• Energetic kitten playing outdoors, supported by nutrient-rich homemade raw cat food diet

Table of contents

Handling Raw Cat Food – What is the Risk?

Statistically, the risk of illness caused by a foodborne pathogen from handling cats or raw cat food is between 0.3% and 0.5%. In contrast 1 in every 6 Americans  (16%) suffer food poisoning every year from from improperly prepared meals (for themselves to eat) at home or at outdoor gatherings, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Feeding an average of ten cats every day means handling roughly 2 pounds—or 1 kg—of raw meat daily. Over the past 30 years of doing just that, neither my family nor I have ever experienced a single case of foodborne illness, caused by pathogens like Salmonella, E. coli, Listeria, or Campylobacter, from handling our cats’ food, interacting with the cats, or cleaning their litter boxes.

My personal experience is echoed by research. In 2021, a survey conducted by independent researchers in the USA and a Veterinary Epidemiology Consultant in the UK—published in Animal Nutrition and Metabolism, a section of the journal Frontiers in Veterinary Science—found that, out of 5,611 participants in 62 countries who fed minimally processed (raw) diets to pets, only 31 households reported a possible transmission of pathogens such as Salmonella, E. coli, or Campylobacter.
(“Low Number of Owner-Reported Suspected Transmission of Foodborne Pathogens From Raw Meat-Based Diets Fed to Dogs and/or Cats” | Frontiers in Veterinary Science | 1 October 2021 | Volume 8 | Article 741575)

Furthermore, a 2004 study by the CDC concluded that although cats can carry and transmit certain strains of Salmonella, healthy house cats are generally considered safe. Earlier reports showed low pathogen isolation rates in healthy cats, with most studies finding Salmonella in only around 1% of rectal swabs. In the CDC study, the number was even lower—only 1 in 278 healthy cats tested positive. Predisposing factors included immunodeficiency in cats and unhygienic housing conditions.
(“Cats as a Risk for Transmission of Antimicrobial Drug–Resistant Salmonella” | Emerging Infectious Diseases | Vol. 10, No. 12 | December 2004)

In addition, hygiene, the health status of the household cat, and meat choices all further influence the level of risk. Therefore, avoiding meats known to carry a higher risk of Salmonella, such as poultry, remains a sensible precaution. Similarly, choosing grass-fed red meat can help avoid exposure to low pH-tolerant strains of E. coli.

Handling Raw Meat for Cat Food

Handle raw meat for your cat just as you would when preparing food for people—always keeping good hygiene in mind. This is especially important if anyone in your household is immune-compromised, elderly, or very young.

Refrigerate or Freeze Promptly

All fresh, raw meat should be refrigerated promptly after purchase and kept cold until you’re ready to prepare the cat food—ideally as soon as possible.
If you’re not able to prepare it right away, simply freeze the meat to keep it fresh. This is especially important if more than a day or two will pass before preparation.

Choosing a Prep Area and Tools

When preparing raw food for your cat, choose a clean surface that’s easy to sanitise—your kitchen counter is a great option. Use as few utensils as possible, and opt for ones that are easy to wash.

My Favourite Low-Mess Prep Method

Here’s a method I’ve used for decades—simple, tidy, and efficient. I use a large, shallow, square plastic freezer container with a lid:

  1. Measure the premix powder directly into the container.
  2. Add the required amount of water and mix with a fork.
  3. Add thawed liver and blend it in.
  4. Finally, add the raw meat straight from its packaging or freezer wrap.
  5. Immediately place the used wrapper in the sink to avoid cross-contamination.
  6. Mix everything thoroughly with the same fork.
  7. Put the lid on and return the finished mixture to the fridge to chill.

I keep liver pre-portioned in silicone cupcake molds in the freezer. When needed, I thaw the required liver for 30 seconds in the microwave on the “speed defrost” setting. This keeps clean-up easy—just the fork, liver cupcake mold and possibly the counter need washing. The meat wrapper can be rinsed in the sink and binned. In warm weather, I store rinsed wrappers in the freezer until rubbish collection day. And of course, always wash your hands and sanitise the sink afterwards!

Portioning for Freezing

As soon as the food is chilled, portion it out for freezing. This helps maintain safety, freshness, and nutrient quality.

I recommend using silicone cupcake moulds—they’re brilliant for this job. Here’s what I do:

  • Portion the with a teaspoon into cupcake molds using a kitchen scale for accuracy.
  • Place the filled moulds on a tray that fits into your freezer.
  • Place the tray with all the filled molds into the freezer.

You can cover the top of the molds with wax paper or cling film if you like, but I usually leave it uncovered, because anything that touches raw meat can become an item that spreads contaminants. Once the food is frozen, wash the freezer container used to mix the cat food and spoon, sanitise your sink, and you’re done!

Safe and Easy Feeding

To serve, the safest method is to thaw the food in the microwave:

  1. Pop a frozen portion out of the silicone mould.
  2. Place it on a small, microwave-safe ceramic feed dish.
  3. Use the “speed defrost” setting for about 30 seconds.
  4. Check with your finger—if your cat prefers warm food, give it another 10 seconds.

Clean-Up After Feeding

Wash your cat’s dish and the silicone mould right after your cat finishes eating—typically within 5–10 minutes. If your cat leaves some behind, don’t let it sit out.
Instead, return any uneaten food to the fridge and re-warm it for a few seconds in the microwave for the next feeding.

To store your homemade, raw cat food, you must freeze it

Unless you prepare cat food to use within two days, it must be frozen for freshness, to prevent spread of pathogens, and retain nutrients.

There are several methods that work for freezing raw cat food for storage. Most commonly, the food is frozen in quantities used in one day, e.g. if you feed one cat, you would freeze a daily portion of about 1/2 cup. If you feed three cats, for example, you might find it easiest to freeze a portion of cat food that equals what these cats would eat in one day combined. For five cats or more, I recommend to cut the preparation instruction in half and feed the food fresh over a couple of days and not bother with freezing it. Instead, you could consider buying meat in bulk and freezing that in pre-portioned amounts for making cat food.

For freezing individual portions, little glass containers, little plastic containers, ice cube trays, muffin tins, freezer bags, etc. have all been used. The most convenient and enjoyable method of freezing individual portions of cat food might be to use food grade silicone baking molds. Once frozen, the individual portions peel out of the form and can be stored together in a freezer bag or a reusable freezer container. To feed, simply take out a single or daily portion ahead of time, place on the serving dish, and allow to thaw in the refrigerator. If you portion the food as serving, you can pop a frozen portion into the microwave of “speed defrost” for 30 seconds. It can’t get any more convenient!

Freezer container options

  • Silicone baking molds are my personal favorite when freezing individual portions of cat food. Once frozen, the individual portions of cat food cleanly peel out of the form and can be transferred to freezer bag or a reusable freezer container for storage together. OR, leave the food frozen in the mold to protect it from freezer burn. The molds are reusable for many years and are easily washed. Mold trays can even go through the dishwasher. They make for a very convenient and environmentally friendly way of freezing cat food and come in so many cute shapes and sizes–perfect for customizing. 
  • Small, plastic freezer containers are available in a variety of brands and sizes. These containers enable you to neatly freeze your cat’s food pre-portioned. The portions easily thaw in these containers and form an attractive pudding when turned onto your cat’s dinner plate. The containers are dishwasher safe and last for years. Small plastic freezer containers are more work to clean than silicone molds.
  • Small, glass jars are a great alternative for people who dislike the storage of food in plastic containers. Glass jars have the same properties as plastic containers for storing and freezing your cat food, with the exception that glass needs to be handled with greater care to prevent breakage. Manufacturers of these glass jars, which are typically used for canning foods, now also make very convenient, reusable plastic screw caps for these jars that are perfect for freezing. These new plastic storage caps are far more convenient than the metal snap lids and screw bands used with these jars for canning.
  • Ice cube trays find their greatest application during the transition period, when your cat might not eat full portions of the homemade food, yet. Freezing the homemade cat food as ice cubes enables you to thaw small quantities of food fresh every day and prevent waste. It is best to use the ice cube trays to rapidly freeze the food in the desired portion, and then transfer the frozen cat food cubes loose in freezer bags or freezer containers for longer storage. Silicone ice cube trays are now much more common than plastic homes, and much more convenient. Not to mention all the cute shapes and sizes they come in.
  • Small freezer bags are great for space saving storage of raw cat food or raw meat in your freezer and extremely convenient for thawing. Fill the freezer bag with the desired amount of food or meat and flatten out the content to fill the entire space in the bag. This will form easy to stack “sheets” of frozen cat food or meat in your freezer which thaw in minutes if floated in a water bath. Freezer bags make great packaging solutions for those of us who cannot get used to remembering to take out frozen cat food the day before for thawing in the refrigerator. The drawback of freezer bags is that it is often inconvenient to get the thawed food out of them and they are are real hassle to wash and, therefore, not really re-useable. One-time use plastic is not environmentally friendly and wasteful. I feel their use should be as limited as possible.
  • Freezer paper is an old fashioned way of packaging meats for freezing. It is no longer commonly in use, but people are returning to these older ways for more environmentally friendly storage methods. Freezer paper may not be ideal for freezing raw cat food, but it is a perfect way of freezing bulk meats for cat food making.
  • Baking trays or sheets can be used to freeze cat food by simply turning pre-measured portions of cat food onto baking tray or sheet as patties or like cookie dough for flash freezing. The trays can be lined with parchment paper for easy removal of the frozen cat food patties. For storage, the cat food patties are then transferred into a freezer bag or freezer container.

Freezing for Storage

You can freeze almost any food. Raw meat maintains its quality longer than their cooked counterparts and can also be stored frozen for longer.

Is Frozen Food Safe?

Food stored constantly at 0 °F will always be safe. Only the quality suffers with lengthy freezer storage. Freezing keeps food safe by slowing the movement of molecules, causing microbes to enter a dormant stage. Freezing preserves food for extended periods because it prevents the growth of microorganisms that cause both food spoilage and foodborne illness.

Does Freezing Destroy Bacteria & Parasites?

Freezing to 0 °F inactivates any microbes — bacteria, yeasts and molds – – present in food. Once thawed, however, these microbes can again become active, multiplying under the right conditions to levels that can lead to foodborne illness. Since they will then grow at about the same rate as microorganisms on fresh food, you must handle thawed items as you would any perishable food.

Trichina and other parasites can be destroyed by sub-zero freezing temperatures. See the page on pork for more info.

Freshness & Quality

Freshness and quality at the time of freezing affect the condition of frozen foods. Freeze foods as soon as possible. Store all foods at 0° F or lower to retain vitamin content, color, flavor and texture.

Nutrient Retention

The freezing process itself does not destroy nutrients. In meat and poultry products, there is little change in nutrient value during freezer storage.

Enzymes

Enzyme activity can lead to the deterioration of food quality. Enzymes present in animals tissue causes “aging”–like aging beef to make it more tender. In vegetables and fruit enzymes promote chemical reactions, such as ripening. Freezing only slows the enzyme activity that takes place in foods. It does not halt these reactions. Enzyme activity does not harm frozen meats.

Packaging

Proper packaging helps maintain quality and prevent “freezer burn.” It is safe to freeze meat or poultry directly in its supermarket wrapping but this type of wrap is permeable to air. Unless you will be using the food in a month or two, overwrap these packages as you would any food for long-term storage using airtight heavy-duty foil, (freezer) plastic wrap or freezer paper, or place the package inside a (freezer) plastic bag. Use these materials or airtight freezer containers to repackage family packs into smaller amounts. It is not necessary to rinse meat and poultry before freezing. Freeze unopened vacuum packages as is. If you notice that a package has accidentally been torn or has opened while food is in the freezer, the food is still safe to use; merely overwrap or rewrap it.

Freezer Burn

Freezer burn does not make food unsafe, merely dry in spots. It appears as grayish-brown leathery spots and is caused by air reaching the surface of the food. Heavily freezer-burned foods may have to be discarded.

Freeze Rapidly

Freeze food as fast as possible to maintain its quality. Rapid freezing prevents undesirable large ice crystals from forming throughout the product because the molecules don’t have time to take their positions in the characteristic six-sided snowflake. Slow freezing creates large, disruptive ice crystals. During thawing, they damage the cells and give the food a watery consistency.

Ideally, a food 2-inches thick should freeze completely in about 2 hours. If your home freezer has a “quick-freeze” shelf, use it. Never stack packages to be frozen. Instead, spread them out in one layer on various shelves, stacking them only after frozen solid.

Refrigerator – Freezers

If a refrigerator freezing compartment can’t maintain zero degrees or if the door is opened frequently, use it for short-term food storage. Eat those foods as soon as possible for best quality. Use a free-standing freezer set at 0° F or below for long-term storage of frozen foods. Keep a thermometer in your freezing compartment or freezer to check the temperature. This is important if you experience power-out or mechanical problems.

Safe Defrosting and Handling of Frozen Foods

There are three safe ways to defrost food: in the refrigerator, in cold water, or in the microwave. It’s best to plan ahead for slow, safe thawing in the refrigerator. Small items may defrost overnight; most foods require a day or two.

For faster defrosting, place food in a leak proof plastic bag and immerse it in cold water.

The fastest way to defrost foods is in the microwave. Use the setting to defrost by weight when thawing frozen meat you intend to use for making cat food. Use the speed defrost for thawing individual cat food portions in seconds.

Refreezing

Once food is thawed in the refrigerator, it is safe to refreeze. That might be the case when you buy meat or liver in bulk to make cat food. You would thaw a required amount of meat or liver to make up a batch of cat food and the refreeze the cat food as individual portions. That is perfectly fine to do, as long as you refreeze the food right away and not days after it was stored in the refrigerator. The loss of nutrients is extremely minimal, whereas the gains in convenience are substantial.

If you purchase previously frozen meat  at a retail store, you can refreeze if it has been handled properly.

Power Outage in Freezer

If there is a power outage, the freezer fails, or if the freezer door has been left ajar by mistake, the food may still be safe to use. As long as a freezer with its door ajar is continuing to cool, the foods should stay safe overnight. If a repairman is on the way or it appears the power will be on soon, just don’t open the freezer door.

A freezer full of food will usually keep about 2 days if the door is kept shut; a half-full freezer will last about a day. The freezing compartment in a refrigerator may not keep foods frozen as long. If the freezer is not full, quickly group packages together so they will retain the cold more effectively.

When the power is off, you may want to put dry ice, block ice, or bags of ice in the freezer or transfer foods to a friend’s freezer until power is restored. Use an appliance thermometer to monitor the temperature.

When it is freezing outside and there is snow on the ground, it seems like a good place to keep food until the power comes on; however, frozen food can thaw if it is exposed to the sun’s rays even when the temperature is very cold.

To determine the safety of foods when the power goes on, check their condition and temperature. If food is partly frozen, still has ice crystals, or is as cold as if it were in a refrigerator (40 °F), it is safe to refreeze or use.