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Why do we get sick from eating raw chicken and other raw meats but cats and other animals don’t?

Mark Sterling
Mark Sterling
Research Editor · Mar 19, 2026 · Updated Apr 13, 2026

It should be noted that you don't necessarily get sick *because it's raw*. You get sick because you haven't heated up bacteria inside the meat and killed it all. With the way chicken is slaughtered, shipped, and sitting on a shelf waiting for you at the grocery story, there's lots of time for con…

99
Words

1 min
Read Time

#103
of 500 in Animals

+46%
vs Category Avg

The Short Answer

It should be noted that you don't necessarily get sick *because it's raw*. You get sick because you haven't heated up bacteria inside the meat and killed it all. With the way chicken is slaughtered, shipped, and sitting on a shelf waiting for you at the grocery story, there's lots of time for contamination and bacterial growth. In the wild, predators are eating raw meat as fresh as it gets. If the animal they're eating had a major bacterial infection, they could get sick from it. Ever had steak tartar? Or any raw sushi/sashimi? That stuff is good.

Analysis

Key Concepts: Sick, meat, bacterial

This explanation focuses on sick, meat, bacterial and spans 99 words across 8 sentences. At 46% above the average Animals explanation (68 words), this is one of the more thorough answers in this category, reflecting the complexity of the underlying question.

What This Answer Covers

The explanation opens with: “It should be noted that you don't necessarily get sick *because it's raw*.” It then elaborates by explaining the root cause, ultimately building toward a complete picture across 8 connected points.

How This Compares in Animals

Ranked #103 of 500 Animals questions by answer depth (top 21%). This places it in the comprehensive tier — the top quarter of most thoroughly answered questions. Questions at this depth typically involve multi-faceted topics requiring nuanced explanation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a simple explanation for why we get sick from eating raw chicken and other raw meats but cats and other animals don't?

It should be noted that you don't necessarily get sick *because it's raw*. You get sick because you haven't heated up bacteria inside the meat and killed it all. With the way chicken is slaughtered, shipped, and sitting on a shelf waiting for you at…

How detailed is this explanation compared to similar Animals questions?

This is one of the most thorough answer at 99 words, ranked #103 of 500 Animals questions by depth. The key concepts covered are sick, meat, bacterial.

What approach does this answer take to explain we get sick from eating raw chicken and other raw meats but ?

The explanation uses root cause analysis across 99 words. It is categorized under Animals and addresses the question through 1 analytical lens.