Raccoons are quite common in North America. They are fascinating animals, these animals are quite clever and can adapt to different living conditions and eat different foods. Many say that raccoons will eat anything put in front of them, but is this true? Can raccoons eat meat? This article looks into it

Raccoons can definitely eat meat, meat is a great source of complete proteins for both humans and raccoons. Their teeth can tear through meat quite easily. Raccoons eat a variety of meats including hatchlings, snakes, frogs, crawfish, rats, small livestock and small mammals 

Do raccoons eat meat?

Raccoon diets can vary significantly depending on where they live. They are omnivores, they eat both plant and animal matter in both the wild and in suburban areas.

Their diets can consist of anything from fruits, pet foods and even foods from the garbage, and yes, they eat meat too 

Raccoons have no problem eating meat, just as with humans, raccoons have teeth that are able to tear into and chew meat. A raccoon’s teeth enable this animal to grind up its food before swallowing 

Meat offers raccoons good amounts of protein. Protein is an essential part of a balanced raccoon diet. Meat also offers raccoons a variety of vitamins and minerals which are not easily accessible through eating plants 

Raccoons eat a variety of meats. They use their quick paws to catch fish and eat it, they dig in the ground to find a variety of worms, they snatch hatchlings from birds nests and they use their intelligence to catch small mammals like rats, squirrels, molluscs, frogs, snakes, crawfish and even small livestock 

Raccoons can eat dead and decomposing meat as well, the reason raccoons can do this is that the bacteria that decompose animal carcasses aren’t pathogenic or toxic to these animals.

In addition, raccoon saliva is antiseptic, plus, any bacteria that can make the animal sick will be killed off in the raccoons highly acidic stomach. Because of this, bacteria will only negatively affect the raccoon if they are present in large numbers

That being said, although raccoons can catch meat for themselves, and although raccoons benefit from eating meat, they would much rather eat slower moving prey or plants as there is little to no effort needed to catch or pick this food.

Meat is not needed in every meal for raccoons to stay healthy but it is needed on occasion to stay alive, have a healthy balance of nutrients and to survive. A good balance of meat from land animals and meats from the sea is needed by raccoons 

Do raccoons eat raw meat? 

Raccoons are not picky eaters, they can certainly eat raw meat, raw meat is all these animals have access to in the wild.

Raccoons and other animals have no problem eating raw meat because their stomach acids are strong enough to digest the raw meat. These acids also kill off any bacteria and or parasites on the meat.

Their sharp teeth also help these animals eat raw meat regardless of how tough it is. 

Do raccoons eat cats? 

Raccoons do not eat cats, these two animals are roughly the same size. Although raccoons eat meat they generally eat the meat of animals that are smaller and weaker than it, like rats and even rabbits.

Raccoons are docile and will avoid attacking a cat or even going near its food. A raccoon may attack a baby kitten or cat roadkill but they will avoid adult cats. 

If for some reason the two animals get into an altercation, each has a chance of getting hurt. Then again the raccoons long and strong claws can really do some damage to your cat. But, generally, these two animals will steer clear of each other. 

Conclusion 

In conclusion, yes raccoons do eat meat. Meat offers complete protein to raccoons as well as a variety of vitamins and minerals.

These animals only need to eat meat on occasion to maintain a healthy diet. They eat meats such as rats, squirrels, molluscs, frogs, snakes, crawfish and even small livestock. They will avoid larger animals like cats

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