrhea issues after consuming beef. You should avoid feeding your cat beef if you notice such problems.
3. Pork
Many cat owners wonder what meat cats can eat, with pork being a subject of debate. The truth is that cats can eat pork but only in moderation.
Health benefits of pork for your cat
Some of the benefits of feeding pork to your cat include:
- Source of high-quality protein: Cats require a high protein intake and pork meat is rich in protein, a vital nutrient for cats.
- Sources of vitamins and minerals: Pork contains essential vitamins, including B1, B2, B6, and B12. Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin) is vital to cats for the proper function of their nervous system, immune system, and digestive tract.
- It also contains vital minerals such as potassium, phosphorus, niacin, selenium, and zinc.
Are there any dangers of pork for my cat?
Pork is high-fat and sodium-containing meat.
These nutrients can threaten your cat’s health when consumed in large quantities. Problems such as fats and weight gain, which may cause obesity and block arteries, may arise if consumed frequently.
Similarly, excess sodium can cause thirst and additional stress on your cat’s kidney, heart, and liver. Avoid ham and bacon as they have high sodium content, which can contain sulfites that are bad for cats.
How To Safely Feed Pork To Your Cat
Although pork is safe for your cats, you must take measures to feed pork to your cat safely. They include:
- Remove all bones: Carefully separate bones from pork and cut them into small-sized pieces.
- Cook adequately: Ensure you cook thoroughly to an internal temperature of 140 F. Thorough cooking helps prevent any live parasites from causing disease in the meat.
- Feed your cats in moderate portions: Feed your cat not more than 10% of your cat’s daily calorie intake.
What other meat can cats eat?
If you are still speculating on what meat can cats eat, consider:
- Lamb and veal
- Turkey
- Duck
- Rabbit
5 Raw Meat Cat Food Options
| Product | STAR Rating | Features | Price on AMAZON | Price on CHEWY | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Instinct Raw Meals Cat Food- Cage Free Chicken | 4.6 STARS | High protein Freeze-dried 100% balance meal Less processed Grain free Made in USA |  |  |
 | Instinct Limited Ingredient Diet Rabbit Meat Canned cat food | 4.2 STARS | Grain Free Rabbit meat No fillers Balanced nutrition | | |
 | Instinct Limited Ingredient Diet Cat Food Rabbit | 4.5 STARS | Grain free Rabbit meal Raw coated kibble | | |
 | Stella and Chewy’s Freeze Dried Raw cat food chicken | 4.3 STARS | Cage free chicken meat Made in USA High protein Minimally processed 100% complete meal Offer meat recipes offered | | |
 | Meow Freeze-dried Wild Venison and lamb | 4.3 STARS | New Zealand product Enzymes & nutrients High protein Cage free duck meat Complete meal Grain free | |
What about fish meat?
Despite popular belief, fish is not an acceptable food for feeding daily to cats. It is common for some cats to develop allergies when fed fish.
There are many cat foods that include fish in their menus, and we do review many fish products on our website. Fish is tasty and this entices cat owners to offer it as food. But fish can create health problems in cats.
Oily fish such as tuna contain high levels of fatty acids. This can lead to a vitamin E deficiency in cats, resulting in painful conditions.
Heavy metals have been known to accumulate in larger pelagic fish. Cat food products labelled with having ‘ocean whitefish’ can be high in PCBs and mercury.
Although not common, heavy metal toxicity in cats can lead to the development of neurological problems and kidney damage.
If feeding cat food containing fish, read the label to see if the company tests for heavy metals in their products, and if evident, that it guarantees these levels to be safe for cats.
Some cats may also have allergen reaction to the protein in fish.
We recommend that fish is fed in moderation. Always read the product information to see where the fish is sourced. Be vigilant with your cat and take note of any changes or reactions when fish is fed.
We have discussed whether cats can eat canned tuna in this article, and have expanded our discussion on fish allergies in cats in this article.
Can cats eat raw meat?
Generally, it is best to conduct extensive research and consult your veterinarian before your cat is fed raw meat.
Some risks of feeding your cat raw meat include parasitic infestation, nutritional deficiency, and the dangers of bone materials in raw meat.
To learn more, read our article answering ‘Can Cats Eat Raw Meat’ question in depth.
A tip when selecting a cat food.
We recommend reading the ingredients list on any commercial cat food. ‘Real Meat’ should always be the first ingredient listed. Cheaper pet foods will list meat as ‘meat by-product’ or ‘meat-meal’. Although, meat-meal can be eaten by cats, it is a rendered ingredient and doesn’t depict the ‘meat’ the company may be claiming to have in the recipe. Pet food manufacturers are not required to report exactly what is in their ‘meat’ meal.
Meat by-product can be anything from fat, bones, floor waste and offal. It is heated to a very high temperature destroying enzymes and nutrition, and dried into a powder to be added to pet foods.
It is used because it is cheap and because it preserves better than real meat, requiring no refrigeration.
What meat can cats eat? Final Thoughts
What meat can cats eat can be a worrying thought for many feline lovers. However, this article has given you an insight into selecting healthy and nutritious meats for your cat.