How To Make Your Own Cat Food

Learning how to make your own cat food is one of those things we encourage pet parents to include in their to-do list.

Accessing premium commercial cat foods regularly can be limiting and expensive in the long run.

Additionally, many pet parents are preparing healthy cat meals at home because commercial options often contain non-nutritious additives.

However, making cat food at home is more than just mixing a few ingredients in a cooker and calling it a day.

Cat meal prep is a science, and you should always aim to achieve balanced nutrition with every recipe.

Backed by insights from vet nutritionists and other reliable sources, we have compiled this post on how to make your own cat food to meet the health and safety standards.

---

Food That Cats Can Eat

Some human foods are safe for cats when cooked and fed in small amounts. Many of these foods are safe as occasional treats or small supplements to a well-balanced diet.

None of them should be fed in place of a nutritionally complete and balanced cat food. Here are some of the things cats can eat:

• Cooked Meats: Plain, cooked chicken, turkey, lean beef, and lamb are all good sources of protein. Make sure it is boneless and skinless.
• Cooked Fish: Salmon, tuna, and mackerel are all very high in omega-3 fatty acids. These are also good for your cat, but make sure it is always cooked. Feed in moderation because some raw fish can contain heavy metals and thiaminase.
• Cooked Eggs: Scrambled or boiled eggs are another great source of protein. Do not add any salt or milk.
• Whole Grains: Most cats will tolerate small amounts of cooked oats, barley, brown rice, or couscous.
• Vegetables: Many cats love small pieces of steamed or boiled carrots, peas, green beans, broccoli, or asparagus. Plain, canned pumpkin puree is also very good for digestive health.
• Fruits: In small amounts, blueberries, strawberries, and seedless watermelon or cantaloupe are all fine. Remove all seeds, stems, and pits.

---

Foods Cats Can’t Eat

Many safe human foods for cats can be toxic or dangerous for our feline friends, even when offered in small amounts.

They include the following:

• Onions, Garlic, Chives, and Leeks: All foods in the allium family can harm a cat’s red blood cells, causing anemia. This includes raw, cooked, and powdered forms.
• Grapes and Raisins: Highly toxic to cats, they can cause sudden kidney failure.
• Chocolate: Contains the toxic substances theobromine and caffeine and can cause heart issues, muscle tremors, seizures, and death.
• Alcohol: Can cause intoxication, coma, and death. Any amount is harmful.
• Caffeine: Found in coffee, tea, soda, and energy drinks, caffeine is deadly to cats.
• Xylitol: This artificial sweetener used in many sugar-free products (gum, candy, peanut butter, etc.) is highly toxic to cats, causing an extreme drop in blood sugar and liver failure.
• Raw Yeast Dough: The dough can rise in the cat’s stomach, causing painful bloating, and may twist the stomach. The yeast also ferments, causing alcohol production.
• Raw or Undercooked Meat, Fish, and Eggs: They can be contaminated with harmful bacteria (Salmonella, E. coli, etc.). Raw eggs contain an enzyme that depletes the body’s ability to absorb vitamins.
• Dairy Products: Milk, cheese, and yogurt can lead to vomiting and diarrhea in most cats because adult cats are lactose intolerant.
• Dog Food: Although a few bites of dog food will not make a cat sick, it is not a nutritionally complete food for cats. Cat food is higher in protein, taurine, and other essential nutrients.
• Bones (cooked): Cooked bones splinter easily, posing a choking hazard and risk of severe damage to the digestive tract.
• Fat Trimmings and Fried Foods: Rich, fatty foods can cause stomach upset and may lead to a painful inflammation of the pancreas, called pancreatitis.
• Nuts: Macadamia nuts are toxic to cats. Other nuts are very high in fat and can cause digestive upset.

For a more detailed list of harmful foods and substances for cats, along with safety guidance, visit the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center online.

These foods should never be given to a cat, because they can make your cat very sick or even cause fatalities.

If your feline friend ingests any of these foods, we encourage you to call your veterinarian or pet poison control line immediately.

---

How To Make Your Own Cat Food

A lot of people jump into making homemade cat food without doing any research or without being certain that the recipe is balanced.

This is one of the reasons most veterinary nutritionists will tell you not to feed homemade diets.

Cooking cat-friendly foods may sound simple, but cats are more demanding or finicky in their nutritional requirements than most people would imagine.

Making easy homemade cat food may also not be appropriate in certain cases. Kittens, pregnant cats, or those with medical conditions are sensitive to nutritional imbalances.

Such cats should only be fed healthy cat food recipes that have been approved by vet nutritionists to be helpful.

Feeding a homemade diet without following cat food nutrition can result in potentially serious or fatal deficiencies or over-supplementation.

---

How To Make Homemade Cat Food

Now that we’ve covered some basics of cat nutrition and some of the reasons behind it, let’s take a look at how to choose healthy cat food while maintaining complete nutrition.

For cats, any homemade foods should be well planned out and ideally double checked with a veterinarian or a board-certified veterinary nutritionist.

Homemade Cat Food Ingredients

Cats do best when fed a diet that is nearly 100% animal-based. It’s recommended to take the protein from high-quality muscle meat as the foundation of each meal.

You can also include a small amount of organ meat to provide a source of vitamins and minerals to your cat’s food.

They are excellent sources of amino acids (including taurine), minerals like calcium, phosphorus, and copper, and many other key nutrients necessary for a balanced diet.

Veterinary nutritionists always recommend recipes that are balanced to meet established standards, such as AAFCO or FEDIA.

The old saying that too much of a good thing can be bad holds here. So, although organ meats are good for them, feeding them in excess can be just as harmful as a vitamin deficiency.

Some cats can handle small amounts of fiber, but carbohydrates should be kept to a minimum because cats have a very limited capability to digest and utilize them.

Feeding a variety of proteins also gives a cat access to a wider range of nutrients and often makes a meal more appealing to a finicky cat.

Add Supplements

The highest quality whole-food ingredients still cannot always ensure that a cat’s micronutrient needs are completely met.

As such, the absence of taurine, calcium, iodine, vitamin E, and omega-3 fatty acids, among other micronutrients, will likely be remedied through supplementation.

Finely ground eggshell or bone meal can add calcium, which is necessary to balance a food’s calcium-to-phosphorus ratio for the health of the cat’s bones and kidneys.

Fish oil can provide EPA and DHA, but it should only be added after the food is cooked and cooled to prevent oxidation of the fatty acids.

Taurine supplementation is one of the most important, because its absence will cause major heart and eye issues.

Most cats also require a complete feline multivitamin to support trace minerals that are not easily obtained through food alone.

We recommend choosing healthy recipes for cats written or reviewed by a board-certified vet nutritionist.

They will calculate the nutrients and balance the diet to your cat’s age, health, and available ingredients.

Online tools such as Balance It® can be used to estimate what supplements are needed for the particular ingredients you’re using.

It’s best to use these in conjunction with professional advice so you don’t have to do it all by hand, but you do have a full grasp of what nutrients must be included.

Homemade cat food can be safe and sustainable only when both the base ingredients AND the supplements are well-balanced.

The Importance of High-Moisture Cat Food

Cats have historically gotten most of their water intake from the body moisture of their prey, so they have a relatively weak thirst drive.

However, if a cat eats a diet of primarily dry food and doesn’t drink enough water to compensate, it can eventually lead to urinary tract and kidney problems, as well as dehydration.

For this reason, many vet nutritionists emphasize the importance of providing adequate water alongside cat-safe foods.

A high moisture cat food will support urinary health, increase hydration, and decrease the risk of crystals or blockages.

Cats will often readily eat wet food, broths made without onions/garlic/excess salt, or a small amount of safe liquid added to their food.

Temperature and texture can also impact whether a cat will eat something. Most cats will prefer food that has been slightly warmed, which helps release aroma and encourages them to eat.

---

Using A Slow Cooker to Prepare Cat Food

Slow cookers like this one from ChefPaws produce a moist heat that is uniform and very difficult to raise to a temperature high enough to be unsafe.

This uniform heat cooks food all the way through without requiring constant attention. It is also a relatively convenient option.

The moist heat also tends to make meat more tender and vegetables more digestible, while retaining more nutrients than cooking at high heat.

Slow cookers are also very effective at turning cheap, tough cuts of meat that take time to soften into delicious meals.

As a bonus, these slow-cooking methods are energy-efficient and help to minimize mess in the kitchen.

A six- to eight-quart slow cooker with a ceramic insert is a good size for most households with cats.

Prep the ingredients ahead of time, then put them in the pot, and turn it on low to cook slowly over six to eight hours.

After the food is finished cooking, you must cool it completely, then add supplements and divide it into portions for storage or feeding.

As a safety guideline, never put bones in the slow cooker! The extended, slow cooking process makes bones brittle and more likely to splinter. This can be a danger to your cat.

---

Raw or cooked Cat Food

Raw or cooked? It’s a debate that gets some people heated on both sides. The danger of bacteria and parasites is what opponents of raw will say.

Opponents of cooked meals will say that nutrient destruction occurs from heat. It doesn’t have to be one extreme or the other for your cat.

Finding the happy medium where they get the nutrition they need, but with minimal safety risk, is possible.

Some of it comes down to the quality of ingredients. Where and how the meat is sourced and prepared are important. It is just as important as deciding to feed raw or cooked.

Pet owners often want to feed something that approximates a cat’s natural diet as closely as possible while avoiding modern-day health risks.

Raw food more closely approximates a natural diet, but has safety concerns. Poultry is more likely to carry harmful bacteria than other proteins.

Cooking decreases the risk of pathogens but can have an unpredictable effect on certain nutrients.

For this reason, some pet owners and nutritionists may seek a middle ground and partially cook some ingredients, leaving others raw.

The need for this can vary by the type and source of meat. Commercially raised meat that has been frozen properly is usually safer than wild game.

Even meats purchased from supermarkets may have higher bacteria counts than meats that are processed and frozen by the suppliers.

---

Costs

The expense of home-cooked cat food will vary based on the type of meat you choose, where you get it, and how much your cat eats in a day.

Chicken or turkey is typically cheaper than rabbit or other specialty meats. Supplements can be expensive upfront, but they’re worth the price since you only use a little bit in each meal.

---

Storing Your Homemade Cat Food Safely

Storage is key to preserving freshness and food safety when it comes to homemade cat food.

One simple way is to freeze individual meals in ice cube trays, then defrost one portion at a time. Transfer frozen cubes to a water bath when it’s time to defrost instead of heating them in the microwave.

Do not leave food at room temperature for more than 30 to 60 minutes. Bacteria grow rapidly at room temperature, especially in hot and humid climates.

Store leftovers and extra portions in an airtight container or resealable pouch, either a 24-ounce or 5-pound size.

If you are trying a new recipe or supplement, start with a smaller 4.8-ounce pack to see how your cat tolerates it before making big batches.

---

Best Homemade Cat Food Recipes for Specific Needs

Homemade cat food can be prepared for a variety of reasons, depending on your cat’s age, health, and activity level.

All of the collections below feature ways to prepare balanced meals at home, with the caveat that we already talked about.

6 Easy Homemade Cat Food Recipes

Are you new to feeding homemade and finding all those ingredients a bit overwhelming? These 6 easy homemade cat food recipes are meant to be simple.

It’s great for people who want to feed themselves homemade food but don’t know where to start. The recipes are as basic as they come and use ingredients you can find easily.

11 Homemade Cat Food for Kidney Health

Dogs and cats with kidney disease can benefit from a lower phosphorus diet, but need to have high-quality, complete protein to maintain muscle mass.

These homemade kidney diets are formulated to be easy on the kidneys and encourage the fussy eater to maintain a good appetite.

11 Homemade Cat Foods Your Senior Cat Will Love

Senior cats have special nutritional needs that can be addressed with easy-to-digest recipes that support joint health and provide sustained energy.

Senior cat food recipes are centered around meals that are softer in texture, higher in moisture content, and adjusted for the lower activity levels typical in older felines.

5 Vet-Approved Homemade Cat Food Recipes

If you want to feel good about the food you’re making at home for your cat, this is the resource you need to check out.

Each recipe in this collection is developed by vets to ensure it provides complete nutrition while also taking into account the common concerns of cat owners.

Many recipes here also address specific issues like improving coat health, supporting digestion, and maintaining a healthy weight.

7 Easy & Healthy Crockpot Cat Food Recipes

These slow-cooker cat food recipes are great if you want to make big batches without constant supervision.

Slow cooker meals are cooked in a way that makes them easy to digest for cats, while also preserving nutrients and tenderizing meat.

15 Best Cat Food for Indoor Cats

Indoor cats tend to be less active than their outdoor counterparts. For this reason, these recipes are balanced to help you avoid excess calories while still providing a nutritious diet.

There are also some high-fiber options to help control hairballs.

30 Easy Homemade Cat Food Recipes

If you want to make your own cat food but need some recipe inspiration, this list of ideas will help.

There’s a huge variety to choose from, so you can easily avoid serving up the same thing every day.

---

Conclusion

As you have seen, learning how to make your own cat food can give you control over the ingredients you use and variety.

However, mistakes can lead to nutritional deficiencies or excesses, and this may harm your cat’s long-term health.

Cats are nutritionally dependent on their caregiver, and even small errors in homemade foods can have big health repercussions.

Some of the best healthy cat feeding tips include relying on safe vet-approved recipes and including proper supplementation when needed.

Whichever option you choose, the most important thing is that the food is safe, complete, and tailored to support your cat’s health.