Can cats eat chicken bones or are they dangerous?

My cat just goes crazy for chicken! Ever since I brought him home at 6 weeks and he attacked my whole rotisserie chicken from KFC and proceeded to growl at me when I tried taking it back, lol...

I occasionally give him leg bones with a bit of meat and I've been doing this for years (he is now 17) and doesn't seem to have problems. He also eats wild animals like birds, rabbits, and squirrels which all have bones of course. We live on a 20-acres by no roads and he's fixed and he's an indoor/outdoor kitty so he has a good life and he is in the early stages of kidney failure but that's another story. THANKS!Can cats eat chicken bones or are they dangerous?
Hi there,



Cooked chicken bones splinter easily and can really injure a cat seriously. You should never give cooked bones to any pet, in fact. While they love them, there is a high degree of danger in them.



Cats can eat raw bones, however. So his hunting is perfectly safe for him, while not safe for his prey, of course.



There is a major difference between cooked and raw bones. We give our cats raw chicken neck bones on which to chew now and then. They love them, and act as if they are hunting:), talk about growling!



Your kitty has been lucky so far. It is good that you are asking, however. Play it safe and just give him, as a treat the cooked meat, without the bones, of course.



Hope this helps, and good luck with your kitty.



Troublesniffer

Owned by cats for over 40 years

Member: Cat Writer's Association
My vet has always told me that cat shouldn't eat cooked chicken bones because they can splinter and cause problems internally (I believe it's the cooking that makes the difference to them eating wild birds).

I'm sorry to hear that your cat's kidneys are failing, my cat Spike died of kidney failure a few years ago, he was quite old too and the vet says it's a common thing to happen. Your cat sounds as though he's had a lovely life, he's a very lucky kitty.Can cats eat chicken bones or are they dangerous?
My old cat loved chicken bones too. He would try to sneak one whenever I wasn't looking. I used to break off the grizzle part at the end of the bone and give that to him. (He died a few years ago at the age of 16 also from kidney failure.)
I think you should remove the meat from the bone for your cat. Ask your vet. Animals cannot pass bones . Causes lots of problems if the bones get caught in side and never come out.
Cooked chicken bones (and small bones) are dangerous to both cats and dogs - they will splinter and break off and your cat could need surgery.
Chicken bones are dangerous, and could kill your kitty. They splinter very easily and can get caught in the digestive system, if they don't choke on them immediately.
Yes, chicken bones are very dangerous for both cats and dogs!
I'd like to say ditto on raw bones but not cooked bones.
If they are boiled, rather not, if raw, it's fine.
no don't do that they wont be able to digest that easy and they splinter
Raw is much better then cooked. Cooked bones can splinter