As long as it cannot splinter you are fine, because the splinters can go
through the bowels and severely hurt a cat (and a dog!).
Make sure the bone is too big to be swallowed too. But don't be disappointed
if they don't chew it. My cats just lick, and then they lose interest.

Carola

I know with dogs (when I used to have one), that you should never give
them COOKED chicken bones.  Apparently they would break or fracture
more easily, or form spikes when they broke from being chewed (can't
remember 100%).  These spiky end bits would cause injury to the animal
either in the stomach, or on the way there.  The hollow bones were
supposed to be the worst, and solid bones not as bad.

Raw bones are supposed to be ok however, this must be so as dogs and
cats have eaten them in nature since time began

I must admit though that before knowing this, I was always feeding
cooked chicken bones of all shapes and sizes for a decade to my dog,
and they never caused any harm that I know of.

My cats have on a handful of occasions eaten uncooked chicken bones
with no ill effects, however I dont know of beef bones.  I think it
would be hard for a cat with small mouth to bite through a large bone
however and it would have to be content with licking and such

This brings up another question in my mind. I live on a lake and when the
cats see me grab my fishing poles they get all excited and follow me down to
the lake. So far no problems with bones, but have to wonder. Let's see how
they like ice fishing.

Stone

 wrote

  Opinions differ on chicken bones, and we have never managed to keep
them away from our cats.

  I was away from home for three days, working.  Because someone's
mother was ill, my wife had to join me unexpectedly to work for two
days, and left our cats on their own for 40 hours.

  She said she stopped worrying about how they would get on without her
when she say Minke dragging a turkey carcass along the garden path.