Homemade cat food recipe

As any pet owner knows, our furry companions quickly become family members and find a permanent space in our hearts. We want the best for our loved ones, and that’s why we feed our cats a homemade, raw food diet.

When feeding your cat a raw food diet, you will notice their energy go up, their coats and overall health improve, they will require less food a day (due to the high-quality ingredients and no fillers), and their stool will be almost odorless and less frequent. It’s a win-win for everyone!

The time it takes to whip up a batch becomes barely noticeable once you have a system in place. If you can wrangle a spouse or pet-owning friend to split the dirty work with you, the time involved becomes even less. We make this recipe in large batches (for 6 cats!) every weekend (it takes about 1-2 hours of our time).

Suggested Equipment

Electric Meat Grinder – You’ll need a meat grinder if you plan to process the chicken yourself. Uncooked chicken bones are soft enough to be ground (NEVER cook bones – they will become brittle and can harm your cat during digestion). 

Unless you have jars or containers that hold the exact size you need per serving, a small kitchen scale makes it easy to fill jars without having to use a measuring cup each time. 

Ingredients

SERVINGS: This recipe is enough to feed one cat 4-6 ounces for 10-14 days.

NOTE: A larger batch is being made in the photos.

• 3 lbs Chicken (2/3 boneless skinless, 1/3 with bones and skin)
• 4 oz. Chicken Liver
• 1 cup Water
• 2 Eggs
• 5000 mg Fish Oil
• 400 IU Vitamin E
• 50 mg Vitamin B-Complex
• 2,000 mg Taurine
• 3/4 tsp Morton Lite Salt with Iodine

WARNING: Do not deviate from the recipe. Cats need very specific nutrients. Omitting certain ingredients or adding as you like would be detrimental to your cats health.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Soak Fish Oil – Fill measuring cup with one cup of water, and add fish oil capsules to soak while preparing the rest of the ingredients. The outer layer will dissolve and save you effort later.

2. Clean Chicken – Wash all chicken extremely well. Store in refrigerator while you do the next steps.

3. Clean Liver – The liver is more delicate and needs a little extra care when cleaning to prevent it from falling apart and going down the drain. If you have a faucet that can be turned to a lighter stream, use it on a low setting.

4. Cook Liver – Bake the liver for 15 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Set aside to cool.

5. Separate Eggs – Separate the egg yolks from the whites. You will need both.

6. Cook Egg Whites – Cook the egg whites on the stove or in the microwave (the latter is faster!).

7. Prep Chicken Cuts – Cut chicken into manageable sized pieces for the grinder. Depending on which cuts you buy, you may need to break some bones down. The legs pictured get snapped in half before going through the grinder.

8. Grind Meat (and liver and eggs) – Put the prepped meat through the grinder, adding the cooled liver and eggs as you go. This helps to evenly distribute everything.

9. Make Slurry – Squeeze the fish oil capsules to release the oil, and mix the rest of the ingredients in.

10. Mix Slurry and Meat – You’re almost done! Mix the processed meat/liver/egg mixture with the slurry. Make sure you incorporate everything well so the nutrients are distributed evenly.

11. Measure Servings – Measure out servings for each meal. One cat should eat 4-6 oz/day.

12. Seal Cans – If you’re doing large batches, you’ll want to consider investing a freezer sealing system. The one used here can also be used with bags.

How to Serve

Keep jars in the freezer, leaving only 2-4 jars in the fridge to thaw at a time. When ready to serve, let the jar sit in a bowl of hot water to warm it for 5-10 minutes. NEVER microwave the food. The bones will become brittle and can harm your cats.