Well, there is no doubt that commercial cat foods are convenient and tasty for your cat. But have you ever thought about the unseen consequences remaining hidden in those cans and kibbles?
If your cat has sensitivity to the artificial color, preservative, or filler of such commercial processed foods, it may remain sick most of the time. Or may feel digestive issues. So, this is the right time to feed your cat such food that gives you more control over the ingredients based on their specific dietary needs.
However, preparing perfect cat food by yourself might be tricky. As you don’t know the actual quantity needed to prepare the food, there is a risk of accidental food poisoning. So, we are here to help you with some delicious cat food recipes that are nutritionally balanced and cater to its health requirements.
What factors do you need to consider before preparing food for your cat?
You must keep certain things in your mind to ensure a healthy diet for your cat.
- Balanced nutrition: Providing essential components in their food like a high quantity of protein and fat, necessary vitamins, minerals, fiber, and a low quantity of carbohydrates (if your cat is underweight, you can increase the amount of carbohydrates in its diet).
- Moisture content: Try to provide a mixture of wet and dry foods to avoid choking issues.
- Specific health issues of your cat: If your cat has food allergy, (vomiting, diarrhea, skin irritation), high glucose content in the blood etc you have to take this into consideration.
- Food preference of your cat: Although most cats like to eat fish and meat, some of them are completely vegetarian. So, prepare foods considering their individual preference.
- Determining appropriate portion sizes: Based on their age, weight, and health requirements you have to determine portion sizes of the food. Your vet can help you determine the portion size of every meal.
- Adding supplementation: If your cat has health issues like weak immune system, digestive problems, or joint problems add required supplements in their food.
- Ensure gradual switching of foods: If you want to add a new recipe to its diet, first give the food weekly one or two days along with the old foods. Then increase the number of new foods gradually to avoid dietary abnormalities.
Looking for some delicious recipes for your kitty?
Making cat food at home can be time-consuming. Plus picking the right ingredients for a healthy diet might be tough for you if you are preparing homemade cat food for the first time. So, we are giving some vet-approved recipes with minimal ingredients considering your budget, your cat’s health, and your busy schedule. The recipes that I have given here are for adult cats weighing an average of eight pounds. And you can serve these dishes to them about two to three times a day.
Traditional chicken and rice delight
This is a nutritious recipe that is a favorite of cats of all ages. It completes their dietary needs and helps to maintain a healthy weight.
Ingredients:
- Chicken breast without bones- 1 piece
- White or brown cooked rice- ¼ cup
- Boiled and mashed carrot- ¼ cup
- Chicken soup with some salt- ¼ cup
Method of preparation:
After boiling the chicken, cut it into small pieces. Make sure the chicken is fully cooked. Then add the other ingredients like cooked rice, mashed carrot, and peas in a bowl. Mix them thoroughly and add some salt while mixing. Cool down the boiled ingredients and now it’s ready to serve to your kitty.
Delicious beef soup
If you want to add some variety in your kitty’s diet, you can try this magical recipe prepared with tender beef and fresh vegetables.
Ingredients:
- Boiled beef- ¼ cup
- Boiled and mashed potatoes- ¼ cup
- Remaining liquids after boiling the beef with some salt- ¼ cup
Special reminder:
Chop and shred the beef into pieces before boiling.
Method of preparation:
Mix all the ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Then keep them for rest to bring the boiled ingredients to room temperature. Now, the delicious recipe is ready to serve.
Nutrient-rich vegetable feast
This recipe is specially designed for cats who like to eat plant-based food and have dietary restrictions to any foodstuffs. This recipe is full of veggies, which are really good for your cats.
Ingredients:
- Boiled and mashed sweet potatoes- ¼ cup
- Boiled and mashed carrots- ¼ cup
- Boiled quinoa (Best source of fiber)- ¼ cup
- Boiled and mashed green beans- ¼ cup
- Olive oil- one tablespoon (if available)
Method of preparation:
Add all the mashed ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix thoroughly. You can add a little bit of olive oil for extra taste. Keep the delight for rest until it cools down. Then, feed the dish to your cat.
Juicy lamb and fresh asparagus
Do you want to give a super food to your cat which can help to transfer a good amount of oxygen in their body? Then, you can add this dish which contains lamb and asparagus. Lamb contains a good percentage of iron, which helps to increase the energy level of your cat. You can add a small amount of asparagus to their diet sometimes. But not regularly. So, start preparing this delicious dish for your cat.
Ingredients:
- Chopped and boiled lean lamb-1.5 cup
- Egg white-½ cup
- Boiled asparagus- 1 cup
- Canola oil- 1 teaspoon
- A pinch of salt
- Pet liquid- a few drops
Method of preparation:
Cook the egg white and mix it with other ingredients in a mixing bowl. Then, serve the dish to your cat when the dish is cooled down.
Mouthwatering chicken thighs and bones recipe with added supplement
If you want to introduce your cat to homemade food with very simple ingredients, this recipe will be a great option. As cats like to eat chicken, you can start its first homemade food with chicken meat and bone.
Ingredients:
- Chicken thighs with bones- five pounds
- Chicken heart- 1.5 cup
- Chicken liver- 1 cup
- Egg yolks- 4
- Salmon oil-2 teaspoon
- Water- 1 cup
- Taurine (amino sulfonic acid that is good for brain and heart)- 1 teaspoon
- Vitamin E- 1 teaspoon
- Vitamin B complex- 1 teaspoon
- Salt- 1.5 teaspoon
Method of preparation:
Take off the skin from the chicken thigh and keep the fat. Separate a small amount of bones from the thigh and wash with water. Add the egg yolks with dry supplements in another bowl and mix thoroughly. Add water to the mixture and make a paste. Cut the chicken thigh, liver, and heart into small pieces. Now grind all the ingredients by using a meat grinder. Add salt and oil to the mixture. Now the delicious dish is ready to serve. You can store the remaining meal in a refrigerator or freezer.
Best combo with rabbit and poultry with supplementation
Both rabbits and poultry are great sources of protein. Rabbit contains a good amount of vitamin B3 and other nutrients with less sodium, which is really good for maintaining a healthy blood pressure. So, you can try this great combo for your cat.
Ingredients:
- Dead rabbit- 2 cup
- Chicken- 1 cup
- Water- 1 cup
- Fish oil- 2 teaspoons
- Egg-2
- Vitamin B complex- fifty milligrams
- Vitamin E- ¼ teaspoon
- Iodized salt- 1 teaspoon
- Taurine- ½ teaspoon
Method of preparation:
First, chop the rabbit and chicken into small pieces. Then cook them in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for twenty minutes. Make sure the meat remains half-cooked. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl and add egg yolks, fish oil, and water to make a watery mix. Then divide the meal into portions and keep it in the fridge.
Quick and easy meal with turkey, spinach, and squash
Cats do not like the taste of spinach and squash or zucchini, but these veggies are great for their health. But you will be surprised to know that, if you prepare this dish by adding turkey, your cat will be captivated by spinach and squash.
Ingredients:
- Roasted and shredded turkey breast- ⅓ cup
- Boiled spinach -⅔ cup
- Boiled squash-⅔ cup
- Canola oil-¼ teaspoon
- A pinch of salt
Method of preparation:
Blend the roasted turkey breast and the boiled vegetables together with oil and salt. After serving a portion to your cat, keep the remaining portion in a fridge with proper sealing.
Meow-tastic beef and carrot delight
Carrots are rich in vitamins and antioxidants which is helpful for your cat if it is properly cooked. But if you add your kitty’s favorite beef with the cooked carrot, it will love to eat this dish.
Ingredients:
- Lean meat containing beef without added salt-
- 3 ounces
- Grated carrots-½ cup
- Canola oil- ½ teaspoon
- Omega-3 fatty acid containing pet liquid- a little bit
- Feline supplement (if available)- about ½ teaspoon
- A pinch of iodized salt
Method of preparation:
Cook the beef with a medium-high heat. Then blend the grated carrots with other ingredients by using a blender. Now divide the recipe in two to three portions and feed these to your cat.
Remember:
Keep the remaining dish in the fridge in a sealed container until the next meal.
Wholesome goodness: Chicken and salmon dish
Do you know that foods with omega-3 fatty acids can magically help your cat’s heart and brain function properly? If you don’t know this, make this dish prepared with salmon, a great source of omega-3 fatty acids, and chicken. And observe your cat’s behavioral progress day by day.
Ingredients:
- Chicken wings with bones and skin- 3 cups
- Salmon with bones- ½ cup
- Beef kidney- ¼
- Chicken heart- 1/2
- Chicken liver- 1/4
- Egg with shell- 1
- Water- 2 cups
- Taurine-1 teaspoon
Method of preparation:
Cut up the salmon into small pieces and break the chicken wings. Then grind all the ingredients by using a grinder and add water and taurine supplement. Mix the ingredients thoroughly in a bowl. Now, divide the mixture and keep it in the fridge.
Flavourful fusion: pork dish that makes your kitty purr with joy
If the cats suffer from digestive issues, most cat owners do not understand what to feed them. When your cat experiences an allergic reaction to other common protein sources, give it this pork dish as an alternative option.
Ingredients:
- Boneless pork- 3.5 cups
- Chicken liver-3 tablespoons
- Beef kidney-3 tablespoons
- Powdered egg shell-1 teaspoon
- Salmon oil- seven capsules with 500 milligrams
- Egg yolk
- Specific vitamin supplement (if needed)- ½ teaspoon.
Method of preparation:
Cut up the meat ingredients into small pieces and grind them thoroughly. Add salmon oil drop by drop while grinding. Mix the powdered eggshell and supplement in a bowl. Then add the ground mixture to the bowl and mix thoroughly by adding a large-sized egg yolk. If the mixture is too dry add sufficient water. Now divide the meal into portion and keep it in the fridge.
Are there any specific ingredients that you should avoid while preparing cat food recipes?
While preparing cat food, you can avoid certain ingredients, as they do not provide any nutritional benefits to your cat. Some of them are harmful to the cats. So, what common ingredients should you avoid that most cat owners do not know about?
- Grain-based fillers such as soy, maize, wheat, etc cause problems in digestion.
- Some cat owners use peas for preparing cat food. But it does not have a proven benefit for their health. Rather it may cause allergic problems to most cats.
- Sensitive cats can not tolerate foods containing preservatives, artificial colors, and flavors. They may cause allergic reactions and digestive issues like vomiting, diarrhea, etc.
- Processed fat with low heat may cause stomach upset or certain inflammatory diseases like kidney disease and heart disease.
- Additional sugar does not have any beneficial effect on cats’ health. Rather it may increase the weight of your cat due to having excessive carbohydrate content in the sugar.
- Byproducts of animals like hair, skin, blood, hoov, etc may cause serious allergic reactions in cats.
In short
Before preparing food for your cat, try to understand its health requirements. If you are confused about what to feed your cats, talk to a vet who specializes in cat nutrition. Then start preparing the foods following our simple recipes as we have provided vet-approved dishes.
Try to follow the exact recipes to receive the best outcome in your cat’s diet. If you have any queries about the recipes, leave a comment and share our discussion with the cat owners in your community who want to transition from commercial to homemade cat food.