3 DIY Homemade Cat Food Recipes That Are Healthy Too!

Have you ever made DIY homemade cat food? Pet owners of all kinds have been exploring many different options for their beloved pets over the past several years when it comes to diet. Many cat owners have switched from traditional cat food choices to creating DIY homemade cat foods at home.

If you are debating the option of homemade cat food for your kitty, this is a great post to learn some basics and get started with 3 of my favorite recipes.

Why make DIY homemade cat food?

When life comes to caring for their cats, all cat owners assuredly want the best for their furry friends. If you already have a cat as your beloved companion, you very surely know what it is like to want your pet to feel comfortable and taken care of.

The best care includes looking at aspects such as:

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

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

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

The issue we run into is, less costly meal choices for our cats do not always 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, but these as well may not be the best choice for your cat either. 

How do you ensure the food you are providing your cat is what suits their specific needs?

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

Contrary to some beliefs out there, serving DIY homemade cat food can be amazingly very healthy and nutritious, granted you take the time and dedication needed to prepare these meals with consideration to 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 your 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. You can have practically everything you need delivered directly to your door. 

There are even DIY homemade cat food cookbooks available. You can very well prepare a meat dish or even your very 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. Often DIY homemade cat foods are cheaper in the long run than purchasing cases and dry bags from the store. 

Raw vs. cooked cat food

What is the difference between raw and cooked cat food, and is one better for my cat?

This is a great question I often get asked quite frequently by newcomers to DIY homemade cat food. 

Raw cat food is what it says, raw. Meaning there is no cooking involved. All ingredients are prepped and served to your cat raw.

The raw DIY homemade cat foods diet is generally minimal and free from added fillers. The best-known benefit to a raw food diet for your cat is raw food is known to retain essential nutrients that often get removed during the cooking process. 

Cooked cat food, again, is what you would assume: food that has undergone a process of cooking before consumption.

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 not always beneficial to your cat's diet. A lot of pet owners choose this food as it is generally the cheaper option. 

You may be unsure or questioning the best diet to choose for your cat. You likely want to make sure the food you've selected is a healthy option.

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. DIY homemade cat food may be just what your cat needs.

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

Cats need a balanced variety of essential components daily to remain healthy and active. Before jumping into creating your homemade cat food, you should take into consideration these cat 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:
  • pH balance
  • 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. 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. 

Vitamins

• Vitamins are also instrumental for a cat’s health and can usually be found in the raw materials from your cat’s food this is why it’s essential to strike a balance between the various ingredients you feed your cat.
• Cats need:
  • Vitamin A
    • Vitamin A is extremely valuable for your cat’s healthy night vision and immune system. A cat's skin, coat, and muscles all rely the most on a healthy vitamin A intake in their diet.
      However, be mindful that too much vitamin A in a cat's diet can end up becoming toxic for your furry friend.
  • Vitamin D
    • Vitamin D will play a vital part in the normal functioning of the muscles, nerves, and bones. This vitamin is essential for the absorbing of potassium. Vitamin D should not be consumed in excess by your cat, however, as it can result in poisoning. 
  • All B vitamins
    • B vitamins in your cat's diet will help your cat have:
      • Healthier skin and coat
      • Regulate nerve impulse transmissions throughout their body.
    • B vitamins also help with proper gastrointestinal functions, good functioning of the nervous system, and proper energy usage throughout the body. Proper amounts of the B vitamins will encourage a healthy metabolism, growth and development, and energy production in your cat. 

Animal protein

All nutritional cat diets should contain animal proteins in abundance, as cats are primarily carnivores. DIY cat foods allow you the freedom 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 just how important it is to respect the fact that cats are carnivores and feed them a diet that incorporates meat as the main ingredient.
• To ensure your cat gets sufficient animal protein it is important to include a variety of meats into a feline diet. Great choices are:
  • fish
  • chicken
  • turkey
  • beef
  • Eggs will also cover the need for animal protein, granted the eggs are eaten in smaller amounts.
• Animal proteins should make up 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. 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, together with 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 it needs to stay active, curious, and playful throughout the day.
• Healthy fats provide twice the amount of energy for your cat than carbohydrates do. 
• Pet owners are encouraged to provide around 20 to 24 percent fat in their cat's diet.

Water

Water may seem counterintuitive to many. A little-known fact about cats is how felines tend to consume far less water than their body truly needs 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. 

• As they are 70% water themselves, cats need to replenish these resources. The only way to do it is through an adequate diet, since you may not be able to convince them to drink more water.
• Water is important to a cat’s body to help eliminate toxins. 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 are never fun.
• Cats require around 3.5 ounces of water per 5 lbs. of weight. This amount needs to be drank daily. 

Taurine

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

• Taurine is an essential amino acid that can’t be 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:
  • heart problems, vision issues and will find it overall difficult to thrive. Be sure to add taurine to your DIY cat food.
• You can ensure your cat is getting the necessary amount of taurine for its well-being by feeding it:
  • dark chicken meat
  • eggs
  • shellfish
  • beef
  • lamb
  • and cold-water fish such as salmon or herring. 
• Thankfully, taurine is also available as powdered supplements, which you can always easily order online.

Talk to your vet before including these types of supplements in your cat’s diet. The vet can calculate the correct quantity of taurine supplement your cat requires if he or she considers 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. 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 be consumed in wet cat foods and are pre-treated, which means they are meant to be digested quickly by your cat's body.
• If you feed your cat uncooked legumes and soybeans, you need to be mindful that the carbohydrates they contain 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 choosing to make a DIY homemade cat food, is you are able to adjust each of the nutritional factors above as needed. Where commercial cat foods are set in their ingredients, DIY cat foods do not have this limitation.

Before cooking for your cat

Before you start cooking DIY homemade 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. Cooked homemade cat food can be easier on their bodies than raw meals, for example.
• If you choose to cook meat for your cats, be mindful that your cat may still enjoy its meat rare. Not only does this make an ideal preference for your cat, but it’s also more nutritionally beneficial for it.
  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.
• In cooking for your furry friend, always avoid sausage meat and other processed meat. 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 generally available on the cat food market.
• Cooked bones are a strict ‘no’ for your cat. This is because bones tend to splinter at high temperatures and produce tiny bone splinters which can damage the esophagus and intestines of your cat.
  In this case, it’s better to prevent than to cure, so it’s recommended that you avoid cooked bones altogether. You can add ground raw bones into your DIY cat food together with your meat protein. This supplies your cat with both calcium and phosphorus, two minerals your cat needs abundantly.
• Before you start cooking for your furry friend, make sure you’re aware of all of your cat's food allergies or sensitivities, if any. 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 try not to get 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. They provide a series of videos on YouTube hosted by Dr. Becker.

Dr. Becker is extremely knowledgeable and provides outstanding information, in an easy-to-understand way, about the importance pet owners should put into considering their pet's diets. She is a great resource!

Now, you are ready with the basics for your cat’s most essential dietary needs. Let us dive into three DIY homemade cat food recipes you can follow quite easily in your kitchen.

3 DIY cat food recipes to start you off 

Healthy meat mix

For this DIY homemade cat food recipe, you’ll need several different ingredients. You have several alternative options, just in case you can't find the initial suggestions listed, 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 the poultry: You of which, 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.
• 1 cup of water or even more to the recipe, depending on how much water your cat usually drinks. This will improve its urinary tract.
• 2 eggs: (optional) You will need to boil the egg whites for around 3-4 minutes while leaving the yolk raw.
• 5,000 – 10,000 mg fish oil, since it’s 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 easiest form to use is the capsule version of powdered vitamin E.
• Vitamin B – complex (50 mg.): Only 1 capsule or tablet. If you notice 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, but be sure to only use 1/2 tablespoons when using the rabbit and chicken combination. If you don’t have access to this, simply use ¾ tsp of regular salt with iodine.
• 14 tablets of potassium gluconate (99 mg each): This will help to absorb the taurine. 
• Liver: There’s no need to add more liver if you’re using a ground rabbit. If you’re going the chicken route, you can 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 quite easy to prepare and also comes with plenty of alternative ingredients, in case you can’t purchase the original suggested ones.

For example, if you choose not to use (or if you don't have) poultry meats available this recipe offers cooked eggs as an alternative. Organic eggs are easier to come by for some and friendlier to your wallet as well.

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

Ingredients

• NutriBiotic Grapefruit Seed Extract: it’s best if you dilute this in water before mixing 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 meat grinder may come in handy for this step. 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 type of 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. You can 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, zucchini are all great finds.
• Alternative #4: You can easily 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 indicated you freeze your meat for 72 hours before feeding it to your cat to kill off any 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 it settle and cool off for 30-60 minutes and then serve 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 all of your cat’s basic nutritional needs. This recipe is good to start with because it only calls for one type of animal protein.

Often multiple types of meat are a challenge for some pet owners to purchase. In some cases, 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, be sure to remove about 20 to 25% of the bone from the total amount of meat you are using. 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 do not have access to raw hearts, replace it with 4,000 mgTaurine.
• 4 raw egg yolks
• 7 ounces 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
• 4 teaspoons Psyllium Husk Powder (optional)
• 1 ½ teaspoon 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. In the same bowl as your supplement solution, add the water and the egg yolks. Mix ingredients together until you have a smooth consistency. 
4. Cut up the meat from the thighs in smaller bite-sized chunks.
5. Feed the meat to the 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 in the slurry mixture, the meat you’ve chunked, and the psyllium husk. Mix everything thoroughly.
7. Separate your mixture into containers and freeze it, so you can then feed your cat at a later date. Refrigerate portions that 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 4 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.

Baby’s favorite recipe:

I make my DIY cat food 5 lbs at a time, which lasts my cat, Baby, 1 month. At first, this 5 lb. task took a while. I may have initially taken more care into preparing my cat's DIY homemade cat food for the first time than I have on making my meals at times. After much practice, I am proud to say it only takes me about 1 1/2 hrs to prep. Each daily amount is about the size of a mouse.

Ingredients

• 3 lb ground grass-fed beef with organs 
• 2 lb organic ground chicken 6 oz chicken or beef liver minced 
• 1 wild-caught sardine packed in water 
• 1/3 cup minced organic sugar-free coconut
•  1/3 cup organic blueberries
•  1 1/2 cups raw organic spinach 
• 1 stalk organic celery 
• 1 small organic carrot 
• 2 or more cups of filtered water 
• 1 tbsp salmon flavored vetzlife oral care gel
•  3 tbsp bone meal
•  2 tbsp grass-fed powdered gelatin

The purpose of the fruit, veggies, and coconut is for fiber. The foods are what she would have consumed hunting in the wild for herself. Prey animals like mice, birds, and other rodents eat fruits and veggies more than anything. The remains of those foods are regularly found as the contents of their stomachs. Although your house cat may not directly stalk a carrot to devour for its dinner, these healthy foods are still part of the feline diet by way of your cat's prey's dietary choices. 

Directions

1. Defrost meat in your refrigerator. Leaving it out at room temperature to defrost will greatly increase the chance of it spoiling.
2.  Add all meats and sardine to a large bowl. 
3. Blend fruit and veggies in a food processor or nutribullet/blender (think the size of minced) with 2 or more cups of fresh filtered water. The water will help balance the moisture level when adding bone meal and gelatin to our recipe later on. 
4. Add all remaining ingredients and either mix by hand or with an emulsion blender.
5. Label and date before storing.

The type of proteins you use in your home-cooked cat food will depend upon what you discover your cat(s) preference is. It is important to have a variety of meats, so I often sub turkey, salmon, and rabbit when able.

If your cat is willing at some point to eat meat from raw chicken wings, rabbit, etc, that is ideal regarding needs for bone and gelatin. Some cats love this feeding method. My cat does not, so I use powdered.

Each kitty is unique and has its own opinion on its diet. 

I found a local farm just 2 hours from me that sells grass-fed, high omega 3 types of meat, and pet foods that ship overnight. And I found their prices to be reasonable. You will just need to do some research on your best local resources.

I love using short, wide, glass food dishes. They prevent whisker fatigue and are easy to clean. And I love the ones you have probably seen here on Floppycats.

After searching a bit further, I found another dish more in my budget at Petco which works great as well. By the way, with raw DIY cat food, it is very important to put your cat’s dish in the sink after feeding, and use a fresh dish for each meal.

I work from home now, which makes planning and prepping raw meals for my cat much easier. No matter your schedule, you can do this! I feed Baby 4 times a day, typically 4 hours apart.

Benefits Patty noticed after transitioning to DIY homemade cat foods:

1. One of the best benefits of a DIY homemade cat food is the absents of awful poop odor in the litter box. Seriously, none!
   Baby now produced only has a small amount of waste, as opposed to more before. There is no odor to her waste whatsoever. I am sure that is due to the higher quality of food.
2. On this raw food diet, I have noticed my cat seems to have a much stronger instinct.
   When I am walking toward her placemat to set her food down, Baby stretches both of 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 will carry her after eating is hilarious. Her nutritional needs are taken care of, and she becomes all fat and sassy.
   Baby will run so fast, in the process of trying to stop, she is skating across the hardwood floor on her claws. It is funny to watch my cat's animal instincts rev, 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 own 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. You will be using these items frequently.

Good quality products and equipment will help make 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 are physically unable to mix by hand. 

2. Freezer

It is a good idea to store most of your home-cooked cat food in a chest freezer, one you do not open very frequently, 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, you may consider getting a smaller one. 

Storage containers: 

I have tried many storage methods. The method I like the most is using disposable condiment 5.5 oz condiment cups. Filling each one about 3/4 of the way is perfect for an average 12 pounds cat. You will need more for a larger floppycat.

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 not a necessity, a quality meat grinder will greatly 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 quite a bit faster. 

4. Meat cleaver: 

Make sure 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:

Ok, I may be spoiled, but a small spring-loaded ice cream scoop comes in quite handy when you are loading all of your storage cups and preparing to freeze them. Sure, a regular spoon will do just as well, but a scoop makes the tedious task of filling each one up accurate and fast. You not only get the same amount scooped each time, but you can do it at lightning speed.

5. Grass-fed bone meal: 

Having 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 own 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 care 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 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 come in handy when you need a pet sitter when you are going out of town. My pet food dish preference is bowlmates. 

Things to keep in mind

All of these 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.

Chances are your cat will transition very easily to the new cooked DIY cat food diet. This new diet includes the meat they so often crave and need for their body to function at its best capacity.

However, keep in mind 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 pets' 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 of any changes you may notice, and be sure to call your veterinarian if you feel something may be 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 washing your hands before touching the meat. These habits will keep your cat and you healthy. 

The takeaways

When all is said and done, taking on the challenges of making DIY homemade cat food from scratch is all about finding healthy alternatives to cheaply filled products that already exist in terms of food on the market. 

Cooking special meals for your cats will inevitably require you to cut a slice out of your personal schedule to deliver the best. However, the amount you cook will last long enough for your effort to feel rewarding.

Once more, your cat will likely become healthier, more active, and live a happy, thriving life thanks to you and your willingness to do what is best for it. 

Have you made your cat food yet?

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

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

What are some of the DIY homemade cat food recipes you have tried, and how has your cat responded to them?

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 Hofve