There have been a lot of issues in regards to choosing the right cat food. You may be attracted to a commercial saying that a certain product offers added nutrients while some others provide a lot of flavors. In fact, making homemade cat food is the best choice to treat your cats.
Providing your cats with homemade food becomes an alternative to avoid health problems. Making your own cat food allows you to choose quality ingredients as well as hygiene, ensuring them only to consume clean and quality food. But before all, making homemade food helps save a lot of budgets!
Homemade Cat Food: Know Your Cat Breed
When it comes to making cat food, there are several aspects to consider. The first and foremost is to identify your cat breed. A newbie may fail to understand that there is a variety of cat breeds around the globe. Siamese, Bengal, Persian, Maine Coon, and Ragdoll, all of which are the most popular cat breeds throughout the world.
Siamese that is known as friendly and sociable cat breed may not require as much energy as Bengal which is known to be active. On the other hand, Persian which has long hair needs more nutrients to keep their fur coat beautiful and strong, unlike Ragdoll which comes with shorter hair.
What area the recommended diet and nutrition that most cats need? Make sure your cat consume homemade recipes with these contents:
1. Protein
Protein helps supply essential amino acid that is required to produce hormones, antibodies, and enzymes. It also provides sufficient energy for your cats to grow. Animal protein works best as it provides essential amino acids such as taurine that cannot be found in plant proteins. The amount of protein may vary depending on several factors, including age, activity, and digestibility.
2. Fats
Fat is needed to supply essential fatty acids which help to utilize and transport nutrients. It also takes part in metabolic regulation. Saturated fat found in animal source is easier to absorb as felines do not convert EFAs from plant sources to the needed derivatives.
3. Minerals
Minerals are involved in physiological reactions. Thus it becomes essential for the cat. Minerals include magnesium, calcium, potassium, sulfur, sodium, zinc, and so on.
4. Vitamins
Cats need vitamin to regulate metabolism and promote normal growth. Vitamins, both fat-soluble and water-soluble, are essential for most body functions. Vitamins can be obtained both from plants and animal sources.
5. Water
Felines typically have a low thirst drive as they are designed to fulfill their water requirements from fresh raw food. Giving too dry food and treats may lead to several health issues due to lack of water intake.
There is a wide array of cat food products available on the market. Most of them boast too much, claiming to provide the most complete nutrients for cats’ health. Even though many products are available, basically they can be divided into three types: dry food, semi-moist food, and wet food. Learn the comparison table below!
| Types of cat food | Lifetime | Palatability | Nutrition | Additives |
| Dry cat food | Long shelf life | Less palatable | Nutritionally unbalanced | Yes |
| Semi-moist cat food | Moderate shelf life | Less palatable | Nutritionally unbalanced | Yes |
| Wet cat food | Short shelf life | Fairly palatable | Nutritionally Balanced | Yes |
Truth You Should Know about Commercial Cat Food
Commercial cat food may look interesting. But, the fact behind cat food bags will make you think twice, three times, or more times before purchasing one. Many cats are struggling from serious health issues due to problematic diets. Surprisingly, most of the diets are recommended by vets.
There are several health problems that may occur as a result of insufficient diet, including cancer, diabetes, urinary crystals, chronic kidney disease, hyperthyroidism, fatty liver, and cardiomyopathy.
The following fact may be surprising, but it is necessary for cat owners to know the current phenomenon. Many vets try to sell commercial food using fear tactics, in which they scare the cat owners at the same time persuade them to purchase certain commercial food product.
The tactic also brings financial benefits for the vets and their clinics as the company provide incentives for top-selling clinics. To sell the products, vets will say that raw cat food is dangerous and homemade cat food does not contain sufficient vitamins and minerals.
Furthermore, there are several problems with commercial food preparation. Commercial cat food is not prepared with love, so the company does not care about the quality of its product as well as the effect that may happen to the cats.
Purchasing a bag of cat food means you just accept anything inside of it. You may unconsciously give dangerous ingredients that cause serious health issues to the cats. Here are some bad ingredients that may be included in commercial cat food you never know before:
- Chemical preservatives. Some chemical preservatives such as BHA, BHT, and Ethoxyquin are potential cancer-causing agents.
- Meat byproducts. This ingredient is commonly processed by rendering, which should be a warning for cat owners.
- Carbohydrate fillers. Excess of this ingredient is not good for cats. Most dry foods contain up to 50 percent of grain.
- Wheat gluten. The ingredient is problematic as it can cause kidney failure.
The use of unwanted and harmful ingredients are not the only reason why commercial food is not good for your cats. There are other problems with commercial food, as follows:
- Contain too many carbohydrates.
- Don’t represent a cat’s real food in the wild.
- The presence of additives, such as chemical flavoring and other chemical substances.
- Contain low quality ingredients.
- In fish-flavored cat food, poor quality fish parts may be included.
- Don’t know the source of ingredients.
- Most commercial cat food does not have contamination test.
Another thing that you should not forget from commercial food is about the price. Though it depends on your commercial food choice, here is the rough estimation of annual cost. Let’s say you purchase the moderate-price cat food as much as $4 per day. This means you have to spend around $1,464 per year. Can you imagine how much should you spend on cat’s lifetime?
You may be tempted to purchase commercial food and treats for the cats. However, the fact that commercial foods are problematic, you need to hold back and consider making homemade cat food.
Homemade Food, Best Solution for All Problems
Making homemade food for a cat is the best way to show your affection and love. Besides, preparing food with your own hands means you can control the ingredients quality, hygiene, and nutrients. There are several choices of natural diets as free cat food that can be included in their menus, such as birds, insects, eggs, mice, rats, plants, and bark.
But, it is quite hard to find such diets in urban society. In this case, you may choose an easier option to feed your cats and provide them with a balanced meal to promote their health. When finding possible options, there are several aspects to keep in mind as follows:
- Contained nutrients including vitamins, minerals, protein, fiber.
- Cat needs more protein and fats and fewer carbohydrates.
- Raw diet for cats is needed.
- Each cat may require specific needs.
- Consult a vet that understands cat.
The involvement of love and controlled nutrients are indeed the most important reason why preparing real homemade food is much recommended. But if the budget becomes your concern, preparing homemade food is undoubtedly the best solution to your finance.
Homemade cat food is extraordinarily cheap! You only need to spend as much as $100 a year per cat. If you can find natural cat food, the amount can be less than $100! Surely this is a smart solution to save your purse without sacrificing your cats.
Buying commercial cat food is undoubtedly money-wasting. Despite you want to give anything to your felines, it does not mean you have to break the savings. Here is the rough estimation of the cost you should spend when making homemade food for cats.
Let’s say your cat spends 20 pound of food per 4 months. The diets consist of chicken, chicken liver, eggs, and supplements. You have to pay $20 for chicken, $4 for chicken liver, $5 for eggs, and $4 for supplements. From this calculation, you only need to pay as much as $33 per 4 months for 20 pounds of cat food. It means you spend only $99 a year! It is even less than $100 for 60 pounds of cat food!
You can actually customize the recipe and ingredients as long as it fulfills nutrients needed by the cats. What ingredients are healthy and yummy for the felines? There is a long list of recommended ingredients your cats will crave for.
- Water. A cup of water is sufficient to keep the urinary tract unobstructed and healthy.
- Fish oil. Fish oil provides essential fatty acids to maintain the overall health of your cat.
- Eggs. Boiled egg is a good source of protein that is needed for a cat’s metabolism.
- Liver. It is a good source of protein and taurine needed to grow and regulate metabolism.
- Lite salt. Salt with iodine maintain feline’s health.
- Vitamins. Vitamins are needed to keep their fur coats shiny, strong, and healthy.
How to Make Yummy Homemade Feline Food
Have you decided to make natural, yummy, and organic cat food for your lovely felines? Congratulations! But before actually making cat food, there are some preparations you need to do. The first and foremost, make sure you have these tools in the kitchen:
-
Grinder
Meat grinder is compulsory when you want to make cat food at home. As you need to grind bones, make sure the grinder is prepared for heavy-duty. You can purchase a quality grinder at an affordable price online. -
Meat cleaver
Another tool you will need to make homemade cat food is meat cleaver. The sharp and sturdy cleaver is essential as you need to dice and slice raw meat. -
Poultry shears
You may also need to prepare poultry shears. In case you include some bones, you need to cut the bones into smaller pieces before grinding. -
Mortar and pestle
These tools sound a little traditional, but you really need them when doing the project. Pill supplements need to be ground before being sprinkled into the meals. Mortar and pestle can do the job well. -
Containers
This is what you need to store the food. Air-tight container will be the best choice as it allows you to store and freeze the food for the long term.
Do you already have all the needed tools? Wait! It does not mean you can go directly to the kitchen and put anything into the grinder and give the food to your cats.
You should keep in mind that healthy ingredients make a good dish. On the contrary, bad ingredients make a bad dish. Your feline is quite sensitive to certain kinds of food. As cat owners, it is necessary to know the ingredients that should be avoided when making homemade cat food.
Onions and garlic may sound tempting as it enhances flavor in food. But those ingredients are a big no for cats. Other ingredients to avoid include raw eggs, tomatoes, grapes, chocolate, and dairy products.
How much do cats need to eat? No matter how much they beg you for other portion, you should stop feeding them when they already get enough calories per day. In general, cats need 30 calories per pound for each day. So, if you have a 10 pounds cat, you should not give more than 300 calories per day. Always remember not to feed the cat more than twice a day.
Palatable Cat Food Recipes for Cats with Health Issues
There are some cats that suffer from certain health issues. As a cat owner, you need to give them the best food that does not worsen the condition. Here are some recipes you can try for cats with health issues.
Cat with a sensitive stomach
Chicken dinner
This is among simple cat food recipes you can make within minutes. It is also a yummy recipe for cat’s delight.
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup mashed steamed carrot
- ¼ cup mashed steamed broccoli
- 1 cup baked or boiled chicken
- Chicken broth
Instructions:
- Prepare a food processor and put all the ingredients in it. Take a few tablespoons of chicken broth and add to the mixture.
- Crumble the ingredients.
- Add chicken broth as needed to make the mixture smooth. Don’t add too much!
- Cool at room temperature and serve to your cat.
Beef dinner
Ingredients:
- ½ cup steamed brown rice
- 1 cup ground beef
- 6 tbsp minced alfalfa sprout
- ¾ cup cottage cheese
Instructions:
- Prepare a frying pan, drain the ground beef.
- Let cool and mix with other ingredients in a bowl.
- Beef dinner is ready to serve.
Cat with urinary problems
If your cat suffers from urinary tract problem, this recipe will be the best meal to maintain her health.
Ingredients:
- Chicken broth
- ¼ cup mashed steamed carrots
- ¼ cup mashed steamed broccoli
- A cup of boiled chicken
Instructions:
- Put carrots, broccoli, and chicken in a food processor. Add ¼ cup of chicken broth.
- Puree the ingredients and add broth as needed to smooth the food.
- Cool at room temperature and serve.
High fiber cat food
The following cat food is high in fiber. You can give this recipe for healthy cats.
Ingredients:
- 83 grams of dark meat
- 50 grams cooked white rice
- 30 grams cooked sweet potato
- ¼ tsp vegetable oil
- 2.7 grams balance IT felines
Instructions:
- Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. Freeze for long term use. Warm before serving.
Hypoallergenic cat
Having a cat that is allergic to something requires more attention, including diet cat food options. The following soft food recipes will be good for hypoallergenic cats.
Ingredients:
- 5 pounds of potatoes, cut into pieces
- 4 pounds of ground lamb
- 12 tsp vegetable oil
- 8 tbsp bone meal
- 8,500 mg multivitamin tablets
- 8,500 mg taurine capsules
- 8,500 mg calcium tablets
Instructions:
- In a large pan, heat ground lamb and stir intermittently.
- In a pot, boil pieces of potatoes.
- Prepare mortar and pestle. Grind multivitamin tablets, calcium tablets, and taurine. Add bone meal, mix together.
- Prepare a food processor, put cooked ground lamb and potatoes into it. Sprinkle ¼ pill mixture and pulse.
- Dump mixture into large bowl and let cool at room temperature. Hypoallergenic cat food is ready to serve.
Raw food for cats
Most cats are tolerable to raw food. There is a wide array of raw cat food recipe that you can give. This is recipe is among the best ones.
Ingredients:
- 14 oz chicken hearts
- 4.5 lb chicken thighs (bone and skin included)
- 7 oz chicken livers
- 4 egg yolks
- 2 cups of water
- 200 mg Vitamin B supplement
- 2000 mg taurine
- 200 IU Vitamin E
- 1.5 tsp lite iodized salt
Instructions:
- Remove 20% of chicken bone and half of the skin
- Dice the thighs into small sizes
- Grind the rest with bones, liver, and hearts. Stir well.
- Combine vitamin supplements, salt, and eggs in a bowl. Add 2 cups of water. Whisk well.
- Combine the diced meat, ground meat, and supplement bowl. Mix thoroughly.
- Raw food diet for cats is ready to serve. Store the rest in the fridge.
Homemade Cat Food with Specific Ingredients
There is a wide array of food supplies that can be used as main ingredients for cat food. The following recipes give you inspiring ideas to make palatable and healthy cat food from specific ingredients.
Fish
Tuna is among favorite ingredients from fish category. Try this tuna recipe for yummy cat food.
Ingredients:
- 1 egg
- 4 ounces tuna
- 2 bone meal tablets
- 1 tbsp canola oil
- 1 multivitamin tablet
Instructions:
- Mix all ingredients, serve immediately. Fridge for later.
Chicken
This chicken diet provides sufficient calories for a growing cat.
Ingredients:
- ½ large egg
- ½ lbs chicken breast
- ½ ounce clams
- 4 tsp canola oil
- 3 bone meal tablets
- 1/8 tsp salt substitute
- 1 multivitamin tablet
Instructions:
- Chock egg and chicken breast
- Crush bone meal and vitamin tablets, combine with all ingredients.
- Warm before serving.
Turkey
Turkey can be a beneficial ingredient for cat food. Besides, it is also easy to make.
Ingredients:
- ½ cup chopped carrots
- 6 oz cooked white meat turkey
- ½ cup ground oatmeal
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degree.
- Put turkey and carrots in a food processor and pulse.
- Add ground oatmeal and blend.
- Roll into small balls (1 inch) and place on cooking sheet.
- Bake for 15 minutes.
Cheese
You can also use cheese as the main ingredient for cat food. Follow the recipe below.
Ingredients:
- 3 medium eggs
- 3 tbsp cottage cheese
- 1 tbsp nonfat dry milk
- 2 tbsp grated veggies
Instruction:
- Mix together a small amount of water with milk powder.
- Add eggs, beat well.
- Pour the mixture into non-stick frying pan. Cook on medium-low heat.
- Flip over and spread cottage cheese and veggies. Fold like omelet.
- Let cool and cut to bite-size.
Eggs
Cats are just like us. They would be happy to have pudding as dessert. The recipe of cat pudding below is worth trying!
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of water
- 1 beaten egg yolk
- 1 package Knox gelatin
- 1 tablespoon light Karo syrup
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons plain yogurt
- 1 can evaporated milk (large)
Instructions:
- Mix yogurt, mayonnaise, milk, and syrup together. Boil 1 cup of water and add Knox gelatin. Set aside
- Mix egg yolk with milk mixture and beat.
- Add gelatin and water to milk mixture, beat well.
- Let cool and serve.
Homemade cat food is the best way to treat your cats. It involves love, affection, and attention in the preparation. It also allows you to control the ingredients quality, not to mention you can avoid unwanted ingredients for the cat. Besides, how to make cat food is totally easy! What are you waiting for? Make your own homemade cat food recipes right now!
