Bones for cats?

I have heard feeding bones to cats is a good way to keep their teeth clean, and if they like gnawing on things with their teeth. Dry cat food is probably bad for cats' teeth, despite what the cat food companies want us to think, so what bones would be appropriate for cats? I heard raw chicken on the bone is the best, but I'm unsure about feeding raw. Apparently chicken bones can be dangerous if cooked, but what about something like a beef rib bone? Those don't splinter, even when cooked, so are they safe to give a cat? They might be too big, but are there safe cooked bones for cats?

I would not risk feeding cooked bones (other than bones in canned sardines).  And really hard large bones probably aren't going to get into the places where the kitties teeth need for cleaning.  I'd stick with more flexible raw bones like chicken, Cornish hen, etc.  Wings like flats or wingtips are great to start with.  Also, chewy meats like raw chicken gizzards might help with some cleaning. 

No, there are no safe cooked bones for cats (or dogs). The only appropriate bones for cats are small, raw bones. These are flexible, not brittle. No structural bones should be fed - nothing that supports weight (thigh bones, leg bones) of larger birds and mammals. Smaller bones of chicken wings, chicken ribs, cornish hen wings/ribs and necks (as peaches 08 mentions) are all things most people can source that are appropriate for cats. When feeding bones to cats, think "mouse" and "rabbit" (small, wild rabbits).

OK, so chicken wing bones, preferably small ones are safe. Then how do you "sanitize" it? If you can't cook them? I'm worried about raw meat, even if its frozen, and when cats catch a bird, they usually eat it at once, not kept in storage for days, like the meat at supermarkets. 

If you have a butcher close by, you can stop in and get fresh wings or chicken necks.

Usually meat from a butcher is much fresher than a grocery, something I recently found out. When TCS members keep talking about butchers I imagined a gross, smelly shop with meat hanging everywhere and a guy with a bloody apron, but it wasn't so! I went to my first butcher a few weeks ago and it was sooooooo nice in there!

You may have to cut up the wings or necks at first until your cat learns that it is food. Many cats, especially adults who have never had raw food before, do not know what to do when you plop a chicken wing in front of them 

Also, if they don't finish it within 30 minutes or so the rest goes in the garbage, don't save it for later! When feeding raw, it should always be fresh. 

Edit: I just realized I didn't fully answer your question! You do not have to sanitize raw meat as long as it is fresh.