Parasite and Bacteria Myth in Raw Diet Feeding For Cats

Raw feeding is a topic that brings a lot of mixed opinions . There are concerns about parasites, bacteria, safety, and processing, etc..

Debunk #1: Raw meats contains bacteria and parasites. YES, but what do you know about feline digestive system?

Cats are obligate carnivores designed to eat raw meat. Their stomach acid is around x10 times more acidic than human’s stomach, creating an environment where most harmful bacteria struggle to survive. 

Parasites are another major concern — especially Toxoplasma gondii. The good news is that proper freezing significantly reduces this risk. Freezing raw meats at the correct temperature for the right duration destroys most tissue parasites, for example:

• Toxoplasma gondii — freeze at -20°C for 3 days• Trichinella spp (pork, wild game) — -21°C for 7 days or -30°C for 6 days• Echinococcus granulosus — -18°C for 6–9 hours

Most household freezers operate around -18°C, which already removes the majority of parasite risk when meats are frozen prior to feeding.

Safe thawing is the final key step. Raw food should be thawed in the fridge or defrosted via microwave — not left at room temperature — to prevent unnecessary bacterial growth.Did you know commercial cat foods: dry kibble and treats — have been repeatedly found contaminated with harmful bacteria like Salmonella?

According to FDA recall data cited in the TruthAboutPetFood report, over a five-year span there were 23 kibble recalls, 14 raw recalls, and 26 treat recalls for Salmonella contamination — and when you count individual products and pounds of food, kibble recalls far outweigh raw recalls in total volume

This shows that commercial dry diets and treats are not immune to contamination risks. There was a massive 2007 melamine-contamination crisis that sickened and killed thousands of cats and dogs — involved contaminated dry and wet products from major manufacturers.

Debunk #2: Domesticated cats are not wild animals, and they have adapted to eating cooked food and diet rich in carbohydrate.Cats may be domesticated, but their biology has changed very little from their wild ancestors. 

Genetically and anatomically, today’s house cats are still remarkably similar to wolves and lions. 

They are classified in the order Carnivora, and they are obligate carnivores — meaning they must consume meat to survive and thrive.

Unlike human, cats do not have a biological requirement for carbohydrates. They lack salivary amylase, the enzyme in human saliva that begins carbohydrate digestion. Their metabolism is specialised to use animal protein and fat as primary energy sources, not starches.

A cat’s gastrointestinal (GI) tract is also shorter in proportion to its body size. 

Shorter GI tract supports a diet of highly digestible animal tissue that moves quickly through the body. 

This is one reason why cats vomit on kibbles. Kibble absorbs water and expands in the stomach, which can feel uncomfortable in short GI tract.

Debunk #3: My cats have Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) causing vomit or diarrea and need to be on prescription diet by vet, can’t switch them to raw diets

Many cats develop Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) after long-term eating of kibble and highly processed foods. Their digestive system is not designed to process carbohydrates, which can cause irritation and inflammation, as a result diarrhoea and excessive vomiting. Switching to another processed prescription diet with a vet label on the bag does not fix the root cause.

According to VPI Insurance, digestive problems like vomiting and diarrhea are one of the top reasons cats visit the vet. These symptoms are so common (present in 73% of cats with small bowel disease) that many vets simply write off as:

• eating too fast

• a sensitive stomach

• hairballs

• or that the cat is “just a puker.”

Feeding cats a high-quality, human-grade, fresh meat-and-organ diet helps the digestive system return to balance. Natural raw diets restore healthy gut bacteria damaged by commercial and prescription diets, many cats show major improvement.

While evidence is mostly anecdotal, a large number of cats switched to raw diets experience relief from IBD symptoms — sometimes almost immediately. Notably, the All Feline Hospital reports they “started trying commercial raw food diets with amazing results” in cats with IBD.

Food processing, thickeners, high heat, and species-inappropriate carbs and starches can negatively affect feline gut microflora, motility, and inflammation. To best support healing, cats should be fed the food they were meant to eat — fresh, raw, high-protein food.

Raw is preferable — but if you are not comfortable feeding raw, gently cooked, unprocessed, truly human-grade meat and organs (with no unnecessary additives) are still better than highly processed food.

#catfood #rawdietfeeding #catnutrition #rawdietmyth