Unseasoned cooked chicken, turkey, lean beef, and lean deli meats are a great way to satisfy cats' cravings for meat, Dr. Kirk said. That said, Sara Ochoa, DVM, a small animal and exotic veterinarian in Texas and veterinary consultant for doglab.com, explained that raw beef is okay as long as it is fresh and unprocessed. "Packaged beef will almost inevitably have something added to it," she said. "Also, bacteria are likely to be introduced into the meat from the machinery during processing. Therefore, only feeding the freshest beef possible is recommended if feeding raw. However, if you are going to cook the beef, then packaged beef will do fine."
Dr. Ochoa also shared that cats can also eat raw chicken. However, if the chicken is not fresh or has been sitting out for too long, then bacteria like salmonella or listeria can develop, which can make cats sick. So when in doubt, it's best to stick to cooked meats.