Chicken liver for cats and kittens: is it possible and how long to cook it?

Recently, the phrase “a cat is an obligate predator” has often been heard. And it is true. Cats are not omnivores. But if you think that a predator needs to be fed meat, then you are deeply mistaken. Eating pure meat leads to serious health problems due to an imbalance of minerals, primarily calcium and phosphorus, and a lack of vitamins. Meat is an excellent source of complete protein, but otherwise it has a poor composition. Therefore, offal for cats is not a delicacy or pampering, but a necessary component of the diet.

The secret to the survival and relative well-being of the wild ancestors of the domestic cat was eating the prey whole. Usually it is a small rodent or bird. In addition to meat, the cat receives bones and cartilage, fatty brain, stomach and intestines with all contents, liver, kidneys, lungs - in other words, all internal organs.

Cats eat whole mice

Feeding offal in addition to muscle meat allows you to balance the cat’s diet without numerous vitamin and mineral supplements. Another advantage is that by using different by-products, you can easily play with the calorie content, reducing or increasing the nutritional value depending on the pet’s needs.

At the same time, you need to carefully feed the internal organs of various animals to your cat, taking some precautions. In the article I will talk about what by-products to give to your pet and in what quantity, so that the benefits from them outweigh the possible negative consequences. Author of the article: Olga Shiltsova, practicing veterinarian, author of the books “Dachshund of Fate” and “Tails of Fortune”

About the beneficial properties of the liver

The benefits of liver as a product for humans are obvious. Is it possible to give this food to a cat? It would be useful to know the opinion of veterinarians. And they unanimously claim that liver for cats is necessary as an additive to the diet. But you cannot use this offal as a basis, replacing meat with it, despite the fact that the liver is very useful.

Beneficial properties of beef liver:

  • it contains water-soluble B vitamins, which are responsible for healthy elastic skin and elastic, bright, shiny coat of the cat, its energy and good functioning of the gastrointestinal tract;
  • The offal is rich in retinol (vitamin A). It increases bone density and strength, visual acuity of cats, and also strengthens the animal’s immune system;
  • the liver contains tocopherol (vitamin E) and ascorbic acid (vitamin C) - necessary substances to increase the cat’s immunity and the body’s absorption of important microelements.

Meat by-product is high in vitamins:

  • D – plays an important role in the body, necessary for better absorption of calcium;
  • E – for good functioning of the circulatory system, proper production of hormones, improved cellular respiration and healthy reproductive function;
  • K – necessary to improve blood clotting.

The liver contains valuable microelements - iron, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, zinc and essential amino acids. An important beneficial property is the high nutritional value of the offal - useful animal protein is 25%, fats - only 5%, the composition contains a large number of essential amino acids and fatty acids. However, despite the obvious benefits of this product, feeding cats with liver can harm the animal.

Hard cheeses

These varieties should not be offered to your cat. Firstly, they contain a very high percentage of fat, and secondly, there is a lot of salt, spices, and very often all kinds of synthetic additives are present. Despite the predilection of many cats for everything soft and fatty, high-calorie hard cheeses will cause a lot of harm to their health. Even worse are processed cheeses, which are made from cheese production waste.

What is harmful to the liver?

There are several reasons why it is not recommended to give your pet raw liver:

  • any liver is a filtration organ containing toxins; in addition, it is often parasitized by helminths or their eggs and larvae. Therefore, raw liver in an animal’s diet is a threat of helminthiasis;
  • liver as an offal is high in calories. Frequent feeding of it can lead to rapid weight gain and obesity;
  • vitamins found in the offal tend to accumulate in the cat’s body, which can cause hypervitaminosis and, as a result, diarrhea, vomiting, hair loss and muscle pain.

Raw liver takes a very long time and is difficult to process in the cat’s body. This is a serious burden on her gastrointestinal tract and digestive organs. Cats can be especially affected: they are more likely than cats to experience constipation or diarrhea. Therefore, veterinarians and cat breeders are extremely careful when feeding animals raw liver.

Diet for adults

If there is a food allergy confirmed by clinical diagnostic studies, the doctor prescribes a specialized diet, focusing on the patient’s medical history and individual characteristics. But there is also a non-specific hypoallergenic diet approved by Russian doctors.[1] It can be followed regardless of the nature of the allergen to reduce the load on the body and speed up recovery.

This diet is based on excluding any potentially allergenic foods from the daily menu, minimizing the risk of exacerbations. According to the degree of allergenicity, all products can be divided into:

  • highly allergenic;
  • moderately allergenic
  • low-allergenic.

The ideal diet is one from which foods from the first two groups are completely excluded. If the diet consists primarily of low-allergenic foods, this can significantly improve the patient’s condition and help recovery. When prescribing therapeutic nutrition, the doctor focuses on the nutritional value of foods, so a person following a hypoallergenic diet will not overeat or starve. The specialist also gives recommendations regarding thermal processing of products in order to preserve nutrients as much as possible.

Basic feeding rules

How to properly introduce beneficial substances from the liver into a cat’s diet without harming the animal? Veterinarians advise adhering to the following recommendations when introducing offal into a cat’s diet:

  • give boiled liver, keeping it in boiling water for 5-10 minutes, since during prolonged cooking some of the vitamins are lost;
  • feed no more than 1-2 times a week;
  • a serving of liver should not account for more than 10% of a cat’s daily diet;
  • buy and give your pet only a high-quality product.

You should also keep in mind that not all types of liver are equally beneficial for your cat. There are no problems with purchasing dietary medicinal offal now. You can choose chicken, pork, or beef. But of all types of liver, beef is preferable. It contains more protein that synthesizes iron proteins, which improve the composition and quality of the pet’s blood. Beef liver is high in taurine, an essential amino acid that keeps your cat healthy and strong. The norm of beef, according to veterinarians, in a cat’s diet should be no more than 5%

Chicken liver is less useful; it contains less healthy proteins, but more fat. Pork liver is inferior in health to chicken and beef. Pork liver contains more toxins and fats, which increase the level of “bad” cholesterol in the animal’s blood. Therefore, many veterinarians do not recommend introducing pork liver into the diet of cats. In addition, it has a bitter taste, which is why animals themselves refuse such food.

The right diet

An animal will be much healthier and more beautiful if its diet is balanced, but how can this be achieved at home? Unsalted meat must be combined with boiled vegetables (cabbage or carrots) or porridge (oatmeal, rice, buckwheat, millet, etc.). You can feed your cat porridge every day, but you should definitely change the cereal. You can also introduce special vitamins or fish oil into your diet. All this hassle can be avoided by simply purchasing dry or wet balanced food. It has one big advantage - all trace elements, minerals and vitamins are present in the quantities required for the cat. And, of course, you should not give liver to kittens due to the difficulty of digesting the product. Food for the animal must be at room temperature, in no case hot or cold, the meat must be finely cut into pieces.

The rumen of ruminants is of greater nutritional value. It also contains the vitamins cats need, and the villi contain special microorganisms that activate the functioning of the stomach and intestines. You need to buy high-quality meat and only from trusted places, because most often tripe is given to pets raw.

Also, the cat should be gradually accustomed to broth or soup with skimmed fat in a flat saucer.

In any case, if you choose natural food for your pet, you should supplement its diet with various vitamin preparations, because your pet does not receive enough essential microelements from meat alone.

Every owner has the right to choose the food for his pet, but if you decide to feed your cat natural food, you should carefully monitor this and not exceed the permissible limits. You definitely need to know that you should never mix natural food and dry food, this can affect the health of your cat. If you have questions about feeding your cat, it is best to consult a specialist.

How to choose the “right” liver

When choosing an offal for your pet, do not skimp; choose high-quality beef or chicken liver. By buying a low-quality, cheap product for an animal, you risk its health. Basic rules when buying liver in a store:

  • Make sure that the purchased product is fresh. Therefore, it is not recommended to buy frozen liver - it is very difficult to check its quality and shelf life;
  • pay attention to the color of the offal. A greenish tint to the liver indicates that bile has spread out of the gallbladder during slaughter and the product is spoiled. A bright orange or pale color of the liver indicates non-compliance with the temperature conditions for storage or transportation or repeated defrosting/freezing. The loose matte surface of the offal indicates improper storage or the expiration date of the product.

A high-quality liver is characterized by the following features:

  • has a dense structure;
  • the surface is smooth and shiny;
  • The color of the product is rich brown-burgundy.

If a product has all of the above characteristics, feel free to introduce it into your pets’ diet.

Classification

There are many types of cheeses based on the method of preparation:

  1. Fermented milk products . They are obtained from skim milk, which is subjected to the action of lactic acid culture. They often add cottage cheese, sour cream, salt, and butter. Spices may include cocoa, onions, coffee, chocolate and vanillin. Cheeses without additives (with cottage cheese or milk) are allowed to be given to cats, but all others are not allowed, since spices often cause allergies and poisoning.
  2. Serum . It is made from whey, which is formed after the cheese-making procedure (that is, from recycled materials). Because of this, they contain a lot of albumin and relatively little fat - 15-25%. The best option for a cat would be Adyghe cheese due to its quality, lack of spices, dangerous additives and low price. This product is rich in vitamins and microelements; most of them contain 15-25% of the animal’s total daily requirement for these substances in 100 grams.
  3. Molds . These are cheeses that have been exposed to various molds, most often from the genus Penicillium. Their fat content is average - 25-35%, no spices or additives are added, since the taste is already good due to the action of mold. For these reasons, moldy cheeses can be fed to cats, but the first time you should give them a little, as an allergic reaction to the fungi is possible.
  4. Smoked . In the Russian Federation, the most common are suluguni and sausage cheese. Smoking imparts a special taste due to processing at high temperatures. After this, the cheese is dehydrated, saturated with bacteriostatic, preservative substances and carcinogenic polycyclic hydrocarbons. This product should not be given to cats due to the high content of salts and preservatives.
  5. Rennets . Produced from milk under the action of rennet - rennin. All of them have a fairly high fat content - 40-50%, which is why they should not be given to pets often. Among rennet, only hard and soft cheeses are suitable for feeding cats. Brine products should not be given to animals due to the large amount of salt and spices in the composition.

Contraindications for feeding

Not all cats tolerate a particular food equally. When introducing liver into your pet's diet, pay attention to the animal's condition. If your cat begins to have problems with stool - constipation or diarrhea - limit or completely remove liver from the animal’s menu.

Liver is contraindicated in animals:

  • having diseases of the digestive system and gastrointestinal tract;
  • prone to allergies;
  • obese or overweight;
  • cats with pancreatic diseases.

Important!

Unprocessed liver has a laxative effect, while boiled liver, on the contrary, strengthens it. This must be taken into account when feeding animals with digestive problems.

Lungs - is it worth giving them to a cat?

One of the most useless beef by-products is lung. It is made of connective tissue and is difficult for cats to digest. In many animals, eating “airy” offal causes vomiting. Therefore, it is given in small quantities and in combination with meat or other organs.

Beef lung

It is quite possible to create a complete diet without using lungs, but if the cat likes their taste, they are fed in a volume of 5-15% of the diet. The peculiarity of this by-product is its low calorie content, which can be useful when preparing a diet for overweight animals.

If you cut the lung into small pieces and dry it in the oven, you will get an excellent delicacy. It is given to cats between main feedings.

Cheese-related products

Having heard the term, a person imagines a yellow dense piece with holes. But cheese is called different products. In English the word additionally means:

Cats like all these dishes. Breed does not affect preference. Elite pets and yard dwellers show interest in cheeses. Animals can literally snatch a milk-coated sandwich from a person. The decision to share with your pet depends on the composition of the product.

Potentially Hazardous Components

Cats and people perceive biological substances differently. Onions (tuber and stems) and garlic are dangerous foods that can cause the breakdown of red blood cells. Not found in regular cheeses, they are potential additives for brushes, processed foods, and pet-attracting flavorings.

Other potentially hazardous ingredients include:

    Mold – you should not give elite cheese to cats. Microorganisms can disrupt the bacterial balance of the intestines. A product that has become more expensive in the refrigerator should not be eaten by the animal or its owner.

Dyes. Stores offer colorful cheeses, colored by natural additives: tomatoes, lavender, herbs. Natural and synthetic pigments are potentially dangerous for cats. Natural dyes will provide a rich shade due to their high concentration. Spices and nightshades (tomatoes) are potential toxins for cats. Synthetic pigments tend to accumulate in the body, affecting the functions of internal organs.

Flavorings, taste enhancers. They are addictive, can cause allergies and other unpleasant consequences.

Homemade dairy products pose additional risks. Raw cottage cheese (cheese cheese) may contain pathogens, manufacturer. Having caused indigestion in a person, it can cause serious poisoning and damage to internal organs in a pet.

Consumption of dairy products

In general, for the first six months you should definitely provide your pet with dairy products, in particular fresh dairy products. After this, dairy products may be irregular to some extent in the diet, but they do not change their relevance and benefits.

However, since we are always talking about natural products, milk that is brought at least from the state farm is, in general, fresh. This milk concentrate, which is sold in stores, is not pure milk and contains quite a lot of impurities. Regular disposal of it in a cat's menu can lead to various disorders of the digestive system.

Why cheese can be dangerous

Cheeses can be dangerous for many reasons. The greatest harm comes from salt, fat and spices:

  1. Cheeses contain a lot of salt - 1.5-2.5% of the total weight, sometimes up to 7%. Cats are predisposed to urolithiasis, which is caused by narrow and tortuous urinary tracts. They must exclude salt from their diet, and cheese contains it in increased quantities.
  2. The amount of fat reaches 60-70% . Such an unnaturally large amount of fatty acids does not occur in nature, so the liver and pancreas of cats are not adapted to digest such products. Why cheeses can cause digestive upset.
  3. Spices and various additives are added to many cheeses . At best, they will be of plant origin (cumin and others). But in most situations these include chemical antioxidants, thickeners, preservatives, dyes, emulsifiers and other substances. All these compounds can cause an allergic reaction.

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