Raw Eggs for Cats

Raw eggs are perfectly safe for cats as long as you feed them properly. Avoid feeding the raw egg white only. Raw egg yolks, however, provide protein, A, B, D, and E vitamins, and many trace minerals.

The best place to buy your eggs is from the farmer’s market. Shop local and support family-run businesses that care about their hens.

Is it safe for cats to eat raw eggs?

It is safe for cats to eat raw egg yolks. But you should always feed the whole egg or just the yolks. There is a concern for Salmonella. However, even the FDA says Salmonellosis is rare in cats. Source and handle raw eggs properly, and your cat will be safe.

Most people say to avoid raw egg whites completely. This is due to a protein called avidin which binds the B vitamin biotin. But biotin deficiencies are rare. And it would take an insane number of egg whites fed over long periods of time to cause a deficiency.

There is a study among kittens that developed a biotin deficiency from consuming 18% or 32% dried egg whites. This is a massive part of the diet.

For example, if I fed my cat one whole egg each week, the whites would only be 4% of his entire diet. Another example, bone content in the diet should be 7-10% for cats. So, again, 18% or 32% is a huge part of the diet.

Variety in all aspects of your cat’s diet is crucial.

Biotin deficiency is easily avoidable if you feed the correct amount of raw eggs.

You may read that cooking egg whites destroys avidin. However, a study showed that eggs cooked in three different ways still contained between 33-71% avidin activity.

Is raw egg yolk good for cats?

Raw egg yolks are good for cats. An egg yolk provides protein, calcium, iron, and lots of B vitamins.

B vitamins are water-soluble. So cooking the yolk may kill B vitamins. This is exactly why raw egg yolks are good for cats.

Plus (thinking about it logically and with common sense) would a cat ever scramble or hard-boil eggs in the wild?

How do I prepare eggs for my cat?

You can prepare an egg very easily for your cat. Serve a small amount of raw egg yolk a few days a week. Or feed one egg yolk once a week or once every other week.

I eat eggs daily so this is easy for me.

Use a 1/8 teaspoon to grab some raw egg yolk from your daily eggs. Put it in a glass container and store it in the refrigerator to save for your cat’s next meal time.

Add a tiny bit more raw egg yolk each day. And work up to around one raw egg yolk weekly.

Eggs are very rich so you should always feed them along with your cat’s meals.

Jericho did not go for the raw egg white. So I feed him raw egg yolk only. Do what works best for your cat.

Once a week I save one raw egg yolk from my egg lunch. It’s fun to share your food with your cat!

How much raw egg can a cat eat?

A cat can eat roughly one raw egg yolk each week. Eggs are very rich, and you don’t want to feed too much of it.

Again, variety in the diet is key.

The cat’s natural diet is mostly meat, bones, and organs. Eggs should not be a big part of your cat’s diet.

Final thoughts on raw eggs for cats

Raw eggs are safe for cats as long as you feed them properly.

Buy from clean sources, handle them properly, and feed raw egg yolks correctly.

Feeding a large amount of raw egg whites only may result in a biotin deficiency over time.

But raw eggs are very good for cats if you feed the entire egg or the yolk only once a week at mealtime.

Proper variety is key. The majority of your cat’s diet should be meat, bones, and organs.