Wild cats eat small prey whole, including the bones. So yes, cats can eat bones! As long as we feed smaller, appropriately sized bones. Chicken wings and all quail bones are the best place to start if you want to feed your cat bones.

Only feed raw meaty bones and never feed cooked bones as they can splinter and cause harm.

Also make sure the bones you feed fit into a balanced raw diet. Bones are great for cats! But too much or too little can throw other nutrients off.

Raw meaty bonesĀ provide many benefits for cats such as mental stimulation from chewing, essential minerals, and natural teeth cleaning.

When I first switched Jericho to raw, I was feeding ground raw food only.

I saw a lot of excellent benefits. Increased energy, no bathroom issues, and a soft, silky coat.

But I took too long to introduce raw meaty bones into his diet.

And he developed dental disease with painful resorptive lesions.

Jericho had to have a dental and multiple extractions.

Thankfully, he recovered well and heā€™s on a whole prey diet now.

But I could have avoided this painful (and very expensive mistake) if I started feeding raw meaty bones sooner!

raw rabbit bone for cat

What kind of bones can a cat eat?

Cats can eat small, softer bones that are close to the size of their natural prey. Think mice, rats, smaller birds, and rabbits.

Bones cats can eat include:

  • All quail bones
  • Chicken wings
  • Duck wing tips
  • Chicken feet
  • Duck paws
  • Chicken necks
  • Small rabbit front legs

Some of these bones may be too large for some cats. So youā€™ll have to adjust the bones you feed based on your catā€™s individual needs and eating habits.

Sometimes cats get really excited and end up swallowing pieces whole.

So, if youā€™re worried about that, the perfect way to feed whole bones is to feed whole prey!

jericho chewing on whole prey mouse jess caticles

Jericho eats 50/50 whole prey and ground raw.

That way, he gets the benefits of feeding bones. But I donā€™t have to worry about the bones being too large and causing a choking hazard.

Is it safe for cats to chew on bones?

Itā€™s safe for cats to chew on bones as long as you feed small, appropriate bones, your cat knows how to eat them, bones are fed as part of a balanced diet, and if your cat does not have dental issues.

I tried to save Jerichoā€™s teeth with raw meaty bones. But unfortunately, he couldnā€™t chew on his right side where the resorptive lesions were.

So he ended up almost getting an intestinal blockage. Because he had a piece of chicken neck that went undigested.

They extracted Jerichoā€™s lower molars.

And I donā€™t want to repeat that almost intestinal blockage. So to play it safe, Jericho eats whole prey instead of raw meaty bones.

raw rabbit bone for cat

How to balance bones in a raw diet

We want to mimic our catā€™s natural prey as best as we can. Mice and rats have about 5% bones while rabbits and quail have about 10%.

The general consensus is to feed 7-10% of your catā€™s overall diet. But of course you will have to adjust this based on your catā€™s individual needs.

My favorite way to do this is to formulate recipes myself!

Itā€™s the best way to take complete control of your catā€™s diet.

I know exactly what Jericho needs and how much! Plus I can tweak ingredients easily based on Jerichoā€™s needs whenever I need to.

But I understand not everyone can/wants to do this.

Thatā€™s exactly why I created my Raw Feeding Cats Blueprint!

cat eating homemade raw cat food

You get 17 balanced recipes (including raw meaty bones, raw boneless, and cooked for variety) and my proven plan that has supported 564+ cat guardians in their switch to raw.

Plus Raw Feeding Cats Blueprint is available as an eBook, video course, and a paperback book to support all types of learning!

But my cat is too picky to eat healthy food

Sandra had two kibble-addicted cats. Dirk is older and started to gain weight. Avery was young and healthy, but she had very picky eating habits.

Dirk had trouble jumping to his favorite spots, and Sandra started to worry that he would develop diabetes. And she didnā€™t want Avery to be a picky cat her whole life!

So Sandra started researching about cat food.

sandra dirk avery kibble addicted cats switch to raw

Sandra thought wet food would help because it is healthier than dry food.

But then she discovered raw feeding, and ā€œit all started to make sense! This is what they eat in the wild, and would make them feel their best!!!ā€

She was excited to try raw, but she knew so little about how to transition them to this diet. And she didnā€™t know what to give them in the quantities they needed to be healthy.

Then Sandra found me and my course. She became a course member, and she followed my signature PURR blueprint.

My signature PURR blueprintĀ works with your catā€™s natural instincts. So you can focus on having fun with your cat instead of feeling stressed and overwhelmed dealing with a picky cat.

Sandra said, ā€œThis was such an indispensable tool. It eliminated any fears, or questions I had about the transition, making everything feasible, easy to understand and convenient.ā€

And now Dirk and Avery (previously two kibble-addicted cats) enjoy a lightly cooked homemade diet! Sandra doesnā€™t worry about them not getting the nutrients they need. Sheā€™s confident that what sheā€™s feeding is the best.

On top of that, Dirk lost weight naturally (no starving) and heā€™s more energetic and playful.

Sandra felt close to her cats before starting this journey. But her connection and bond with her cats is much stronger now than it was before.

switch cat to homemade raw diet recipes jess caticles

Sandra and her cats have shown us that our cats need more real, fresh food. Processed foods are inconsistent and cause more problems than itā€™s worth.

But healthy homemade cat food gives us complete control. We control the ingredients, the quality, and how itā€™s made.

And itā€™s amazing to see the results of a healthy homemade diet!

Sandra (and hundreds of other cat parents I’ve worked with) feel more empowered to know whatā€™s good and what should be avoided for their cats.

And their cats are healthier because of it!

Ready to switch to healthy food for a happier cat?

Grab my Raw Feeding Cats Blueprint video course and get the same plan that Sandra and 564+ other cat parents used to switch their cats from processed food to a healthy raw and homemade diet.