Mary Allen
Meat is an extremely important part of cat nutrition. Whether chicken, beef, or pork, raw or cooked – every cat has its own preferences. Find out which meat is suitable for cats and in which form it should be fed.
Animal proteins play an extremely important role in cat nutrition. Muscle meat in particular provides cats with this vital nutrient.
This Meat Is Valuable For The Cat
- beef
- Pig
- poultry
- lamb
- Horse
- Wild
Most types of meat hardly differ in terms of the content of vitamins, trace elements, and minerals. Nevertheless, there is a small but subtle difference.
Chicken, Turkey, Duck, And Goose: Poultry Meat For Cats
Poultry meat is very healthy for the cat and comes closest to the meat of the prey. It is rich in vitamin B, niacin, and vitamin A. At the same time, chicken and turkey in particular are low in calories and fat and contain high-quality proteins. Poultry meat such as chicken and turkey is therefore also suitable for a light diet. Cats especially like it cooked. You can also feed chicken and other types of poultry raw. Remove skin and bones. In this way, you save calories and avoid the risk of injury from swallowed bone splinters.
Beef And Other Red Meat For Cats
Beef, pork, and lamb, as well as other red meats, are important sources of iron for cats and should therefore not be missing from a cat’s diet. Cats need iron for blood formation. Red meat is best served in the form of lean, small bites. Since loin or fillet is expensive meat products, you can use hearts as an alternative. The heart is low in calories, rich in vitamins, and tastes very good to cats. In principle, red meat, with the exception of pork, can also be fed raw without any problems.
Be Careful With Pork For Cats
Pork is also valuable for cats. Like other red meats, pork is rich in iron. Fat-free cooked and lean pork such as heart, fillet and escalope is a high-quality and low-calorie source of protein and is particularly suitable for cats who have to diet in order to lose weight. Fatty parts of pork, such as pork belly and pork neck, on the other hand, are particularly tasty and healthy for cats because they are rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids. Fatty pork is good for feeding emaciated cats. But please note: You should never feed your cat raw pork. Raw pork can contain Aujeszky virus, deadly to cats and dogs!
Raw Meat For Cats – Yes Or No?
In principle, you can feed your cat all types of meat raw. The big exception is pork. Raw pork can contain Aujeszky virus, which is deadly to dogs and cats, and should NEVER be served raw. In principle, the following applies to raw feeding: Only feed raw meat that is also available for human consumption from well-run butchers. Pay close attention to hygiene during processing, because when you feed your cats raw meat there is always some risk of infection with pathogens and parasites – not only for the cat but also for the people who come into contact with it.
There are also cats who prefer cooked or roasted meat to raw meat. But: When meat is cooked, the substance taurine, which is essential for cats to survive, is lost. You then have to add this to your meals.
Meat Alone Is Unhealthy For Cats
Muscle meat alone is not enough for your cat’s species-appropriate diet. This becomes clear when you look at the nutrients the cat takes in when it eats a prey animal: In addition to muscle meat, it also takes in skin and hair, innards, and the contents of the stomach of the prey animal and thus receives carbohydrates, fat, minerals, and vitamins. Feeding the cat with muscle meat would therefore lead to deficiency symptoms in the long term. Therefore, you still need to supplement meat rations with the rest of the food components. Only then can the cat’s diet be regarded as wholesome.