Last updated on December 12th, 2021
When I cook meat and serve it on the dinner table, the precious thing to watch is my cat and her million-dollar expressions. She’ll eagerly wait to get her portion of the chicken wings, and when she finally gets it, she’ll gorge herself hungrily on it. Sounds relatable, right?
Well, here’s the thing, cats can eat raw chicken wing bones because it’s flexible and soft which makes it easier for your cat to chew and digest whereas cooked chicken wing bones splinter when it’s crunched which becomes a choking hazard since it also loses the moisture and marrow when cooked.
Chicken meat is tasty for cats and provides them with the essential proteins that they need for survival.
In fact, cats need high amounts of protein in their everyday diet, along with fats and carbohydrates in moderate and minimal amounts, respectively.
The protein cats get from meat strengthens their heart, improves vision, and promotes a healthy reproductive system.
They also need a few other nutrients like vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and fatty acids.
Most of the vital nutrients that your cat needs come from meat, so it’s essential that cat owners include some kind of meat in their pet’s diet, and chicken is one of the most common dishes of all.
However, you shouldn’t only feed your cat meat because this can lead to nutritional deficiencies.
While you can include chicken in your kitty’s diet, you also need to take care of other nutrients that are essential for your pet’s health. Therefore, maintaining a balanced diet is important.
If you’re unsure about changing your cat’s diet, the best thing to do would be to consult with a vet or pet nutritionist to discuss the right diet chart for your pet.
Is It Safe to Feed Raw Chicken Wings to Your Cat?
It’s safe to feed your cats raw chicken wings because it encourages them to chew and exercise their jaws while helping to clean off plaque and tartar buildup, however, you shouldn’t feed your cats large chicken wing bones because it can crack your cat’s teeth or become stuck in their throat.
Now that you know that chicken is important in a cat’s daily diet, you also need to take care of certain things.
For instance, if you wish to feed chicken wings to your feline pet, you may be concerned about its bones.
Chicken wings have small bones, and these are relatively safer than large and hard marrow bones.
The bones from chicken wings and chicken necks are soft and easy for cats to chew on and swallow, so they don’t pose a choking risk.
Additionally, small bones are less likely to become clogged inside your pet’s intestinal tract, which ultimately means that your cat will have an easier time digesting them.
But if you’re thinking about giving large bones to your cat, such as the marrow bones, I’d advise you to rethink your decision.
Here are a few reasons why hard and large bones can be a hazard for your cat.
- Large bones come with risks of cat choking.
- Marrow bones have thicker outer rims which can break or crack your cat’s teeth.
- Similarly, large bones if crunched can break into sharp pieces which can puncture your cats gum.
Even if you’re feeding small bones to your cat, this should be done in moderate amounts.
How Often Should You Feed Chicken Wings to Your Cat?
You can feed chicken wings to your cat anywhere from once to twice per week with a few days’ gaps in between servings because overconsumption of these chicken wing bones will lead to an excess calcium intake which causes constipation and bowel obstruction in cats.
Why do Cats Tilt their Head When Chewing on Chicken Wing Bones?
As cats chew chicken wing bones, they can only properly gnaw the bones by using the molars and premolars found in their side jaws, while tilting their heads to access it.
Rules of Thumb to Follow Before Feeding Chicken Bones to Your Cat.
Always give a raw meaty bone to your cat as it comes with numerous health benefits or you can simply use it to supplement their diet.
For instance, it keeps your cat’s gums and teeth healthy because raw chicken bones are a good source of calcium.
Raw lamb shanks as well can effectively improve your cat’s dental health while also providing some essential nutrients.
This calcium intake is necessary for your cat to have strong, healthy teeth and gums.
Besides, calcium also helps to strengthen your pet’s bones and offers good structural body support.
The most favorable raw meaty bones for your feline pet include chicken wings, necks, and drumsticks.
Never feed cooked or boiled chicken bones to your cat as they may crack up or splinter, which may cause internal damages while chewing.
Besides, cooked chicken bones may become brittle, and hence, they’re more prone to breaking.
Splintered chicken bones may also cause blockages or ruptures in your pet’s throat at the time of swallowing.
Apart from the throat, the brittle bones may further cause internal damages inside your beloved kitty’s stomach and intestines.
In severe cases, these splintered chicken bones may also be fatal to your cat.
And cooked bones are much less flexible than raw ones, which means they can easily get stuck somewhere in your pet’s throat, mouth, stomach, or other areas in the digestive system.
What’s more, your cat won’t receive any vital nutrients from cooked bones because calcium and other vitamins or minerals usually get removed during the cooking process.
So, vets advise cat owners to feed their feline members with raw bones as these contain all the essential nutrients they need for a healthy body, such as calcium, fats, proteins, etc.
So, give up the idea of feeding cooked chicken bones to your furry friend. Instead, give her uncooked and raw chicken bones only.
Avoid feeding too many raw bones to your feline pet as it may result in constipation.
Stick to 1 or 2 raw bones every week while keeping a few days’ gaps in between servings.
Whenever you’re feeding your cat raw chicken wing bones or drumsticks, you must be present to supervise this feeding session.
Besides, cats are extremely curious, and they’ll literally nibble on strange things.
If your furball ate cooked chicken bones either from the table or trash, keep a close eye on her movements, behavior, health conditions, and so on for the next few days.
The signs and symptoms of any internal damage or blockages in the digestive system may take time to show up or detect. Look out for the following symptoms –
- Vomiting
- Showing sudden disinterest in food or eating less than usual
- Diarrhea
- Weakness and lethargy
- Crying or abnormal meowing, purring, etc.
- Not willing or unable to lie down
- Cold body temperature
If you notice the above symptoms, consult your vet immediately to diagnose the problem and start the treatment without delay.
Addressing these problems can help your cat recover faster.