Can Cats Eat Pork

This is a common question among cat owners: Can cats eat pork? The answer is yes, but while pork can offer valuable nutrients, not all types are safe for feline consumption.

Cats can eat pork when it’s part of a carefully balanced and professionally prepared raw diet. This excludes cooked leftovers, processed meats like bacon or ham. These types of pork pose serious health risks, including parasites, excess salt, and digestive issues.

Are Cats Meant to Eat Pork?

Cats are obligate carnivores, which means their bodies are built to thrive on meat. They rely on animal protein for essential functions like muscle development, tissue repair, and energy production.

Pork is a rich source of high-quality animal protein, containing vital amino acids like taurine that your cats can’t produce on their own. It also delivers important nutrients such as vitamin B6, vitamin B12, thiamine, zinc, and phosphorus, all of which support a healthy nervous system, strong immunity, and proper metabolism.

When fed in a form that respects a cat’s natural dietary requirements, such as raw, unprocessed, and properly portioned, pork can be a valuable part of their overall nutrition. However, it's important to note that not all pork is suitable. General grocery pork or table scraps don't meet the safety or nutritional standards your cat needs. You should be getting your pork from raw cat food experts like Purrform.

What Are the Benefits of Pork for Cats?

When prepared properly, pork can offer a wide range of health benefits for your cat. It’s not just a tasty protein; it’s also packed with essential nutrients that support their overall well-being.

1. High-Quality Animal Protein

As obligate carnivores, cats need protein from animal sources to survive. Pork delivers complete protein, rich in the amino acids, taurine and arginine, which are critical for heart function, vision, and a strong immune system.

2. Rich in B Vitamins

Pork is naturally high in vitamins B6, B12, thiamine, and niacin. These support your cat’s energy metabolism, red blood cell production, and nervous system function. A deficiency in thiamine, for example, can lead to serious neurological issues, making it essential in a cat’s diet.

3. Highly Digestible

Lean pork cuts are gentle on the digestive system and can be easier to process than some more common proteins. This makes it a suitable option for cats with food sensitivities or allergies.

4. Supports Dietary Variety

Feeding a single protein source long-term may increase the risk of intolerances. Adding pork to your cat’s rotation can improve dietary balance while keeping mealtimes exciting, especially when paired with nutrient-rich organ meats like liver and heart.

Here is what Vet experts have to say about raw cat food

When Is Pork Unsafe for Cats?

While pork can be beneficial when carefully prepared, there are several forms and situations where it becomes a health risk to your cat. Understanding what to avoid is just as important as knowing what to feed.

1. Processed Pork Products

Items like bacon, ham, pork sausages, and ribs are often packed with sodium chloride, preservatives, and additives that can be harmful to cats. Excess salt can lead to dehydration, kidney strain, and even salt poisoning in severe cases.

2. Cooked Bones

Feeding your cat pork bones, especially cooked ones, is highly dangerous. These bones can splinter easily, leading to choking, dental risks, or even tearing in the digestive tract.

3. Fatty Cuts

Pork belly, crackling, and other fatty cuts may taste appealing but are high in saturated fat. Over time, they can contribute to obesity, kidney failure, artery blockages, and pancreatitis. Cats have small bodies and sensitive organs, even a small amount of excess fat can have long-term effects.

4. Raw Pork from Unsafe Sources

Supermarket pork that hasn’t been frozen to safe standards can carry parasites and bacterial infections like Trichinella or E. coli. These pose a serious threat to your cat’s health and should never be fed raw.

How Often Can Cats Eat Pork?

While pork can be a nutritious addition to your cat’s diet, it should be fed in moderation and as part of a balanced meal plan. Pork is naturally higher in fat than other proteins like chicken or turkey, so it’s important to manage frequency and portion size carefully.

If you’re feeding a professionally prepared raw pork product, such as Purrform’s Wild Boar & Pork Loin with Heart & Liver, it can be included in your cat’s regular meal rotation. These meals are nutritionally complete and portioned to deliver the right balance of protein, fat, and essential vitamins.

If you’re unsure what balance is right for your cat, consult your vet or use our raw cat food calculator for personalised guidance.

Why Choose Professionally Prepared Raw Pork for Your Cat?

Feeding your cat pork safely isn’t just about the type of meat, it’s about how it’s handled, balanced, and prepared. That’s why more cat owners are turning to professionally formulated raw diets rather than attempting to prepare raw or cooked pork at home.

At Purrform, our pork cat food products are developed specifically for cats, combining high-quality muscle meat with organ meats to deliver a complete and balanced meal. Every ingredient is carefully selected and portioned to meet the unique nutritional needs of obligate carnivores.

Here’s why choosing a trusted raw nutrition provider matters:

• Safe handling: Our raw meals are prepared and stored under strict hygiene standards to reduce the risk of bacterial infection and foodborne illnesses.
• Balanced formulations: Each meal includes the correct ratio of animal protein, essential amino acids, vitamins, and minerals, something difficult to achieve with home-prepared pork cat food.
• Organ meat integration: Ingredients like pork liver and heart provide a natural source of taurine, vitamin B12, iron, and other critical nutrients.
• No additives: Our meals are free from fillers, preservatives, and grains, delivering only what your cat biologically needs.

When you feed Purrform, you’re not just giving your cat raw meat, you’re giving them raw nutrition designed to mirror what nature intended.

Other Questions About Raw Pork Feeding

Can Kittens Eat Raw Pork?

Yes, but only if it’s part of a professionally prepared raw diet designed for kittens. Products like Purrform’s raw meals ensure kittens get the right balance of protein, fat, and essential nutrients during growth.

Do Cats Like the Taste of Pork?

Pork and most other kinds of meat are generally delicious for cats! Each cat is unique and yes, many cats enjoy the taste of pork due to its natural richness and meaty flavour. Its strong aroma and soft texture can make it especially appealing, particularly in raw form. Although others may prefer chicken, turkey, fish, or beef. So, offering a variety of proteins can help keep mealtimes enjoyable and nutritionally balanced.

What Are the Best Alternatives to Pork?

Other excellent protein sources for cats include beef, chicken, rabbit, turkey, and duck. These lean meats are ideal for rotation feeding and may suit cats with sensitivities. Purrform offers a range of raw options to keep your cat’s diet varied and balanced.

We hope this has been useful and given you a bit of an insight into feeding your cats raw pork, and will help you to keep your feline family member safe and free from any danger.

If you're still worried about raw feeding, please read our vet expert's guide on

Salmonella in raw Feeding

Health Benefits of Raw Cat Feeding 

How to Switch Your Cat to a Raw Diet