Last Updated on March 17, 2022 Ashley Camelia
As we know, eating meals we’ve prepared for ourselves is much healthier than eating ready-made ones are. So why shouldn’t you do the same for your beautiful feline friend?
However, before you start to try out any homemade cat food recipes you find on your furry friend, it is important that you learn more about what is involved.
In this article we will show you just how much is involved, so you don’t just rush out to buy what you think your cat needs. It may surprise you to learn that there’s a lot more to making homemade cat food than just buying fresh ingredients.
My Personal Experience
There are certain benefits to be gained from making homemade cat food for your furry friend. I have been making food for both my cat and dog for over 3 years now.
The main reason I chose to make food for my cat rather than continue to buy ready-prepared food is quite simple, really. I have more control over what I’m actually feeding mine. Making all-natural homemade cat food recipes means your cat won’t suffer as many health issues.
I first began to feed my pet’s homemade food as my dog at the time began to suffer from kidney disease. When I spoke to my vet, he stated he believed it was down to the dry food I was giving her. So I made the decision to change her diet and within 6 months the problem had reversed. In fact, she no longer needed medication.
So I thought if this has made such a dramatic change to my dog, I wondered what it would do for my cat. He’s almost 12 years old and still acts like a kitten sometimes. Plus, he’s never needed to go to the vets for any health issues.
So I’ve explained a little bit about why you may want to think about changing your cat’s diet. But if you are still in two minds about making such a change, then read on.
Below I’m going to explain more about how to go about making some great homemade cat food recipes for your pet. But before I do that let me tell you about the benefits to be had from feeding your cat such food.
The Benefits of Homemade Cat Food
There are several benefits to be gained from you if you decide to start making food for your cat rather than giving them ready prepared meals.
- You have complete control over what ingredients are included in your cat’s meals.
- You are able to decide just how much meat; vegetables, fruits, and grains are included in theirs.
- You can decide what vitamin and mineral supplements are included in your cat’s diet. This is especially important if your furry friend suffers from health issues such as allergies or a sensitive stomach.
- It allows you to make large amounts of food that you can then freeze. So you can weigh out exactly just how much food your cat needs each day and freeze it in separate bags. Take note, however, that food you make for your pet must only remain frozen for a period of 4 months. If kept in the freezer for any longer than this, then essential nutrients your cat need will have been lost.
- All feline pets are what scientists refer to as obligate carnivores. This means that they thrive better on a diet that is rich in animal proteins. Making your own homemade cat food ensures that your feline friend is getting the right amount of animal proteins they need.
- Are low in carbohydrates so the risk to your cat of developing diseases such as diabetes or becoming overweight is reduced.
- Have a high level of moisture in them, which will help your pet to remain hydrated, so helping to promote better kidney functions.
- Will provide your cat with efficient protein levels as there is far less heat used in the preparation of such meals.
- Reduce the risk of your cat suffering from dental health problems. This is because feeding your cat homemade food helps to reduce plaque build-up. So the risk of them developing gum disease and losing teeth is much less.
Also read: Homemade Dog Food Chicken and Sweet Potatoes Recipes.
Cooked Vs Raw Homemade Cat Food
Whether you choose to feed your pet a cooked or raw food diet, the primary goal should be that you feed them a diet that is similar to that they would eat in the wild.
As the name suggests raw homemade cat food doesn’t require any cooking, so of course, the amount of time it takes to prepare such meals for your pet is a lot less.
Whereas when it comes to cooked homemade food, you will have to spend some time cooking up all the ingredients in your food. If you want to save a little time, you could always consider feeding your feline friend a meal that is a mix of both raw and cooked ingredients.
1.) Homemade Cooked Cat Food
Let’s look more at the pros and cons of feeding your cat a homemade cooked food diet or a raw one.
Pros:
- You know what your cat is going to be eating, so you know exactly what is going into their body.
- You can avoid feeding your feline friend harmful ingredients such as chemical preservatives, dyes, rendered fat, and flavor enhancements.
- You will be ensuring that you feed your pet a healthy balanced meal comprising proteins (meat), carbohydrates (vegetables), and starches (grains).
- As a responsible cat owner, you’ll provide yours with a variety of foods that help reduce the risk of them developing serious health issues.
- You are going to be able to tailor your cat’s meals according to what they like or dislike, as well as provide them with food that meets their particular needs.
- There are plenty of recipes available including homemade cat food recipes for senior cats and those with sensitive stomachs.
- You can cook up large batches of food that you can then separate into individual meals and then freeze them for when you need them.
- You can choose of going down the route of feeding your cat a completely organic or all-natural diet if you like.
- You’ll find that your cat loves the taste of the homemade food for them a lot more.
Cons:
- You will need to learn more about the nutritional needs of your cat. The best way of doing this is by talking to your vet.
- You are going to have to learn about what foods your cat can eat and which ones can prove detrimental to their health.
- Need to be able to devote time each week or month to preparing and then cooking the food for your cat’s meals.
- The cost of making homemade food for your cat can prove quite expensive, especially if you choose to go for high-quality proteins, organic vegetables, and special mineral and vitamin supplements.
- Storing your cat’s food after making it can prove problematic, as it needs to be kept in the fridge.
- Any changes in the ingredients in the food you cook can make the nutritional profile of the meal different. So you will need to spend time working out what nutrients, if any, have been lost to make sure that you include more of them in the food.
- Preparation of the food is more involved than you would normally be concerned with.
2.) Raw Cat Food
On the other hand, here are the advantages and disadvantages of feeding a cat with just raw food.
Pros:
- A raw food diet is one that will help to improve your cat’s digestion as they won’t be consuming as many starches.
- The fatty acids in a raw food diet that they get from the likes of fresh fish will help to keep their skin and fur in much better condition. You may also notice that they don’t shed as much.
- Through the action of chewing meat and small raw bones, they will have cleaner teeth, healthier gums, and a stronger jaw. Plus that stinky cat breath will be gone.
- A diet that contains high-quality protein is going to help boost your cat’s energy levels.
- Not only will your cat’s poop smell a lot less, but also they won’t be pooping as often. This is because their body is absorbing more of what they are being fed.
Cons:
- The risk of contracting diseases from bacteria such as e-Coli and salmonella is greater.
- The cost of making raw food meals for your cat, in the beginning, can prove costly. This is because you will want to try out different things to see which they like and which they don’t.
- You may find that thought of handling raw meat and organs somewhat off-putting.
- Introducing cats to a raw food diet can prove difficult especially if your feline friend is somewhat picky about what they eat. So you need time and patience if you want your cat to enjoy this diet in the future.
- In the beginning, it can prove a challenge to get the nutritional balance right for your feline friend when you change them over to a raw food diet. This is why following even easy homemade raw cat food recipes is important.
Once you’ve decided whether you will feed your cat a raw or cooked food diet, you need to move on to the next stage. But first, we suggest you speak to your vet about what you are going to be doing, as they may be able to offer you advice about which would be best for your furry friend.
The 5 Easy Homemade Cat Food Recipes You Should Try
Now we’ve helped you to better understand what is involved when it comes to making homemade food for your cat. We hope you’ll give some of the following step-by-step homemade cat food recipes a try.
Recipe 1 – Cat Breakfast
This is a quick and simple recipe to follow and create a delicious healthy meal for your little furry friend.
Ingredients
- 3 Medium Eggs
- 3 Tablespoons of Cottage Cheese
- 2 Tablespoons of Vegetables – Grated
- 1 Tablespoon Non-fat Milk Powder
Instructions
In a bowl, mix together the milk powder with a small amount of water
Now add the 3 eggs and beat well
Now pour this mixture into a small non-stick frying pan and cook over medium to low heat until the eggs are cooked through
Flip the mixture over as you would when cooking pancakes and spread over half the omelet, the cottage cheese, and grated vegetables.
Fold the other half of the omelet over the top of the cheese and vegetables.
Remove from heat and then leave the mixture to cool before cutting into bite-size pieces and serve to your cat.
Recipe 2 – Mackerel Pate
If you haven’t tried making homemade cat food before, then this is a great recipe you may want to try out first.
Ingredients
- 166 Grams Canned Mackerel
- 1 Tablespoon Sunflower Seed Oil
- 1 Tablespoon Cooked Organic Brown Rice
- 1 to 2 Tablespoons Chicken Stock, or Beef Stock, or Water
Instructions
Place all the above ingredients in a food processor or a Nutribullet.
Turn the blender on using the pulse option and mix until all ingredients are well blended.
You can then serve this to your cat immediately or keep it in the fridge for up to three days.
Recipe 3 – Chicken Dinner
A lot of cats will prefer eating chicken over other types of meat and here is a very simple recipe you can try making that your cat will love.
Ingredients
- 140 Grams Baked Chicken
- 18 Grams Pulped Steamed Broccoli
- 18 Grams Pulped Steamed Carrots
- Chicken Stock
Instructions
Place all the ingredients into your food processor or a Nutribullet with a few tablespoons of the broth.
Turn on the food processor and watch until the ingredients begin to look like pate cat food. If you need to add some more chicken broth so that the mixture becomes creamy. Don’t add too much broth or it can quickly turn to soup.
Now remove the mixture from the food processor or Nutribullet into a container and leave it to cool down to room temperature. Once it has cooled down, you can then feed it to your feline friend.
Recipe 4 – Meal For Cat With Allergies
This is a great food for any owner to feed their cat if it suffers from any allergies.
Ingredients
- 356 Grams of Brown Rice
- 1Kg of Ground Lean Lamb or Mutton
- 4 Teaspoons Bonemeal or 2,400mg of calcium or 1 1/3 teaspoons powdered eggshell
- 2 Tablespoons of Vegetable Oil
Instructions
In a pan or slow cooker cook the rice in 4 cups of spring or filtered water.
If cooking in a pan brings the water to a boil then reduce the heat and leave to simmer, covered for 40 minutes.
Once the rice is done, add the rest of the ingredients and mix them together well.
Now divide up the mixture and store 2/3 of the mixture in the freezer and the rest can be placed in a container to keep in the fridge.
Recipe 5 – Cat Salad
Most cats enjoy eating plants, especially grass. However, cats that remain indoors don’t often have access to such and this is a great recipe that they will enjoy.
Ingredients
- 59 Grams of Grated Courgette
- 118 Grams Alfalfa Sprouts
- 29 Milliliters of Chicken or Fish Stock
- 1/8 Teaspoon of Minced Catnip
Instructions
In a bowl place the courgette, alfalfa sprouts, and stock and then toss until they are all combined together.
Now place some of the salad in your cat’s food bowl and then sprinkle over the top the minced catnip and serve it to your feline friend.
Any leftover salad can be stored in the fridge in a covered container for up to 3 days.
As well as these you’ll find plenty of other wonderful recipes for homemade cat food and treats online.
Below we look at the steps you need to follow when changing your feline friend’s diet.
Tips For Changing Your Cats Diet To One Made Up Of
There are plenty of reasons why so many cat owners have chosen to feed their furry friends homemade food these days. For some, it is because they have suffered a health issue, where they need to follow a special diet. For others, it’s simply because they’ve decided they want their pet to enjoy food that is of a much higher quality.
But if you haven’t started to feed your cat homemade food yet, but would like to there are certain things you need to do.
The tips below should make the entire process of changing your cat’s diet to a well-balanced, nutritional one should be a lot easier.
Tip 1 – Gradually Change Their Food
It is best to change your cat from what they are eating now over to your homemade cat food recipes. If you make the changes too quickly, it can lead to some health issues, such as stomach upset. Lead to them developing diarrhea or vomiting. It will also cause your cat’s appetite to diminish.
When it comes to changing your cat’s diet do so gradually change over to the new diet during a 7 to 10-day period. Mixing the new food with the old one will help your feline friend develop a taste for the new stuff without it coming as a complete shock to them.
Start by replacing 25% of the food they are eating now with some of the food that you have prepared for them. Do this for the next 2 to 3 days. Then after this slowly start to increase the amount of homemade cat food you’ve prepared. So within the next 4 to 5 days, their meal is made up of 50% old food and 50% of homemade one.
Now during the next 7 to 8 days, you can start increasing the amount of homemade food in your cat’s diet up to 75%, so they only eat 25% of their old food. Then for the final 2 days, you can now feed them 100% of the best homemade cat food recipes you’ve found.
It is important to remember that every cat is different so if you notice any problems during this time then cut back on the homemade food. But should the problems continue to persist it will be worth talking to your vet about what you are doing?
Tip 2 – Changing Your Cats Diet From Dry To Wet Food
Changing a cat’s diet where it has only ever known dry food can prove very difficult. This is because the taste and texture of these two meals are completely different. Plus, many cats, when faced with eating a new kind of food, find it very strange.
But there are a few things you can do that will help to make this change a lot easier and your cat will find the new food more palatable.
Begin with sprinkling the dry food over the top of the homemade food. This will help your cat get used to the smell of it. Then gradually start to mix in the dry food with the wet food.
You may also find that grinding up some of the dry food and then mixing it into the homemade food will help to make it more palatable to your cat’s tastes. This is because it’s going to add more flavor to the food.
You may find adding a small number of probiotics into the food as well can help improve its palatability. Also, bringing the homemade food up to near body temperature may help as well.
Tip 3 – Tricking A Picky Kitty
All cats are creatures of habit, and so you may find that yours may be a little picky when you choose to change them over to an all-natural homemade food diet. However, there are things that you can do that will help to entice your kitty into eating the food that you have lovingly prepared for them.
You can drizzle some juice from a tin of tuna over it
Include some moist meat as a top-up to the other food you’ve been feeding them
Include some treats that you’ve frozen that come in a flavor that your cat will find irresistible. Choose ones that are made from turkey or salmon.
Begin by sprinkling a little dry food onto the homemade food you’ve prepared for them.
You may want to try a different texture. You may find that your picky kitty isn’t really into pate but loves small chunks of meat instead.
Tip 4 – Get Them To Play
If you encourage your cat to engage in a little play with you for say 15 to 20 minutes before feeding them can also help. This will help increase their appetite and make them more willing to eat what you’ve prepared for them.
Tip 5 – Monitor Their Weight
You need to be monitoring your cat’s weight throughout the transition period. If you notice your cat has started to lose weight or won’t eat its meals during the change over you may need to discuss with your vet what you should do next.
The above tips should make the entire process of changing your cat’s diet a lot easier. But don’t be too discouraged if it takes longer than 10 days for your cat to enjoy the food that you have prepared for them.
Now let us move on to the next important aspects of what you should or should not feed your cat when making any homemade food for them.
Conclusion
When it comes to you wanting to make homemade food for your cat, there are certain things that you need to remember. The first is that any of the homemade cat food recipes you would like to try will provide your furry friend with all the important nutrients that they need.
Yet making meals and even special treats for your feline companion is easy, even if you haven’t tried doing it before.
Secondly, when feeding your cat such meals, what really matters is that these will ensure they are getting a complete and balanced diet. It is important that you take into account what their particular nutritional needs are. The nutritional needs of a young cat are somewhat different from those of an older one.
If you are worried about anything when it comes to feeding your cat the various balanced homemade cat food recipes you find online then speak to your vet first. They will be able to tell you whether the recipes you are considering using are right for your furry friend or not.