While there may be many benefits to a raw diet for both cats and dogs, PLEASE be wary of those who say that cats (and / or dogs) are immune to salmonella poisoning.

I can confirm that they are most definitely NOT immune to it, and I have a very ill cat and a three grand vets bill to prove it.

Please be careful!

So do I take the rat, rabbit ,pigeon off the cat and cook it first ?

Yes, ideally in a nice red wine sauce….

Seriously though, I hear a lot of people saying that a raw diet carries no danger of infection as cats are immune to salmonella, and I think people should know that it’s a load of kak.

What has happened to your pet ?

He’s been at the vets for the last ten days on a fluid and antibiotic drip. Vets are hopeful that he will make a full recovery and be home in the next few days, but he’s pretty lucky to be alive.

Blimey. Noted. I often give our dog uncooked bits and pieces when I’m cooking at home, won’t be doing that again. I’d just assumed, given the rubbish a dog would normally consume left to its own devices that there was little (within reason) that a dogs stomach couldn’t cope with.

Oi never mind taking the rabbit off your cat, should I start cooking my rabbits veg before I feed it to them?

Yes, ideally in a nice red wine sauce….

My cats used to eat rats for dessert so we had to deworm them from time to time that’s all.

Rats that are suffering the effects of poisoning are easier to catch. I wouldn’t recommend that cats be allowed to eat rats and unless it can be guaranteed that the rats haven’t ingested any poison. And also of course they have a clean bill of health free of all the highly unpleasant diseases they can be suffering from.

ernie_lynch – Member

Rats that are suffering the effects of poisoning are easier to catch …

I see … Where I used to live no one can afford rat poison so the rats were “organic” I guess. 😀

My friend used to let hers eat free range, organic rats… But then it turned out they were full of horse meat, urgh.

The bacteria in a dogs gut is different from ours and can eat raw birds most of the time unless the bird is riddled. The same as we can eat beef rare comfortably unless it’s riddled.

If people were so poor that they couldn’t afford rat poison why didn’t they eat these rather healthy sounding rats ?

ernie_lynch – Member

If people were so poor that they couldn’t afford rat poison why didn’t they eat these rather healthy sounding rats ?

The rats were city rats and not rice field rats. The latter they do eat them just like squirrel.

Gotcha

3 grand! ouch. if my vet bill came in at that I seriously don’t think I’d have a pet anymore. better get some insurance pronto!

Sorry to hear your cat is very poorly, hope they make a full recovery.

Cats and dogs may well be better adapted to eating raw food than ourselves.

However while they may eat some carrion (dogs mainly) which may not be that fresh, they are not adapted for eating chicken that has been processed in a factory where cross contamination can be a major issue.

Many things concern me about feeding a raw diet, contamination at the factory, poor freezing and storage (thaw/re freeze etc).

Modern life for a dog or cat is not like living in the wild anymore.

Is it not feasible that cats and dogs which live wild in a natural environment might become ill from something such as salmonella poisoning and perhaps even die ?

I’m working on the assumption that not all cats and dogs which live undomesticated lives die peacefully in their sleep of old age.

Christ! This is worse than that caveman diet for humans. These days, dogs are not wolves. Their stomachs are bound to have evolved to enjoy food cooked on mans’ red fire.

Isn’t salmonella in chicken mostly spread by farming practices, and hence likely to be much rarer in wild birds?

Nails doesn’t actually get fed a raw diet…. from me. He does however feed himself one. I suspect the culprit to be a magpie or a pigeon.
Although cats (and dogs) tend to be slightly more resistant to salmonella than humans, they aren’t immune, and I get very cross when people say that they are. As far as feeding raw goes, as with paople, fresh steak is probably entirely safe – just watch yourself with pork and poultry.

Fortunately I do have insurance, although I do have to meet a 20% excess.

In fairness though, I think it’s safe to say that Nails is even less happy with the situation than I am!

I’m going to have a stiff word with my cats when I get home, no more hunting for them!

Isn’t salmonella in chicken mostly spread by farming practices, and hence likely to be much rarer in wild birds?

+1

I’d think it’s pretty unlikely that a pigeon in the garden would be infected.

thats a bit fancy to keep the drip line in. Will ask the local vet when I collect her later on her thoughts on the subject. Our 2 get chicken necks every day and not had much of a problem.

Maybe the poor cat ate some food scraps from someones bin?

thats a bit fancy to keep the drip line in

The little sod darling ate through the dressing!

My spiders and scorpions are on a “raw” diet. Thanks for the heads up.

My old dog used to eat all sorts of rubbish…he once rammed his way through the back door to get to a mouldy chicken carcass in the bin outside. When we got home the carcass was gone there was a big ruined hole in the back door and he had the cat flap stuck round his shoulders.

And he’d just cleaned out the fridge after the cat opened it.

That’s all after being fed. Greedy bugger.

He also used to rub his face in mouldy dead rabbits he found at home then pick it up to have a good crunch.

I had always assumed he could eat anything and be ok.

Although my mum once tried to give him some out of date eggs and he sniffed them and refused to eat it.

I’d think it’s pretty unlikely that a pigeon in the garden would be infected.

I’m not sure why, salmonella is common in pigeons and other birds, as well as in mice and rats.