Can Cats Eat Raw Chicken? Cooked Is the Safer Choice

Why raw chicken is risky for cats

Poultry is one of the most common sources of food-borne bacteria. An FDA screening of more than 1,000 pet food samples found raw pet foods far more likely than other types to carry Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes. Cats have acidic stomachs, but they are not immune, and kittens, seniors and cats with other illnesses are the most vulnerable.

Cornell's Feline Health Center also notes that raw meat can transmit toxoplasmosis and that raw diets offer no clear proven benefit. On top of bacteria, a homemade raw diet is easy to get wrong nutritionally, and cats need precise amounts of taurine, calcium and vitamins that plain chicken does not supply.

The risk to people in the home

Cats that eat raw chicken can carry and shed bacteria in their saliva and feces while looking completely healthy. That puts anyone who scoops the litter box, gets licked or shares a couch at risk, and the concern is greatest for young children, pregnant people, older adults and anyone with a weakened immune system.

If you do handle raw meat for a cat, follow FDA hygiene advice: wash hands for at least 20 seconds, clean bowls and counters with hot soapy water and disinfect them, thaw meat in the fridge, and refrigerate or throw away leftovers promptly. Many households decide the risk is not worth it.

Cooked chicken bones and raw bones

Never give cooked chicken bones. They splinter into sharp shards that can cut the mouth, choke a cat or puncture the gut. Rotisserie chicken carcasses in the trash are a common source.

Raw bones splinter less, but they can still break teeth, lodge in the throat and carry the same bacteria as raw meat. If you are considering a raw diet with bones, discuss it with your vet first, including how it will be balanced and how you will handle it safely.

How to serve chicken safely

Cook plain, boneless, skinless chicken breast or thigh by boiling, baking or poaching until no pink remains and the thickest part reaches 165°F. Do not add salt, butter, oil, garlic, onion or seasoning. Cool it, then shred or cut it into pea-sized pieces.

Plain cooked chicken works well as a high-value treat or a topper on regular cat food. Avoid deli chicken, chicken nuggets and fried or seasoned chicken, which carry salt, breading and garlic or onion powder, both harmful to cats.

If you share a safe morsel, offering it from a shallow cat bowl or hiding it in a puzzle feeder keeps the amount small.

How much chicken to give

For an average 8 to 12 lb cat, a tablespoon of shredded cooked chicken a few times a week is a generous treat. Cornell suggests keeping treats under 10 to 15 percent of daily calories, so cut back the regular food a little if you share chicken often.

Chicken alone is not a complete diet for a cat. If you are thinking about changing your cat's main food, including to a commercial raw diet, talk it through with your vet so it meets your cat's needs.

Kittens and raw meat

Kittens should not be given raw chicken. Their immune systems are still developing, and an infection that would give an adult cat a mild upset can make a kitten seriously ill and dehydrated very quickly.

A few small pieces of plain cooked chicken are fine as a training reward for a kitten eating solid food. Keep their main meals to a complete kitten food. If a kitten does eat raw chicken, watch for diarrhea or lethargy over the next three days and call your vet promptly.

Signs of illness and when to call the vet

Signs of a food-borne infection usually begin within one to three days and include vomiting, diarrhea that may contain blood or mucus, fever, lethargy and refusing food. Some infected cats show no signs but still shed bacteria.

Call your vet the same day if your cat has bloody diarrhea, repeated vomiting, a fever or will not eat for more than a day, and mention any raw chicken. Kittens and senior cats should be seen promptly. If anyone in the home becomes ill, they should tell their own doctor about the raw meat exposure.

This page is general information, not veterinary advice, and it cannot replace an examination by the vet who knows your pet.