Can cats digest bones?

[Ablang]

Last night, I was polishing off a KFC 2-pc original thighs &
drumstick. I decided to let my cat have the drumstick since it had some
skin on it and some cartilage. I saw her pull the drumstick off the plate
and put it on the floor, working on the cartilage on the drumstick. I went
back to watching TV and later noticed the whole bone was gone!

So here I'm having visions of expensive surgeries to remove a bone
that won't come out. Someone told me that cats can digest bones, while
dogs cannot. Is this true?

--
Hilary Duff is America's Sweetheart & an international HeartBreaker.

"FAILING = Finding An Important Lesson, Inviting Needed Growth" -- Gary
Busey

[Judy]

"Ablang" > wrote in message
...
> Last night, I was polishing off a KFC 2-pc original thighs &
> drumstick. I decided to let my cat have the drumstick since it had some
> skin on it and some cartilage. I saw her pull the drumstick off the plate
> and put it on the floor, working on the cartilage on the drumstick. I
went
> back to watching TV and later noticed the whole bone was gone!
>
> So here I'm having visions of expensive surgeries to remove a bone
> that won't come out. Someone told me that cats can digest bones, while
> dogs cannot. Is this true?

From what I've read, raw bones are ok for cats but not cooked. Cooked bones
splinter - result being your visions could be recognized.

Best wishes to your cat and you.

Judy and Matilda.

[Judy]

"Ablang" > wrote in message
...
> Last night, I was polishing off a KFC 2-pc original thighs &
> drumstick. I decided to let my cat have the drumstick since it had some
> skin on it and some cartilage. I saw her pull the drumstick off the plate
> and put it on the floor, working on the cartilage on the drumstick. I
went
> back to watching TV and later noticed the whole bone was gone!
>
> So here I'm having visions of expensive surgeries to remove a bone
> that won't come out. Someone told me that cats can digest bones, while
> dogs cannot. Is this true?

From what I've read, raw bones are ok for cats but not cooked. Cooked bones
splinter - result being your visions could be recognized.

Best wishes to your cat and you.

Judy and Matilda.

[perky1]

I sincerely hope that your cat
is allright. Vets say that bones can splinter and be harmful to a cat's
stomach, but I realize that
all cats are different. Again,
Good Luck!!!!! perky1
"Ablang" > wrote in message
...
> Last night, I was polishing off a KFC 2-pc original thighs &
> drumstick. I decided to let my cat have the drumstick since it had some
> skin on it and some cartilage. I saw her pull the drumstick off the plate
> and put it on the floor, working on the cartilage on the drumstick. I
went
> back to watching TV and later noticed the whole bone was gone!
>
> So here I'm having visions of expensive surgeries to remove a bone
> that won't come out. Someone told me that cats can digest bones, while
> dogs cannot. Is this true?
>
> --
> Hilary Duff is America's Sweetheart & an international HeartBreaker.
>
> "FAILING = Finding An Important Lesson, Inviting Needed Growth" -- Gary
> Busey

[perky1]

I sincerely hope that your cat
is allright. Vets say that bones can splinter and be harmful to a cat's
stomach, but I realize that
all cats are different. Again,
Good Luck!!!!! perky1
"Ablang" > wrote in message
...
> Last night, I was polishing off a KFC 2-pc original thighs &
> drumstick. I decided to let my cat have the drumstick since it had some
> skin on it and some cartilage. I saw her pull the drumstick off the plate
> and put it on the floor, working on the cartilage on the drumstick. I
went
> back to watching TV and later noticed the whole bone was gone!
>
> So here I'm having visions of expensive surgeries to remove a bone
> that won't come out. Someone told me that cats can digest bones, while
> dogs cannot. Is this true?
>
> --
> Hilary Duff is America's Sweetheart & an international HeartBreaker.
>
> "FAILING = Finding An Important Lesson, Inviting Needed Growth" -- Gary
> Busey

[Larry Osborne]

I can only repeat, best wishes on these going through your cat without
incident. Cooked bones are easily splintered. If you ever give the cat a
bone again and I know I wouldn't, I would hope that it is raw as it is much
less likely to be able to splinter.

Best wishes on this again.

Larry Osborne




"perky1" > wrote in message
...
> I sincerely hope that your cat
> is allright. Vets say that bones can splinter and be harmful to a cat's
> stomach, but I realize that
> all cats are different. Again,
> Good Luck!!!!! perky1
> "Ablang" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Last night, I was polishing off a KFC 2-pc original thighs &
> > drumstick. I decided to let my cat have the drumstick since it had some
> > skin on it and some cartilage. I saw her pull the drumstick off the
plate
> > and put it on the floor, working on the cartilage on the drumstick. I
> went
> > back to watching TV and later noticed the whole bone was gone!
> >
> > So here I'm having visions of expensive surgeries to remove a bone
> > that won't come out. Someone told me that cats can digest bones, while
> > dogs cannot. Is this true?
> >
> > --
> > Hilary Duff is America's Sweetheart & an international HeartBreaker.
> >
> > "FAILING = Finding An Important Lesson, Inviting Needed Growth" -- Gary
> > Busey
>
>

[Larry Osborne]

I can only repeat, best wishes on these going through your cat without
incident. Cooked bones are easily splintered. If you ever give the cat a
bone again and I know I wouldn't, I would hope that it is raw as it is much
less likely to be able to splinter.

Best wishes on this again.

Larry Osborne




"perky1" > wrote in message
...
> I sincerely hope that your cat
> is allright. Vets say that bones can splinter and be harmful to a cat's
> stomach, but I realize that
> all cats are different. Again,
> Good Luck!!!!! perky1
> "Ablang" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Last night, I was polishing off a KFC 2-pc original thighs &
> > drumstick. I decided to let my cat have the drumstick since it had some
> > skin on it and some cartilage. I saw her pull the drumstick off the
plate
> > and put it on the floor, working on the cartilage on the drumstick. I
> went
> > back to watching TV and later noticed the whole bone was gone!
> >
> > So here I'm having visions of expensive surgeries to remove a bone
> > that won't come out. Someone told me that cats can digest bones, while
> > dogs cannot. Is this true?
> >
> > --
> > Hilary Duff is America's Sweetheart & an international HeartBreaker.
> >
> > "FAILING = Finding An Important Lesson, Inviting Needed Growth" -- Gary
> > Busey
>
>

[Marek Williams]

On 26 Nov 2003 09:34:11 +0800, Ablang >
dijo:

> Last night, I was polishing off a KFC 2-pc original thighs &
>drumstick. I decided to let my cat have the drumstick since it had some
>skin on it and some cartilage. I saw her pull the drumstick off the plate
>and put it on the floor, working on the cartilage on the drumstick. I went
>back to watching TV and later noticed the whole bone was gone!
>
> So here I'm having visions of expensive surgeries to remove a bone
>that won't come out. Someone told me that cats can digest bones, while
>dogs cannot. Is this true?

I've had cats for decades. I have always shared my fried chicken with
them, (Aside -- Popeye's is much better than the Colonel.) I've never
had a problem with a cat, and that includes probably thousands of
bones given to them.

I realize that everyone parrots that you should not give chicken bones
to animals, although some qualify it just to cooked bones. Well, let's
use a little common sense here. First, what do cats in the wild eat?
Birds, of course, as well as other critters with small bones. Surely
their evolutionary process has provided instincts for how to handle
this. In fact, humans have the same instincts. I've eaten hundreds of
buckets of fried chicken over my lifetime, and I have yet to even
choke on bone. How do I manage that? Well, because I instinctively
strip the meat off and leave the rest of the bone. If I were starving
to death and the chicken part was all I had, I might crunch the bone
with my teeth to get the marrow out of the middle, but I still would
not swallow the slivery parts. Cats don't either.

As a second consideration, consider what's in the cat's stomach. It's
pretty much the same as what's in a human stomach, that is, acid. Very
powerful acid, in fact. Try dropping a bone into that kind of acid and
see what happens. Calcium and acid don't get along well. There's a lot
of fizzing and commotion, and the acid ends up winning. My point is
that, if the bone makes it at least to the stomach, there should be no
further problems from it.

Over the years I've shared probably a thousand or more chicken bones
with my cat companions, and there has never been a problem.

The last time this issue came up I posted more or less the same facts
and everyone said I was just lucky. So I responded by asking if, of
all the thousands of people who read this newsgroup, anyone could
report having had a problem feeding a cooked chicken bone to a cat.
Result? Not one response. My conclusion? That feeding chicken bones to
cats is dangerous is an urban myth. (Note I am talking strictly of
cats here -- dogs wolf their food down and it may be much more
dangerous for them.)

As for the fact that the bone you gave your cat was completely gone, I
suggest you search harder if you're really concerned. I'll bet it
turns up behind a piece of furniture somewhere. My cats always chew
the ends off a drumstick or thigh bone, and leave the middle portion,
although some of my cats have crunched the middle portion to get at
the marrow. They still leave the splintery parts, usually scattered
all over the floor. (Their job is to eat, sleep and poop. Mine is to
clean up after them. They perceive this as the natural order of
things. Tidiness is not in their job description.)

And before someone quotes a veterinarian who says it is dangerous, my
cat's vet (who I feel is extremely competent) says there is no problem
at all. She says she gives cooked chicken bones to her cats at home. I
suspect some vets may be as much the victim of urban mythology as the
public.

And I'll repeat my challenge: If anyone has ever had a cat suffer harm
as a result of eating a cooked chicken bone, please post. I still
think we'll get no reponses. It doesn't happen because it's an old
wives tale, probably created by extrapolation from dogs, for whom it
probably *is* dangerous.

--
Bogus e-mail address, but I read this newsgroup regularly, so reply here.

[Marek Williams]

On 26 Nov 2003 09:34:11 +0800, Ablang >
dijo:

> Last night, I was polishing off a KFC 2-pc original thighs &
>drumstick. I decided to let my cat have the drumstick since it had some
>skin on it and some cartilage. I saw her pull the drumstick off the plate
>and put it on the floor, working on the cartilage on the drumstick. I went
>back to watching TV and later noticed the whole bone was gone!
>
> So here I'm having visions of expensive surgeries to remove a bone
>that won't come out. Someone told me that cats can digest bones, while
>dogs cannot. Is this true?

I've had cats for decades. I have always shared my fried chicken with
them, (Aside -- Popeye's is much better than the Colonel.) I've never
had a problem with a cat, and that includes probably thousands of
bones given to them.

I realize that everyone parrots that you should not give chicken bones
to animals, although some qualify it just to cooked bones. Well, let's
use a little common sense here. First, what do cats in the wild eat?
Birds, of course, as well as other critters with small bones. Surely
their evolutionary process has provided instincts for how to handle
this. In fact, humans have the same instincts. I've eaten hundreds of
buckets of fried chicken over my lifetime, and I have yet to even
choke on bone. How do I manage that? Well, because I instinctively
strip the meat off and leave the rest of the bone. If I were starving
to death and the chicken part was all I had, I might crunch the bone
with my teeth to get the marrow out of the middle, but I still would
not swallow the slivery parts. Cats don't either.

As a second consideration, consider what's in the cat's stomach. It's
pretty much the same as what's in a human stomach, that is, acid. Very
powerful acid, in fact. Try dropping a bone into that kind of acid and
see what happens. Calcium and acid don't get along well. There's a lot
of fizzing and commotion, and the acid ends up winning. My point is
that, if the bone makes it at least to the stomach, there should be no
further problems from it.

Over the years I've shared probably a thousand or more chicken bones
with my cat companions, and there has never been a problem.

The last time this issue came up I posted more or less the same facts
and everyone said I was just lucky. So I responded by asking if, of
all the thousands of people who read this newsgroup, anyone could
report having had a problem feeding a cooked chicken bone to a cat.
Result? Not one response. My conclusion? That feeding chicken bones to
cats is dangerous is an urban myth. (Note I am talking strictly of
cats here -- dogs wolf their food down and it may be much more
dangerous for them.)

As for the fact that the bone you gave your cat was completely gone, I
suggest you search harder if you're really concerned. I'll bet it
turns up behind a piece of furniture somewhere. My cats always chew
the ends off a drumstick or thigh bone, and leave the middle portion,
although some of my cats have crunched the middle portion to get at
the marrow. They still leave the splintery parts, usually scattered
all over the floor. (Their job is to eat, sleep and poop. Mine is to
clean up after them. They perceive this as the natural order of
things. Tidiness is not in their job description.)

And before someone quotes a veterinarian who says it is dangerous, my
cat's vet (who I feel is extremely competent) says there is no problem
at all. She says she gives cooked chicken bones to her cats at home. I
suspect some vets may be as much the victim of urban mythology as the
public.

And I'll repeat my challenge: If anyone has ever had a cat suffer harm
as a result of eating a cooked chicken bone, please post. I still
think we'll get no reponses. It doesn't happen because it's an old
wives tale, probably created by extrapolation from dogs, for whom it
probably *is* dangerous.

--
Bogus e-mail address, but I read this newsgroup regularly, so reply here.

[Alan Sandoval]

Crap snipped.

> And I'll repeat my challenge: If anyone has ever had a cat suffer harm
> as a result of eating a cooked chicken bone, please post. I still
> think we'll get no reponses. It doesn't happen because it's an old
> wives tale, probably created by extrapolation from dogs, for whom it
> probably *is* dangerous.
>
> --
> Bogus e-mail address, but I read this newsgroup regularly, so reply here.

Anyone here who wants to test their beloved pet in a challenge over whether
cooked (and admitedly brittle) bones are safe for their cat, or dog for that
matter, sign up here.

If I were you I'd sure post a bogus email address too!

Cats eat raw birds. So do dogs, with no known ill effects.

If you have leftover KFC or any other kind of fried food it's better off in
the trash. Animals (including humans) aren't built to eat lots of that
stuff. If you insist on giving this to your pet you can at least strip off
the edible parts and toss the bones where the animail won't be put at risk
of finding them.

Yes, I am ****ed about giving animals food that isn't intended for them. My
father thought it was "cute" that his dogs liked ice cream, hamburgers,
candy and all other sorts of things that in the end killed them. His idea
of a good time was tossing candy down the hallway and having our loved dog
retrieve it and eat it. When she became diabetic he acted dumb about the
whole thing.

Dogs get dog food. Cats get cat food. If you give your pet anything else
that is not approved by the general conventions of veteranary medicine you
sure aren't doing them any favors. In over 30 years of keeping my own pets
I've never, ever given any of them table scraps. And you know what? All my
animal friends have thrived.

My 'pets' are my friends and companions. They are not circus clowns made to
beg for their food at the dinner table.

Maybe too harsh a response, but I have really strong feelings about this
issue.

Alan




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[Alan Sandoval]

Crap snipped.

> And I'll repeat my challenge: If anyone has ever had a cat suffer harm
> as a result of eating a cooked chicken bone, please post. I still
> think we'll get no reponses. It doesn't happen because it's an old
> wives tale, probably created by extrapolation from dogs, for whom it
> probably *is* dangerous.
>
> --
> Bogus e-mail address, but I read this newsgroup regularly, so reply here.

Anyone here who wants to test their beloved pet in a challenge over whether
cooked (and admitedly brittle) bones are safe for their cat, or dog for that
matter, sign up here.

If I were you I'd sure post a bogus email address too!

Cats eat raw birds. So do dogs, with no known ill effects.

If you have leftover KFC or any other kind of fried food it's better off in
the trash. Animals (including humans) aren't built to eat lots of that
stuff. If you insist on giving this to your pet you can at least strip off
the edible parts and toss the bones where the animail won't be put at risk
of finding them.

Yes, I am ****ed about giving animals food that isn't intended for them. My
father thought it was "cute" that his dogs liked ice cream, hamburgers,
candy and all other sorts of things that in the end killed them. His idea
of a good time was tossing candy down the hallway and having our loved dog
retrieve it and eat it. When she became diabetic he acted dumb about the
whole thing.

Dogs get dog food. Cats get cat food. If you give your pet anything else
that is not approved by the general conventions of veteranary medicine you
sure aren't doing them any favors. In over 30 years of keeping my own pets
I've never, ever given any of them table scraps. And you know what? All my
animal friends have thrived.

My 'pets' are my friends and companions. They are not circus clowns made to
beg for their food at the dinner table.

Maybe too harsh a response, but I have really strong feelings about this
issue.

Alan




----== Posted via Newsfeed.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==----
http://www.newsfeed.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! >100,000 Newsgroups
---= 19 East/West-Coast Specialized Servers - Total Privacy via Encryption =---