Can Cats Eat Lamb?

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Your fur baby deserves the best nutrition and food that appeals to their tastebuds, and as I recently discovered, my cat does have a penchant for stealing bits of roast lamb off my plate.

Hmm … is lamb something I should be adding to my kitties’ menu?

After reading this post, you’ll learn why lamb is a healthy, nutritious food to give to your cat. You’ll also learn how to best prepare lamb for your cat.

And finally, you’ll learn about some of the best cat food containing lamb.

Let’s look at why this meat is suitable for your kitty and the best way to prepare this healthy meal at home.

Table of Contents

Is Lamb A Good Protein For Cats?

Lamb is an excellent source of protein. You can expect roughly 23 grams of protein for every 3 oz Lamb. This is sufficient to provide enough energy for an adult cat, but Lamb is also a great choice to feed kittens, as it is high in Taurine, which helps maintain healthy eyesight and heart health for growing kittens.

Besides being high in protein, Lamb also contains many different vitamins and minerals that benefit your cats.

Vitamin B12 is fundamental for maintaining a healthy immune system, preventing your cat from succumbing to illness. It also helps keep cognitive function in top shape by keeping the nervous system healthy and assisting with digestive tract health.
Selenium is known to protect against certain cancers and can counteract the damaging effects of mercury in cats. It is especially beneficial to older cats. Lamb also contains healthy doses of Zinc, which assists in keeping your cats coat and skin in good condition.
Niacin, commonly known as Vitamin B3, helps with energy metabolism in cats and keeps the skin, mucous membranes, joints, bones, digestive, and central nervous systems healthy.
Calcium phosphate (which is formed by Phosphorous bonding with Calcium) is what a cat’s teeth and bones are made of. Lamb is an excellent source of Phosphorous for cats. This essential mineral maintains you’re the health of teeth and bones in cats.
Iron is key to maintaining a healthy immune system and helps keep red blood cells healthy. Cats lacking iron are lethargic, tiring quickly, and may lose blood in their urine, stool, or vomit.
Creatine builds cats’ muscle strength, increases your their athletic abilities, and increases energy and endurance.
Taurine is very beneficial for pregnant cats and helps with the fetal development of her kittens. It also promotes healthy vision, a healthy immune system, and strong muscles in the heart
Glutathione found in Lamb helps to build and repair damaged tissues in cats.

The downside to lamb is that it has a relatively high Cholesterol content. There is about 106 mg of Cholesterol in a 3.5 oz portion of lamb. Cats can metabolize consumed fats, but too much Cholesterol is never good

A healthy amount of Cholesterol in cats is 70 to 200 mg/dL. Anything above this level is harmful, so one should be careful of feeding a cat too much Lamb to avoid high Cholesterol levels, which could clog arteries.

Fat in large quantities isn’t great for cats either, so you should try to shave off as much excess fat from Lamb when feeding it to your cat.

Lamb is a healthy choice to feed your cat, but only in moderation because of the high cholesterol and fat content.

Can Cats Eat Lamb Liver?

Lamb’s liver is perfectly safe to feed to your cat in small doses. In fact, it is pretty healthy because it contains Vitamins A and B12 as well as high levels of protein and Copper, making it a great meal.

How you prepare lamb liver is important, though.

After removing any fat from the liver, boil it on your stovetop. Make sure that it’s properly cooked before draining it and grinding it up.

Lamb liver cannot be fed as a staple diet, as the high levels of Vitamin A in it will eventually become toxic. You can safely treat your cat to this delicacy about once a week or so.

Can Cats Eat Lamb Bones?

If you’d like to give your cat something to chew on, you might want to consider one of these great chew toys instead of lamb bones.

The main thing to note is that <em>cooked lamb bones may splinter and cause significant damage, so you should always feed them to your cat raw.

But … you still have to be careful with raw bones, because they might contain nasty bacteria that could make your cat quite sick. Grinding up the cooked lamb bone and serving it as a bone meal may be the safest option.

Best Store-Bought Cat Food With Lamb

Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin and Stomach, Lamb and Rice Formula Open Farm Pasture-Raised Lamb Grain-Free Dry Cat Food Solid Gold – Katz-N-Flocken with Real Lamb & Brown Rice

There is a selection of high-quality wet and dry food for cats you can purchase at the store. The advantage of buying from a trusted cat food brand is selecting a product tailored to your cats’ age or health needs.

Always read the label of the cat food you consider buying. Many cheaper options only list Lamb as a flavoring and have too many fillers and colorants, which may cause allergies.

Here are three highly-rated dry cat food containing lamb. (We’ll get to canned wet food in a moment.)

Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin and Stomach — Lamb and Rice Formula

Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin and Stomach, Lamb and Rice Formula

This high-protein cat food has real lamb as the first ingredient. It also includes easily digestible rice and oatmeal and is fortified with guaranteed live probiotics to support your cat’s digestive and immune health.

This is a great choice for cats who have problems with frequent vomiting, diarrhea, and/or gas.

First Five Ingredients: Lamb, Brewers Rice, Corn Gluten Meal, Dried Egg Product, Soy Protein Isolate

Open Farm Pasture-Raised Lamb Grain-Free Dry Cat Food

This crunchy cat food is made with real cuts of pasture-raised meat without antibiotics and growth hormones. It contains no grain, corn, wheat, or soy.

Open Farm is more expensive than, say, Purina, but cat owners who are very concerned about high-quality ingredients in their cat’s food feel that the extra cost is worth it.

Solid Gold – Katz-N-Flocken with Real Lamb & Brown Rice

Sold Gold Cat Food is designed for cats of all ages. It contains 20 core superfoods and is packed with high fiber grains and probiotics to promote healthy digestion and reduce vomiting. It’s also Omega rich for healthy skin and coat.
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First Five Ingredients: Lamb, Chicken Meal, Peas, Brown Rice, Ocean Fish Meal

Best Wet Lamb Cat Food

ZIWI Peak Canned Wet Cat Food

Ziwi Peak Canned Cat Food can be used as a complete food, as a topper, or be mixed with other food. It’s grain-free and low-carb and made of 92% seafood, meat, and organs.

First Five Ingredients: Mackerel, Water Sufficient for Processing, Lamb, Lamb Lung, Chickpeas

Can Cats Eat Raw Lamb?

Many pet owners prefer to feed cats raw meat, and, seeing that this diet best mimics a cat’s natural diet in the wild, it does have its benefits. However, it is not without its risks! You can feed raw Lamb to your cat, but it is highly advisable to follow strict guidelines to avoid poisoning your cat with contaminated meat.

The benefit of a raw food diet is that your cat will have ample hydration and high amounts of protein in its diet. This diet works well as cats are natural carnivores who hunt for their food, and raw meat without added carbohydrates like grains, rice, and soy is their natural food source.

No one should attempt a raw food diet without professional advice. To ensure your cat receives everything it needs from a raw food diet, get a professional to put together a balanced diet so that you don’t risk malnourish your cat.

When preparing raw meat at home, you risk cross-contamination, putting your entire household at risk, especially young children and the elderly with weaker immune systems. Another risk is feeding raw meat to a cat with a compromised immune system. These cats would do better with cooked meat instead.

Avoid spreading dangerous pathogens in your home by following strict safety protocols when handling raw meat. Sanitize your work area in your kitchen with bleach, and always use gloves when preparing the meat.

The general area you feed your cat should preferably not be carpeted and easy to clean. Also, make sure you clean your cats’ bowls before and after dishing up a meal. You can use dishwashing liquid for the bowls and then follow with a bleach and water solution before drying the bowls thoroughly.

To prepare raw Lamb for your cat, make sure only to feed lean cuts, removing any excess fat from the meat. You can use meat from the Lambs’ organs, but do not add any bones unless you grind them up first.

After you grind up the Lamb in a meat grinder, you can add dietary supplements as needed. You can also add in raw egg or rice. Once you’ve completed a batch, you can divide them into portions and freeze them so you can use them as needed. Always use disposable gloves while preparing the cat food.

How To Cook Lamb At Home For Your Cats

We all know that pet food can be incredibly pricey, but there’s no reason that your cat can’t enjoy some home cooking and still get a nutritionally balanced meal.

The advantage of cooking a meal for your cats is that you can avoid any additives, flavorings, and colorants many store-bought pet foods contain. You can also save a significant amount of money buying Lamb that the whole family (including your kitty) can enjoy.

Recipe for Homemade Lamb Wet Cat Food:

Ingredients:

Brown Rice (two cups)
Water (four cups)
Ground Lamb (two lbs)
Flax Seed Oil (two tablespoons)

Fill a medium-sized saucepan with the four cups of water and bring to a boil. Bring down the heat to a simmer for roughly thirty to forty minutes. Next, stir in the brown rice and allow it to boil.

While the rice is cooking, you can start to prepare the lamb in a large skillet. Crumble the ground lamb and cook over medium heat until the meat is thoroughly cooked. Do not brown the meat just yet, though. Remove any excess fat from the cooked Lamb by draining and rinsing the meat.

After the rice is thoroughly cooked through and tender, you can remove it from the heat and allow it to cool. You can now add the Lamb, flaxseed oil, and rice to the large skillet and mix to combine.

You’ll have a decent amount of food for the next few days, so you can package it into the correct quantity per meal and place it in the fridge. You should only store enough food for three days; if it will take longer than that to consume, put it in the freezer and defrost when it’s time to use it.

Can Lamb Make Cats Sick?

Lamb fat is high in saturated fats, which can cause clogged arteries and heart problems. It’s advisable not to feed your cat a diet of only cooked or raw lamb. Instead, use Lamb as an occasional treat or a short switch in their diet for variety.

**What Meat Should Cats Not Eat?**

We all know that cats can be fussy eaters, and there are a few important tips when preparing lamb at home for your cats.

Firstly — and I apologize for insulting your intelligence by stating the obvious — NEVER feed your cat spoiled or undercooked meat. If you wouldn’t eat it, it’s not fit for your cat!

Secondly, make sure that the meat hasn’t expired. Lamb that is very near its expiry date may be sold off at much lower prices, but it may already be turning! Always check the best-before-date when purchasing at the supermarket or butchery.

Always purchase your Lamb from a trusted butcher and ensure that you cook it within a day or two of purchase, well before the best-before-date. The toxins and bacteria in spoiled meat will cause humans to become severely sick, but it is fatal for cats.

For cats, the toxins and bacteria in spoiled meat can lead to Botulism, a severe form of intoxication. It’ll take only a few hours after consuming tainted meat for the symptoms to start showing, and without medical intervention, your cat is at risk of death.

The symptoms are progressive and will worsen if left untreated. Signs of Botulism may start with depression and lethargy, followed by a lack of appetite and weakness. You may notice that your cat has difficulty swallowing and starts to drool excessively.

This is a cat lover’s worst nightmare, so feed your kitty good meat! Also, make sure to dispose of any off-cut meat sections as cats sometimes scrummage through your trashcans.

Whether you cook a homemade lamb dinner, try a delicious store-bought Lamb treat, or experiment with raw meat, remember to introduce it to your cat slowly. Catering to your fur baby’s tastes can be a full-time job, but once you find that special treat to add to the menu, it’s worth it.

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