Broths & Sauces

[tyleete]

My eldest has gotten to only eating baby food. I did the research and am feeding her Beechnut Stage 1 meats.
She used to enjoy pates, but no more. Then I remembered a gal I pet sat for once uses broths. Does anyone have
any good (or bad) times with any of them? I've never used any before. So if anyone has any suggestions on which works
well in their homes, that'd be appreciated too! She's eating 5 - 2.5oz baby jars a day/night. But I would prefer something that
will give her more nutrition. She's not interested in probiotics or such added as they change the taste and I can't have her stop
eating all together.
THANKS!
** Edit**
It'd have to be JUST liquid. Not something with chunks of whatever. Since she's only eating liquefied stuff. I've even tried pureeing pate food.

 

[LTS3]

Homemade broth? There are recipes:

Question Re: Making Bone Broth In Crock Pot For Sick Kitties

Do you use the low or high setting when making bone broth in a crock pot, and how many hours should the process to take? We had a bit of an emergency today, and had to make do with a quickie version we made from beef neck bones in a Dutch oven. But we'd like to make a real, honest-to-goodness...

thecatsite.com

i Need instructions on how to make broth for cats...very simple instructions

I am a male, i can make toast real good. There are plenty of cat broth recipes on the internet but each recipe seems to have variations on 'how to' make it. Plus i dont trust the recipes i find on blogs all that much What is a simple,basic, method to make cat broth? This is what i comprehend...

thecatsite.com

What Other Liquids Are Ok For Cats?

I still have a batch of homemade bone broth in the freezer, and am going to pick some goat milk the next time I'm at the grocery store. I'm also going to pick up a bit of meat to make small batches of beef, pork, and goat broth. Alas, Buddy is allergic to chicken and turkey, and can't have...

thecatsite.com

For something store bought:

Broth

My cat will eat her food if it has broth added. Extra flavoring. Picky Cat! Is there a brand that just has broth? No meat or vegetables?

thecatsite.com

Cat Food Gravys

my cat wont eat wet food he loves to lick gravy though with tiny pieces of meats iv gotten a few before whats some good brands of gravys to get i tried making some from pure chicken stock but he wouldnt touch only eats the store brands that come in pouches.

thecatsite.com

Baby food on it's own is not nutritionally complete. Have you tried mixing baby food with any canned cat food? Does your vet have any suggestions on diet?

There are two TCS threads discussing how to possibly turn baby food into a complete diet for cats:

Help! How Can I Make Baby Food More Nutritionally Complete For Short-term Use?

We've had a major setback re: Buddy's food allergies after that last course of antibiotics, and for the moment, pork is the only meat that doesn't make him feel nauseated. So now we're just down to Hound & Gatos pork, and even then, he doesn't eat enough for a cat his size. To try to make up...

thecatsite.com

How much premix do you need to add to a jar of baby food for assist feedings, and what's a good source of fiber/bulk to include as needed?

If you need to add premix to a 2.5 oz. jar of baby food, do you base the amount you need on 2.5 oz.? Or do you just assume each jar only contains 1 oz. of meat? The reason I ask is because I recently stumbled across this info (from the article: Raw Feeding for IBD Cats), and now I'm wondering...

thecatsite.com

Will your cat eat plain cooked meat? You can add a pre-mix to that and mush it up for a complete diet.

 

[daftcat75]

I would recommend making (homemade, not store bought) meat stock or bone broth for her. Made well and lovingly, it will set up nicely like a delicious meat jello that will contain all kinds of wonderful nutrients including essential minerals and gut-healing collagens.

The recipe on this page is sound. My recommendations is to cut away most of the meat and use bones with lots of joints like necks, backs, wings, and thighs. You also don't need to cook the bones to crumbling. Cook long enough such that any meat is cooked all the way through. 6 - 12 hours for chicken, longer for turkey (12 - 18 hours), and longer still for beef bones (no idea how long here--never did beef bones with Krista.) Cook times can be greatly reduced in a pressure cooker (e.g. Instant Pot.) I have done turkey and rabbit bones in an hour using the Instant Pot.
Make your Pet a Healthy Broth

To store, fill up baby food jars and freeze them. You should plan on finishing a jar within 3 or 4 days. Faster is okay. But I wouldn't feed the refrigerated stock past the fourth day. When you pull a jar from the freezer, defrost it in a double boiler under low heat to bring it back to liquid. Then put it back in the fridge to let it set up again like meat jello.

 

[suzeanna]

Have you tried adding a little hot water to a pate to make it nice and warm and fragrant? You can also smoosh it up so it's soupy and homogenous.

 

[tyleete]

Thank you SO much to each responding! I've been trying to take it in as best as I can.
I've read several threads linked in here (above) and essentially it looks like: Boil (Cook?) for
4-6hrs. Then remove meat, put bones and skin and liquid (enough to cover bones) in crock pot
for 24hrs? Then freeze until needed?
Questions:
*Can it be thawed via microwave or have to sit out?
*Have seen about adding stuff like cider vinegar, but others saying not to add anything but skin, bones, & liquid cooked in.
Which is it? I can't imagine a cat wanting cider vinegar, but never tried it. Just know not fond of oily stuff. Mine anyhow.

*Says 'Organic' chicken is best. I haven't been able to find that online at my usual grocery stores. What should I look for or keep away from?
*How much is to be given a day/per feeding? My cat eats about 5 baby jars of 2.5oz a day. A whole 8lbs.
*Also says temporary. Will this work for a while? My vet said my kitty probably has a few months in her still.
She's not in pain, and we're basing everything on Quality of Life.
I think that's it. Thank you everyone for your help and suggestions!

 

[Kieka]

Store bought bone broth for pets is fine even long term. Of course, homemade is usually better since you can control the ingredients better to ensure it doesn't have fillers. But store bought isn't a bad option. There are also gravy toppers that are thicker versions. Adding either will give your cat better nutrition then just baby food. You also might want to try something like Tiny Tiger pate mixed with a lot of water or Tiki Cat smooth pate mixed with water. Both can get pretty tiny and lappable.

There are a few broth toppers out there, granted most have chunks but the right chunk could surprise you. My crew won't eat without a broth topper on their food so I've tried most of them. Nulo has one with a lot of liquid and minimal chunks, Fancy Feast though is the easiest to find. PetSmart recently started a store brand version.

 

[daftcat75]

What I did, because I was making raw food with the meat, was cut away almost all the meat. I left a little on the bones because it wasn’t worth the extra effort nor is it necessary to start with clean bones. The other reason why I started with mostly meatless bones is that leaving a lot of meat on the bones increases the cook time. Undercooked meat increases the possibility of a food borne illness.

Start with mostly meatless bones.

Water just to cover. The less water you use the more concentrated the stock. Just make sure there is enough water to cover so everything gets cooked.

Yes you should add apple cider vinegar. It’s an acid that helps the extraction of the minerals and collagens. The amount the recipe calls for will not be enough to affect the flavor. Your cat will not taste the vinegar.

Cook in a slow cooker or pressure cooker long enough to cook any meat left on the bones. You don’t need to cook the bones to dust. The good stuff (collagen) is in the joints, not the bones.

Strain it.

I prefer to use ice packs to quick cook it before portioning, or putting it in the fridge or freezer.

I used to freeze canning jars of stock with a working jar I served from and the remainder in the freezer.

I don’t recommend microwaving the frozen stock or leaving it out. The best defrosting practice is to bring it back to liquid in a double boiler and then place it back in the fridge to set back up like Jello.


Cooking it for longer is not better. The longer you cook the bones, the more glutamates you extract. Some cats (and people too) are sensitive to glutamates (think MSG headaches.) Cooking it until any remaining meat is cooked all the way through and the meat easily falls off/drips off the bones is usually sufficient.

You should be able to offer a few spoonfuls a day.

I’m not certain how much is too much. Or if such a limit exists.

I think they say temporary because they believe meat stock is a bridge back to food. But that may not be the case with your girl if baby food is all she wants now. I would retain some of that meat off the bones after cooking and see if she’s interested in that too.

 

[StanAndAlf]

I make a very simple bone broth for my cats, took me 3 hours for 1kg (approx) of bones and made 600ml of broth.

I bought some soup bones from my local butcher (grocery store also had some) and placed them in a large pot (no prep, other than a quick rinse under the tap, and then straight into the pot). I added enough water to sufficiently cover the bones and then brought the pot to a boil. Once it was boiling, I turned the heat to low, placed a lid on the pot and let it simmer for three hours. I then removed the bones and meat and let the mixture cool. Once cool, there will be some white floating bits - this is excess fat and oils. I skimmed this from the top, strained the broth and divided it into ice cube trays (silicone ones, to be precise). Then I store in the freezer in a container and thaw as needed.

I actually found out from a feline nutrition group that studies have show apple cider vinegar has little impact on the amount of minerals extracted, so you can make the broth without it if you choose, as I do.

You can give her a tablespoon a day, though keep in mind its not a complete diet. You can also give her some raw goats milk (you can freeze this too) for some extra calories and it's a great probiotic.

Have you tried Hills A/D? It is already in pate form and can be watered down easily. It's very palatable and a great appetite stimulant. There is also a sweet gel you can get called Nutripet (or Nutrigel) which you can wipe on her gums or tongue to get some extra nutrients into her.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Just came across this thread - for those times when you don't want/haven't time to make home made broth, you can try these 'toppers' - Simply Nourish broth, Delectable bisque, and Friskies lil' Soups. I use these to help enhance the flavor of Feeby's foods, and it also helps to 'smooth' out the more grainy pates (thankfully, she will still eat these). Feeby will not eat any of the broths with chunks in them either. None of them are complete meals, however, and you might consider them a bit pricey. You could even use the pates and mix them in a blender with one of these toppers to make soup.

Have you tried Tiki Cat Velvet Mousse? It really doesn't have chunks of anything in it, and it is fairly soupy. They are complete meals. Maybe try one of them in a blender if the texture right out of the pouch isn't to her liking.

 

[tyleete]

Just came across this thread - for those times when you don't want/haven't time to make home made broth, you can try these 'toppers' - Simply Nourish broth, Delectable bisque, and Friskies lil' Soups. I use these to help enhance the flavor of Feeby's foods, and it also helps to 'smooth' out the more grainy pates (thankfully, she will still eat these). Feeby will not eat any of the broths with chunks in them either. None of them are complete meals, however, and you might consider them a bit pricey. You could even use the pates and mix them in a blender with one of these toppers to make soup.

Have you tried Tiki Cat Velvet Mousse? It really doesn't have chunks of anything in it, and it is fairly soupy. They are complete meals. Maybe try one of them in a blender if the texture right out of the pouch isn't to her liking.

Thanks! I was, until recently, feeding her pates with extra water. I also put it like that in my ninja and it was still not good enough for this one. She'd lick up everything, and left behind would be a dry clump of meat.:/ Cats.
Now that we're down to baby food, I was told it's not nutrition that she needs. Her vet said she's probably only got another few months left in her. But I don't want her body desperately using her reserves and starving itself. She's scrawny and hasn't any anyhow. Just trying to make her as comfortable as I can, for as long as I can.
I did look at the suggested and appreciate it. Tiki looks like my blender version of pate + water. And the others look like all the (what protein there is) will be found in the chunks of food. I did see they have some instant bone broths I stores for pets. But mostly they contain things like black pepper and such, that can irritate her stomach.
Currently I've 7hrs left in the 24hr crockpot. I was wondering though,
Do you know if a bird has to go through the 4-6hrs of boiling first, if you don't need the meat? I mean, I can always peel it off a thawed bird and just skip to the 24hr crockpot if not.:/
Thanks!

 

[FeebysOwner]

This is what daftcat75 had to say above about the cooking time.

What I did, because I was making raw food with the meat, was cut away almost all the meat. I left a little on the bones because it wasn’t worth the extra effort nor is it necessary to start with clean bones. The other reason why I started with mostly meatless bones is that leaving a lot of meat on the bones increases the cook time. Undercooked meat increases the possibility of a food borne illness.

But, the bone broth isn't going to be a complete food for her anymore than the baby food meat. Maybe daftcat75 could recommend a supplement that is generally used for those who feed their cats home made foods, that you could add to your cat's baby food meat and/or broth to give her the proper vitamins/nutrients she needs? I believe one of them is called EZ Complete.

And, here is one bone broth that doesn't appear to have any seasonings in it.
PURINA BEYOND Mixers Immune Support Chicken Bone Broth Wet Cat Food Complement, 1.55-oz pouch, case of 16 - Chewy.com. It is also available through Amazon and PetSmart. You could check your local PetSmart (if you have one) and pick up a few to try to test before ordering a whole pack of them. You might also consider checking with your other local pet stores as well.

Also, have you tried blending something like the Wellness Core Tiny Tasters (also a complete meal)?

 

[daftcat75]

Thanks! I was, until recently, feeding her pates with extra water. I also put it like that in my ninja and it was still not good enough for this one. She'd lick up everything, and left behind would be a dry clump of meat.:/ Cats.
Now that we're down to baby food, I was told it's not nutrition that she needs. Her vet said she's probably only got another few months left in her. But I don't want her body desperately using her reserves and starving itself. She's scrawny and hasn't any anyhow. Just trying to make her as comfortable as I can, for as long as I can.
I did look at the suggested and appreciate it. Tiki looks like my blender version of pate + water. And the others look like all the (what protein there is) will be found in the chunks of food. I did see they have some instant bone broths I stores for pets. But mostly they contain things like black pepper and such, that can irritate her stomach.
Currently I've 7hrs left in the 24hr crockpot. I was wondering though,
Do you know if a bird has to go through the 4-6hrs of boiling first, if you don't need the meat? I mean, I can always peel it off a thawed bird and just skip to the 24hr crockpot if not.:/
Thanks!

You can skip a lot of cook time if you do strip the bird from the bones. Whatever goes into the pot must come out cooked or you run the risk of a food-borne illness. I’ll never know for certain. But I’m nearly convinced that Krista’s nasty clostridium infection was from an undercooked turkey drumstick. After that, I always stripped the bones first (except a tiny amount of meat that I knew would get cooked.)

 

[daftcat75]

I recommend the Tiki Mousse treats or Tiki Velvet Mousse food. It is similar to baby food in texture but formulated to be popular with cats. My Krista enjoyed them. It’s too bad they contain xanthan gum which ripped right through her. Mousse in, mousse out. But if yours doesn’t have the same sensitivity… She may not be projected to have much time left. But any amount of cat food you can get her eating will be better, will make her more comfortable than baby food alone. Have you tried NutriCal or similar nutritional gel? It’s not much. But it’s something more than she’s getting. You don’t know, especially with how cats hide discomfort, how a nutritional deficiency might complicate her remaining time. Keep feeding the baby food because eating is better than not eating. But any cat food you can mix in or otherwise get her to eat is better than baby food alone.

 

[tyleete]

I wanted to drop a line and didn't know where to put my Thank You piece, so hoping those that did help me see it here.
I started this thread when my eldest (with Cancer) had stopped eating cat food. Didn't know what to do. Thanks to all the
help and words of wisdom from the members here? I was able to get her through this. It lasted a total of maybe two weeks. Where she was eating only human baby food. Got her on a few broths and such that helped immensely.
It all started from an awful URI/ head cold. Got to not wanting to eat at all. But through the help here, she's doing absolutely wonderful!
She's eating wet cat food again, back to her old self! The vet had told me while this was happening, that she was looking not good at all, and we had to think about what's best for her. Then I took her in after a particularly hard weekend, and it was like day and night! Said she hadn't seen her looking so good in quite some time.
So I just wanted to thank everyone here for your help. She's 17 and was diagnosed with lymphoma Cancer in the intestines 5yrs ago.
The vet said her still being alive is unheard of, even with her chemo and cbd. We took her off the steroids last year to replace with cbd.
I know one day her time will come. But thanks to everyone here, it wasn't last month! Thank you so much!
The most awesome thing about this site, is it isn't filled with 'crazy cat people' like I've seen everywhere else. Other places you look at/to are judgy as all and preach. Everyone acting like their word is God. I've loved this place because it's filled with kind and compassionate people that just want to help. Thank you!

 

[Babypaws]

I’m so glad your cat is doing so much better. My oldest is about the same age…
nice to hear some cheery news…