I just started introducing my cats to a raw food diet and it's going GREAT so far- they have loved the raw meat (especially salmon!) and have taken well to almost everything- my "middle child" turned her nose up at chicken liver but I'll try again tomorrow! Leave it to those middlies to be difficult Anyway I feel great about this and I know it's best for them. Already my baby, who is very inactive and overweight, is running around playing & pouncing like never before!

My only concern is about salmonella/bacteria. Feeding them raw chicken & turkey almost seems to be asking for it. So far they've had organic/hormone free chicken, wild salmon, and a mix of organic/hormone-free chicken & chicken liver. I've heard that their stomaches produce more acid than ours do to kill any bacteria, and of course I'm being very careful about cleaning everything really well, but I just don't want to end up hurting them with this! Any suggestions, advice or anything to ease my fears? Have any of your pets or yourselves gotten salmonella eating this way?

I forgot to add- where can I get organ meats besides liver (hearts & whatever other organ meats there are)? And do any of you recommend any brands of bone meal powder to supplement with since my cats aren't yet at the stage where they are able to eat the edible bones of the animal and I'm not sure I'll ever buy whole carcasses?

Thank you in advance!!!

cats have a very short, very acidic digestive tract that is not suseptible to the same bacteria as us. don't worry about the salmonella, it isn't an issue.
even kittens can deal with bones, you'd be surprised! the breast of fowl is best as it has lots of small ones that are easily chewed. i personally wouldn't use bone meal, it's not a food grade product for one thing meaning that it isn't processed in a particularly clean way. i don't know that it isn't heated either, that would make it easier to grind i think.
have you asked the place where you've gotten the organic heart what else they have or can get you? a butcher who carries organic meats should be able to find organ meats for you easily.

coco, thank you so much for that information. i had read that cats' digestive tracts have much more acid than ours do and that they're capable of killing bacteria. this makes me feel so relieved. and thanks for the tip about chicken breasts and the bone meal! i will look into that once they are done with their chicken legs & livers

most organic meat departments have the ground backs and necks of chickens you can ask for. cats seem to love it, especially whole necks-- very good for teeth. you may also be able to get the innards from chickens, they are extremely rich and nutritious for kitties.