As a pet owner of one or more cats, you spend a lot of money on cat food. The shelf life of dry cat foods though is only about six to eight weeks after they’re opened.
After that, the fatty acids in the cat food begin to deteriorate. Another option to think about it then is to make your own cat food for your cat.
If you do decide to make your own cat food, there are some things to consider however. A cat has nutritional requirements which are fairly rigid. A cat needs protein, taurine, which is a type of amino acid; calcium and phosphorus.
Now if the food you make doesn’t have taurine in it, or not enough of it in it, then your cat can develop severe or even fatal heart disease. If your homemade cat food isn’t adequate nutritionally then problems can develop.
The problems which could develop are allergies, asthma, skin problems, bad teeth, and obesity. So be sure to go over with your vet the homemade cat food recipes that you’re thinking about using.
Cat food is expensive, but you can make your own. You need to be sure though that the food you feed your cat is nutritionally balanced.
14 Best Homemade Cat Food Recipes
Homemade cat food can be healthier for your cat and less expensive, but you need to follow a good recipe. Below are some excellent recipes for homemade cat food.
Choose one or more that you think your cat will like. The links to the original recipes are either in the references or backlinked to the article itself.
1. Homemade Kibbles for Cats
This recipe is for cat kibbles which your cat may enjoy:
- 2 cups of soy flour
- 3 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 1 cup wheat germ
- ½ cup of brewer’s yeast
- 1 cup of nonfat dry milk
- 1 (15 ounces) can of mackerel
- 1 tablespoon of cod liver oil
- 5 tablespoons of vegetable oil
- 2 cups of water or as much as needed
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients together. Mash the mackerel into small pieces in another bowl. Mix in the oil and water in the mashed mackerel.
Then add the mackerel mixture into the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Since the dough is tough, you need to mix with your hands. Next, roll the dough out to about ¼ inch thickness. Cut the dough into ¼ inch bits, if you use a pizza cutter or sharp knife, it will be easier.
Mound the little bits onto a greased cookie sheet and then bake for 25 minutes. While the mixture is baking, toss the kibbles with two wooden spoons occasionally so the browning is even. Don’t burn yourself when tossing so be careful.
After baking, turn off the heat and let the kibbles sit in the oven while the kibbles cool. The cat food can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container or frozen.
2. Homemade Food for Adult Cats
When you feed your cat, put as much out that he’ll eat in 20 to 30 minutes. Be sure to refrigerate the leftovers as soon as the 20 or 30 minutes is up. You can feed your adult cat two times a day. The recipe below makes about three servings:
Choose one of the protein sources below. The amount of meat in the recipe is in raw weight.
- ½ pound of boneless chicken thigh or breast minced up
- 6 ounces of minced turkey or ground turkey (dark meat)
- ½ pound of minced lean beef
- ½ pound of chicken, turkey heart or beef either ground or minced
After choosing your protein source, about three times a week you can add a scrambled or hard-boiled chopped egg into your cat’s food into his dish when feeding him. Once a week, you can substitute 4 ounces of the organic liver for ½ of the meat source you are feeding your cat.
You can also substitute, packed in water, a four-ounce can of tuna or a six-ounce can of sardines, or a five-ounce can of salmon with bones in exchange for any meat source you use. The fish substitute mentioned can be used in place of the cat food that you made about once every two weeks.
If your cat has urinary tract problems, don’t use canned fish as a protein source though. If your cat needs a lower protein diet, you can add one cup of cooked white rice to the protein source mixed in and feed the appropriate amount of cat food to your cat.
3. Basic Cat Food Recipe
This is a very basic homemade cat food recipe but most cats (including my own) love it.
- ¼ teaspoon of salmon oil or olive oil
- 2.7 grams of feline vitamin/mineral supplement
- 30 grams of peeled cooked potatoes
- 50 grams of carbohydrates: cooked pasta, barley, oatmeal, white rice, or peas
- 83 grams of animal protein cooked: lamb, chicken, rabbit, pork, beef, salmon, or tuna
A blender works best for mixing all the ingredients together. Store the food in the refrigerator until it’s needed.
4. Tuna Patties
Here’s another simple homemade cat food recipe that requires little work.
- 1 can of tuna
- ½ cup of boiled rice
- ¼ cup of pureed liver
- 2-3 springs of parsley chopped
After draining the tuna, mix all the ingredients together. Make six or seven separate balls for feeding and then form them into patties. Place in the refrigerator and serve to your cat the appropriate quantity by your cat’s size when it’s time to eat. He’ll love it!
5. Rabbit Stew
Get ready the below ingredients:
- Rabbit meat, wild or domestic, deboned and cut into little pieces
- A small amount of olive oil
- Some sprigs of parsley, marjoram, rosemary, and thyme
- The vegetable stock which is unsalted; homemade is best
- Sweet potato, celery, leek, carrot, peas, and turnip
Sauté the rabbit pieces in olive oil and sprinkle with herbs. Then add the stock water and bring everything to a boil. Cover it with a lid in a medium to low oven until everything is cooked through.
Add the chopped veggies and put them back in the oven for another 45 minutes. After it cools you can feed your cat and you if you like because this is good for human consumption too.
6. Salmon Delight
Prepare the following ingredients for the mixture:
- 1 fresh salmon or canned salmon
- 1 tablespoon of broccoli which has been cooked and mashed
- ¼ cup of whole wheat bread crumbs
- 1 teaspoon of brewer’s yeast
Combine everything into a bowl. Stir it together and serve your cat. Put the leftovers in the refrigerator and throw them out after three days.
7. Sardine Treat
Get together the following ingredients:
- 1 can of sardines
- 2 tablespoons of grated carrots
- 1/3 cup of cooked oatmeal
Put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix together and serve. Place leftovers in the refrigerator and throw out after three days.
8. Chunky Meat and Rice Cat Food
Here are the ingredients you need:
- ½ pound of ground meat, either beef, lamb, turkey, or chicken
- ¼ cup of white rice
- 1 large hard-boiled egg
- 4 teaspoons of olive oil
- 1 cup of chicken stock
Mash the boiled egg. Put all the ingredients into a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-low heat. Once the stock is boiling, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until stock reduces.
The rice will absorb a lot of liquid. Remove from heat and allow it to completely cool. Next, blend the mixer in a food processor until all the ingredients are mashed together. Place in an air-tight container, and it will store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
9. Chicken and Pasta Cat Food
Make sure to have all of the below ingredients:
- ½ pound ground chicken
- 1 small finely chopped carrot
- ½ cup macaroni
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 ½ cups chicken stock
Add the oil and chicken to a saucepan. Cook until the chicken is cooked thoroughly. Add the chicken stock, macaroni, and carrot, and bring everything to a boil.
When it comes to a rapid boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes; or until the macaroni becomes tender. After removing from heat, allow the mixture to cool.
Blend everything in a food processor so that the ingredients are well mashed. It will store in an airtight container for three days.
10. Sardine Feast Cat Food
Here are the few ingredients you’ll need:
- 1 tin of sardines in oil
- ½ cup of cooked rice
- ½ teaspoon of chopped parsley, fine
Cook the rice until soft. Drain the rice well and then add the complete tin of sardines and the chopped parsley.
Mix everything together well. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for up to three days.
11. Meats and Oats Cat Food
Prepare the following ingredients:
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 3 cups water
- 1 hardboiled egg
- 1 pound of beef, minced
- 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon of chopped spinach, fine
Boil the rolled oats in water until soft and they start to absorb the water. While the oats are cooking, boil the egg. After the egg has cooled, remove the eggshell and mash the eggs into the oats.
Next, in a frying pan, add the oil and the beef and cook thoroughly. Add the cooked beef into the oat and egg mixture and then stir the chopped spinach into it thoroughly.
Mix everything together thoroughly. The unused portion can be stored in an airtight container for up to three days.
12. Mackerel Recipe
Get ready the below ingredients:
- 1 tbsp. sunflower seed oil
- 1 cup canned mackerel
- 2 tbsps. of chicken soup or water
- 1 tbsp. organic, brown rice cooked
Add all the ingredients into a food processor and keep pulsing until everything is well blended. Feed it to your cat right away and put leftovers in the refrigerator for up to three days.
13. Meat Sliders
Take ground meat and make little patties about 1 ½ inch in diameter, a little on the thick side. Brown both sides in a skillet for about a minute or two so that they’re medium-rare.
Cool them and place them in a bag in the freezer. When feeding, take out how many you need and heat in the microwave for about 25 seconds from frozen to defrost. After this, slightly warm them. Makes a nice snack or treat.
14. Cheesy Homemade Cat Treats
This makes about 50-55 treats depending on cutting size. Here’s what you need:
- ¾ cup of shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/3 cup of Parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup pf plain yogurt, vanilla yogurt, or sour cream
- ¾ cup flour
- ¼ cup cornmeal
- ¼ cup of water more or less
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the cheeses and the yogurt; or sour cream, then add flour and cornmeal. Add enough water to work the ingredients into a dough ball.
Form the dough into a ball and then roll it into a square or rectangle ¼ inch thick. Next, cut into one-inch sized pieces and place on a greased cookie sheet. Bake for approximately 25 minutes.
With all these delicious best homemade cat food recipes, making your cat happy is easy.