I am happily watching my cat eat chicken drumsticks.

[KittyWithStripes]

… and realised how irrational is the fear that a pet might choke on one.

I’m in my 50s. We’ve had a lot of cats and dogs in my lifetime, and every single one of them has been fed leftover cooked chicken including the bones, their whole lives.

Never lost one yet to Death By Chicken Bone.

And come to think of it, the rubbish bins in town have KFC wrappers strewn around them from marauding foxes and dogs and cats gobbling up chicken bones by the bucketful… Surely, if they were SO DANGEROUS to pets we would see mountains of little corpses piled around those bins?

Or maybe it’s just complete bollocks, and the risk to pets is massively overstated.

And for the love of god I’m NOT denying any pet has ever choked on a bone - any more than I am denying any child has ever choked on a grape or cherry tomato. But we don’t completely ban children eating grapes and cherry tomatoes. FFS. Rant over 🍗😘

It's not irrational, it is a risk.

Raw chicken bones are fine though.

Well, if you're happy to take the risk. But we cut up grapes and cherry tomatoes for children. I'd prefer peace of mind over watching my cat die choking on blood from a splintered cooked bone. :)

No way I’d risk it . I don’t think the issue is choking I think it’s because the bones can splinter and pierce the intestines .

Yes but again I ask - what actual risk?

the risk is negligible. This is so irrational. you are frightened of a thing that ALMOST NEVER HAPPENS.

It’s like never getting in a car because you might die in a car crash.

They dont choke on bones. They crunch the bones up which are brittle and can easily splinter inside their stomachs.

Its irresponsible.

It rarely happens as sensible people know not to give raw bones.

When I get in a car I am sober, I wear a seatbelt and drive according to the Highway Code, I pick a car with a good safety rating, etc etc, thereby reducing the risks. Cos that's sensible.

Splinter damage to mouth and digestive tract would not be pretty and would be awful for the cat. Why risk it? Just give them raw.

I think you mean cooked bones? Raw bones are universally accepted as safe for our precious fur babies. Who are way more robust for the most part than we think 😄

So you don't cut grapes for your toddler, because the risk of them choking is so small?

You don't wear a seatbelt because the risk of you crashing on the way to the shop down the road is minimal?

You don't look before you cross the road?

Let a dog eat a raisin because the risk of fatal organ damage from one raisin is small, even though grapes and raisins are known to be fatal to dogs, even in some cases from just one?

No one is "frightened". There is a small risk that a cooked bone will splinter when bitten and then pierce the innards of an animal, causing injury. Rational people would prefer to avoid the risk however minimal. That's normal.

That was to @Floralnomad

Who are you talking to?

I had to hoik a chicken bone out of my cat's throat once, he was definitely choking. He looked terrified - big black eyes and pawing at his mouth.

Conversely, my friend has always fed his cats cooked chicken quarters instead of wet food (they also get complete dry food for taurine etc) and they live to a ripe old age with no issues at all.

Cooked bones

Raw bones are fine

“Let a dog eat a raisin because the risk of fatal organ damage from one raisin is small, even though grapes and raisins are known to be fatal to dogs, even in some cases from just one?”

that feels like a ridiculously ‘gotcha’ moment, you sweet summer child. Growing up in the 70s, I swear to God no one had ever heard of raisins… Or grapes… Or chocolate or whatever… being in anyway harmful to any dog. Literally we had no idea. And our dogs ate everything because they are greedy dogs. AND YET THEY SURVIVED 🙌 glory be how is this possible…

Once my dcat had a bone dh gave him wedged across the roof of his mouth. The panic on his poor little face was awful. My arms were a bloodbath getting that out.. Dh had form for being ridiculous.. Including letting a newborn ds suck on a grape. Anyone experienced in the sucking reflex of a newborn? Cue me trying to pat the back of a fragile ds trying to get a fucking grape out.. He was an absolutely useless man.

Having paid over 3k for a collection of chicken bones from over the years a few years back that hadn’t been passed my vet informed me it’s like plastic and can cause blockages very easily and these were raw bones not cooked as this was before I knew raw hold the same splinter risk! And I’m quite surprised you’ve never dealt with a stuck chicken bone as when our dog was allowed them out of my own stupidity for not knowing better a few times they got wedged in her mouth and I’m very lucky I managed to untrap them myself which was the original reason we stopped before we found out all of this. Am much more knowledgeable now thankfully but was also surprised choking isn’t actually too much of a risk unless a small dog it’s more getting lodged in roof of mouth and shards aswell as blockages that are the risk and chicken and Turkey bones shatter way too easily and are rather sharp when you consider the tissues they are passing through my worst nightmare is their bowels ect getting torn by something sharp

Oh bollocks, yes, that's what I meant to write.

Cooked bones not safe.

Raw bones fine.

I'd rather not risk it

Not really, because I think most people don't feed their cats this

Listen, knock yourself out.

Your point of posting this is......?

And I'm not an animal lover

And in the 70s, sweet summer child, dogs died for no reason at all. Oh what a shame, Poochie aged 2 just died suddenly! :( How sad! Must have had something wrong with him.

We now know that certain foods are toxic to dogs, as veterinary medicine has thankfully progressed somewhat in the last 50 years.

Well, I just think it’s a dreadful waste of perfectly good chicken bones 😘. That’s all.

PS miraculously the cat still lives.

Then make some chicken stock. Don't risk your pet's health and act all cute about it when you know you're asking for controversy. It's pathetic.

Stay safe OP pets. I have the number for Paw Patrol if you need it.

“Don’t risk your pet’s health”

get a fucking grip, honestly.