Homemade cat food

[bpenniman]

Ive been researching about homemade cat food and actually made a little amount for my cats and dog. (I ate a little too. Hehe. It was yummy.) Anyways, i hear how cats should be given hardly any carbs but the recipes also always say to have potatoes. I thickened up the food with gluten free flour as i have celiacs and so my cats never eat food with wheat anyway. Is this okay? The serving of flour would have been about 6 g of carbs between the two cats. So 3 each. Also its made out of sorghum, potato, and brown rice. I also need more advice. This was an expierement with chicken, tuna, and a tiny amount of leftover sea bass with veggies and a little spinach. They loved it. If i do this more, i can look up this stuff but any1 here doing it first hand would have better experiential advice.

 

[bpenniman]

Ive been researching about homemade cat food and actually made a little amount for my cats and dog. (I ate a little too. Hehe. It was yummy.) Anyways, i hear how cats should be given hardly any carbs but the recipes also always say to have potatoes. I thickened up the food with gluten free flour as i have celiacs and so my cats never eat food with wheat anyway. Is this okay? The serving of flour would have been about 6 g of carbs between the two cats. So 3 each. Also its made out of sorghum, potato, and brown rice. I also need more advice. This was an expierement with chicken, tuna, and a tiny amount of leftover sea bass with veggies and a little spinach. They loved it. If i do this more, i can look up this stuff but any1 here doing it first hand would have better experiential advice.

This is them after they eat alot!

 

[bpenniman]

I meant green beans not spinach

 

[1 bruce 1]

I'm not familiar with cooking for cats unless it's a short term diet, but others have and i hope they stop in and give you some advice.
There are some pre mixes you can use that need only meat and sometimes organ meat (liver I believe) that makes it easier to balance and more palatable.
Also, do I read it right that you're going to be adopting an 11 year old cat? That's pretty amazing

 

[LTS3]

Can you post the exact recipe you used? Is this something you found online or just made up yourself?

I thickened up the food with gluten free flour as i have celiacs and so my cats never eat food with wheat anyway. Is this okay?

Also its made out of sorghum, potato, and brown rice. I also need more advice. This was an expierement with chicken, tuna, and a tiny amount of leftover sea bass with veggies and a little spinach. They loved it. If i do this more, i can look up this stuff but any1 here doing it first hand would have better experiential advice.

That's not a good diet for a cat. Cats don't need flour / starch of any kind or veggies.

Please read this on how to make a proper nutritionally balanced home cooked diet:

Home-Cooked Cat Food Resources

Cooked Food Resources Recipes One very easy option is to start with meat or meat and organs and add a commercially available premix of nutritional supplements that will make the food nutritionally balanced. By Dr. Donald Strombeck...

thecatsite.com

The easiest way to make a home cooked diet is to use plain cooked meat of your choice with a pre-mix such as EZComplete.

 

[1 bruce 1]

When we made a home made diet for our sick cat, we used plain boiled chicken or turkey, with some pumpkin and added calcium. He was only on this for about 3 weeks (+/-) to sooth his gut.
Alnutrin and EZ complete are two pre mixes a lot of people here seem to like. They make balancing a diet easy so you know they're getting what they need
Feeding Your Cat: Know the Basics of Feline Nutrition – Common Sense. Healthy Cats.
This is an excellent website that will help you get going.
StackPath
Another good one, they deal more with raw diets but they have a lot of articles that will explain the why's as to why we add certain things to the diet and what is and isn't needed.
Don't get discouraged!

 

[Meowmee]

I got recipe for Quinn’s food from alnutrin, they make the supplements to add in. I cook chicken and chicken liver and add supplements. No starches needed. I add 1 teas pumpkin Once per day for fiber. I don’t add bone so chicken liver is needed and I cook the meat but it can be done with raw meat as well.

Know What You Feed - A Guide To A Balanced Homemade Cat Food

 

[Azazel]

Sorry but the diet you’re describing doesn’t sound appropriate for cats - where is the meat?? Is it nutritionally complete? Where did you get the recipe from?

I make homemade food for my cats. Usually homemade cat food involves raw meat, organs, and bones. Cats are obligate carnivores and can’t process vegetables and carbs properly so flour, green beans, and potatoes are a big no-no.

 

[bpenniman]

I'm not familiar with cooking for cats unless it's a short term diet, but others have and i hope they stop in and give you some advice.
There are some pre mixes you can use that need only meat and sometimes organ meat (liver I believe) that makes it easier to balance and more palatable.
Also, do I read it right that you're going to be adopting an 11 year old cat? That's pretty amazing

I decided against it bcuz my 12 yr old boots is having some health issues and needs special attention. Hes the grey one in the pic. The orange one is buck whom i adopted a couple months ago after my orange cat sunshine passed away.

 

[bpenniman]

Can you post the exact recipe you used? Is this something you found online or just made up yourself?





That's not a good diet for a cat. Cats don't need flour / starch of any kind or veggies.

Please read this on how to make a proper nutritionally balanced home cooked diet:

Home-Cooked Cat Food Resources

Cooked Food Resources Recipes One very easy option is to start with meat or meat and organs and add a commercially available premix of nutritional supplements that will make the food nutritionally balanced. By Dr. Donald Strombeck...

thecatsite.com

The easiest way to make a home cooked diet is to use plain cooked meat of your choice with a pre-mix such as EZComplete.

I got the recipe off a 10 yr old cat magazine i got for free at goodwill in a stack.

 

[bpenniman]

Sorry but the diet you’re describing doesn’t sound appropriate for cats - where is the meat?? Is it nutritionally complete? Where did you get the recipe from?

I make homemade food for my cats. Usually homemade cat food involves raw meat, organs, and bones. Cats are obligate carnivores and can’t process vegetables and carbs properly so flour, green beans, and potatoes are a big no-no.

I got it off an at least 10 yr old cat fancy magazine i got for free in a stack at goodwill. It didnt call for flour but potatoes and thats what i was wondering if there should be potatoes at all.

 

[LTS3]

I decided against it bcuz my 12 yr old boots is having some health issues and needs special attention.

What special dietary needs does your cat have? Members might be able to point you to a proper nutritionally balanced home cooked diet that is appropriate.

Pre-mixes are just the vitamins and minerals to make raw or cooked meat a complete diet for cats. Some do contain liver and eggs and possibly other things that a cat with food sensitivities may not be able to tolerate.

I got the recipe off a 10 yr old cat magazine i got for free at goodwill in a stack.

Cat nutrition has come a long way in 10 years. Was the recipe and article written by a veterinary nutritionist? If not, it probably isn't a good diet even if it is published in a well known cat magazine. Magazines often don't check out articles with an expert to confirm the information is correct before publishing.

Potatoes and other starches should not be in any cat food, IMO. Commercial cat food do contain these things as cheap fillers. The point of home made diets is to not feed fillers and junk to a cat.

Check out the links that have been posted for up to date information on home cooked diets and nutrition. Catinfo.org is a great source of information.

A consult with a veterinary nutritionist may be helpful for your cat's particular needs. Most will just recommend prescription (junk) food though

 

[daftcat75]

That recipe is all kinds of wrong for cats. It likely doesn’t have enough calcium for starters. And it features too many inappropriate ingredients.

This is an example of how to make proper and appropriate cat food.
Easy Raw Cat Food for the Busy Person

It isn’t hard. But it shouldn’t be done without a recipe put together by a veterinarian.

In general, a proper cat food should be meat w/ bone (or boneless meat with a calcium supplement), moisture, organs, and supplements.

You can shortcut this by getting EZ Complete which has the organs and supplements in a powder you add to raw or cooked meat.

Alnutrin is cheaper than EZ Complete but you need to add liver.

Until you have either a premix powder or you’re following a recipe like above link, I recommend keeping homemade to less than 10% of their diet. Treat meat like a treat until you’ve made it nutritionally complete.

 

[Willowy]

I've used the Strombeck recipes, slightly modified (using cat vitamins instead of human vitamins to get taurine, skip the clams (which normally provide the taurine) because that cat didn't like them). I think that's a good way to make cat food for cats who don't like raw meat. So if you just want to make them a meal now and then, I think the Strombeck recipes are pretty good.

 

[daftcat75]

I've used the Strombeck recipes, slightly modified (using cat vitamins instead of human vitamins to get taurine, skip the clams (which normally provide the taurine) because that cat didn't like them). I think that's a good way to make cat food for cats who don't like raw meat. So if you just want to make them a meal now and then, I think the Strombeck recipes are pretty good.

Where do you get the cat vitamins? Specifically, I'd love to find a b-vitamin that doesn't smell like feet and doesn't get rejected by my picky geriatric.

 

[bpenniman]

What special dietary needs does your cat have? Members might be able to point you to a proper nutritionally balanced home cooked diet that is appropriate.

Pre-mixes are just the vitamins and minerals to make raw or cooked meat a complete diet for cats. Some do contain liver and eggs and possibly other things that a cat with food sensitivities may not be able to tolerate.



Cat nutrition has come a long way in 10 years. Was the recipe and article written by a veterinary nutritionist? If not, it probably isn't a good diet even if it is published in a well known cat magazine. Magazines often don't check out articles with an expert to confirm the information is correct before publishing.

Potatoes and other starches should not be in any cat food, IMO. Commercial cat food do contain these things as cheap fillers. The point of home made diets is to not feed fillers and junk to a cat.

Check out the links that have been posted for up to date information on home cooked diets and nutrition. Catinfo.org is a great source of information.

A consult with a veterinary nutritionist may be helpful for your cat's particular needs. Most will just recommend prescription (junk) food though

His needs are hormonal. Adrenal glands. Not enough cortisol so he gets tired alot and also has some issues with joint pain. He takes synthetic hormones but is going back to vet in a couple wks. I know hes 12 but seems way too tired. And my vet is very into allopathic medicine for everything and isnt a fan of natural and raw foods so it would be good go get advice on here for diet.

 

[bpenniman]

gorums

His needs are hormonal. Adrenal glands. Not enough cortisol so he gets tired alot and also has some issues with joint pain. He takes synthetic hormones but is going back to vet in a couple wks. I know hes 12 but seems way too tired. And my vet is very into allopathic medicine for everything and isnt a fan of natural and raw foods so it would be good go get advice on here for diet.

This is him now. Hes not seriousely overweight but cortisol is making him pack on the lbs. I adopted him last year from a farm family who said hes the sweetest cat but they cant manage his health issues.

 

[Willowy]

Where do you get the cat vitamins? Specifically, I'd love to find a b-vitamin that doesn't smell like feet and doesn't get rejected by my picky geriatric.

Pretty sure this is what I used. The bottle looked different a few years ago though:
https://www.chewy.com/vetriscience-nucat-multivitamin/dp/125705

But chewy has a bunch of other options too.

They're supposed to be flavored to taste good but she never would eat them plain, although she didn't mind them crushed up in her food.