How to Make Homemade Cat Food

The decision to join the millions of households who make their own pet food can be anxiety-inducing. Knowing where to begin and what not to do can be difficult. There are thousands of homemade cat food recipes, but which should you choose for your cat? Pay attention to what types of meat your cat likes most, and start there. Cats are carnivores and do not require fruits or vegetables in their diet. However, many kinds of cooked veggies benefit your cat’s digestive system and overall health.

Why Make Homemade Cat Food?

Homemade cat food has many benefits. There are also many reasons why it’s best to choose fresh ingredients and make cat food in bulk for your little furry minions. Below are a few top reasons to consider making your cat food instead of purchasing it from a big box store or pet shop.

1. Bird Flu and Other Illnesses

In a time when it seems like every type of food is being recalled for something, cat food has joined the list. Recently, a type of high-end cat food was tainted with bird flu. This is extremely dangerous for most but has proven fatal in cats. Something like that is enough to make anyone second-guess where the ingredients of their cat food come from.

2. Saves money

Everyone (almost) is low on money, so saving a few dollars can go a long way. If you choose expensive meats and other ingredients, you will be paying more to make cat food than you would if you had just gone to the store. We will review inexpensive food that can stretch far when looking at the target days the food can cover.

3. Fresh Ingredients

You are in charge of choosing the ingredients. This can be wonderful and healthy, but if you are not careful, you could end up feeding your cat something that could result in a trip to the vet. Cats are sensitive to alliums, like garlic and onions, so be sure to leave those out.

4. Complete Control Over What Your Cat Eats

If you’ve ever looked at the ingredients in your cat food, you might be shocked at what you see. Many cat foods are made with corn, soy, rice, and other fillers. The meat ingredients rarely come first, meaning there’s very little in the product. Choosing healthy, affordable meats and veggies can help your cat become healthier, so you can stop supporting companies that do not have your pet’s best interest in mind.

What to Avoid

As discussed above, allums are dangerous to cats and can cause a severe reaction if eaten in any quantity. Let’s look at some of the other types of ingredients you want to avoid.

Dairy

Cats aren’t dangerously allergic to dairy, but it isn’t a walk in the park for them, either. Dairy can mess up just about anyone’s stomach, and that includes cats. Almost all cats are naturally lactose intolerant, meaning dairy will cause gas, bloating, diarrhea, lethargy, depression, nausea, vomiting, and anorexia. It’s along the same lines as what dairy does to a human who’s lactose intolerant.

Raw Meat, Eggs, Fish or Bones

You probably don’t eat raw meat and shouldn’t feed it to your cat for the same reasons. Raw meat, eggs, and fish can contain a host of parasites, Salmonella, Listeria, Campylobacter, Trichinosis, or E. coli, and fish are prone to have tapeworms, roundworms, and liver flukes. Bones are also hazardous because your cat can choke on them, or they can become stuck in the digestive tract, creating a serious medical emergency.

Salt

Cats do not need salt, and too much can lead to salt toxicosis. Too much salt can cause vomiting, diarrhea, incoordination, excessive thirst or lack of urination, seizures, coma, and death. Therefore, leave salt and other spices out of homemade food.

Onions and Garlic

As mentioned, all plants in the Allums family are toxic to cats. This includes any type of onion (even chives), garlic powder, fresh garlic, or anything else containing any amount of onions or garlic. If ingested, it can lead to decreased red blood cells and severe anemia, which can result in death.

Grapes and Raisins

If your cat eats even a minimal amount of these, they will become very sick with gastrointestinal issues and can die from kidney failure. Never add them to homemade cat food.

Homemade Cat Food Recipes Your Cat Will Love

Food brings us joy, so it makes sense to share the love with our cats. Photo by Reba Spike on Unsplash

1. Turkey and Pumpkin

• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1/4 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
• 2 tablespoons of coconut oil
• 3/4 cup of bone broth

1. Cook turkey in coconut oil for about 6 minutes
2. Add in the bone broth to the well-done turkey meat
3. Put the meat, pumpkin, and bone broth in a food processor and blend until the desired texture is reached.

2. Tuna and Eggs

• 1 pound of tuna
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 3/4 cup bone broth
• 3 cooked or hardboiled eggs

1. Cook tuna in a skillet with the coconut oil until all pink is gone
2. Add in chopped hardboiled eggs without the shell or cooked eggs and add them to the mixture
3. Puree in a food processor until the right texture is reached

3. Chicken, Greens and Eggs

• 1 pound ground or diced chicken breast
• 4 teaspoons of parsley, kale or spinach
• 2 eggs, either hardboiled or skillet-cooked
• 2 tablespoons of coconut oil

1. Chop or dice the chicken and add to the skillet
2. Add two tablespoons of coconut oil
3. Add cooked eggs
4. Add greens
5. Blend all ingredients in the food processor to reach the desired texture.