Raw feeding doesn't cause worms. Here's what actually does.
"Raw feeding causes worms." You will hear this. It is not accurate, and it is worth understanding why.
First, a distinction that matters: all worms are parasites, but not all parasites are worms. The category includes roundworm, hookworm, tapeworm, and heartworm on one side, and microscopic organisms like giardia and coccidia on the other. Standard worming tablets treat the first group. They do not touch the second. This is relevant, and most people have no idea.
Where cats actually get parasites
From exposure. Not from their bowl.
Hunting is the most common route - eating prey animals that are themselves carrying parasites. Flea ingestion during grooming transmits tapeworm. Contaminated soil, shared litter trays, maternal transmission, and mosquitoes in the case of heartworm. These are the actual transmission routes.
Raw meat from a supplier is not in that list. Properly frozen meat at appropriate temperatures for adequate timeframes inactivates parasite cysts. This is established food safety practice, not something raw feeders invented. The risk from raw meat, when handled and sourced correctly, is not what people assume it is.
The routine worming question
Most cats are treated on a fixed schedule - monthly, quarterly, whatever the vet or the packet says - regardless of whether there is any evidence of infection. That approach has more to do with pharmaceutical marketing than with evidence-based parasite management.
A more useful approach is actual risk assessment. Is your cat indoor only or does it hunt? What is the flea situation? What region are you in? A faecal test will tell you whether your cat actually has worms. A damp cotton wool check through the coat will tell you whether fleas are present. Treat what is actually there, not what might theoretically be there.
Parasite control should be strategic. Blanket routine treatment has a place for high-risk cats - outdoor hunters in areas with known parasite pressure - but it is not a one-size-fits-all answer, and it does not need to be the default for every indoor cat on a raw diet.
The bottom line
Raw feeding does not cause worms. Exposure causes worms. Know your cat's actual risk, test where it makes sense, and treat accordingly. That is a more honest approach than the schedule on the back of a packet.