Raw food best for cat, but is it safe for me?

taty caty

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Hi,

From the discussion on this forum, and after reading this article (http://felineinstincts.com/dontworryaboutsalmonellawhenfeedingrawtoyourcats/) I now know that raw food is the best for cats. This is how God created them.

But I have a concern, when my cat eats raw food (which has loads of bacteria which cat GI tract can handle well) and the licks himself or licks me, or bite things in the place, won't that be a way for transmitting bacteria to us?

I'm a bit careless, I let my cat lick my face, bite my pillows, sniff and lick my dish while I'm eating.

So if I feed him raw, would that be safe for me? I don't want my surfaces contaminated with things that could make me or other people sick.

Another question,

when feeding raw, what is the longest time you can keep raw food outside?

Thank you. :)
 

ritz

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I don't worry at all about Ritz licking me, and wouldn't worry about her biting my pillow if she were so inclined to do so. I don't know how long bacteria lives outside the host but I would think most of the bacteria is relatively harmless and has a short life. Plus, I think most reasonably healthy persons could fight off any bacteria.
Now, Ritz licks dishes of my food (a very annoying habit), she's indiscriminate what she licks (bowls of cooked vegetable, left over cooked oat bran cereal). The "yuck" factor bothers me more than any potential for bacteria, and in any case I think reheating (after washing) would kill any bacteria/virus.
In so far as the longest time raw food can be left out: I've never had the lovely experience of Ritz not finishing her food in more than 30 seconds, but I think 30 minutes is tops, especially in warm weather and if your air conditioning is faulty (as mine was for 10+ years).
 

roguethecat

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the same worries apply to cats fed any food 


at least with raw, people tend to be aware of it and wash their hands after touching (well, I do). I don't eat their food. I also have the rule they are not allowed on my kitchen table where I eat (at least, they are not allowed on there when people are watching them). I admit I'm pretty bad at enforcing... 

I don't worry about them licking me - not any more than my niece kissing my cheek (and she eats yucky stuff sometimes!) - after all, we're all covered in bacteria  inside and out 
 

ldg

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Salmonella is actually a natural bacteria found in the guts of most animals. One study found that up to 36% of dogs and 18% of cats shed salmonella, no matter what they're fed. The main point of transference, if you treat the food you feed your cat with the same care as you treat food you prepare for yourself (even if vegan, because fruits and veggies are recalled all the time for salmonella contamination - the issue is farm feces getting into water used for irrigation), is the litter box. So use a scoop, and wash your hands. :)
 

di and bob

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I think all of which you are worried about is perfectly normal, no matter what diet the cat is on. A healthy adult can fight off almost all bacteria, even salmonella, which by the way is only on certain foods contaminated by it. As long as you wash your hands you should be all right. There are a LOT of pet owners who let their pets lick them, eat out of their dishes, and walk on their counters and I don't recall EVER hearing of someone dieing from it! Like I said, as long as your immune system is all right, you should be fine!
 

cprcheetah

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I have been raw feeding my dogs since July 2010 and my cats since this year.  I have not gotten sick at all from any of it, nor do I anticipate doing so.  I don't have the best immune system and my husbands is even worse, no sicknesses at all.  I'm not the cleanest person in the world either, so it is pretty safe.
 

laralove

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I don't worry about it. He'll periodically dip his face in my milk cup and lap a bit up. That's probably weird that I'll drink from it after that, but I don't care. I've never gotten sick.
 
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taty caty

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Sorry, I had a very bad habit of starting threads and not coming back. 

I got my hands really full in the past days.

I appreciate your inputs, I'll read them and get back to you.

Cheers.
 

Anne

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Please do be advised that introducing raw meats into your household can increase the risk of bacterial infection. Yes, the same is true of kibble, to some extent. Not so much of canned, and possibly HPP-treated raw. What's more, when our cats eat raw that's infected with salmonella (and potentially other bacterial pathogens), they can become carriers and shed the bacteria. If there are immonucompromised people or pets in your household, it certainly should be a concern. 

Are the chances high of you or anyone else becoming actually ill with salmonella? If you're all healthy and have strong immune systems, then probably not. They do exist however and several studies show they are increased when you feed raw. I don't want to get into an argument about feeding raw (it's not allowed as per the forum rules 
), and I'm not saying feeding a homemade raw diet is good or bad. Just that there are associated risks and you definitely should take the time to study them and learn how to mitigate them. And as a special bonus, we have a new article discussing just this - 

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/feeding-raw-to-cats-safety-concerns

It's by our very own @LDG  and I think it provides a good overview of the risks and what should be done to avoid them.
 

furmonster mom

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Anyone who has immunocompromised residents in their household should already be taking measures to reduce bacterial loads across the board, on all their surfaces, and in their hygiene.

My response has always been that preparing and feeding raw should be handled the same way you would handle the Christmas turkey:  Clean hands, clean utensils, don't cross-contaminate (meat board & knife separate from veggie board & knife).   Wash your hands and don't eat the poop!  
 
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