Homemade meals with high quality ingredients are much healthier for humans than commercial food products made with artificial ingredients, chemicals and preservatives. The same can be said for our furry family members. A homemade cat food recipe can be the healthiest option for our pets, as long as it's done right.
Making meals at home is the only way to know for sure which ingredients are going into the food and how the meals are prepared. If not done properly, however, it can quickly cause severe health problems that could result in serious health complications or even the death of your cat.
Like anything else, there are pros and cons when it comes to making homemade cat food. A homemade cat food recipe uses fresh, human-grade ingredients. You can even include some superfoods that can offer major boosts to your cat's overall health and well-being.
While it can offer some great health benefits, it can also be extremely dangerous to feed your pet a homemade diet if you do not know what you are doing. It's not enough to just look up recipes on the internet. This may come as a surprise, but you cannot trust everything you read online.
Sadly, a recent study published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association proves that recipes created for felines are not usually nutritionally balanced. They selected 114 recipes from different online sources and books. Of these recipes, NONE of them provided all the essential nutrients to meet the National Research Council’s recommended allowances for adult cats.
Only 94 of the recipes provided enough information for an accurate nutritional analysis. 40% of them didn't include feeding instructions, and 7% of the recipes called for ingredients that are toxic to cats!
This research proves that it is imperative to speak with your veterinarian before switching your cat to a homemade diet. The following recipe will NOT provide balanced nutrition for every cat, but your veterinarian can help you choose supplements or a multi-vitamin that will help to fill the gaps.
Homemade Cat Food Recipe
If your veterinarian has approved this recipe, you can make it fresh daily or prepare a large batch to freeze. Feeding your cat a homemade diet is more work than opening a can of store-bought cat food, but it's worth the additional time and effort.
PrintHomemade Cat Food Recipe
Not only will your veterinarian make recommendations on supplements to add to this recipe, they can also aid you in choosing healthy ingredient substitutions. For example, you may prefer to use a different protein source or other cat-friendly vegetables.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: about 2 cups of food 1x
- Category: Cooked Food
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Cat Food
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp. nonfat dry milk
- 3 eggs
- 3 tbsp. cottage cheese
- 1 tbsp. grated carrots
- 1 tbsp. grated zucchini
Instructions
Crack the eggs into a small mixing bowl. Add the dry milk and beat well. Pour the mixture into a small frying pan. If you need to use something to prevent sticking, use 1/4 teaspoon of coconut oil.
Cook on medium heat until the underside of the eggs is fully cooked. Spread the cottage cheese and vegetables over one half of the uncooked surface. Flip the egg mixture in half, like an omelet.
Allow the homemade cat food recipe to cool completely. Cut into bite-sized pieces and serve to your cat.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/3 cup
- Calories: 43
- Sugar: .9 g
- Sodium: 67 mg
- Fat: 2.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 1.2 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 4.2 g
- Cholesterol: 83 mg
How much to feed: I recommend feeding about 1/3-1/2 cup of food daily. This recommendation is for 2 servings per day. This is just a guideline. Typically cats do not overeat, but some cats do. Your cat may not overeat dry kibble, but the enticing whole food ingredients of homemade food may cause him to eat more than he should.
How to store: You can store the leftover homemade cat food recipe in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days or freeze it in an airtight container for storage of up to 3 months. Keep in mind that this recipe includes no preservatives, so it won't last nearly as long as commercial cat food.
For More Information
We publish many homemade dog food and treat recipes every month. For more recipes, pet food cooking tips, and advice, see our “Recipes” section. If you're new to the home-cooked pet food subject, I recommend you read more about “How Much To Feed” to understand serving sizes, “What Supplements To Use” to create well-balanced meals, and “How To Store” for tips on simple and easy homemade pet food storing in a fridge or a freezer.
