Is it safe to feed my cat raw food?

There are three primary concerns with feeding raw meat to your cat:

1. Infectious disease risks (to pets and owners)
2. Dietary nutritional imbalances (in pets)
3. Foreign bodies (i.e., pets swallowing bones)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM), the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the CVMA (Canadian Veterinary Medical Association) stand united in their position that feeding raw food to cats is potentially dangerous to the cat, other pets in the house, and to the pet owner.

A study conducted from 2011 through 2012 screened commercially available raw pet foods for bacteria that can cause illness. The raw pet food products were frozen in tube-like packages, made from ground meat or sausage. Nearly 25% of the raw food samples tested positive for harmful bacteria, including Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes. 

Also of known concern in raw food are Campylobacterspp., Clostridium difficile, Clostridium perfringens, Clostridium botulinum, Escherichia coli, Yersinia enterocolitica, and enterotoxigenic Staphylococcus aureus. These bacteria can pose a health risk for the cats who eat the raw food and for the cat owners who handle the food while preparing it. In addition, the harmful bacteria can be shed through saliva or feces, so other pets in the house can also be at risk, even if they are not fed a raw food diet.

What kind of illness does Salmonella cause?

Contamination of raw meat by bacteria is common. The CDC estimates that 1.2 million or more cases of food-borne salmonellosis occur in humans in the U.S. each year. There is some uncertainty about the total number of cases, because milder cases may not be diagnosed. Approximately 400 people die of salmonellosis each year.

Symptoms of salmonellosis in humans generally start 12–72 hours after exposure and include fever, diarrhea (often bloody), nausea, vomiting, and stomach pain.

Children, the elderly, pregnant women, and immunocompromised individuals (e.g., those with HIV, undergoing chemotherapy) are at greater risk for more severe symptoms. Cats can carry Salmonella in their intestines without showing signs of illness, thus serving as a reservoir for ongoing exposure to humans in the household. They can also get sick from it. In cats, the symptoms of salmonellosis may include:

• Vomiting
• Diarrhea (often bloody)
• Fever
• Inappetence
• Lethargy

What kinds of illness does Listeria cause?

Listeria monocytogenesis is a leading cause of human hospitalization and death from food contamination. While it is rarer than salmonellosis, over 90% of people with listeriosis end up in the hospital. In the U.S. annually, the CDC estimates there are about 1,600 cases with about 260 deaths. In the European Union, the numbers are similar. One of the problems with Listeria is that the bacterium is quite hearty, surviving in salty, acidic, and cold environments.

Listeriosis particularly targets newborns, the elderly, pregnant women, and those with compromised immune systems. The L. monocytogenes bacterium can invade many tissues, including the brain, the tissues surrounding the brain and spinal cord, the gastrointestinal tract, and the bloodstream. Symptoms depend on which tissues are affected. 

The time between exposure and illness is about three weeks, making it difficult to pinpoint the precise exposure event. Pregnant women may experience non-specific, flu-like symptoms. The babies they are carrying, on the other hand, may be born prematurely or even stillborn. Newborns fare the worst with listeriosis, as up to one-third will die, despite aggressive treatment. Cats can carry L. monocytogenes without showing any signs, making them a potentially dangerous reservoir of the disease.

Is there any way to protect myself and my family if I occasionally offer raw food to my cat?

The best protection against salmonellosis and listeriosis is to avoid the bacteria altogether by not feeding raw food to your cat. Be aware that if you choose to feed your cat a raw diet, you are putting yourself and others in your household at risk. That said, there are some ways you can protect yourself if you handle raw food:

• Thoroughly wash your hands with soap and water after handling raw food.
• Clean and disinfect all surfaces and objects that come into contact with raw food.
• Keep raw food frozen until you are ready to use it, then thaw it in the refrigerator or microwave (not in the sink or on the counter).
• Keep raw food separate from other food.
• Cover and refrigerate what your cat does not eat, or discard the leftovers safely.
• Do not kiss your cat on the face or allow them to lick your face - particularly if they have just eaten raw food.
• Wash your hands after petting or being licked by your cat.
• Clean litter boxes frequently and wash your hands thoroughly afterward.

Is raw food nutritionally appropriate for my cat?

Raw food diets come in many forms and can be grouped into two categories: commercial and homemade. Cats have requirements for several essential nutrients, including amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins and minerals that they must get from their food. If you feed them a commercial food, you can check the label for a nutritional adequacy statement, which tells us that the food is complete (contains all essential nutrients) and balanced (in the correct amounts and proportions). 

Many, but not all, commercial raw food diets in Canada do not contain a nutritional adequacy statement, which means there is a risk that some nutrients are either missing, too low, or too high. Homemade raw diets are likely not complete and balanced unless a recipe has been formulated by a nutritionist.

Should my cat’s raw food diet include bones?

The third major concern with raw food diets is the risk of obstruction by a foreign body – like a piece of bone. This material does not get digested and can cause a blockage in the intestinal tract, which can lead to serious problems. Often the foreign body needs to be surgically removed and, in some cases, it penetrates the intestines, leading to more severe complications such as sepsis.

So, what is the best diet for my cat?

There are many different diet options to choose from. For healthy adult cats, it is essential to select a diet that is nutritionally complete and balanced, that is cooked, and that has undergone testing for harmful bacteria before being distributed to retail locations.

If you choose to continue to feed a raw diet, ensure you inform your veterinarian so they are aware, and they may be able to offer you guidance around options that might be safer than others.