13 Homemade Turkey Cat Food Recipes Your Cat Will Love

Turkey is one of the easiest proteins you can cook for your cat. It’s lean, mild and you can find it in almost every grocery store.

In this collection, we’ve put together 13 homemade turkey cat food recipes for you to try.

They range from a quick pumpkin mash to a sardine pâté with the smooth texture of homemade canned cat food, plus a big batch made from a whole turkey.

We picked homemade cat food recipes easy enough to make on a normal weeknight. Wherever a recipe left out an important safety detail, we’ve added a short note inside the ingredient list.

Most of these recipes work best as an occasional meal or a topper, and a few of them need supplements.

Plain cooked turkey can also be shared during the holidays, and we’ll show you how to do it the right way.

Before we get to the recipes, we’ll show you which parts of a roast turkey your cat can eat and which ones to avoid.

Further down, there’s also a big-batch recipe that starts with a 14-pound turkey!

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Before Making Homemade Cat Food

The first thing you should know is that cats are obligate carnivores.

According to the Cornell Feline Health Center, this means cats depend on nutrients that are only found in animal products.

Cats also evolved eating prey that was high in protein, moderate in fat and low in carbohydrates.

So, cooking for your cat is very different from cooking for a dog, or even for yourself.

Why Good Ingredients Aren’t Enough

Putting meat, vegetables and other healthy-looking foods in one bowl doesn’t mean your cat is getting everything they need.

A balanced homemade cat food needs dozens of nutrients in the right amounts and proportions.

Veterinary nutritionists at the Cummings School at Tufts University explain that this usually requires concentrated vitamin and mineral supplements on top of the main ingredients.

Research also supports this. Many cat food recipes homemade with grocery-store ingredients look complete on paper but still fall short.

A 2019 study in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, led by vet nutritionist Jennifer Larsen at UC Davis, looked at 114 home made cat food recipes from websites and books.

None of the 94 recipes that could be fully analyzed met all of the recommended nutrient levels for adult cats.

The most common shortfalls were choline, iron, zinc, thiamin, vitamin E and manganese.

More than half of the recipes were also low in taurine, and recipes written by non-veterinarians had more gaps than those written by veterinarians.

This simply means that you can’t tell which home made cat food recipes healthy cats can actually live on just by reading them.

Nutrients That Often Go Missing

• Taurine. Cats must get taurine from their diet. The Merck Veterinary Manual notes that a shortage can cause a serious heart condition called dilated cardiomyopathy, as well as damage to the retina.
• Calcium, which also needs to be in the right balance with phosphorus. According to Merck, animals fed all-meat diets are commonly affected by rickets, a bone disorder.
• Essential fatty acids. Cats need arachidonic acid, which Merck says is found in fat from meat, poultry and eggs, but not in vegetable oils.
• Vitamins and minerals. Unlike people, cats can’t turn beta-carotene into vitamin A, so they need it ready-made. They also can’t make enough niacin on their own.

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Ingredients That Work and Foods to Avoid

Most cat recipes are built on cooked lean meat, fish and eggs, and some include small amounts of cooked vegetables or grains.

The ASPCA lists several people foods that you should never put in your cat’s bowl:

• Onions, garlic, chives and other members of the allium family, which can damage red blood cells and lead to anemia
• Chocolate
• Grapes and raisins, which can cause kidney damage
• Alcohol and raw yeast dough
• Xylitol, a sweetener found in some sugar-free foods
• Cooked bones, which can cause injury or a blockage
• Raw or undercooked meat and eggs, which can carry Salmonella and E. coli
• Too much salt
• Milk and other dairy, since cats don’t produce much of the enzyme that digests lactose

It may surprise you, but these mistakes do show up in recipes. In the UC Davis study, 8 of the 114 recipes included garlic, onions or leeks.

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Occasional Meal or Everyday Diet?

A recipe you serve now and then as a meal, a treat or a topper alongside a complete commercial food is very different from a recipe meant to be your cat’s only food for months or years.

Cornell recommends nutritionally balanced commercial foods, unless a veterinarian recommends a home-formulated recipe for medical reasons.

If you plan to replace your cat’s regular complete diet with homemade food, have the recipe formulated for your cat by a veterinarian or a board-certified veterinary nutritionist.

Remember that kittens, pregnant or nursing cats, senior cats and cats with medical conditions like kidney disease, urinary problems or food allergies may need something very different.

Tufts strongly discourages home-cooked diets for growing kittens and for pregnant or nursing animals. So, talk to your veterinarian before changing what these cats eat.

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Is Turkey Safe for Cats?

So, can cats eat turkey? Yes, as long as the turkey is plain and fully cooked.

Plain, fully cooked turkey is the safest option, whether it’s breast meat, ground turkey or a small amount of dark meat.

The problems usually come from how people prepare it.

If you’re wondering can cats eat turkey meat from the deli counter, the answer is usually no.

Deli turkey, turkey bacon and turkey sausage often contain sodium, preservatives and nitrates. Seasoned, buttered or brined turkey also adds extra salt and fat that your cat doesn’t need.

If you want to share leftover holiday turkey with your cat, set aside a few plain pieces before anyone adds butter, salt or seasoning.

That way, you’ll have a simple cat Thanksgiving dinner ready.

You should also watch out for bones, skin and fat.

Cooked turkey bones can splinter and cause choking or internal injury, and the AVMA warns that they can also block the intestines.

Skin, fatty dark meat and greasy drippings can cause vomiting or diarrhea. This means a cat eating turkey skin off a dinner plate may suffer for it later.

We recommend keeping plates out of reach and putting the carcass in a tightly closed trash bag inside a closed container.

Onions and garlic are found in many holiday dishes, and the ASPCA lists both as toxic to pets.

Gravy is another problem. Bouillon cubes used to make stock and gravy contain a lot of sodium, which the ASPCA says can cause stomach problems and even seizures.

In short, holiday gravy is not gravy for cats. A plain, homemade chicken gravy for cats made without salt, onion or garlic is a much safer option.

If you want to make one, our 13 easy homemade cat gravy recipes give you plenty of options to choose from.

Stuffing is also a no, since it usually contains the same onions and salt.

Raw turkey for cats is a risk for everyone in your home.

The ASPCA notes that raw or undercooked turkey may contain Salmonella.

When the FDA tested 196 raw pet food samples, 15 were positive for Salmonella and 32 for Listeria monocytogenes.

This is a risk both to the pets eating the food and to the people handling it.

Always wash your hands for at least 20 seconds after touching raw poultry and clean your counters well. Also avoid rinsing the raw meat, because the splashing spreads bacteria.

Giblets (the heart, liver and gizzard) are used in recipe 12, and the meatloaf uses ground chicken organs.

Liver is very rich in vitamin A. The Merck Veterinary Manual notes that vitamin A toxicity can happen when growing kittens are fed a diet high in liver.

So, keep organ meat, and especially liver, a small part of your cat’s bowl.

To prepare turkey safely, cook it to 165°F and confirm the temperature with a meat thermometer.

Let it cool, remove all bones and skin, and chop it into small pieces.

Store the portions in airtight glass food containers in the fridge for as long as each recipe says, or freeze single servings in silicone freezer trays.

A few ingredient notes apply to all the recipes below. Always serve eggs cooked, choose low-sodium broth with no onion or garlic, and pick sardines packed in water with no added salt.

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13 Homemade Turkey Cat Food Recipes

1. Ground Turkey, Egg and Veggie Cat Food

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground turkey or turkey breast
• 2 eggs (optional)
• 1 cup low-sodium broth
• Vegetables such as carrots, peas or pumpkin
• Rice or oats (optional)
• A small amount of fish oil made for pets
• A taurine supplement

Instructions:

1. Brown the turkey in a pan with no seasoning and no bones until it’s fully cooked to 165°F.
2. If you’re using eggs, crack them into the pan and cook them through. Then pour in the broth and mix.
3. Cook the vegetables until soft, then chop them finely.
4. Mix the turkey with the vegetables, and add the rice or oats if you’re using them.
5. Let the mixture cool, then mix in the fish oil and taurine supplement.
6. Divide into airtight containers and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze for longer storage.

If you want even more ideas, our roundup of 30 easy homemade cat food recipes includes a ground turkey and pumpkin power bowl, plus beef, salmon and chicken dishes.

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2. Turkey and White Rice Cat Food with Pumpkin

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground turkey
• ½ cup uncooked white rice
• 1 ¾ cups water or unsalted low-sodium chicken broth
• ¼ cup plain pumpkin puree
• 1 tbsp salmon oil
• 1 large egg (optional)
• 1/8 tsp taurine powder
• Water for adjusting texture

Instructions:

1. Rinse the rice until the water runs mostly clear, then put it in a pot with the 1 ¾ cups of water or broth.
2. Bring it to a boil, lower the heat, cover and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes until tender. Take it off the heat and let it sit covered for 5 minutes.
3. Cook the ground turkey in a nonstick skillet over medium heat, breaking it into small crumbles, until no pink remains. Don’t add onions, garlic or seasoning.
4. If you’re using the egg, push the turkey to one side of the pan, crack the egg in and scramble until fully cooked. Then mix it into the turkey.
5. In a large bowl, mix the cooked rice, turkey and pumpkin puree until well combined.
6. Stir in the salmon oil. If your cat is very sensitive to smells, start with half the amount.
7. Sprinkle in the taurine powder and mix well so it spreads evenly.
8. Add warm water one tablespoon at a time until the food is soft and easy to scoop.
9. Let the food cool to room temperature, then divide it into small airtight containers. Keep in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 2 months.
10. Start by mixing a small portion into your cat’s usual food, then increase it over 3 to 5 days.

The next recipe doesn’t use any rice. Instead, it blends turkey with sardines and hard-boiled eggs into a smooth pâté.

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3. Turkey, Egg and Sardine Pâté

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. turkey, leftover cooked, fresh or ground
• 3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled
• 2/3 cup cat-friendly vegetables, such as carrots
• ¼ cup sardines
• 1/8 cup water, only if needed to blend

Instructions:

1. If you’re not using leftovers, cook the turkey any way you like, but keep it plain. Boil the eggs until hard, then peel them.
2. Prepare the vegetables. You can add them raw, but boiling them first helps if your cat is a picky eater.
3. Let all the cooked ingredients cool.
4. Put everything in a food processor and blend until it looks like canned cat food. Add the 1/8 cup of water if needed.
5. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. This batch makes about 12 servings of 1/8 cup each.

You Might Also Like:

• 6 Easy Homemade Cat Food Recipes
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4. Ground Turkey and Peas Cat Food

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground turkey
• ½ cup cooked peas, fresh or frozen
• ½ cup water or low-sodium poultry broth
• 1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten
• 1 tbsp salmon oil or sardine oil
• ¼ tsp finely ground eggshell powder or calcium supplement
• Feline supplement with taurine and B vitamins
• Water as needed for texture

Instructions:

1. If the peas are frozen, thaw them. If they’re fresh, steam them until tender. Then mash them lightly with a fork.
2. Put the ground turkey and the water or broth in a nonstick pan over medium-low heat.
3. Break up the meat gently and cook just until no pink remains, about 6 to 8 minutes. Don’t let it brown too much.
4. Take the pan off the heat and let it cool for 1 to 2 minutes. Then stir in the egg yolk so it cooks gently in the remaining heat.
5. Add the mashed peas and salmon oil. If the mixture looks dry, add a splash of warm water.
6. Stir in the ground eggshell or calcium as your vet directs, and add the feline supplement according to its label.
7. Let the food cool until it’s lukewarm.
8. Serve 2 to 4 ounces per meal, depending on your cat’s size, age and activity. Keep the rest in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Do you have several cats at home? The next recipe starts with a whole turkey and makes a very big batch.

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5. Big-Batch Whole Turkey and Green Bean Cat Food

Ingredients:

• 1 whole turkey, about 14 lb.
• 4 cups white rice
• 6 to 8 cups roasted pumpkin or plain canned pumpkin purée
• 2 cups finely ground flaxseed
• 1 cup nutritional yeast flakes
• 1 bag frozen green beans, about 2 lb.
• 8 large eggs
• ½ cup toasted wheat germ
• Water as needed during cooking

Instructions:

1. Cook the whole turkey plain, without salt, onion, garlic or any other seasoning. The creator slow-cooks it so the meat cooks through and falls apart easily.
2. Rinse the rice well, then cook it until soft.
3. Remove the cooked meat from the bird and break it down. Then process it in batches in a strong blender or food processor until it’s very fine.
4. If you’re using fresh pumpkin, prepare it. Otherwise, open the plain canned purée.
5. Cook the green beans until soft, then process them finely.
6. Put the turkey, rice, pumpkin, green beans, eggs, flaxseed, nutritional yeast and wheat germ in a large pot or container and mix well.
7. The mixture may look wet at first, but the flaxseed will absorb the moisture and thicken it.
8. If you want a smoother texture, blend some of the portions again. Let the food cool before dividing it into portions for storage.

If your cat loves soft, spoonable meals, you’ll find plenty more to try in our 10 homemade wet cat food recipes, from chicken and sardines to turkey and pumpkin.

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6. Beef, Turkey and Chicken Organ Meatloaf

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds ground beef
• 2 pounds ground turkey thighs
• 2 pounds mixed chicken organs, ground
• 4 ounces squash
• 2 ounces mixed berries (raspberry, blueberry, strawberry, blackberry)
• 2 ounces broccoli
• 2 cans sardines in water
• 2 ounces kale
• A feline mineral supplement, digestive enzymes and sardine oil

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Shred the squash using a cheese grater.
2. Blend the broccoli, berries, kale, sardines and shredded squash together into a puree.
3. Put the ground meats in a large bowl, add the puree and mix well.
4. Press the mixture into glass or ceramic loaf pans or muffin pans and bake for 60 minutes.
5. Let the meatloaf cool completely. Divide it into about 17 portions of 5 ounces each, including the juices, and freeze them.
6. Move 2 days’ worth to the fridge at a time. Serve at room temperature, adding the mineral supplement, digestive enzymes and sardine oil at each meal.

You Might Also Like:

• Vet-Approved Homemade Soft Cat Food Made Easy
• 9 Homemade Chicken Gravy for Cats
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7. Shredded Turkey and Pumpkin Mash

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cooked turkey
• ½ cup cooked pumpkin
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Instructions:

1. Shred the turkey into tiny pieces, no bigger than kibble, and leave out any skin or bones.
2. Mash the pumpkin until smooth.
3. Mix the turkey and pumpkin together.
4. Drizzle with olive oil if you’re using it.
5. Serve at room temperature or slightly warm, but never hot. Keep leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days.

You can also bake pumpkin into snacks. Our 13 easy pumpkin cat treats recipes include a pumpkin and turkey version.

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8. Turkey and Sweet Potato Cat Food

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. turkey breast
• 5/16 cup sweet potato
• 3 hard-boiled eggs with shells
• 2/3 cup cooked carrots
• 1 can (3.75 oz) sardines in water
• 3/4 tsp veterinary calcium supplement
• 1/8 tsp iodized salt
• 1 5/8 tsp canola oil
• About 1/12 tsp fish oil supplement

Instructions:

1. Cook the turkey breast until the inside reaches 165°F. Boil the eggs until hard, which takes about 10 minutes.
2. Cook the sweet potato until a fork goes through it easily. Let all the cooked ingredients cool completely.
3. Put the cooked turkey in a food processor and process until finely ground.
4. Add the sweet potato, eggs, carrots and sardines, and pulse until the mixture looks like store-bought cat food.
5. Move it to a mixing bowl and mix in the calcium, salt, canola oil and fish oil thoroughly.
6. Divide into meal-sized containers. Keep in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and serve at room temperature.

Short on time tonight? Recipe 9 only needs ground turkey, one egg, two tablespoons of broth and a supplement.

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9. Simple Ground Turkey and Egg Cat Food

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons water or low-sodium broth
• A taurine and calcium supplement your veterinarian recommends

Instructions:

1. Brown the ground turkey well in a skillet without adding anything, not even oil, salt or seasoning. Break it into small pieces as it cooks.
2. In a separate small pan, scramble the egg until fully cooked, again without adding anything.
3. Let both cool a little.
4. Mix the turkey and egg in a bowl, then stir in the water or broth to make the food moist and easy to eat.
5. Once the mixture has cooled to room temperature, stir in the supplement.
6. Divide into small servings, then keep in the fridge for 2 to 3 days or freeze for up to 2 months.

You Might Also Like:

• 5 Homemade Cat Food Recipes Vet Approved for Optimal Feline Health
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10. Turkey and Spinach Florentine

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground turkey
• 1 to 2 oz fresh spinach
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 cup bone broth or water
• ½ teaspoon omega-3 fish oil
• 2 tablespoons vitamin and mineral premix for homemade cat food

Instructions:

1. Heat a frying pan or deep pot over medium heat and melt about 1 tablespoon of the coconut oil at the bottom.
2. Add the ground turkey and break it apart with a spatula. Stir often until no pink remains, which takes about 6 to 8 minutes.
3. Stir in the spinach until it wilts and spreads evenly through the meat.
4. Let the mixture cool before adding the supplements. Adding chilled bone broth or water helps it cool faster.
5. Once the food has cooled, mix in the premix and fish oil. Blend or mix the food until it has the texture your cat likes.
6. Keep in the fridge and use within about four days.

Many people throw away the giblets after a holiday roast, but recipe 12 puts them to good use with brown rice.

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11. Gently Cooked Basic Turkey Cat Food

Ingredients:

• Turkey-based meat ingredients
• Other whole-food ingredients
• Feline mineral supplement
• Feline vitamin and nutrient supplement
• Kelp powder

Instructions:

1. Measure the turkey and the other whole-food ingredients following the creator’s recipe.
2. Cook the meat gently. Don’t brown it hard or overcook it.
3. Let the cooked ingredients cool before adding the supplements, because some nutrients are sensitive to heat.
4. Mix the cooked food ingredients in a bowl.
5. Add the recommended amount of feline mineral supplement, then the vitamin supplement and the kelp powder.
6. Mix everything very well so the supplements spread through the whole batch.
7. Divide the food into feeding portions. Keep what you’ll use soon in the fridge and freeze the rest.

If you’re cooking for an older cat, our list of 11 homemade cat foods for senior cats has a turkey and greens recipe and a turkey and potato one.

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12. Turkey Giblet and Brown Rice Stew

Ingredients:

• ½ lb. turkey giblets, chopped
• ½ cup brown rice
• ¼ cup carrots, finely chopped
• ½ cup spinach, chopped
• 1 ½ cups water
• 2 tsp olive oil

Instructions:

1. Bring the water and olive oil to a boil. Add the rice, lower the heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
2. Stir in the giblets, carrots and spinach.
3. Cover and cook on low heat for another 10 to 15 minutes, until the rice is soft and the giblets are cooked through.
4. Let the stew cool before serving. This batch makes 4 to 5 servings, and you can keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.

The last recipe is made in one skillet with pumpkin and just five ingredients.

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13. Ground Turkey and Pumpkin Skillet

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup chicken broth (low sodium)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon taurine supplement (optional)

Instructions:

1. Heat the olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat.
2. Add the ground turkey and cook until it’s no longer pink, breaking it into small pieces.
3. Stir in the pumpkin puree and chicken broth, mix well and cook for another 5 minutes.
4. If you’re using the taurine supplement, mix it in.
5. Let the meal cool before serving, and keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

There’s one kitchen machine that can do the weighing, mixing and cooking for you, and we cover it next.

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Ensuring Complete Nutrition

Cooking at home gives you full control over what goes into your cat’s bowl. However, having control doesn’t mean your cat is getting complete nutrition.

That’s why we recommend serving most of the recipes above as an occasional meal or a topper, alongside a complete commercial food.

You’ll notice that several of these recipes call for taurine, calcium or a vitamin and mineral premix.

Don’t skip these supplements, because they really matter. In fact, a shortage of taurine alone can cause heart and eye problems in cats.

Always measure the supplements exactly as each recipe lists them. Also, once you find a recipe your cat enjoys, avoid swapping out the ingredients.

If you’d like homemade food to become your cat’s main diet, talk to your veterinarian first.

You can also ask them about a board-certified veterinary nutritionist who can create a recipe based on your cat’s age, weight and health.

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The Best Appliance for Making Cat Food at Home

Cooking a pound of turkey on the stove is easy enough. But once you make cat food every week, all the weighing, stirring and watching the pan starts to add up.

The ChefPaw Pet Food Maker is a countertop machine that weighs, mixes and gently cooks fresh ingredients, all in one appliance.

According to ChefPaw, one batch takes about 40 minutes.

It holds up to about 6.4 pounds per batch. This means you can make a big batch of any DIY cat food recipe homemade in one go, instead of several rounds at the stove.

You’ll notice that ChefPaw’s website talks mostly about dog food.

However, the company also says you choose the proteins, vegetables and other ingredients yourself, so you can fill it with the plain turkey and add-ins from a cat recipe instead.

Keep in mind that the machine only does the cooking. The recipe and its supplements still decide what your cat gets nutritionally, so everything in our safety sections still applies.

A couple of basic tools will also help you either way.

A food processor turns cooked turkey into the smooth, pâté-style texture many cats love. A kitchen scale lets you measure the meat, supplements and portions accurately every time.

Learning how to make cat food at home takes a few batches before you get comfortable, and good equipment makes each batch quicker.

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Final Thoughts

From the homemade recipes above, we hope you have seen how turkey gives you a lean and mild base to cook with.

These 13 recipes show how much you can do with easy homemade cat food, from a five-ingredient pumpkin skillet to a three-meat meatloaf.

Several of them are homemade wet cat food recipes with a soft, scoopable texture, and homemade wet cat food like this is easy to portion and freeze.

With any home made cat food recipes how to make them safely matters just as much as which one you choose.

Remember that food for cats homemade in your kitchen works best as an occasional meal or topper, unless a veterinarian or a vet nutritionist has formulated it for your cat.

Done carefully, homemade healthy cat food gives you more control over what goes into the bowl, including a small, safe serving for your Thanksgiving kitty.