Homemade Cat Food – 3 DIY Recipes That Are Healthy for Cats!

Homemade cat food. Have you ever made DIY homemade cat food? Pet owners of all kinds have been exploring different diet options for their beloved pets over the past several years, and in 2024, it is growing. As a result, many cat owners have switched from traditional cat food choices to creating DIY homemade cat foods at home with simple ingredients.

If you are debating preparing homemade cat food for your kitty, this is a great post to learn some basics and start with three favorite recipes.

Benefits of DIY Homemade Cat Food

All cat owners want the best for their furry friends when caring for their cats. However, suppose you already have a cat as your beloved companion. You undoubtedly know what it is like to enjoy your pet feeling comfortable and cared for.

The best care includes looking at aspects such as:

• Offering healthy meals
• Entertainment options
• Socializing possibilities
• A comfortable environment.

However, the information available on the best diet can be confusing when it comes to planning meals for your cat.

The market for cat food has exploded in recent years, boasting a wide variety of food products. As a result, store shelves are lined with varying choices, starting from cheaper options and escalating to pricier cat foods.

The issue we run into is less costly meal choices for our cats only sometimes cover all the nutritional needs of the feline diet.

Alternatively, your cat may enjoy the more expensive top brands, which are veterinarian-recommended and claim to make all the difference in a cat’s life. Still, there may be better choices for your cat, too.

How Do You Ensure the Food You Provide Your Cat Suits Their Specific Needs?

Here is where DIY homemade cat food may be the best choice.

Contrary to some beliefs, serving DIY homemade cat food can be amazingly very healthy and nutritious, granted you take the time and dedication needed to prepare these meals considering your cat’s needs. The possibilities are endless, and the diversity allows you to customize your food planning to your kitty’s preferences and needs.

These days, creating meals for your cats is on the rise. DIY homemade cat food recipes are readily available. Supplements and nutritional additives are easily accessible for purchase online. In addition, you can have practically everything you need to be delivered directly to your door.

There are even DIY homemade cat food cookbooks available. You can prepare a meat dish or even your own DIY homemade cat food gravy if you’d like!

Surprisingly, as if adding longevity to your cats’ lives isn’t enough, many cat owners discover that making their DIY cat food can save them money. In addition, DIY homemade cat foods are often cheaper in the long run than purchasing cases and dry bags from the store.

Cooked canned cat foods can be beneficial in their own ways. Most commercial cat foods packaged in cans are cooked cat foods. Many of these options will contain wheat, rice, soy, and other additives that are only sometimes beneficial to your cat’s diet. However, many pet owners choose this food as it is generally cheaper.

You may need clarification or question the best diet for your cat. You likely want to ensure the food you’ve selected is healthy.

Talk to your veterinarian about your options and the implications specific options may have on your cat’s health. It is best to be informed. Your vet can provide information that compliments your cat’s medical history and specific needs. For example, your cat may need DIY homemade cat food.

Before we look at three DIY homemade cat food recipes, let’s see what cats usually need to sustain a healthy lifestyle and immune system.

A Cat’s Dietary Needs

When tackling the DIY homemade cat food task, you must consider the needs of the feline diet. The most important fact to remember when cooking healthy homemade cat food is that cats are carnivores. Cats are natural hunters, and their bodies rely heavily on meat consumption.

Cats need balanced food diets with a variety of essential components daily to remain healthy and active. Therefore, before jumping into creating your homemade cat food, you should take into consideration these cats’ nutritional needs before carrying on:

Minerals

Minerals are essential for the well-being of all living mammals. Minerals are a necessary dietary component and play a crucial role in the following:

• pH balanced
• nutrient use
• enzyme formation
• oxygen transportation

• The minerals a cat needs include:
  • potassium
  • calcium
  • iron
  • magnesium
  • sodium
  • chloride
  • potassium
• Calcium is present in:
  • leguminous plants
  • meat
  • organ tissues
  • bones
• Calcium helps cats maintain strong bones. 
• Magnesium is present in:
  • milk
  • whole grains
  • fish
  • soybeans
• Magnesium aids in many factors of the cat’s body, such as cell production and hormones. Therefore, magnesium deficiency in your cat could cause a severe issue.
• Potassium is necessary for the heart functioning of the cat’s heart and nerves. Your cat can consume potassium in:
  • salmon
  • chicken
  • white beans
  • lamb
•  This mineral contributes to the circulation of electrolytes through a cat’s body. 

Animal Protein

All nutritional cat diets should contain abundant animal proteins, as cats are primarily carnivores. However, DIY cat foods allow you to select your cat’s protein.

• Animal proteins are the foundation for the healthy function of:
  • tendons
  • hair
  • skin
  • blood
  • tissues
  • cartilage
  • muscles
  • heart.
• This shows how important it is to respect that cats are carnivores and feed them a diet incorporating meat as the main ingredient.
• It is essential to ensure your cat gets sufficient animal protein and ensure you include a variety of meats in a feline diet. Great choices are:

• fish – smaller fish like sardines have less mercury in them.
• chicken
• turkey
• beef
• eggs will also cover the need for animal protein if the eggs are eaten in smaller amounts.
• animal proteins should comprise at least 30% of a cat’s diet.
• Meat provides additional amino acids specifically necessary in the feline diet.

Fats

Fats are a cat’s energy source. So when selecting your homemade cat food options, be sure your chosen diet for your cat includes plenty of fat-rich goods

• Meat and fish naturally contain fats known as good fats. Good fats and Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids assist in keeping cats’ heart rates regular. Good fats maintain anti-coagulant properties in your cat’s blood and lower the risk of blood clots and heart disease.
• Fats help maintain a cat’s body temperature and absorb the much-needed vitamins mentioned above. They also give your lively feline the energy to stay active, curious, and playful throughout the day.
• Healthy fats provide twice as much energy for your cat for carbohydrates.
• Pet owners are encouraged to provide around 20 to 24 percent fat in their cat’s diet.

Water

Water may seem counterintuitive to many. However, a little-known fact about cats is that felines consume far less water than their bodies need to maintain a healthy balance.

This reasoning is why it’s a general rule of thumb that pet owners should reconsider feeding their cats dry food only.

• Cats need to replenish these resources as they are 70% water themselves. Unfortunately, the only way to do it is through an adequate diet since you may need to convince them to drink more water.
• Water is essential to a cat’s body to help eliminate toxins. In addition, water helps better metabolize nutrients and distribute those nutrients while also helping maintain the animal’s body temperature at optimum levels.
• An inadequate water intake can lead to all sorts of health conditions for your cat. Those could include:
  • kidney issues
  • dehydration
  • digestion issues
  • And heat exhaustion which is never fun.
• Cats require around 3.5 ounces of water per 5 lbs. of weight. This amount needs to be drunk daily. 

Taurine

Taurine is a crucial amino acid needed consistently in your cat’s diet.

• Taurine is an essential amino acid that isn’t independently created. Your cat can only get it from specific foods. The best source of Taurine is animal proteins.
• All cats that don’t get enough Taurine in their diet will mostly suffer from the following:
  • Heart problems and vision issues and will find it overall challenging to thrive. So be sure to add taurine to your DIY cat food.
• You can ensure your cat gets the necessary amount of Taurine for its well-being by feeding it:
  • dark chicken meat
  • eggs
  • shellfish
  • beef
  • lamb
  • cold-water fish such as salmon or herring. 
• Thankfully, Taurine is also available as a powdered supplement, which you can easily order online.

Talk to your vet before including these supplements in your cat’s diet. The vet can calculate the correct quantity of taurine supplement your cat requires if they consider it necessary.

Dr. Jean Hofve told us about the effects of Taurine in an interview. ‘As long as you’re feeding a good quantity and quality of meat, you’re probably fine, but when you’re talking about commercial pet food quality and quantity, not a sure thing.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are usually always surrounded by ominous warnings in diets. Pet owners are often concerned about cats and carbohydrates, leading to feline obesity and diabetes. However, correct carbohydrates are very beneficial to your cat’s health.

Carbohydrates give cats a jolt of energy in a form that is highly digestible by the body.

• Carbohydrates are typically pre-treated in wet cat foods, meaning they are meant to be digested quickly by your cat’s body.
• Suppose you feed your cat uncooked legumes and soybeans. In that case, you must be mindful that their carbohydrates may be paired with many other anti-nutritional elements that may harm your cat.
• Healthful carbs to consider adding to your DIY pet food may be:
  • spinach
  • carrot
  • asparagus
  • yuca

One of the best features of making DIY homemade cat food is that you can adjust each nutritional factor above as needed. Where commercial cat foods are set in their ingredients, DIY cat foods do not have this limitation.

Homemade Cat Food: Before Cooking for Your Cat

Before you start cooking DIY cat food for your cat, there are several highlights of meal planning and prepping all cat owners need to be mindful of:

• Older cats and cats with more sensitive gastrointestinal systems will benefit more from cooked meals. For example, cooking homemade cat food can be easier on their bodies than raw meals.
• If you choose to cook meat for your cats, remember that your cat may still enjoy its rare meat. Not only does this make an ideal preference for your cat, but it’s also more nutritionally beneficial.
• The secret here is raw, cooked meat still holds those healthy enzymes which benefit your cat’s well-being. At the same time, the surface of your cat’s animal protein becomes cleared of bacteria through the cooking process.
• Additionally, the meat will stay moist and tender – an excellent treat for your cat.
• Avoid sausage meat and other processed meat when cooking for your furry friend. Processed meats may contain sulfite preservatives that are toxic for your cats. Avoid processed meats in your homemade cat meal.
• Be aware any meat you feed to your cat, raw or rare, should be meat that has been checked by a veterinary specialist beforehand – such as the meat you purchase commercially, which goes through a thorough checkup before it is sold.
• Remember, switching to cooked DIY homemade cat food is all about finding healthier alternatives to the options available on the cat food market.
• Cooked bones are a strict ‘no’ for your cat. Bones tend to splinter at high temperatures and produce tiny bone splinters that can damage your cat’s esophagus and intestines.
• In this case, it’s better to prevent than to cure, so it’s recommended that you avoid cooked bones altogether. You can add raw ground bones and meat protein to your DIY cat food. This supplies your cat with calcium and phosphorus, two minerals your cat needs abundantly.
• Before you start cooking for your furry friend, ensure you know your cat’s food allergies or sensitivities. This way, you both can have an easy and rewarding transition to a DIY homemade cat food diet.
• Transitioning to DIY homemade cat food can be a challenge for some cats. As humans do, cats become accustomed to an aspect of their lives, and change can be difficult. Go slow, and avoid getting frustrated with your cat during the transition process.

For some great tips on how and why to transition your cat to a raw food or DIY food diet, take a look at Mercola healthy pets. In addition, they provide a series of videos on YouTube hosted by Dr. Becker.

Dr. Becker is exceptionally knowledgeable and provides excellent information, in an easy-to-understand way, about the importance of pet owners considering their pet’s diets. She is a great resource to learn from!

Now, you have the basics for your cat’s essential dietary needs. Let us dive into three DIY homemade cat food recipes you can easily follow in your kitchen and the ingredients list.

3 DIY Cat Food Recipes To Get You Started

Healthy Meat Mix Diet

You’ll need several different ingredients for this DIY homemade cat food recipe. If you can’t find the initial suggestions listed, you have several alternative options or would prefer something else. Your cat may have a palate preference or need to adjust ingredients for dietary reasons.

That being said, please be mindful that this recipe, as seen on catinfo.org, is not recommended as DIY homemade cat food for cats with kidney disease.

Ingredients

• 3 pounds of poultry: You can choose either thigh meat, skin, or bones.
• The alternative is 2 – 2.25 lbs of whole carcass ground rabbit + 0.75 – 1 lb of boneless chicken or turkey fat, skin, or meat.
• One cup of water or even more to the recipe, depending on how much water your cat usually drinks. This will improve its urinary tract.
• Two eggs: (optional) You must boil the egg whites for 3-4 minutes while leaving the yolk raw.
• 5,000 – 10,000 mg of fish oil is incredibly beneficial to cats because of its fatty acids. Use 5-10 capsules of the average 1,000 mg capsules. Use a reduced amount of 2,000 mg if your cat is not fond of fish. Please avoid using cod liver oil since the liver in this recipe already contains vitamins A and D.
• Vitamin E – 400 IU (268 mg): the most straightforward form to use is the capsule version of powdered vitamin E.
• Vitamin B – complex (50 mg.): Only 1 capsule or tablet. If your cat does not like the food, you can do the next batch with only half a dose at 25 mg.
• Taurine (2,000 mg): the easiest way to find and use taurine is in its powdered version – capsules or loose.
• 1 tsp Morton Lite salt with iodine – if you’re using the entire chicken, only use 1/2 tablespoon when using the rabbit and chicken combination. If you can’t access this, use ¾ tsp of regular salt with iodine.
• 14 tablets of potassium gluconate (99 mg each) will help absorb the taurine.
• Liver: There’s no need to add more liver using a ground rabbit. If you’re going the chicken route, add 3-4 ounces of chicken livers per 3 lb of skin/meat/bones.

Directions

When you are using the ground rabbit, you will need to:

1. Mix the ground rabbit with the chunked chicken or turkey.
2. Add all the supplements mentioned above to water and stir until dissolved. Once it is properly dissolved, you can add this to the skin/meat/bones, eggs, and liver combination.
3. Thoroughly mix everything until you get a smooth composition.
4. Portion into containers.
5. Label and date each serving.
6. Place in the freezer.

Basic Fresh Raw DIY Cat Food Recipe

This fresh raw DIY homemade cat food recipe, as seen on www.littlebigcat.com, is relatively easy to prepare and also comes with plenty of alternative ingredients, in case you can’t purchase the original suggested ones.

For example, suppose you choose not to use (or don’t have) poultry meats available. In that case, this recipe offers cooked eggs as an alternative. In addition, organic eggs are easier to come by for some and friendlier to your wallet.

For this delicious meal, you will need the following items:

Ingredients

• NutriBiotic Grapefruit Seed Extract: it’s best to dilute this in water before mixing it with other ingredients. 
• 1 pound meat, preferably organic: This could also be poultry such as chicken, ostrich, or quail – be sure to ground the meat or cut it into appropriate chunks. A meat cleaver and grinder may come in handy for this step. Again, you can combine different meats for added variety.
• 4 oz. organic liver
• 1 tablespoon organic hemp seed oil, flaxseed oil, or walnut oil. You can also use organic safflower or organic sunflower oil as alternatives.
• If you are not using meat, you can use 2 chopped hard-boiled or scrambled eggs, each 1/4 of any meat.
• Pinch of Himalayan or Celtic finely ground pink salt.
• Omega-3 supplement
• 500 mg taurine (in powdered or capsule form).
• 1 spoonful of liquid garlic
• Complete Vitamin-Mineral Supplement is perfect for homemade diets. These are essential add-ons to the recipe if you are planning to switch to an all-homemade food diet.
• Alternative #1: You can also use a probiotic supplement.
• Alternative #2: 1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon Digestive Enzyme supplement. Mix it straight into the food while serving it to your cat.
• Alternative #3: 2 – 4 oz non-starchy vegetables in their steamed or pureed form – spinach, broccoli, kale, sprouts, yellow squash, and zucchini are all great finds.
• Alternative #4: You can quickly add up to 1 tablespoon of ground Chia seeds if you feel your cat could do with more fiber.

Directions

1. This DIY homemade cat food recipe indicates you freeze your meat for 72 hours before feeding it to your cat to kill off parasitic cysts and worm larvae.
2. Cut the organ meats into bite-size chunks that are appropriate for your cat.
3. Mix all the ingredients listed above into one delicious composition.
4. Let the ingredients settle, cool off for 30-60 minutes, and then serve it to your cats or kittens.

Chicken Thighs With Bones Homemade Cat Food Recipe

This excellent DIY homemade cat food recipe comes from www.feline-nutrition.org and covers your cat’s basic nutritional needs. This recipe is good because it only calls for one animal protein.

Often multiple types of meat are challenging for some pet owners to purchase. But, in some cases, they find the quality. So, this recipe is a good one to keep as a stable cat food meal choice.

You will need the following:

Ingredients

• 4.5 lbs. chicken thighs, including bone. To keep an appropriate calcium/phosphorus ratio, remove about 20 to 25% of the bone from the total amount of meat you use. The skin is not recommended if your cats are already chubby. All the remaining chicken bones should be used only for boiling.
• 14 oz. (400 grams) raw chicken heart: If you cannot access raw hearts, replace them with 4,000 mg taurine.
• Four raw egg yolks
• 7 ounces of raw chicken liver
• 8 ounces of bottled water
• 2000 mg taurine, in addition to the one you may have used to substitute the hearts.
• 200 IU Vitamin E
• 4000 mg wild salmon or wild-caught small fish oil
• 200 mg vitamin B Complex
• Four teaspoons Psyllium Husk Powder (optional)
• 1 ½ teaspoons Lite Iodized Salt

Directions

1. Remove the skin from the chicken thighs, as indicated above.
2. Open up the supplements and empty them in a mixing bowl. Keep the fish oil capsules for later on in the process.
3. Add the water and egg yolks to the same bowl as your supplement solution. Mix ingredients together until you have a smooth consistency. 
4. Cut up the meat from the thighs into smaller bite-sized chunks.
5. Feed the meat into the meat grinder. Then gradually add in the liver, heart, and fish oil capsules.
6. Add your meat mixture to a larger bowl once it’s ground. Then add the slurry mixture, the meat you’ve chunked, and the psyllium husk. Mix everything thoroughly.
7. Separate your mixture into containers and freeze it to feed your cat later. Refrigerate portions you intend to serve on the same day or the next day. Be sure to label and date any food you plan to use later. Homemade cat food should only be stored in the refrigerator for a maximum of 3 days. Never exceed four days. 

BONUS: Review and Recipe 

Written and submitted by our reader Patty McTee:

“I discovered the importance of a raw food diet for cats and dogs when our golden retriever became sick from eating store-bought dry or canned dog food. The food we had been giving was rated one of the best brands, but it was cooked. Cooked food not only cooks away most of the nutrients but is not an appropriate diet for obligate carnivores…cats and dogs.

This was a shock to me, especially because I had been a veterinary technician for many years and never once heard this before. In the hopes of saving our beloved dog, I found a wonderful holistic veterinarian who schooled me on a proper diet.

Sadly it was too late for our dog, but I knew then that I would use this info with all my pets going forward. About a year ago, we finally adopted a rescue cat. She was a 10-month old female tuxedo, DSH. Her name is Baby. 

What a doll! And like most kitties, she had been eating dry food. I began to transition her slowly to a raw DIY homemade cat food diet and within a month she was eating raw food only. The diet developed for her was based on her personal preferences, regarding proteins mostly.

Almost everything I use is organic, but that may or may not be in your budget. I recommend feeding the best you feel is reasonable and affordable. If all organic is not doable, just use the best you can. Even no organic ingredients will be SO much better than dead, cooked food.

Benefits Patty Noticed After Transitioning to DIY Homemade Cat Foods:

1. One of the best benefits of DIY homemade cat food is the absents of awful poop odor in the litter box. Seriously, none!
   Baby now produced only a tiny amount of waste instead of more. Moreover, there is no odor to her waste whatsoever. I am sure that is due to the higher quality of the food.
2. I have noticed that my cat seems to have a much stronger instinct for this raw food diet.
   When I walk toward her placemat to set her food down, Baby stretches her back legs as she walks to the food. I have recently learned this gesture is how a cat will get her legs ready for the hunt in the wild. 
3. Watching her rip through the house as fast as her legs carry her after eating is hilarious. Then, finally, her nutritional needs are taken care of, and she becomes all fat and sassy.
   Baby will run so fast in trying to stop she is skating across the hardwood floor on her claws. Watching my cat’s animal instincts rev is funny and so entertaining.
4. Lastly, I love how I can now spend less making this high-quality DIY homemade cat food than I ever did when buying cat foods at the big box stores.
   Additionally, you will have an additional saving on veterinary visits and extra care costs because the cat will be healthier eating this kind of diet. Isn’t that a nice perk?

Helpful Tools and Products for Making DIY Homemade Cat Food

If making your cat food at home is going to become the new normal at your house, there are a few tools and products you may consider investing in. But, of course, you will be using these items frequently.

Good quality products and equipment will help do planning and prepping your cat’s new food easier. They will also allow you to add a variety of meats and nutrients into your cat’s diet, which you may not be able to otherwise.

1. Hand Blender

There are pros and cons to using this tool. Mixing your DIY cat food by hand is easier to clean up afterward, but the cold meat is hard on your hands. The hand blender is easier on your hands but rather annoying to clean. I prefer doing it by hand now.

However, this tool is fantastic if you need help mixing it.

2. Freezer

It is a good idea to store most of your home-cooked cat food in a chest freezer, one you only open occasionally, to help prevent spoilage.

You can transfer a few days worth to your kitchen freezer as needed. If you do not already have an additional freezer in your home, consider getting a smaller one.

Storage Containers: 

I have tried many storage methods. The method I like the most is using disposable condiments 5.5 oz cups. Filling each one about 3/4 of the way is perfect for an average 12-pound cat. But, of course, you will need more for an enormous cat.

You will need to adjust the size of daily portions as needed for your kitty. Many pet owners also prefer glass storage dishes.

3. Meat Grinder: 

Though optional, a quality meat grinder will significantly help you with the cumbersome task of grinding your cat’s animal proteins. This tool hugely makes a difference in the labor of DIY homemade cat food prep and makes the process much faster.

4. Meat Cleaver: 

Ensure you have a sharp, quality cleaver knife to chop your meats and troublesome ingredients. A good knife will help make the prepping process much quicker.

5. Small Spring Ice Cream Scooper

I may be spoiled, but a small spring-loaded ice cream scoop comes in handy when loading your storage cups and preparing to freeze them. Sure, a regular spoon will do just as well, but a scoop makes filling each one up accurate and fast. You get the same amount scooped each time and can do it at lightning speed.

5. Grass-fed Bone Meal: 

A quality bone meal to add to your kitty food is a must. There are many options available. Make sure to read reviews and get a quality bone meal. This brand is the one I bought last.

6. Vital Proteins Grass-fed Gelatin: 

This is a great product to add to your cat food, as it helps support bone and joint function in your cat. It is also great for skin, hair, and nails.

7. Petzlife Oral Care Gel: 

This product is my go-to for ensuring healthy oral hygiene and caring for my cats’ teeth and gums. Fighting gingivitis in cats can be challenging, and this product makes a big difference.

8. 5.5 oz Portion Cups/lids: 

I enjoy these perfectly portioned storage cups. These cups stack nicely and fit into my freezer or a travel cooler. I fill them up and take them out when needed. 

9. Alternative Refrigerator Dishes:

It is nice to have a smaller portion size for individual meals readily available in the refrigerator. This great tool will be helpful when you need a pet sitter while going out of town. My pet food dish preference is Bowl Mates.

Things To Keep In Mind with Homemade Food

The DIY homemade cat food ingredients listed in these three recipes hold immense nutritional value for your cat. What a benefit that you can cook these by yourself, at home. Be sure to procure the ingredients from organic sources, so your cat is as protected as it can be from toxic chemical residues and other harmful substances.

Your cat will transition quickly to the new cooked DIY cat food diet. This new diet includes the meat they often crave and need for their body to function at their best. However, the transition to DIY homemade cat food should be done gradually, as with any other change regarding the cat’s diet.

Sudden changes in any pet’s diet could cause digestive issues, and your cat could get diarrhea or have trouble with bowel movements. You know your kitty best, so be sure to keep an eye on the way your cat:

• Feels
• Looks
• Acts during this transition time.

Keep a tab on any changes you notice, and call your veterinarian if you feel something is wrong.

Be sure to follow all the safety protocols when preparing your cats’ new meals. These are precautions such as properly washing the vegetables and your hands before touching the meat. These habits will keep your cat and you healthy.

Have You Made Your Cat Food Yet?

We would love to hear about your experience feeding your cat a cooked diet. Have you tried raw food as well?

What benefits have you noticed since switching from commercial cat foods to fresher DIY homemade cat food?

What DIY homemade cat food recipes have you tried, and how has your cat responded?

Discover More About Feline Food Care and Nutrition Here

• Is Grain-Free Cat Food Bad for Cats? 
• Can Wet Food Cause Diarrhea in Cats?
• Homemade Raw Cat Food for Ragdoll Cats: One Reader’s Journey
• How Long Can You Leave Wet Cat Food Out Before It Spoils?
• Food Allergies in Cats: an interview with Dr. Jean Hofv