Making the decision to give your cat beef liver is a tough one, and many owners want to know if it’s something that should be included in their normal diet, or if it’s OK to give them some as a treat.
The basic rule is that if you’re feeding your cat a good quality cat food they don’t need anything added to their diet in order to function at their best. It’s better than getting them the cheap stuff but then having to supplement with meats and other foods meant for humans.
Can I Give My Cat Beef Liver? Answer: Yes, But Not Necessary
Unlike human beings, cats can’t be given everything when it comes to food. There are strict rules and norms which need to be followed when it comes to feeding cats. Cats can’t decide on their own if the given food item is healthy for them or not. It is your responsibility to take care of that. Read as many articles as you can and watch as many TV programs as you can to get an idea of your cat’s diet. Among many other food items, feeding a cat beef liver is a go, but not something you’d want to do frequently or because you feel it’s necessary. It wouldn’t come as a surprise if a cat owner mentions that his cat can’t get enough of it. Cats simply love it!
Advantages of Beef Liver
Unlike dogs and other animals, a cat is unable to produce taurine, a chemical that is important in the metabolism of fats. This means that a cat needs to be given a proper taurine intake in order to fulfill its taurine requirements. The good part is that beef is an excellent provider of taurine. Feeding your cat beef liver will not only make it healthy and strong, but will also take care of its taurine requirements. Furthermore, it is full of minerals, iron, selenium, manganese and zinc. These are important for your cat’s nourishment and health. It also contains excessive vitamin A, vitamin B – more specifically biotin, B2, B3, B5, B12, choline, inositol and folacin – and vitamin C. It also fulfills your cat’s protein requirement.
Excess Anything Is Bad
Beef liver is full of important nutrients and is your cat’s favorite food but still, you shouldn’t cross the limits. If you do that, your cat might suffer from indigestion. As mentioned above, it is an excellent provider of vitamin A. However, if your cat starts consuming too much of vitamin A, there is a possibility that the unused vitamin becomes toxic. Vitamin A takes a lot of time to turn into toxic level so precaution is best. According to experts and nutritionists, beef liver should constitute not more than 5% of the total meal. Exceeding this limit would be harmful for your little pet. The best way to monitor your cat’s diet is to watch your cat closely. If your cat starts getting thin and weak, you need to increase their nutrients. If, however, your cat starts getting fat and fluffy, you need to decrease the amount.
The Do’s and Don’ts
It doesn’t matter if the beef liver is cooked or raw, however it does matter if it is fresh or not. Unlike dogs, a cat cannot be served “old” meats. The reason being, cats do not have the natural metabolic system that would help them get rid of all the by-products that comes with beef liver past its prime. Therefore, they need to be given fresh meat. Also, make sure your cat is does not go hungry for more than 24 hours. Make a timetable or a schedule that would help you to keep a check on your cat’s meals. For most cats, even one feeding is enough for a day.
A Quick Note
It can be good to feed your cat beef liver because it is full of various vitamins and minerals. However, care should be taken in the amount of beef being fed. If you have a cat that eats only as much as it wants to, then you’re one lucky person. However, if that is not the case, then you need to look after your cat’s food intake.
My cats are allergic to fish and chicken. I buy duck canned cat food that has fish oil in it. My cats are allergic to the chicken and fish protein. If I buy beef and liver canned cat food, will it be too toxic for them?
Elizabeth Welty,
I’m no cat expert, I work in construction. I have an 18 month old male Tuxedo cat, Ninja. I got ninja at 5 months old, his old owners said he likes meow mix. He hated the stuff and it came back up, so I did a lot of research, and I feed him:
3/4 cup of chicken,
1/4 cup of peas, or green beans,
1/12 cup of beef liver (1 Tbs)
2x per day, basically 6AM and 6PM.
Ninja also eats fresh raw salmon, raw chicken, cooked chicken, chicken hearts, Salmon roe (eggs) Salmon guts,
See these Youtube videos to see him going crazy over food:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3dNZfi-baQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2lN1y4aHKU
Thank you for this!
He may be crazy over his food but raw fish is not good for your cat! An enzyme in raw fish destroys thiamine, which is an essential B vitamin. A lack of thiamine can cause serious neurological problems and lead to convulsions.
In small doses, liver is good for cats. However, feed them too much liver and they can end up with vitamin A toxicity. If you feed a homemade diet it needs supplements added. They may be able to eat what you feed them but eventually it will cause illness.
I’m 71 yrs old and have learned the hard way that you can’t just feed your pets anything. My cats generally live to be at least 20 or 22 years old. 15 is not old for a cat as some people believe.
Joy, what do you feed your cats?
I have been feeding my cats beef liver and tuna as a treat for almost 30 years with no problems. Some of the cat food I see on the shelf is not fit for any cat. Beware of phony opinions from cat food sales people who want to make money off of your best friend.
I feed my adult cat beef liver everyday in the morning and evening. He also has access to dry Purina Complete. He is doing great!
Liver contains excessive amounts of vitamin A. Too much liver can cause toxicity. Cats are obligate carnivores. Cats on dry food diets are more prone to obesity and diabetes than cats who eat wet food.
Part of this is due to the high carbohydrate levels in kibble. They appear to be doing great until one day they’re not. Dry food is not natural to any animal. It was created for our convenience, not for animal health!
Is the beef liver raw, or do you cook it? If cooked, what is the best way to cook it and do you add anything?
I buy packages of beef liver (not calves liver) and freeze them. I take one package out and let it soften enough to cut into shreds. It cuts easy like ice cream. I put this into a container and feed it to my cats once a day. About a good tablespoon each. This way there is no messy liver to deal with and since it has been previously frozen it kills any bacteria and a partial defrost makes cutting a breeze. I have 6 cats at present, had cats all my life and this works for me. I also feed good wet food.
What are the signs of vitamin A toxicity? My cat loves his beef liver. He eats raw. He eats more than 50% beef liver as his main food, and other times beef cubes cut in smaller pieces, tuna (canned), or some chicken pets mince a butcher makes up. He also has a raw egg about once every other week.
Sometimes also kidneys, but hates chicken hearts, and isn’t fond of chicken liver any more. He is healthy, happy, very active and the vet thinks his in excellent condition. So, what are the signs I have to look out for?
Can I feed my cat beef heart?
I am looking for any ideas on a healthy recipe for wet food for my cat.
My cats don’t like raw liver. I thought it would be better for them raw compared to cooked. Won’t it lose the taurine if I cook it? Maybe only cook it a little? Thanks for help!
Check reputable vet sites like Cornell Vet University. There are really expensive raw cat food supplements that say they’re grain/soy free, but in reality they have 5 types of grain/soy in them. They are chicken (chicken/regular chickens are fed soy feed and is deposited in their flesh and eggs, natural flavors, tocopherols, vitamin E, and type of “meal” in cat foods).
Also, look at how much crude protein is in the food and if it has probiotics in it if any. I have a soy allergy, personally, and soy is pervasive and is everywhere. No one knows this information, even doctors and the FDA. Good luck. I always research my food and my cat’s food relentlessly. Pet food is NOT quality-controlled at all, which is why so many pets die from cancer, have urinary infections or organ problems.
Try freeze-dried beef liver! It’s still considered to be raw, but it has a different texture. My cat prefers the freeze dried!
My Savannah cats would rather starve than eat wet food. It’s the weirdest thing! They won’t eat canned tuna or canned salmon either and cannot eat chicken without major GI distress. They ate high quality wet food as kittens and young cats but one day that was it. No more wet food. I have tried countless high quality, grain free, high protein wet foods to no avail.
They are on a prescription dry food because of IBD and both get daily oral steroids to keep the IBD under control. They LOVE freeze dried Salmon and freeze dried turkey liver. I also give them Wysong Dream Treats which are considered a raw food. I am forever looking for variety items to add to their diet but it’s very difficult to find anything they will eat.
If you looked up “picky eaters” in the dictionary the definition would be “James Bond and his sister Natasha”. Any suggestions out there from other Savannah owners?