Homemade cat food?

Does anyone here make their own cat food? I'm seriously considering giving homemade cat food a shot, but I have a bunch of questions about it:

- Is homemade food a healthy option? By which I mean, is it on par with the ultra-premium, natural cat food that can be bought in the store, if done properly?

- Raw vs. cooked - I know that raw is considered 'best', but is cooked homemade food reasonably good (ie. as good as feeding ultra-premium wet cat food) as well? I'm a vegetarian and very squeamish about meat, so I'm not eager to mess around with raw meat, and also I worry about salmonella with having raw meat around (I know it won't hurt the cats, but I don't want to get it), so I'd much prefer to feed cooked homemade food, if this is a healthy option.

- How expensive is homemade cat food? Currently everyone is eating dry food (California Natural), except for Meeko who has just been switched over to a wet prescription diet for FLUTD. Before considering homemade, I was thinking about switching to all wet food (after reading about the problems associated with a dry diet), but financially an all wet diet is just not feasible for me - for four cats, a quality wet diet would cost about $250/month, and I just can't do that. My budget is around $100/month for cat food - will I be able to feed four cats a homemade diet on that much? If anyone does feed a homemade diet and is comfortable sharing, how much do you spend per month per cat?

- Is it difficult to prepare homemade diets? I have been a vegetarian all my life and have never prepared meat, so I actually have no clue how to do it (the recipes I've looked at so far seem to call for cooking ground beef and liver) - is cooking meat difficult? Also, I really worry about adding the right amount of vitamins, taurine, etc. - is is difficult to figure out the right amount of supplements?

- I'm a full time student and work part time, so I have a pretty tight schedule, and having to make food frequently would probably be difficult - can I make a bunch of food once a month and freeze it, or will I have to prepare the food every week or every few days?

- I'd really like to do this, at least initially, under the guidance of a vet, as I know it can have serious health consequences for the cat if done improperly - however, my vet is very pro-prescription (science diet, hills, etc.) food and anti-natural food (they told me that byproducts are okay and nothing to worry about), so I am not expecting them to be supportive - anyone know if there's some kind of directory for finding a vet who supports natural/homemade diets?

- Are there any books on the subject, or specific recipes, that you would recommend? I have already ordered the book 'Home-Prepared Dog and Cat Diets: the Healthful Alternative' by Dr. Strombeck, which Pat & Alix recommended to me in another thread - any other recs. for recipes or books on the subject in general?

Sorry, I know that's an overwhelming amount of questions! If anyone can help, that would be wonderful, thank you!

pm me please

Great post, I've been thinking a lot about the same issue. My Tigger will not eat the best foods out there, and won't touch any wet foods. I want to make sure she's getting proper nutrition so I've been considering a homemade food (preferably cooked meat of some kind).

Any help is greatly appreciated.

i feed homemade raw to two of my cats. IMO, a properly balanced homemade diet is far superior to commercial catfood of any kind... you have complete control of the quality of ingredients. i feed only organic meats, and pricewise i would not be able to do so were i feeding commercial food. even with a cooked homemade diet you have this control.

the cost of the catfood that i make is about the same as feeding all canned... my non-raw kitties eat 90% canned food and i spend about the same on them as i do on the raw kitties per month, about 25 dollars per cat. but i do buy my meat in bulk from a co-op, so the price is significantly reduced. really, the biggest expense is the time involved... and even that is not much, a few hours a month.

i have never made cooked catfood, but i should not be too difficult... i actually know several vegetarians who feed raw. in additon to this, feeding homemade catfood allows you to buy sustainably farmed humanely raised meats (i dont know your specific motivation for vegetarianism, but for the veggies that i know who feed raw this is a big plus). it is intimidating at first, but once you get the hang of it suppliments are a breeze.... you might want to try some recipes that have the exact amounts listed. Dr. Pitcairn's complete guide to natural health for dogs and cats is a great resource for recipes for cooked homemade foods.

i make catfood once a month, and i add a few extra suppliments to replace what is lost in freezing.

here: http://www.ahvma.org/ is a site that can help you find a holistic vet in your area. kudos to you for doing it the right way. my vet supports a raw diet and it has made all the difference.

Natural Health for Dogs and Cats by Kymythy Schultze is also a goodreference book for raw diets.

I can only help with raw food, as that's what I feed my cat.

- Is homemade food a healthy option? By which I mean, is it on par with the ultra-premium, natural cat food that can be bought in the store, if done properly?

I think it's better because you control everything that goes into it. Your cats end up getting everything they need and nothing they don't need, and definately nothing that could be bad for them.

- Raw vs. cooked - I know that raw is considered 'best', but is cooked homemade food reasonably good (ie. as good as feeding ultra-premium wet cat food) as well? I'm a vegetarian and very squeamish about meat, so I'm not eager to mess around with raw meat, and also I worry about salmonella with having raw meat around (I know it won't hurt the cats, but I don't want to get it), so I'd much prefer to feed cooked homemade food, if this is a healthy option.

I'm a vegitarian also, but I just try to remember that it's natural for my cat. I feed him organic, free-range, naturally-fed poultry, so there's less worry about how the animals are treated. I don't give him red meat. I have to order it online.

I did actually get food poisoning once when I was feeding him store-bought meat, but I can't be sure if it was that or something I ate, as I eat out a lot. It was awful, but it only happened once and that was over a year ago.

There are also prepared frozen meat that you can buy, which would keep you from having to mess with it except to thaw it and feed it.

- How expensive is homemade cat food?

I really, really need to figure this out myself! I just order it when I need it. Sometimes he eats more and sometimes he eats less. Some meats are more expensive than others too. There are a lot of different prepared raw diets out there, so if you choose to feed raw, hopefully you can find one within your budget. I would just research what cats need in their diet and find one with all of it and little to none of anything else.

- Is it difficult to prepare homemade diets? I have been a vegetarian all my life and have never prepared meat, so I actually have no clue how to do it (the recipes I've looked at so far seem to call for cooking ground beef and liver) - is cooking meat difficult? Also, I really worry about adding the right amount of vitamins, taurine, etc. - is is difficult to figure out the right amount of supplements?

I use a powdered mixture with all the ingredients already measured out, but it's for raw food. However, I'm sure they make something like this for cooked food, so you could look into that.

- I'm a full time student and work part time, so I have a pretty tight schedule, and having to make food frequently would probably be difficult - can I make a bunch of food once a month and freeze it, or will I have to prepare the food every week or every few days?

It takes me about 30 minutes to make his food and I do it once a week because I like it fresh. You can buy frozen meals like I mentioned above, and I could freeze my own, but I just don't like to. I don't see why you couldn't prepare their food in advance and freeze it. You can put each portion in baggies so it's quick to thaw and serve.

- I'd really like to do this, at least initially, under the guidance of a vet, as I know it can have serious health consequences for the cat if done improperly however, my vet is very pro-prescription (science diet, hills, etc.) food and anti-natural food (they told me that byproducts are okay and nothing to worry about), so I am not expecting them to be supportive - anyone know if there's some kind of directory for finding a vet who supports natural/homemade diets?

You'll most likely need to find a holistic vet, although some normal DVMs are trained in nutrition as well, but most of them (like people doctors) are "trained" by pharmaceutical companies, or in this case, pet food companies.

- Are there any books on the subject, or specific recipes, that you would recommend? I have already ordered the book 'Home-Prepared Dog and Cat Diets: the Healthful Alternative' by Dr. Strombeck, which Pat & Alix recommended to me in another thread - any other recs. for recipes or books on the subject in general?

Here are a bunch of articles on cat food in general. The one about raw food contains all the information I would highlight from any other article, but it's all in one place. http://cats.about.com/od/catfoodandnutrition/

Good luck! Sorry I can't help with cooked food options!

I am sorry that I cannot address all of your post it is overwhelming to my eyes... That is why I would like you to pm me ... Homemade can be cheaper than dry and or canned ... I love the fact that my 17 yr old is still here she gets canned cooked homeade and a little raw... she eats best on cooked( rare) days ... I get the purest meat at the butcher some is organic ... I wouldnt feed free range chn on a bet cause I know what they eat

16 year old Toby was recently diagnosed with hypothyroidism. The medication nearly killed him. He is too old to invest the money into other options. Hubby decided if these are the last days of life to spoil him with canned tuna and canned chicken. The result is he no longer throws up his food and is gaining weight. He seems healthier then he has been in a long time. I think we are on to something...maybe an allergy to something in canned cat foods.

I am concerned about him not getting the nutrition he needs from these canned people foods. I have a grinder and am prepared to make him his own food but I need recipes with proper supplements. I plan on chicken thighs and ground rabbit and maybe some tuna (worry about the iodine levels). Raw or practically coked? Rice or no rice? Veggies or no veggies?

Does anyone have straight up recipes to share? I have been to one site where the vet seems to ramble on and repeat herself so my confidence is shot.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Desertrose said:

16 year old Toby was recently diagnosed with hypothyroidism. The medication nearly killed him. He is too old to invest the money into other options. Hubby decided if these are the last days of life to spoil him with canned tuna and canned chicken. The result is he no longer throws up his food and is gaining weight. He seems healthier then he has been in a long time. I think we are on to something...maybe an allergy to something in canned cat foods.

I am concerned about him not getting the nutrition he needs from these canned people foods. I have a grinder and am prepared to make him his own food but I need recipes with proper supplements. I plan on chicken thighs and ground rabbit and maybe some tuna (worry about the iodine levels). Raw or practically coked? Rice or no rice? Veggies or no veggies?

Does anyone have straight up recipes to share? I have been to one site where the vet seems to ramble on and repeat herself so my confidence is shot.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Click to expand...

The Raw & Home-Cooked Cat Food forum has a ton of great info, including recipes for both raw and cooked food. Have a read and come back with any questions specific to your situation.

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/263955/helpful-resources-raw-home-cooked-cat-food-forum

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/264154/raw-feeding-resources

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/264153/home-cooked-cat-food-resources

Desertrose said:

16 year old Toby was recently diagnosed with hypothyroidism. The medication nearly killed him. He is too old to invest the money into other options. Hubby decided if these are the last days of life to spoil him with canned tuna and canned chicken. The result is he no longer throws up his food and is gaining weight. He seems healthier then he has been in a long time. I think we are on to something...maybe an allergy to something in canned cat foods.

I am concerned about him not getting the nutrition he needs from these canned people foods. I have a grinder and am prepared to make him his own food but I need recipes with proper supplements. I plan on chicken thighs and ground rabbit and maybe some tuna (worry about the iodine levels). Raw or practically coked? Rice or no rice? Veggies or no veggies?

Does anyone have straight up recipes to share? I have been to one site where the vet seems to ramble on and repeat herself so my confidence is shot.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Click to expand...

Just to be clear, does Toby suffer from hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism?

Keep in mind that most canned foods for humans are high in sodium and therefore may have more iodine than you are wanting Toby to ingest. In the meantime, however, you can rinse the meat and drain some of that off.

I'm assuming that the recipes you're referring to are from www.catinfo.org. Her chicken thighs recipe has been a Godsend for my cats with IBS. I don't know what to tell you about the Lite salt with iodine, sense I don't know what your cat needs. The rest of the supplements that she lists as mandatory.... are mandatory. I feed it 100% raw to mine and they love it. I also feed pork using her supplement recipe but add a specific amount of eggshell powder to it to balance out the calcium and phosphorus.

The canned meats you're feeding him do not contain a lot of things he needs: calcium, taurine, choline, not enough vitamin A, D, etc etc.


The recipe by Dr. Pierson is a very good, basic recipe: http://www.catinfo.org/?link=makingcatfood

You can buy ground meat and cook it, but don't use it raw. You will have to balance the meat with a different source of calcium as you won't be using bone.

I would use 3 pounds of ground meat and 8 ounces of chicken liver, plus all of the other supplements (though I don't know about the salt with the iodine). However you cook the ground meat, make sure you add either all the water you cooked it in OR all of the pan juices/drippings, or you'll loose valuable nutrients.

The recipe still needs a source of calcium, because you're not using bone. I recommend eggshell as it contains little phosphorus. At 16 years old, his kidneys will probably appreciate that. :rub:

To properly balance 3 pounds of meat and 8 ounces of chicken liver with needed calcium (and other trace minerals), you would need to add 1 and 3/4 teaspoon of very finely ground eggshell powder.

It's easy to make your own by just rinsing eggshells and letting them dry. You can speed up the process by baking them at 300 for 20 - 30 minutes or so. Then just grind them in a magic bullet type thing or coffee grinder. Do let them settle for 10 or 15 minutes before opening it up though, or there will be eggshell powder dust everywhere. :lol3:

I don't make my own eggshell powder. I don't know if you're in the U.S., but if you are, you can order it from here: http://www.knowwhatyoufeed.com/shop_online.html (scroll all the way down to the bottom, it's the last item in the shop).