Raw chicken for cats?

[Doodledumdums]

I have suspected for a while that someone has been feeding my cat. Initially it annoyed me because he is my cat, but it has been going on for a while now and he always comes back to our house and is still very much our cat, so I came to the conclusion that if it gives someone else pleasure to give him a bit of food, (it is very evident that he isn't a stray so I am pretty positive that they know he has a home!) isn't making him overweight, and is essentially making him one very happy cat, then no harm done, so I no longer mind.

However, I was out earlier and came across him eating his 'extra' dinner, and was a bit alarmed to find that he is being given raw chicken scraps. Is this okay? I think I now know who is giving him the food because he was eating in their front garden, (they are a lovely retired couple who have no pets, so I am quite sure that my cat is giving them a bit of attention and enjoyment) and I am happy to turn a blind eye if it is okay, but I am obviously going to have to say something if raw chicken is dangerous for cats. (There were definitely no bones, just raw chicken meat.) Does anyone know?

You have to remember that in the wild, cats eat everything raw, and ours have been known to eat a whole mouse or two, bones and all (it's really gross to hear them crunching on the bones, eeek!) and we do feed them raw fish and raw meat occasionally.

I know some people who feed their cats exclusively on raw meat, and they are fine, just make sure you keep on top of worming. I would think it's not doing them any harm, but if your uncomfortable with it, maybe have a word with the neighbour and just say your cat is on a special diet?

Yes that's true, they don't exactly get out their little pots and pans in the wild and cook up stews do they?! I hadn't thought of that! I'm fine with them doing it, as long as it isn't going to harm him. It's just not something I have ever considered giving him. Maybe i'm missing a trick, I could give him scraps of gristle and fat that I trim off raw meat before I cook it, the way he was devouring the raw chicken yesterday leads me to believe that he'd love it!

We can't prepare fresh fish/meat in peace in our house without constant meowing and attempts to jump on the counter to get at our dinner, even though we feed them before we have our dinner! Try some off cuts, he might like them, I've been told by my vet that their stomachs are pretty hardy with raw meat, but just to keep on top of worming, which we do anyway due to the amount of local wildlife they seem to murder and bring home.

I give my cats and our dog raw meat scraps and the odd raw feed. Two of my cats love raw fish and chicken wings, the other will only eat diced chicken breast/bacon/gammon/beef, no bones or raw fish. Our dog gets racks of lambs ribs that the supermarket sell as stock bones as ewll as beef chunks that we buy from pets at home.

My cats will also catch mice and eat them in the garden, you definitely need to keep on top of worming if they are catching wild prey!