Comments on: Getting Cats To Eat Raw Chicken Necks

By: Andrew

Andrew — Sun, 03 Mar 2024 01:28:29 +0000

In reply to Cathy Chua. Hi Cathy. A lot of people start by chopping it up but then find that once the cat gets into the hang of doing a bit of chewing you can give them larger and larger pieces until they can take on the whole one.

By: Cathy Chua

Cathy Chua — Sat, 02 Mar 2024 11:41:53 +0000

In reply to Andrew. Thank you! I took the advice of lightly searing my next effort so that it might seem more like food....does it go against the logic of it from a dental point of view to chop it into pieces? This did work insofar as he saw it as food and ate a few pieces and I think I would persevere in this way unless you say it will be worse for the teeth.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Sat, 24 Feb 2024 20:23:31 +0000

In reply to Cathy. Hi Cathy. This happens a lot at the start, and your kitten is possibly a month or two older than ideal to start so it will be a slower process to get them to start eating the chicken instead of playing with it. In my cat’s case, I confined her to areas where the chicken neck was less problematic if moved around. I would definitely advise persisting if you’re happy with the rest of my advice.

By: Cathy

Cathy — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 13:08:13 +0000

Inspired by your opinion of chicken necks, I have bought some and gave one to our kitten, about 5 months old. He had the most marvellous time with it, his best toy yet. He wanted to take it all over the house, he treated it as something to be hunted and toyed with – despite my efforts to limit it to the kitchen floor so I could tell what needed to be cleaned. What can I do about this? I figure he may end up eating it, but obviously we can’t have raw chicken dragged all over beforehand – or maybe even hidden.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Thu, 14 Dec 2023 22:04:57 +0000

In reply to Clover. Hi clover. Never feed them frozen as this will be both unpleasant to the cat and potentially lead to tooth breakage. Regarding your question about phosphorus, I don’t believe there is any evidence that normal phosphorus levels are a problem to a cat without kidney disease.

By: Clover

Clover — Thu, 14 Dec 2023 07:48:38 +0000

Hi Andrew,
I want to start feeding as a treat for dental health benefits. I’m buying frozen. Can I give it to them frozen or have to defrost first?
Also how is this for a 14 year old cat?
Does the phosphorus concern you for older cats? Thank you!

By: Monique

Monique — Sun, 09 Jul 2023 12:29:28 +0000

Hi Andrew,

What are your thoughts on the efficacy and safety of freeze-dried chicken necks? Are they a reasonable alternative for cats who won’t take to raw necks?

By: Andrew

Andrew — Thu, 16 Mar 2023 00:52:47 +0000

In reply to Amanda. Hi Amanda. It’s definitely not a balanced diet, but at least you know the calcium and phosphate will be okay. As for other nutrients, it is best to use a balanced cat food to at least 50% of the diet. You can probably achieve this just by keeping a bowl of bikkies out all the time and monitoring their use. Of course the standard disclaimer is that no diet of less than 100% balanced cat food can be guaranteed.

By: Amanda

Amanda — Wed, 15 Mar 2023 09:34:58 +0000

My cat loves chicken necks over almost all other foods. Is it a problem if 90% of his diet is chicken necks. How many per day can he have, he’s quite skinny

By: Andrew

Andrew — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 12:22:19 +0000

In reply to Bernadette Andrews. Hi Bernadette. The bones would normally be digested well before they reach the bowel. Blood in the faeces of cats does occur very occasionally even when they are healthy. If it’s a one off, and there are no other signs of problems such as diarrhoea, I would not be too concerned.