Raw Information and Resources

Feline Nutrition Foundation Archive

Feline Nutrition Home PageBeginner
Nutrition
Feline Nutrition's Easy Homemade Cat Food RecipeBeginner's Luck: Where Do I Start?How to Transition to a Raw Cat Food DietJust What is a Raw Cat Food Diet, Anyway?Easy Raw Cat Food for the Busy PersonYour Cat's Nutritional Needs: The BasicsThe Benefits of Raw Food for CatsThere's No Such Thing as a Vegan CatEight Effective Bribes for the Kibble AddictDon't Let Your Senior Cat Become a Skinny Old KittyThe Skinny on Senior Cats: Metabolism ExplainedSlimming Your Cat: What Works, What Doesn'tHigh Pressure Processing: The Future of Raw Cat Food?No Bull, Taurine Is a Must for KittyAdding Taurine to a Raw Cat Food DietHomemade Cat Food, a Balancing ActThiamine in Raw Food for CatsCalcium Supplements in Homemade Cat FoodDon't Let Calcium/Phosphorous Ratios Scare YouVitamin E: Liquid vs. PowderArginine: Essential and Abundant for Cat NutritionLysine and Raw Cat Food DietsCare to Compare? Wild vs. Domesticated PreySpooked By Salmonella: Raw Cat Food!Tips for Transitioning Your Finicky Kitties'Natural' vs. 'Grain-Free' Cat FoodFiguring Out the Carbs in Canned Cat FoodTake Heart, But Not Too MuchThe Case Against Cod Liver OilFeeding Kitten Food to an Adult CatRaw Cat Food vs. More FiberProbiotics, Digestive Enzymes and Raw Cat FoodRaw Cat Food and Kibble Don't MixFeline Nutrition: Who Bears the Responsibility?Pet Food and Feeding: Personal RuminationsReading a Pet Food Ingredient Label
Health
Bio-Inappropriate: The Dangers of Dry Cat FoodFeline Diabetes: The Influence of DietFeline Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Nature and TreatmentFeline Hyperthyroidism: What You Need to KnowA Diet for Your Cat's Urinary and Kidney HealthConstipation: Real Help for Your CatPhosphorus Can Be Key for Cat KidneysWater, Water and Water Battles CrystalsFeline Cystitis and Bladder/Kidney StonesHigh Blood Pressure: Yes, Your Cat Can Get It, TooNutrition is Vital When Treating Feline LeukemiaFeline Pancreatitis: Signs of TroubleAnother Furball? It Might Be Feline AsthmaOpen Wide: The Basics of Kitty DentalsCat Scratch Fever: How It Affects CatsDiet and Your Cat's Cancer RiskChunks and Bones For Your Cat's TeethA Cat's Food Allergies and Intolerances ExplainedHow Toxoplasmosis Affects CatsAvoiding Hepatic Lipidosis in Your CatHow Raw Food for Cats Affects Blood Test ResultsGet Kitty Exercising to Trim DownSalmonella: The Chicken or the EggSafe Handling Practices for Raw MeatIf You're Feeling Stressed, So Is Your CatChoosing the Right Insulin for Your Diabetic CatA Veterinarian's View on Raw Cat Food: Andrea Tasi, VMD
Answers
Answers: What Exactly is an 'Obligate Carnivore?'Answers: What Dry Food Does to Your Cat's AppetiteAnswers: Why Won't My Cat Eat?Answers: Who Were Pottenger's Cats and Do They Matter?Answers: To Grind or Not to Grind Raw Cat Food?Answers: What Dry Food Does to Your Cat's TeethAnswers: What Dry Food Does to Your Cat's FurAnswers: What Dry Food Does to Your Cat's PeeAnswers: What Dry Food Does to Your Cat's GutAnswers: One More Reason to Ditch Dry Cat FoodAnswers: Do Cats Need Dietary Fiber?Answers: Cats in a Bind over PhosphorusAnswers: Let's Talk About Cat BarfAnswers: Making Raw Cat Food Kitty-SizedAnswers: Raw Food for Cats, What About Eating Bones?Answers: Getting Kitty to Like ChunkyAnswers: Are Exotic Meats Nutritious or a Novelty for Cats?Answers: Raw Food and Outdoor Cats, What About Worms?Answers: Take a Deep Breath and Cut the Mouse in HalfAnswers: The Stomach Contents of PreyAnswers: Flaxseed Oil for Kitty?Answers: Plant vs. Meat – The Protein Feud for Cat FoodAnswers: Kitty That Only Wants FishAnswers: Is It Okay for My Cat to Have Milk?Answers: Feed My Cat a Raw Egg Yolk?Answers: Raw Cat Food for My Cat's Mystery Allergy?Answers: Your Cat's Acid StomachAnswers: Cat Urine Ph, Why It MattersAnswers: Kittens Go Through Teething, TooAnswers: Raw Cat Food for All of Those Kittens!Answers: Why Did My Cat's Fur Get So Silky?Answers: Goaltending the Cat Food BowlAnswers: Who Are AAFCO and the NRC?Answers: Taking the Complexity Out of B Vitamins for CatsAnswers: The Paradox of Prescription Diets for Cats
Blogs
How to Think Like a CatRaw Meaty Bones for Cats: Adult Supervision Required!Let Me Tell You About Raw Cat Food. Hey Come Back!But Kitty, What Nice Teeth You Have...Sasquatch vs. My CatI Worry About My CatYour Cat Worries About ThisYour Kitty May Need to Go to Chunk SchoolAre Cats Clandestine Consumers?Dry Cat Food – The Big EasyEight Cat CuriositiesCats and Cantaloupe: A Method to their MadnessThe Myth of the Finicky CatFalling Off the Cat Food Recipe CliffCat Daddy Talks Cat DietThe Popularity of Cat PoopThe Most Important Member, YouYou Said You Feed Your Cat, What?Oh! Those Dirty Little Kittens!It's My Cat's House, I Just Live ThereBlack Cats Are Not Unlucky at AllLessons From the Stoic CatIs There a Cat in the House?Rice Isn't NiceDon't Let it Bug You Kitty!Tell Your Cat to Chew on This!Cat Longevity and the Ultimate Test?Bug Patrol and Cat Stampedes: Life with Lots of CatsWhat Scraps?
Features
Feeding Raw Food In Australia: What's Up Down UnderThe Cemetery Cats of Buenos AiresCats Are Paying Attention to Your FeelingsCheetahs in Captivity Need a Better DietIt Started With a Caracas Cat Named CaterpillarConsidering a Hybrid Cat?Tales from the Trenches: Feeding Kittens a Raw DietSaving Alistair: How Lyn Thomson Helped Stop IBD 11,000 Miles AwayRaw Cat Food Essentials and Fun Stuff, Too!There's No Kibble Served at the Big Cat RescueWhat Bob Dole Taught Me About Raw FoodAn Answer For Alex: Raw Food and Tight RegulationMangiare Crudo in Italia (Raw Fed in Italy)Melamine to Frankenprey: A Documented JourneyCould Everything We Know Be Wrong?A Brief History of Commercial Pet FoodWhen a Vegetarian Feeds A Raw DietRead Me! Great Books About CatsDuke's Story: Inflammatory Bowel DiseaseAdoption: What Should We Feed Our New Kitten?Malaysian Kittens Meet Frankenprey!Raw Food Co-ops: Make Buying Less Trying!Feeding Cats Ring Dings and Krispy Kremes
One Page Guides
Cats Are Cats!What Should You Be Feeding Your Cat?The Dangers of Dry FoodRaw Feeding for BeginnersTransitioning to a Raw DietEasy Recipe for Success
About Us
Welcome to Feline NutritionThe Feline Nutrition FoundationA Message from the FounderThe Feline Nutrition Foundation Mission StatementThe Feline Nutrition Team

Blog & Newsletter

Current Specials

Current Specials

This content is archived from the Feline Nutrition Foundation

Spooked By Salmonella: Raw Cat Food!

Updated: Sunday, June 02, 2019 02:18 PM
Published: Thursday, March 04, 2010 11:01 AM
Written by Margaret Gates

You may have concerns when considering raw food for your cat. What about bones, parasites and proper nutrients? And what about pathogens such as salmonella? We have all been warned our entire lives about cooking meat thoroughly. The idea of feeding uncooked meat to our cats can seem scary at first. Isn't raw cat food dangerous? Not at all. People all over the world are feeding their cats raw food. The risk from pathogens and parasites is minimal if you follow safe-handling procedures and are careful about sourcing the meat and supplements. It's the same as you would do with foods intended for your own consumption. Cats eating a wild, prey-based diet routinely eat raw bone; it is a vital part of a natural diet. As obligate carnivores, cats evolved to eat their prey raw. Their digestive systems are specialized for getting the maximum nutrition from a bio-appropriate diet.

Salmonella and E. coli

Concerns about salmonella and e. coli are usually the first worry. They are generally the product of improper slaughtering methods or improperly-raised animals. Neither of these pathogens should ever be in meat intended for humans or animals.

Most people are naturally cautious and careful when handling raw meat. Salmonella contamination occurs on non-meat or cooked products when food is cross-contaminated with a contaminated raw product, as has happened with commercial dry pet food. Following safe handling procedures and using only fresh meats from known sources minimizes the risk.

Salmonella contamination in meat is usually on the outside of a cut, so grinding meat spreads the contamination throughout and provides a large surface area for the bacteria to grow. Buying grocery store or frozen ground meats that are intended for human consumption is risky. You don't know how long the meat was left unfrozen after it was ground. Remember, the producers of human-grade pre-ground meat are counting on it being cooked to destroy any pathogens that may exist due to their practices. Meat ground for raw cat food is frozen immediately after grinding to help avoid bacterial proliferation.

Cats have highly acidic digestive systems. This acidity makes them pathogen resistant. They also have a short digestive tract that gives bacteria little time to proliferate in their systems. Food passes through in about 13 hours, compared to two to three times that long for a human.¹ If a cat ingests salmonella bacteria, it has a good chance of not being affected by it. Keep in mind this applies to a healthy cat; resistance can be severely diminished in a cat that is ill. The concern is more about the people in the household – most of the emphasis on safe handling is to protect humans.

E. Coli is found in the gut of animals and can contaminate meat if it is not slaughtered properly. Grass-fed cattle have a much lower incidence of e. coli in their gut.² Even though contamination of meat products with e. coli is rare, care must be taken to source meat from reputable providers.

Toxoplasmosis

Toxoplasmosis is caused by a single-celled parasite. It is one of the most common parasitic diseases. In the U.S., approximately 22.5% of the human population has been infected.³ With the exception of pregnant or immune-deficient humans, toxoplasmosis rarely causes significant disease in any species. However, a study from the University of Leeds published in March 2009 indicates that the toxoplasmosis parasite may play a role in the development of schizophrenia and other bipolar disorders in humans by affecting the production of dopamine in the brain. Cats, both wild and kept, are the only species that host the egg-producing phase of the organism. As any infected cat would be shedding the parasite's eggs for only a few days in its entire life, the risk of infection from a cat is small. Humans are more likely to be infected by eating raw meat themselves or from unwashed fruits and vegetables than by handling cat feces, as the eggs have to be ingested to cause infection.

Contact with contaminated soil is a common means of infection. Freezing meat for 72 hours at -4°F (-20°C) kills toxoplasmosis eggs. Keep in mind that eggs shed in cat feces are not immediately infectious. They must go through a process called sporulation, which takes from one to five days depending on the environment. This is another reason to promptly clean the litter box.

If you are planning or at risk of geting pregnant, have a test done to see if you have been exposed to toxoplasmosis. If you have been exposed previously and developed antibodies, re-infection is unlikely. Cases of re-infection during pregnancy are rare, and thought to be infections from a different strain of the parasite. If you haven't been exposed, wear gloves when cleaning the litter box, or better yet, have someone else do it. Avoid handling raw meat and coming in contact with soil while gardening outdoors. You do not have to get rid of your cat. As always, talk with your doctor first to protect your health.

Bones

Contrary to popular belief, raw bone is highly digestible and provides calcium, minerals and enzymes. The marrow is nutrient rich. It is only cooked bone that is dangerous. Cooking makes bone sharp, brittle and almost impossible to digest. Cats that hunt eat the bones of their prey; bones are their primary source of calcium. Feeding your cat small, raw meaty bones is a natural way to provide calcium and give your cat some chewing exercise for healthy jaws and cleaner teeth. Chicken wings or Cornish game hen bones are about the right size. It is always a good idea to supervise your cat when feeding raw meaty bones.

Nutrients

Cats have been eating their food raw for millennia. It is only recently that humans thought they could do better with a highly-processed, cooked and packaged diet. Raw cat food tries to emulate a diet that kitty would be eating if she were hunting her own food. The digestive system of a cat is specialized to deal with raw food that is high in protein, high in moisture and has little or no carbohydrates. As an obligate carnivore, your cat should get most of the required nutrients from the food directly, in a form she is adapted to utilize most efficiently.

If your cat were to eat a varied, fresh prey diet, she would get all of the nutrients she requires directly from her food. This kind of diet is not practical for indoor companion cats. Frankenprey diets, consisting of varied whole parts of animals fed so that a nutritional balance is attained over a set period of time, are the next closest to prey-based diets. Properly planned, this type of diet usually requires no supplementation. It's often not practical for many people, and cats sometimes will not eat it. Feeding a ground raw cat food diet is the easiest and most practical method, but grinding and freezing causes some loss of nutrients. Supplements are required to be certain your cat gets enough essential nutrients.

Whatever method of feeding you choose – ground, frankenprey or a combination of the two – variety is important. Meats vary in their nutritional profile, and feeding a range of meats provides the best overall assurance of proper cat nutrition.

When Feeding Raw Cat Food, Follow Safe Handling Procedures:

  • Use meat that is as fresh as possible, from a reputable source, and rinse it to help remove surface bacteria.
  • Never buy supermarket ground meat. You don't know how long it has been sitting around, growing bacteria. Also, you don't know the cleanliness of the grinding equipment.
  • When grinding your own, freeze it immediately after processing. Only refrigerate portions that will be eaten right away.
  • Keep your equipment, bowls and surfaces squeaky clean. Use a cat-safe vinegar and water sterilizing solution on surfaces that your cat comes into direct contact with.
  • Avoid cross-contamination of utensils, surfaces, foods and hands.
  • Discard food that has been sitting out too long.
  • Thaw frozen meat properly in the refrigerator, never at room temperature.
  • Warm raw cat food in a baggie in a bowl of warm water. Do not microwave it. This only cooks it, which reduces the available nutrients you've worked so hard to get. Cooking makes any bone in the food brittle, indigestible and possibly dangerous.
  • For serving raw food, use metal or glass plates or bowls. Plastic can develop scratches that can harbor bacteria. Alternatively, you can use paper plates and throw them out after use.
  • It's a good idea to always wear gloves when handling raw meat.

Most importantly of all, wash your hands! You can't be too careful.

Margaret Gates is the founder of the Feline Nutrition Foundation.

1. U.S. National Research Council Ad Hoc Committee on Dog and Cat Nutrition, Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats, 2006, 5-10.

2. J. B. Russell, F. Diez-Gonzalez, and G. N. Jarvis, "Potential Effect of Cattle Diets on the Transmission of Pathogenic Escherichia Coli to Humans," Microbes and Infection 2.1, Jan 2000, 45-53.

3. "Toxoplasmosis," Centers for Disease Control.

4. "Toxoplasmosis and Cats," International Cat Care, UK.

5. "Toxoplasmosis in Cats," Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine.

6. A. Elbez-Rubinstein, D. Ajzenberg, M. L. Dardé, R. Cohen, A. Dumètre, H. Yera, E. Gondon, J. C. Janaud, and P. Thulliez, "Congenital Toxoplasmosis and Reinfection During Pregnancy: Case Report, Strain Characterization, Experimental Model of Reinfection, and Review," Journal of Infectious Disease, January 15, 2009.

7. Dr. Bruce Syme, BVSc (Hons), "Feeding Raw Bones to Cats and Dogs."