Making your own cat food:

mybabyphx

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OK. So first of all, I feed PHX (1 yr old male)Purina Cat Chow- Indoor Formula. PHX seems to really like it. I just free feed him, so he eats when he wants to eat. When I first got PHX he was really muscular, but it seems like he's getting fatter?

I was speaking with Nikki (StarryEyedTiGeR) about this and here's what she said:

"I would definitely recommend home cooking over purina. I used to feed my girls the purina indoor formula as well before the recall-then once the recall occured and i really started researching....i learned that purina is just not the best quality food at all..not to mention - kitties do not need dry food- dry is mostly carbs and cause weight gain and other problems to occur."

So, then she emailed me a home made cat food recipe that she got from Jennifer (Sharky). I thought I would put that on here for everyone to see:

1/2 lb chicken (i put some olive oil in a glass dish and cook it in the oven till it's ready - use boneless skinless chicken)

1/4 cup of chicken livers (cooked- you can microwave them!)

1/2 cup of cooked rice (brown, white, jasmine- any will do like that) or plain oatmeal cooked

1/2 oz- 2oz clams with juice (you can get little cans of minced clams at your grocery store -they come in cans like tuna and are about the same price- maybe cheaper)

1/2 cup cooked sweet potatoes (i just peel them and put them in the microwave to cook them, then mash them up to mix in the food)

1/4 cup olive oi, soybean oil, or canola oil (you use this to cook the chicken with) -ADD in the chicken fat/broth left in the dish after it cooks- they need this!

and here are the supplements you add to this dish

1/10 human taurine supplement (most are 500mg)- GNC and most health store places sell this

1/10 B vitamin complex

1/4 multi vitamin (it's better if it's plant based)

1 calcium tablet (600 mg)


you definitely need a pill crusher/cutter.....crush all these supplements together and add them to the food- make sure you crush it into a fine powder so it blends in well - you can store leftovers in the fridge or freezer

So I've been looking on the internet for different sites on this topic. I thought I would share some of the websites with whoever would like to look it up as well


Website for info on making own pet food:
http://www.ehow.com/how_12698_make-homemade-cat.html

Website for getting recipes for cats:
http://www.healthrecipes.com/pet_supply.htm

Website for getting tons of recipes for cats or dogs:
http://www.cooksrecipes.com/category/pet-recipes.html


**I am seriously considering starting to make PHX his own cat food at home. (I just need to convince boyfriend it's a good idea
) If any of you guys out there make your own cat food please list your recipes here for me and other members to see
Thank you soooo much!


*~*~*~ Thank you to Jennifer and Nikki for this recipe ~*~*~*
 

hillybean

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WOW! Thank you so much!

Thank you for both posting this recipe and those who came up with it. The links you posted will help me out a ton
.

I am wanting to make a few meals for my kitties, and other kitties that belong to people I know.

Thanks a ton!
-Hilly
 

oogieone

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Thanks for posting this! I am going to try this recipe...I haven't haqd much luck in the past getting my cats to eat homemade food...I guess it isn't stinky enough...maybe they will eat this with the clams in it...
 

beandip

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Originally Posted by mybabyphx

you definitely need a pill crusher/cutter.....crush all these supplements together and add them to the food- make sure you crush it into a fine powder so it blends in well - you can store leftovers in the fridge or freezer
FWIW, the Taurine and the B Complex can be bought as powder filled capsules, so that would eliminate crushing. I'm not sure about the others. I guess it could make measuring "a tenth" of a pill a bit more complicated, but AFAIK excesses of both of those (Taurine and B Vitamins) are lost in the urine...so if it was a bit over a 1/10 I don't think it would hurt. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.
 

misty8723

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I was just about to start making this recipe (from Sharky) when it came out that contaminated chickens are in the human food now. So I don't know if it would be a good thing to do right now.
 

beandip

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Originally Posted by Misty8723

I was just about to start making this recipe (from Sharky) when it came out that contaminated chickens are in the human food now. So I don't know if it would be a good thing to do right now.
How about Turkey?
 
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mybabyphx

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Originally Posted by Misty8723

I was just about to start making this recipe (from Sharky) when it came out that contaminated chickens are in the human food now. So I don't know if it would be a good thing to do right now.
I eat a lot of chicken at my place, and so far I haven't had any problems
I guess I never heard about the contaminated chickens, do you know if it's all of the USA that's having problems or is there any certain area? Hmmm... I'm sure in these recipes you can put something else in there instead of chicken.
 

beandip

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Originally Posted by mybabyphx

I eat a lot of chicken at my place, and so far I haven't had any problems
I guess I never heard about the contaminated chickens, do you know if it's all of the USA that's having problems or is there any certain area? Hmmm... I'm sure in these recipes you can put something else in there instead of chicken.
Last I heard, there were 20 million chickens "held from market" because they had been eating contaminated pet food mixed with their feed.

There's an update, it sounds like the chickens have been "cleared" now...

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?ali...modsrc=reuters
 

tari

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My boys have been on Purina ProPlan canned for a while, at the advice of my vet. I've never been all that crazy about the quality, though. When the whole recall thing started, I began trying to transition them off the ProPlan and onto something without wheat gluten.

Five weeks, three more recalls, and about $100 in wasted cat food later Tailer and Harvey have rejected every single possibile alternave cat food. They won't eat dry, won't eat pate style, won't eat raw, and are very, very picky about the chunky-style canned food they will eat.

So yesterday I tried sharky's recipe for homemade. Guess what? After having three cats all over me for an hour trying to get at the food I was making, Tailer and Harvey wouldn't touch it.
Forest did...but he'll eat anything. (He then promptly throws up most of it, though...at least he ate it and kept it down.)
 

misty8723

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Originally Posted by beandip

Last I heard, there were 20 million chickens "held from market" because they had been eating contaminated pet food mixed with their feed.

There's an update, it sounds like the chickens have been "cleared" now...

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?ali...modsrc=reuters
The problem for me are the ones that made it to market already. And I wonder if it might be safe for human consumption, but not so much for cats. Okay, I'm a born worrier anyway.

I've already thought about trying turkey. I guess I'm kinda waiting to see if any of them got the tainted food as well
 

tari

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I believe someone posted in a different thread that their vet said that it should be OK to feed muscle meats, because melanine wouldn't get into the muscle, but it might be safest to avoid organ meats for now. (Does anyone have clearer info/memory on this?)
 

sharky

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JUST A FYI


Remember to run this by your VET ... as one recipe doesnt fit all cats.... If feeding homemade or raw ORGANS are essential... I am lucky enough a natural/ organic butcher who is selling me backs and necks with some wings for 99 cents a lb( I have plenty come on over
)....I also bought some organs for the same price but organic beef liver ( since humans like it) is 3.99 lb... the turkeys and chicken were feed corn and soy so I am not worried about the latest possible contamination... TALK to your butchers( preferable not the grocer)
 

jcat

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I have some recipes without supplements.

2 cups of cooked chicken, turkey or duck, diced or ground
1 cup of cooked natural rice
1/4 cup of diced raw carrots
2 tablespoons of cottage cheese (or plain yogurt)
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

Store in fridge, serve at room temperature. This is enough for about two/three days.

1 15-ounce can of water packed salmon
1 cup of cooked natural rice
1/4 cup of diced celery
2 tablespoons of cottage cheese (or yogurt)
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

Store in fridge, serve at room temperature.

2 cups of cooked stewing beef or lamb, diced
1 cup of cooked rice
1/4 cup of diced raw carrots
1/4 cup of diced cooked zucchini or string beans
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
1 tablespoon of cottage cheese

Serve warm, not hot.

These recipes can be "pepped up" with cooked chicken (or beef) hearts, an occasional bit of cooked liver, canned clams, calamari or shrimp if using bland poultry, or cooked pumpkin instead of carrots.
 

sharky

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Originally Posted by jcat

I have some recipes without supplements.

2 cups of cooked chicken, turkey or duck, diced or ground
1 cup of cooked natural rice
1/4 cup of diced raw carrots
2 tablespoons of cottage cheese (or plain yogurt)
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

Store in fridge, serve at room temperature. This is enough for about two/three days.

1 15-ounce can of water packed salmon
1 cup of cooked natural rice
1/4 cup of diced celery
2 tablespoons of cottage cheese (or yogurt)
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

Store in fridge, serve at room temperature.

2 cups of cooked stewing beef or lamb, diced
1 cup of cooked rice
1/4 cup of diced raw carrots
1/4 cup of diced cooked zucchini or string beans
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
1 tablespoon of cottage cheese

Serve warm, not hot.

These recipes can be "pepped up" with cooked chicken (or beef) hearts, an occasional bit of cooked liver, canned clams, calamari or shrimp if using bland poultry, or cooked pumpkin instead of carrots.
I would eat those
 

sharky

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Recipe one

1/2 lb chicken( try for a white dark mix ( cooked.. boiled or fried seems to be tasty)use beef venison lamb mutton or a cooked fish like salmon

1/4 cup livers in this case chn

1/2 cup of cooked rice or oatmeal

1/2 oz to 2oz clams with juice( ie canned)

1/2 cup cooked sweet potato ( can increase to 3/4 to 1 cup and not use grain if desired) /NOTE this is not essential but my girls love them and they are nutritious

1/4 cup ie 2oz olive soybean canola oil... i use olive

if this is sole food add

1/10 th of a human taurine supplement( most are 500mg)
1/10th b vitamin supplement
1/4 multi vitamin
600 mg of cal ( most capsule s are about this )


Ways to add variety

alternate brown , white , jasmine rices ... mine like brown

use beef venison lamb mutton or a cooked fish like salmon

add in some cooked potato s , carrots

for those needing extra cal s add less sweet potato and more meat

put all cooked parts into blender or food processor till either chunky or canned conscitancy
 
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mybabyphx

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Originally Posted by jcat

I have some recipes without supplements.

2 cups of cooked chicken, turkey or duck, diced or ground
1 cup of cooked natural rice
1/4 cup of diced raw carrots
2 tablespoons of cottage cheese (or plain yogurt)
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

Store in fridge, serve at room temperature. This is enough for about two/three days.

1 15-ounce can of water packed salmon
1 cup of cooked natural rice
1/4 cup of diced celery
2 tablespoons of cottage cheese (or yogurt)
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

Store in fridge, serve at room temperature.

2 cups of cooked stewing beef or lamb, diced
1 cup of cooked rice
1/4 cup of diced raw carrots
1/4 cup of diced cooked zucchini or string beans
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
1 tablespoon of cottage cheese

Serve warm, not hot.

These recipes can be "pepped up" with cooked chicken (or beef) hearts, an occasional bit of cooked liver, canned clams, calamari or shrimp if using bland poultry, or cooked pumpkin instead of carrots.
If I fed this to PHX everyday is this enough nutrients for him? Because I saw that the other recipe that I listed from Sharky- had extra supplements... Are they necessary?
 
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