Homemade Cat Food

Save Money and Give Kitty Healthy Food at the Same Time

As a cat lover and owner, you want the best for your cat. They're just like humans- the more nutrients and minerals they get from their food, the healthier they are. But cats can be picky eaters. Of all the store-bought brands of cat food on the market, one of my furry friends, Kermit, will only eat Meow Mix™, period. Fortunately, he will eat the homemade cat food recipes I make for him, so I know he's getting the foods he needs to keep him strong and healthy. Basically, cats prefer homemade cat food with meat, poultry, and dairy products. They don't know it, but they also need some vegetables in their daily diets as well. What they never need is onions, starchy vegetables, like peas and corn, salt, sugar, chocolate, fruits, nuts, mushrooms, caffeine, spices, peppers, and bones. Cats can usually chew up and digest soft, canned salmon bones, but they can't handle chicken and other hard, small bones.

Here's a healthy, homemade cat food recipe for Chicken Soup for Cats:

Boil a pound or two of chicken parts such as livers, hearts, and giblets in a pan of water on the stove. Or, use the same amount of boneless, skinless chicken breasts instead. Either one works fine, but the latter is more expensive to buy.

Boil the chicken until it's tender and is cooked thoroughly. Then, stir in a cup of steamed green beans. Add the mixture to your food processor or blender. Grind it up or turn it into a puree, whichever your cat prefers. Then, add enough chicken broth to make a soup, and serve.

Store any leftover Chicken Soup or other homemade cat food in an airtight container in your refrigerator for up to a week. None of my cats like cold food straight from the refrigerator, so I place a serving of the food on a microwave- safe paper plate. I then nuke it on medium power for approximately ten seconds. (The exact time will depend on the wattage of your microwave oven.) The homemade cat food isn't hot, but it isn't chilly anymore either.