Cats are the second most domesticated animals in the world after dogs.Generally, they just take care of themselves and do not depend on their humans to look after their health and hygiene, except the times when they are hungry! They do meow at you constantly until you’ve given in and fed them their favorite treat.Cats are obligate carnivores, which means that they can solely eat meat based food and products only. Cats can eat meat like beef, steak, and chicken or fish meat like tuna, salmon, and sardine. Meat nourishes our cats and improves their immune system making them healthy as a result. If you give your cat this meat raw from time to time, it can be a very nutritional supplement to regular processed cat food. Cats have grown in the wild and have been predators for millions of years, hence raw meat from prey has always been their primary diet and a huge source of protein and nutrients. Feeding your feline friend with occasional helpings of meat will not only balance its diet, but it will also help make them active and provide them with all the nutrients which the processed food may lack. You must avoid feeding table scraps of bones to your cat as it may lead to some health problems. After you identified the great source of fine nutrition for your kitten, do read other related articles on can cats cry and can cats eat chicken?Is beef harmful to cats?As mentioned earlier, cats can eat the meat of most types which we can find in the market. It is very nutritional for your kitty and an excellent source of protein and vitamins. Cats eat beef, steak, turkey, tuna, chicken which can be either cooked mildly to get rid of any harmful bacteria or just plain raw meat. It will be a good idea to give brown rice with cooked beef for feeding as it will take care of many nutrients that the cat needs.Beef is considered one of the most expensive meats. It could be difficult to provide your cat with a beef meal every day and it is not advised either. As much as being hard on the pockets, beef also cannot be introduced to your cat as a staple diet due to its high fat content. Some cats can suffer from vomiting and diarrhea if given meat for the first time. Beef is rich in protein and vitamins, and a cat’s digestive system is better suited to raw meat due to its predator heredity. Hence, cats may be fed with beef or steak from time to time, but not as a regular, staple diet. But it is necessary to remember that this meat should be fat-free and bone free. Too much fat can make your cat obese and cause obesity. Bone pieces tend to get stuck in the path of their digestive system, which can cause physical pain and suffering for your cat. If the bone problem becomes too severe, medical and surgical procedures might need to be carried out. Hence, see to it that the beef for cat or steak is bone free and fat free and chopped up into small bite sized pieces, so as not to put them at health risks. Also, it is recommended that if your cat has never had raw meat before, you should consult your vet before slowly and gradually introducing beef in your cat’s diet.What are the pros and cons of beef for cats?As meat is a primary diet necessary to be included in your feline friend’s diet, it has many advantages. It’s not only beef that cats can consume regularly, but also other meats like steak and tuna, which are a source of high quality nutrients essential for pet care and well-being. Eating beef or other meats can improve the digestion of your cat as meat, cooked or raw, is necessary to be included in the cat’s diet. The fatty acids found in meat are proven to improve a cat’s coat, making it look healthier and shinier. The act of chewing raw beef or meat aids in dental health, making the teeth more strong and clean. Meat like beef and steak contain high quality protein and nutrients, which enhance the overall health, increasing the activeness of your cat visibly. Apart from all the pros, feeding your cat with meat also has its cons. Raw meat is known to be fraught with bacteria. Some of it can be good for your cat, some of it not. Raw meat can have various harmful bacteria like salmonella, e coli, and legionella which is not just harmful to the cats, but also to the pet owners, as these bacteria can be passed on from cats to humans, causing sickness or illness in both. Further, some cats may not prefer eating raw meat if they are used to eating cooked meat or processed meat and other foods available in pet stores. In such cases, it takes a lot of time and patience of the owners to make their cats get used to eating raw meat like beef and steak. Also, if a cat accidentally ingested a piece of bone, it could lead to harmful results like choking or internal injuries, sometimes even leading to surgical procedures to remove the bones. Further, raw meat falls on a little expensive side of cat foods, hence it is difficult to provide your cats with each and every day. As cats are very stubborn about their food habits, if a cat gets used to having raw meat every day, it could become very expensive for the owner to feed the cat every day. Lastly, raw diets are considered highly unbalanced for a domesticated cat’s needs, or any cat for that matter. Raw meat like beef or cat steak lacks some nutrients like minerals and vitamins, which can be found in processed cat food in pet stores. Hence, it is essential to create a balance between cooked and processed foods and raw meat like beef, steak, tuna, chicken, which you feed your cat, so that your cat does not lack a certain nutrient.What meats can cats eat?As cats are obligate carnivores, most of the diet of cats is entirely meat based. Cats are predators, who hunt for most animals they could find for meat, which also includes fishes, birds, and reptiles. Cats are not very fussy with their dietary needs when they’ve grown up in the wild, but house cats or domesticated cats generally get used to a specific diet that the owner provides them. Some cats still hunt even if they are domesticated and are provided food regularly, while some cats, especially house cats, completely forgo hunting and like to lead a sedentary lifestyle. Hence, deciding a cat’s meat diet should depend on how your cat lives its life and how active it is.Domestic cats or house cats can be a little choosy with what they eat, but most cats eat animal meat like beef, steak, or pork which is easily available in the market. Although pork is not recommended apart from a treat, as it has a very high fat content. Cats also eat bird meat like chicken and turkey. Cats are notorious for killing off pigeons and sparrows and are a major threat to any other pet birds in the house. Hence, it is recommended that if one keeps birds as pets, cats should not be considered for adoption or pets in the same house and vice versa. Apart from animals and birds, cats need and actually love the occasional treat of fish meat. Cats are known to love tuna and salmon, but sardines, dried or fresh shrimps, and sometimes even dry fish can enhance your pet cat’s mood and energy drastically.What foods are toxic to cats?While most meats and processed cat food are good for your kitty, there are some food products that we consume regularly but should not be fed to your cat at all, even if they meow for it. You cannot fall for those puppy eyes! Mostly because all the foods on this list are unhealthy, even toxic for your cat.Onions and garlic: Most of the vegetables belonging to this category, which includes onions, leeks, garlic, chives, spring onion, are absolutely not to be fed to your cat. Garlic and onions are known to increase the risk of anemia in cats because they affect the red blood cells. Also, garlic and onions tend to disrupt and damage the digestive system of cats and can cause gastrointestinal problems.Bread dough: Any type of bread or bread dough with yeast is harmful to your cats. Bread, which has yeast, but is not cooked, tends to rise. This just signifies an increase in the yeast bacteria, which makes the dough rise. If a cat ingests bread dough, this dough can expand in the cat’s stomach, causing intense pain and abdominal cramps in your little feline friend. Also, rising yeast produces alcohol, which it crosses a certain limit can cause alcohol poisoning in your cat.Chocolate: Chocolate contains various elements like caffeine and theobromine, which are toxic for cats. These chemicals can cause severe issues like indigestion, vomiting, diarrhea, and even if ingested in large quantities, seizures, tremors, or death. Coffee contains a similar element of caffeine, hence letting your cat eat chocolate or drink coffee in any circumstances is absolutely not recommended.Dairy and milk: Most cats lose the enzymes used for digesting milk after they have passed the age at which they depend on their mother for milk. After that, most cats are lactose intolerant, just like in human beings. Avoid feeding your cat with milk or other dairy products like cheese, curd, butter. The bacteria in these dairy products cause severe indigestion and diarrhea in cats and could make them vomit or dry heave if it upsets the cat’s stomach.Citrus fruits, grapes, and raisins: Citrus fruits contain high levels of citric acid which can damage the digestive system in cats and cause severe vomiting, diarrhea which could lead to dehydration. Sometimes, feeding citrus fruits have even led to damage to the central nervous system in cats. Similarly, grapes or raisins are harmful to your cat’s health too, as they are known to cause kidney failure in many felines.Raw or uncooked eggs: Cats love to eat eggs, and they are a few of the essential foods which should be included in the diet of your cats. But it is necessary that these eggs are to be boiled, or cooked at least for a bit so as to get rid of any harmful bacteria, especially salmonella, which the eggs might carry. If your cat gets infected from eating raw eggs, it could cause indigestion, vomiting, diarrhea, and fever. Also, raw eggs contain an enzyme called avidin, which can stop the absorption of biotin during digestion. Biotin is responsible for healthy skin and long and soft fur in cats.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for can cats eat beef then why not take a look at can cats eat garlic, or sphynx cat facts pages?
Cats are the second most domesticated animals in the world after dogs.
