There has been a major trend with pet owners who are choosing to switch to homemade food. If you're looking for a healthy homemade cat food recipe, this one uses leftover turkey and some superfood ingredients for your pet.
Cats are known for being picky eaters. If you're the parent of a picky feline, you know this all too well.
It can be a real challenge to find food that is healthy for your cat and appetizing enough to hold her interest for more than a few meals. One of the best benefits of homemade cat food is that you can provide lots of variety to please the pickiest of eaters.
I used turkey that I had leftover from a meal I made for my human family members for this recipe. You could also use beef, fish, venison, rabbit, or pork. Just be sure to discuss this recipe with your veterinarian before making it your dog's regular meal.
Healthy Homemade Cat Food with Turkey
It's no secret that a homemade cat food diet can offer the best nutrition when it is prepared the right way. Most veterinarians and feline nutrition experts won't recommend this diet because they know that pet owners won't put the work into ensuring the homemade meals provide 100% balanced nutrition.
With that said, this healthy homemade cat food recipe may offer the proper nutrition for some cats, but it will not provide balanced nutrition for every feline.
PrintRecipe: Healthy Homemade Cat Food with Turkey
It's likely that the expert you consult will recommend adding supplements to this recipe.
In fact, a recent study performed on 114 homemade cat food recipes showed that many recipes (even the ones that come from veterinarians) do not have all the adequate nutrients that the “average” cat needs.
This is why it is so important to consult with your veterinarian before switching your cat to a homemade diet.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: about 12 servings 1x
- Category: Cooked Food
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Cat Food
Ingredients
- 1 lb turkey
- 3 hard boiled eggs
- 2/3 cup cat-friendly vegetables
- ¼ cup sardines
Instructions
As you will see in my video guide above, I used turkey leftover from a dinner that I made for my human family the night before. You could use fresh or ground turkey, as well.
Cook the turkey any way that you'd like, and boil the eggs. I used carrots, but you can use any cat-friendly vegetable that you have on hand.
You can leave the vegetables raw, but picky cats may not eat them. If you have a finicky cat, you should boil the vegetables.
Add all of the ingredients to a food processor and puree until the recipe is the consistency of canned cat food. You can add ⅛ cup water if it is needed to blend the food smoothly.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/8 cup
- Calories: 67
- Sugar: .3 g
- Sodium: 46 mg
- Fat: 2.5 g
- Carbohydrates: .5 g
- Fiber: .1 g
- Protein: 10 g
- Cholesterol: 55 mg
How much to feed: I recommend feeding about 1/4-1/3 cups 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 healthy 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.
