Can Cats Eat Raw Chicken Skin – Should It Be Cooked?

Feeding your cat a balanced diet goes a long way in keeping them healthy. Hence, you should feed your cat with only meals that contain the nutrients they need. You can find these nutrients in cat foods, produced explicitly for cats. But can cats eat raw chicken skin?

Cats can eat raw chicken skin. Raw meat contains the natural nutrients they need to stay healthy. But it is, however, recommended that you feed them chicken skin in small quantities because of its fat content. 

Now that you know that cats can eat raw chicken skin, you may have other questions related to your cat’s raw chicken diet. Let’s dive straight in and discuss how your cat can get the best nutrients from eating raw chicken. 

Can Cats Eat Chicken Skin, And Why Do They Like It? 

Yes! Cats are carnivores. They love meat, like chicken skin, to acquire natural nutrients. 

Generally, cats are carnivores, and eating meat provides them with the natural nutrients they need. But when it comes to chicken skin, there needs to be moderation in the quantity of chicken skin they consume because they contain a lot of fat. Even humans do not consume chicken skin regularly because of the fat content of chicken skin. 

Chicken skin contains most of the fats, which is about seventy-eight percent, present in chicken. Hence, it is not healthy to consume them regularly in large quantities. The fat content of chicken skin makes the meat cause various health problems like an increase in the level of cholesterol, high blood pressure, and heart disease. 

When it comes to a cat’s diet, chicken skin can be added in small quantities to protect your cat from illnesses caused by fat. Although they can be eaten raw, you can also cook the chicken skin for your cat’s consumption. And when it comes to cooking chicken skin, it is advisable to exclude spice, oil, garlic, and onions from the ingredients you will use. 

You can find a few cat foods with chicken skin as part of their ingredients, but they are also in small proportions. The primary objective is to protect your cat’s health from fats because fats can damage its health. 

Is It Safe For My Cat To Consume Raw Chicken Skin? 

Yes! In as much as your cat is healthy without any underlying health issues.

Generally, cats have a unique digestive system different from the digestive system or tract you will find in humans and dogs. The digestive system or tract of felines is shorter, and their stomach contains lower pH, which means felines have a more acidic stomach. Hence, the presence of pathogens in the meat they consume will pass through their digestive system without harming them. Therefore, your cat can eat raw chicken skin and meat without being susceptible to any infection if it is healthy. 

On the contrary, it will be different if your cat is unhealthy due to some underlying illnesses or has an altered immune system. In this condition, your cat will be vulnerable to a variety of digestive infections caused by Salmonella spp, E.coli, and Listeria monocytogenes that may be chronic and life-threatening. Hence, it is highly recommended that you cook the chicken meat before feeding an unhealthy cat. 

Although your feline may be vulnerable to certain illnesses by eating raw chicken skin, the pet owner’s health might also be in danger of cross-contamination. If the chicken meat to be given to your cat is infected or contaminated, you or anyone in your household will be susceptible to certain illnesses by handling the meat. It will, however, be beneficial to the health of anyone in your household with a compromised immune system if you do not feed your cat meat but cooked chicken skin.

What Is The Best Way To Serve My Cat Chicken Skin? 

Boiled and baked 

The best way to serve your cat chicken skin is when the meat is boiled and baked. Boiling and baking are the best methods to cook your chicken skin without harming your cat’s health. Meanwhile, if you decide to use either of these cooking methods, you should cook the chicken skin at 160 to 165 Fahrenheit (70 to 74 Celsius). The reason is that the high internal temperature is suitable for killing digestive-system-disease causing bacteria, such as E.coli and Salmonella spp. 

It is not recommended to feed your cat fried chicken skin or meat. This is mainly because of the high oil content in the fried chicken skin. Fats, as stated earlier, are majorly found in the skin, and frying also involves the addition of oil, hence, increasing the fat content in the chicken skin. And fat is harmful to both cat and human health but more damaging to cats. 

Furthermore, it is advisable to cook the chicken skin directly without passing through the washing stage. The reason is that washing the chicken meat will spread bacteria in the sink and contaminate the food. You should, however, always remember to cook the chicken skin without adding certain ingredients like onion, oil, garlic, and salt. 

At What Age Can My Cat Eat Chicken Skin? 

At least twenty weeks of age.

Generally, kitties should be left to their mother’s nurturing during the first twenty-four hours of their life. It is essential that they feed on their mother’s milk to provide them with the antibodies they need before entering their weaning stage. The weaning stage is where kitties cease to be dependent on their mother’s nourishment to eat solid foods independently. The weaning stage of the cat often lasts from four to eight weeks. 

The kitties should have been able to open their eyes, sit well and orient themselves without losing balance before you can introduce them to solid foods. This mostly takes about ten to fifteen weeks, but you should wait until your cat is twenty weeks old before introducing it to chicken skin. At this age—twenty weeks—your cat will have a strong immune system to fight against pathogens. 

Conclusion 

Your cat’s health should be your number one priority when it comes to chicken skin. Although they can eat raw chicken skin, it is advisable to cook the meat by boiling rather than frying the meat for health reasons. Lastly, chicken skin carries fats in abundance; hence, you should not feed them to your cat until it is about twenty weeks old.