HELP!!! Can cats eat bones

I feed a stray black cat(shadow) that chills in my backyard. I feed him chicken(liver,breast meat,etc). I left a chicken neck on the porch and had to go do something. When i came back the neck was GONE BONES AND ALL!! He seemed fine, no choking, groomed himself like he usually does after eating. Sooooo.....?


Also he scratched me while i was petting him. Just rolled on his back and bam. Its just a graze,three little cuts is all but he was purring so im not sure if he was annoyed or just playing.

If the chicken neck was raw he should be fine. Cooked bones are the problem as they can splinter.

As for the scratching, to a lot of cats the belly is a no touch zone. That's where they are and where thay feel most vulnerable, so he might have lashed out on instinct... not necessarily meanness. 

Was it cooked or raw? Cooked bones should not be fed ever as they can splinter. Smaller raw bones like necks, wings and ribs on the other hand are fairly pliable and can be fed. After all, a cat doesn't stop to cook a mouse before eating it.

Thanks for feeding this stray. Sounds like he was someone's cat if he allows you to pet him. The scratches were most likely a sign of overstimulation (too much petting can get overwhelming for some cats). Be sure you wash out the scratches and put some antibiotic cream on it just in case.

I'm not sure how much you are feeding this cat, but if you think it's more than 15% of his total diet, and you are feeding him primarily home-made food whether raw or cooked, then it needs to be done in proper proportions in order to have his nutritional requirements met. If raw, then meat should be about 80% of the total, liver 5%, another secreting organ preferably at 5% but you can give more liver instead, and bone at 10% or a little less. If cooked, you need an alternate calcium source since cooked bone should not be fed. Ground up eggshells work well as a substitute. Here are some threads with more info and guidelines.

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/263955/helpful-resources-raw-home-cooked-cat-food-forum

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/264154/raw-feeding-resources

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/264153/home-cooked-cat-food-resources

The neck was boiled. Shadow came again the same time the next day to eat. I didn't pet him(though he seemed to want me to). And he ate without any problems. I did read about the belly being a no touch zone.

feeding shadow what meatt i can get from our table.we cook a lot of whole chicken so i take the jiblets from those and boil them. I'm not sure if my parents are interested in buying cat food. If i did buy cat food what kinds/brands do you suggest?

If you can supplement with cans of Friskies pates, they are the best of the grocery store brands. At Walmart, they are less than 50 cents for the 5.5 oz can and less than a dollar for the 13 oz can. Thanks for looking out for this guy.

Oh that's perfect!!! cause iv been worried that if we stopped eating the chicken i wouldn't have anything for him. thanks!!¡¡

You can continue to feed him chicken, just not a whole lot of it or the only thing you feed unless you're balancing it per my post above. Make sure there are no cooked bones or spices like onions or garlic which are toxic to cats.

Nope no onions or garlic. any ideas about making a winter shelter.its getting cold now

You can build one pretty easily and cheaply. Here are some ideas. http://www.alleycat.org/ShelterGallery#easy

Yay i get to put my DIY skis to use. that roughneck one looks good.