Against raw food diet

Raw Cat Food: The Risks and the Rewards

Remillard says raw meat diets are neither safe nor nutritionally sound. She’s backed up by the American Animal Hospital Association, which warns against the risk of salmonella poisoning to both the cat and human members of the household.

“There are a lot of people who want to feed raw. I tell them they have to be aware of zoonotic (animal to human) disease transmission, food safety, and contagion issues. I don’t think veterinarians should get upset about it, but they should make clear the health issues,” Remillard says.

Feeding cats a raw meat diet also leaves too much room for variables, another reason she doesn’t advocate such a diet. The potential for slip-up is high if the owner goes out of town and the food is left out too long, or if he substitutes one ingredient for another, she says.