Have you ever kept fleshy meat or chicken close to your feline friends? Your experience is as good as mine you can be sure to see them sniffing the air curiously and there will certainly be demands for a share of the meat once you’re making it.
Can I feed my cat chicken breast every day? Is it safe to feed my cat chicken? Probably most cat owners can attest that chicken is not safe to have around cats if you expect it to go unchewed because most cats adore it! What about raw chicken and the bones or even just the breast? What is the nutritional value of feeding my cat chicken breast every day? All these will be discussed in this blog.
Read: Can cats eat lemon pepper chicken?
Table of Contents
- What is Chicken Breast
- Can I feed my cat chicken breast every day?
- How Much Chicken to Feed a Cat
- Can Chicken help my cat gain weight?
- How do I prepare Chicken for my Cat?
- Final Thoughts
What is Chicken Breast
The chicken breast is a lean cut of meat taken from the pectoral muscle on the underside of the chicken. Each whole chicken contains one chicken breast with two halves, which are typically separated during the butchering process and sold as individual breasts.
Given its desirable white meat and health benefits, boneless chicken breast meat is the most expensive cut of chicken in comparison to chicken thighs, wings, and drumsticks. For humans this could be grilled, baked, roasted, fried, barbecued, and boiled in countless ways. No matter the cooking method, the chicken should always be handled with care, and the areas, utensils, and hands that have been in contact with the raw chicken should be washed thoroughly with soap and hot water to prevent food safety risks.
Nutritional Value of Chicken Breast
Chicken has a ton of nutritional benefits not only for humans but also for cats. These benefits are not only found in the meat, but also in the bones (especially when rendered down to a broth so that you don’t have to worry about choking). Benefits of chicken for cats include:
- Taurine is a mineral that cats need to stay healthy. The darker the meat, the more taurine there is in it
- For a healthy liver, digestion, immune system, joints, bones, hydration, and weight loss or maintaining a good weight, the Chicken bone broth is good for It’s popular to give to older or weakened cats since it’s easy for them to eat and packs a good punch of nutrition. You want to make sure that it’s as low/no sodium as possible and it’s best if you make it yourself since then you’ll know exactly what is in it
- Chicken is low in calories, making it a good treat
- Chicken contains plenty of lean protein
Can I feed my cat chicken breast every day?
Can I feed my cat chicken breast? The answer is a strong yes, cats are carnivores that require a high-protein diet
Your feline companion requires a lot of protein to sustain their metabolic functions and maintain an active, healthy lifestyle. However, can I feed my cat chicken breast every day?
Light meat is an excellent source of protein and minerals, but it doesn’t contain high amounts of other essential nutrients, most notably taurine (only 18 milligrams per 100 grams). Taurine is an amino acid that sustains your pet:
- Heart function
- Reproductive health
- Eyesight
Unlike humans, felines can’t produce enough taurine, which is why they must ingest it through their meals. Amino acid insufficiency can lead to a slew of health issues, so feeding your cat home-cooked chicken only could have a negative effect in the long run. If you’re going to treat your cat to some chicken, it’s preferable to give them dark meat because of the higher taurine content.
Chicken breast is not particularly fatty. While that might fit nicely into your fitness goals, our feline friend’s energy requirements are quite different. Healthy fats are an invaluable energy source that shouldn’t be entirely replaced with lean protein or other nutrients.
Considering the overall nutritional value, chicken can be the basis of your cat’s diet, but you should mix various parts, including drumsticks and wings, to make healthy meals at home.
How Much Chicken to Feed a Cat
While it’s an excellent source of protein, chicken breast shouldn’t be the only thing your cat consumes during the day. Ideally, the feline diet should follow the cat’s natural feeding pattern while compensating for the elements it lacks. Commercial Cat Food (especially the canned variety) is manufactured to meet your cat’s nutritional needs, meaning it contains loads of taurine, among other nutrients.
Can Chicken help my cat gain weight?
Many feline owners are quite inquisitive as to if feeding their cats with chicken can help cats gain weight but
When veterinarians talk about a cat’s weight, it’s usually focused on feline obesity
While obesity is a prominent health issue among cats, many cats are also struggling with being underweight. And similar to losing weight, gaining weight gain can also be a tricky issue for cats. It’s not just about changing food portions.
First, you’ll need to find out why your cat is losing weight you can determine a plan of action that includes a diet that will safely help your cat return to a healthy weight. And yes, chicken is highly proteinous hence it will help speed up your feline weight gain process.
How do I prepare Chicken for my Cat?
Because of the fat content, you should not give your cat any fried chicken. If fried chicken isn’t very healthy for us, it surely won’t be for your cat either.
Also, avoid cooking the chicken with onions, garlic, oils, or any other seasonings. It should be as plain as possible. The best way to cook chicken for your feline companion is by boiling it. This is also the easiest method and you don’t even have to thaw out the chicken completely before you start. I recommend using boneless chicken breast.
First, you’ll want to clean and rinse off the chicken using lukewarm water. While you’re doing this, it is a good idea to have a pot of water boiling on the stove.
After the water in the pot is at a rolling boil, put the raw chicken in the pot. You’ll want to boil the chicken until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches at least 175 degrees Fahrenheit.
When you take the chicken out of the pot and cut it, it should not be pink inside. After you have cooled the chicken, you can then cut it up into bite-sized pieces for your cat.
If you cooked a chicken that wasn’t boneless, make sure that you get rid of any bones before giving the pieces to your cat.
Bones could cause your cat to choke. And if they swallowed a bone, it could lead to digestive issues as well.
Store any leftovers in your fridge for up to 2 days or freeze them. Make sure you heat them slightly for your cat when you feed them.
Cats like their chicken slightly warm. Never give them hot chicken for obvious reasons.
Final Thoughts
When it comes to finding the right diet plan for our feline friends, it is best done by consulting a vet. However, with the question of if you can feed your cat chicken breast every day, chicken is a great source of protein but shouldn’t be the only source of your cat’s diet as she may lack some other nutrients necessary.
