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Can Cats Eat Turkey?

Updated: August 11, 2022 by Kristen Chapple

Can Cats Eat Turkey?

This is a wonderful meat for us and it is the traditional choice for thanksgiving when we have plenty of turkey, some of which we might want to delight our cat with. Since cats love meat you might think it odd to ask: can cats eat turkey? But there are some choices of meat that do pose some problems so could turkey be one of them? Let us find out!

Benefits

Cats eat a lot of chicken and they also like turkey so if you give some to your cat they will certainly love it. The great news is that it also has many important nutrients that ensure a healthy development for your pet with the much needed proteins and taurine that cannot be naturally produced by their body. You will also notice that many commercial cat food products actually contain turkey meat.

Possible Problems

Obviously the bones should be taken out before giving your cat a piece of meat. No matter what kind of meat you serve, cooked bones are actually even more dangerous that raw ones because they can splinter and lead to internal damage.

If your pet eats a lot of turkey and they aren’t used to it then you should keep them under observation. Any new dish for them can lead to stomach problems and if you see them to be in pain, starting to vomit or having diarrhea then you should take them to the vet to see what is wrong.

Also pay attention that having your cat eat too much fat will lead to weight gain and this can also cause more serious problems such as diabetes so try to keep a balanced diet even if it is the holiday season.

Raw Turkey

The raw version of this meat comes with some problems of its own. There can be various types of bacteria that are contaminating the meat and these might be harmful for your pet. The raw choice comes with a lot of responsibility on your part and you always have to make sure that the meat is safe first. Plus, if the cat just starts with this type of food you should begin with very small portions that you increase gradually.

Other Ingredients

Back to the thanksgiving turkey, we said that turkey meat is good for your cat but that fancy dinner usually has a lot more than just turkey meat on it. Salt comes in large quantities usually and too much of it can poison your cat. This is why packets of sliced turkey from the supermarket are a bad idea for a cat.

We might also have a recipe that requires some other ingredients to be added that are harmful to cats and this is a long list of things to stay away from: onions, garlic, chives, leeks, scallions, raisins, grapes, alcohol, caffeine, chocolate, nuts, and artificial sweeteners.

Short Answer:

Turkey meat is a healthy option for your cat but there are some precautions you have to take before feeding it to your pet.

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