Some questions about raw meat chunks

I'm not posting this on the 'raw' feeding site because we don't feed an only raw diet. We feed our two year old black cat, Cappy, 1/3 cup of Purina Pro Plan for indoor Adult Cats in the a.m. Often, I will stick a pin in a fish capsule (That we take) and squeeze the fish oil on the food. Is this okay for him?

I know that Pro Plan isn't the very, very best, but I think it's a medium- end product (better than grocery store bags) and according to the label, I don't think it's too bad , plus he loves it! I got sample packs of different varieties of very good and expensive holistic food at a cat show, so I mixed it with his Pro Plan. And he hated everything but his Pro Plan. It's to believe that he could eat around the other pellets of dry - but he did every time - wolfing down his Pro Plan and leaving everything else behind.

And then he would look up at me as if to say - "What the heck is that in my bowl?"

In the evening we might give him some canned, mixed with his Pro Plan or some raw meat. I usually give him a bit of raw chunks of whatever meat I happen to be cooking for us for supper. He loves his raw meat snacks.

This evening we gave him quite a big chunk of raw chicken. But as he was devouring it, I began wondering about salmonella poisoning. My husband says - "Is this really okay for him?" And I had to reply - well, the websites say it is."

I'm so new at this, I don't know who to believe. So, now I will ask you - Is raw really safe for cats? I also wonder about raw pork as well. Actually, ALL raw meat is problematic for humans.

So - is fish oil from drug store capsules intended for people okay for cats? And is there any raw meat that he shouldn't eat? What about raw fish?

He seems to be happy and healthy.

lin

Raw pork is something I would Avoid ... to many possible issues( some think it is safe but I am not one based on my research)...
Raw fish is like pork
Fish oil is fine just ensure it is not rancid( fishy smell= rancid) ..check for additives

Chicken chunks are great just use the basic hygine we all should

Raw is as safe as other foods when proper hygine and other measures are taken

A cat is going to be able to handle salmonella better than we can. If you can get your kitty to eat it in one place, preferably from a plate, encourage it. (one of the problems I have offering meat chunks is that someone always runs for under the bed with their's )

Avoid propylene glycol. There are some other additives that are bad, but that's a definite one to avoid giving a cat, or even taking yourself. Check the country of origin on those capsules, if it even lists it.

My four cats have been on a raw diet (including chicken) since 2005 and still haven't managed to get sick. Neither have our three foster kittens.

I do not feed raw pork because of Aujeszky virus (pseudorabies). Aujeszky is alway deadly, so even though our country is officially Aujeszky free I'm still not feeding any pork.
I live in Europe, I heard it might be somewhat different in the US, but have not researched that.

Originally Posted by Mimosa

I live in Europe, I heard it might be somewhat different in the US, but have not researched that.

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Over here there's trichinella (a type of roundworm) and pork tapeworm (in lesser amounts). I'm sure both are over in Europe, too, iirc especially trichinella. And while both parasites would really prefer to get into a human, they can infect other animals.

There's not as many cases of infection (in humans) in the US now as there were in the past due to increased awareness about handling and not eating undercooked or raw pork.

Originally Posted by strange_wings

Over here there's trichinella (a type of roundworm) and pork tapeworm (in lesser amounts). I'm sure both are over in Europe, too, iirc especially trichinella. And while both parasites would really prefer to get into a human, they can infect other animals.

There's not as many cases of infection (in humans) in the US now as there were in the past due to increased awareness about handling and not eating undercooked or raw pork.

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According to our government those parasites are not much of an issue here, due to the way livestock is fed and housed and because all meat has to be inspected before leaving the slaugterhouse.
Also freezing kills most of these parasites, and if you keep a lot of meat on hand because you feed a raw diet you would need to freeze it anyway.

Not that it matters, I'm taking no chances because of Aujeszky anyway.

Originally Posted by Mimosa

Also freezing kills most of these parasites

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There is a particular type of trichinella that is freeze resistant due to coming from a northern climate.

Originally Posted by strange_wings

A cat is going to be able to handle salmonella better than we can. If you can get your kitty to eat it in one place, preferably from a plate, encourage it. (one of the problems I have offering meat chunks is that someone always runs for under the bed with their's

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I just invested in six Midwest LifeStages crates for my bunch, precisely because of this type of behavior, and because the fast eaters were stealing food from the slower ones and I'm tired of refereeing meals three times a day.

I am extremely amazed and gratified to say that after only a few short weeks, my cats are all crate champions. They enter, eat and calmly wait for release like they've been doing it all their lives. I love how these guys trust me!!!!

Interestingly, my skittish/light eaters now seem more confident and relaxed and are far more willing to eat all of their food; whereas before, I had to coax them to finish. I have a cover on every other crate, so the cats can't see each other once they enter, and I believe everyone feels secure and safe in their crates, which is allowing them to enjoy their meals more - a perk I hadn't been looking for but am delighted to have found. :-)

As for pork, the research and reading I've done leads me to believe it's a perfectly safe food item and I feed it twice a week (have been for going on two years). There are literally hundreds of raw feeders on the yahoo forums who have been feeding pork for a very, very long time without issue. Some choices (like pork and supplements) are simply comfort-level issues with no right or wrong answer.

Regards!

AC