Is chicken breast bad for cats?

If you can, and since he prefers wet food, stick with that. As for chicken, it's brilliant; my moggies used to love it. I'd prep small bits of turkey or chicken breast for the week, freeze them, and then defrost them as needed in the microwave—it defrosted them while giving them a very light cook at the same time. Chicken mini fillets are great too. Dry food is fine for leaving out during the day so they can graze, and it is handy, but I'm gutted that most of my Persians will only eat that. They were started on it at the breeders from a tiny age and are completely hooked. No matter how much I tried to get them onto homemade food, they’d rather starve themselves, the silly things. Only my youngest eats wet food and I'm thrilled about it. So keep doing what you're doing, it's perfect, and chicken is excellent for them. Brilliant, I'm heading to the butcher's this afternoon! He’ll be a very happy boy ^^ Haha, you made me laugh with "those idiots". I actually used to think the opposite—that wet food wasn't as good as dry food. You learn something new every day! Plus, I think the dry food is actually quite hard for Seal to chew, lol. But are you sure the others won't try and nick the youngest one’s wet food? lol

If you can, and since he prefers wet food, keep going with that. As for chicken, it's brilliant – my moggies used to love it. I'd prep little bits of turkey or chicken breast for the week, freeze them, and then defrost them as and when in the microwave; it defrosted them while giving them a very light cook. Chicken mini fillets are great too. Dry food is good during the day for free-feeding and it's handy, but it's a real shame that most of my Persians won't touch anything else. They were started on it from a tiny age at the breeders' and they're total addicts now. No matter how much I tried to get them onto home-cooked food, they'd rather starve themselves, the silly things. Only my youngest eats wet food and I'm chuffed about it. So keep doing what you're doing, it's spot on and chicken is brilliant for them.

Anything processed, like cold meats, seasoned or salty food, and even tinned tuna or ham, is bad for them. The worst of the lot is dry food because it’s ultra-processed and causes a huge range of diseases. Most people feed it because it’s so convenient, easy to find, and cheap. Kibble is made from slaughterhouse scraps, meat meal, or even plant-based fillers, meaning the proteins are really low quality. This puts excessive strain on the kidneys which, in the long run, just give out and stop functioning properly. About 80% of cats on a dry food diet develop kidney issues after 10-12 years. Protein in general often gets the blame, but it's specifically the protein in dry food, because it’s dehydrated and certainly isn't muscle meat. If you're interested in raw diets, I’d recommend looking into BARF or raw feeding. You only give the cat raw food—mostly muscle meat—which is much better for them than kibble. It is less convenient, though; you have to prep everything and do 2-3 meals a day, similar to wet food (that’s what I’ve been giving my cats for 4 years now). Cheers. But why is dry food seen as such a staple if it’s so harmful? To be honest, my cat prefers wet food to kibble anyway (probably like most cats! ^^)

That’s the first thing you need to check, not just the brand name. Ideally, you want to know what a cat actually needs, the levels not to exceed, etc., so you can tell if it's good for them. You can find all that online by doing a bit of research. I'm not sure about wet food, but for dry food: protein at least 40%, carbs under 20%, calcium and phosphorus under 1%, magnesium under 0.1%, ash under 8% (the lower the better), and I think fibre under 8%. Mind you, it depends—more fibre helps with digestion, but they’ll probably poo more, though I’m not 100% certain on that. Moisture around 10%. Max sodium is 1% I think, and that’s already massive—the legal limit. About 0.5% or less is better. It's 0.7% in Virbac, which seems high to me. Fat around 20% or less. Brilliant, thanks Kelinda. I'll look into it!! And I'll make a note of all that 😁

Anything processed, like deli meats, or seasoned and salty foods like tinned tuna—even ham—is bad for them. The worst thing is dry food; it's highly processed and leads to a whole host of diseases. However, everyone uses it because it’s so convenient, easy to get hold of, and cheap. Dry food is made from slaughterhouse scraps, meat meal, or even plant matter, meaning the proteins are really poor quality. This puts far too much strain on the kidneys, which eventually wear out over the long term and stop functioning properly. 80% of cats fed on dry food develop kidney problems by the time they are 10–12 years old. Protein in general often gets the blame, but it's specifically the proteins in dry food that are the issue, as they are dehydrated and certainly not made from muscle meat. If you're interested in raw feeding, I’d suggest looking into BARF or raw diets. With this, you only feed the cat raw food—mostly muscle meat. It causes far fewer problems than a dry food diet, though it is less convenient; you have to prep everything and feed them 2 or 3 meals a day, much like you would with wet food. (I’ve been feeding my cats this way for 4 years now). Kind regards

That’s the first thing you need to check, not just the brand name. Ideally, you should know what a cat actually needs—what the limits are and so on—so you can tell if the food is right for them. You can find all this info online if you do a bit of research. I’m not as sure about wet food, but for dry food: Protein: at least 40% Carbs: less than 20% Calcium and phosphorus: less than 1% Magnesium: less than 0.1% Ash: less than 8% (the lower the better) Fibre: less than 8% I think. It depends though—the more fibre there is, the more it helps with digestion, but I reckon they’ll go to the toilet more, though I'm not 100% sure. Moisture: around 10% Sodium: max is 1% I think, and that’s already loads. The legal maximum; about 0.5% or less is better. It’s 0.7% in Virbac, which seems quite high to me. Fat: around 20% or less

You really need to look at the ingredients; a cat can do without dry food but not without wet food – and it needs to be a 'complete' wet food that's well-balanced. Purina isn't great. Virbac? The analytical constituents aren't bad, though maybe a bit too much calcium and not enough moisture (only 5%). Also, the ingredients list starts with dehydrated protein rather than actual meat, so I'm not so sure. @blue will definitely be able to explain it all better. To be honest, I haven't got a clue about ingredients and nutrition, so if you have any advice... I just want to do what's best for my cat!

I AGREE, PROCESSED MEATS are no good—they're far too salty and full of preservatives and even colourings. You should always cook chicken to kill off any bacteria; you can poach it in water or use the microwave. It’s possible that kidney issues are caused by an excess of certain minerals, among other things. Great stuff! I’m taking all this advice on board. It’s lovely to get answers from people who really know their stuff when it comes to cats 😂

Re - Oh, kidney issues, don't even get me started... Basically, dry food can lead to kidney problems because of how dehydrated it is. But who can manage without it? The main thing is to give your cat one big wet meal a day to help with hydration and keep their kidneys healthy. And try to pick the 'least bad' dry food; none of them have a perfect ingredients list, but supermarket brands are definitely the worst of the bunch. If it comes to it, a cat with crystals can switch to Royal Canin Urinary; they're way too high in carbs, but they're very effective for kidney issues. Personally, I feed my three cats grain-free dry food plus a big wet meal every day. Touch wood, none of them have had any kidney issues so far. No, never give a cat raw meat. I can't remember the full list of diseases found in raw meat that cats are susceptible to (I've got it written down somewhere). @Le bronzé, Hi there! Haven't seen much of you lately. There aren't many of us working the 'night shift' on here, don't leave me hanging! Well, I suppose I’m a bit lucky then—just a tiny bit 🤏🏼—because he isn’t actually that fussed about dry food. I mean, if he’s finished his wet food and is still starving, he’ll head for the kibble, but if there’s still food in his wet bowl, he won’t touch the dry stuff at all. I used to buy Purina, but I heard it wasn't great, so now I'm giving him Virbac dry food, which the vet recommended. Have you heard of it? And since you mentioned it’s because they’re dry, do you think adding a splash of water to the biscuits might be better for his kidneys? Mind you, I also think he doesn't exactly dive into the dry food because he’s missing a few teeth, so it’s probably a bit of a struggle for him ^^