You may have heard that it is good to feed raw meat to your cat. While it is true that there is a good chance that your cat will like uncooked meat, the reality is that feeding this food can cause serious harm to your pet. In fact, recent studies point out that there is no scientific evidence showing the benefits of feeding this type of food to your cat. On the contrary, evidence suggests that raw meat can endanger not only your pet’s health but also your own health.
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Problems with feeding raw meat to your cat
Although feeding raw meat to your cat has been a trend among pet owners for some time, the reality is that it offers no advantage. Some sources reveal that the trend continues to grow. But what is proven is that raw meat has a number of parasites and bacteria that can affect not only your cat’s health but people’s health as well.
The trend of feeding raw meat to pets is part of an initiative that proposes that dyes and preservatives, as well as other additives in processed food, are harmful to pets. Therefore, they claim that thawed meat, bones and organs are healthier as food for animals, in this case for cats.
They also indicate that processed foods are capable of causing allergies and other problems in pets. But the main problem occurs after the analysis of special frozen pet products sold in European countries. This study revealed a high presence of salmonella, listeria and E Coli in the products. These are bacteria that can cause severe infections in pets and even pass them on to humans.
Contaminated food
Another conclusion reached by the study is that even if you do not buy the food for your pet but prepare it at home, there is still a high probability that it is contaminated if you feed it raw. In addition, another problem with raw meat is that it can cause dental and intestinal disorders in animals.
In turn, the bacteria found in the samples represent risks to animal health, but also to public health. This is in reference to their potential to spread disease.
The point, they emphasize, is that diseases that can affect animals can also be transmitted to humans. In other words, infections can be reached by cross-contamination during food preparation or by contact with the pet.
On the other hand, the researchers argue, dry or semi-moist food will rarely be contaminated. This is why they point out the importance of raising awareness about the potential risks associated with this type of food.
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