Homemade Cat Food Recipes Every Cat Will Love
Please note: These 10 recipes were reviewed and approved by Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Claudine Sievert. Our team cooked and tested all these recipes with our cats.
When it comes to a healthy cat diet, its almost impossible to make it ideal. Whether you use wet or dry cat food, there are always some drawbacks in formulas these can be ingredients, artificial components, flavors, or texture. Each cat has individual needs, and covering them all with mass-market industrial products isnt always the right decision.
Besides, cats are carnivores they eat raw meat and dont need grains. This is what many owners forget about when buying kibbles with wheat and corn. As a result, their beloved pets suffer from allergic reactions, stomach upset, sensitivities, poor digestion and metabolism, excessive weight, and so on.
Ideally, a feline diet should consist of what these hunters ate originally prey and fish. You can help your cat and create an ideal menu for it.
How?
Have you ever tried to make your own cat food? This option would be perfect, and its not as complicated as it seems. Actually millions of people are already cooking homemade cat food, homemade kibbles, and even homemade kitten formulas themselves!
Below you will find our 10 favorite recipes for homemade cat food.
Purina Beyond Grain Free Natural Adult Wet Cat Food
Another option for those on the lookout for wet food, Purina Beyond Grain Free* is an all-natural diet which is available in a huge range of flavors.
Just a couple include Quail, Duck, and Trout and Catfish.
Many of the flavors also include some vegetables, which in small amounts is a natural part of a cats diet.
This is another budget-friendly option, and many have found that their cats like it just as much as they do the more expensive brands.
This range of food is offered in a pate texture, so bear this in mind.
While some cats like their food served in this fashion, others prefer chunks. We will leave you to sort that out with your cat.
Despite the wide range of flavors, meat is still the number one ingredient in each offering, which is important when it comes to feeding carnivorous cats.
Best For Adult Cats: Royal Canin Indoor Adult Dry Cat Food
Weight: 15 pounds| Form: Dry, Pellets | Flavor: Chicken | Life Stage: Adult
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Rich in fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals
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Comes in 3-, 7-, or 15-pound bags
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Expensive
The best premium dry cat food for adult felines is Royal Canin Indoor Dry. Recommended by Dr. Singleton, it’s formulated with a blend of fiber for digestion and weight maintenance.
This cat food contains optimal portions of chicken meal, animal fat, vegetable fiber, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals. The highly digestible and metabolizable ingredients keep your adult cat healthy, energized, and satisfied. Be sure to buy this food from a reputable pet retailer as counterfeit versions of this pet food seem to be an issue. If you’re shopping on Amazon, it’s best to make sure the product is being sold and shipped by the manufacturer.
Weight: 10 pounds| Form: Dry | Flavor: Game Bird Recipe | Life Stage: Adult
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Rich in omega-3 fatty acids
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Uses chicken and turkey meal
If you are partial to raw ingredients, Merrick Backcountry Raw Infused is your best option. This all-natural dry cat food caters to an ancestral feline diet. It’s full of crave-worthy animal protein, including freeze-dried whole pieces of raw fish or game birds that help your cat’s food taste fresh.
This grain-free and digestion-friendly recipe is full of taste, texture, and smell your cat will love. It is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which promote healthy fur and skin.
Weight: 10 pounds| Form: Dry | Flavor: Chicken & Sweet Potato | Life Stage: All
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A Word On The Pros And Cons Of Specialist Food For Pets
You will find many cat owners firmly parked on either side of the fence when it comes to whether you should feed your kitty a specialist diet.
The topic is somewhat of a minefield with ethics, nutrition, animal welfare, convenience, and the family budget all being thrown into the mix.
If you decide to feed your cat a commercially available diet, a little bit of research and perhaps a word with your veterinarian will help you determine what food is appropriate for your kitty.
Most good quality commercially available cat foods will provide everything your cat needs to stay happy and healthy.
Additionally, in the US, claims made on pet food labels must not be misleading by law.
So, if a cat food claims to meet all the nutritional requirements for cats, you can feed it to your kitty with a healthy degree of confidence.
Of course, if your cat has a diagnosed health condition, then following your vets advice regarding special diets is vital.
Building Or Buying A Cat Shelter: What Is Best For Outdoor Cats
You can build a permanent shelter out of wood, similar to a small doghouse, using plans that are available online. Or, you can buy a ready-made or easy-to-assemble cat shelter from a number of online retailers.
An outdoor cat seeking a warm hideout is not going to be fussy about the type of shelter you provide in winter. However, your neighbors might appreciate it if the shelter somewhat attractive, well camouflaged, or hidden in a wooded or brushy area.
A less expensive DIY cat shelter can be built from a plastic storage tote. Use a box cutter to cut out front and rear openings that are about six to eight inches square â just big enough to let a cat squeeze in, but small enough to keep the cold air out. A rubber flap on the doors will further protect kitty from the cold. Just be sure the flap does not prevent the cat from easily entering and leaving the shelter box.
Why do you need a second door opening on the rear of the shelter box? If an unwanted intruder, such as a wild animal, enters the shelter, the cat will have an escape hatch to make a quick exit.
Use duct tape or caulk to firmly attach the lid to the tote. Set the shelter box on a pallet, a few boards, or bricks to elevate it off the cold, damp ground. Raising the box a few inches will help to insulate it and keep rain or snow from seeping in through the doorway from the ground.
More tips on creating a heated outdoor cat house
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Where To Find Materials
You may find inexpensive or free materials by asking building-supply stores or contractors if they have scrap lumber. Ask friends, neighbors and coworkers for used dog houses, which can be modified to make good shelters. You can even use a storage bin from the local hardware store. Creating a lifesaving shelter for outdoor cats can be easy and inexpensive.
How To Feed Your Indoor Cat
In order to keep from overfeeding your cat, measure out a serving size at each meal. The label on the food container should tell you how much a serving size is. If you feed several, small meals throughout the day, your cat will quickly learn to adapt. This will keep her energy up but prevent weight gain.
Do remember to consult with a vet before making any drastic changes to your cat’s diet. You must also make sure she has access to plenty of clean water.
You can make up for some of the deficiencies in indoor cat food by supplementing your cat’s diet. A bit of fully cooked lean meat every now and then will give her a protein boost. Talk to your vet about vitamin supplements your cat may need.
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Best Cat Food For Outdoor Cats: Ideal Diet For Adventurous Cats
Outdoor cats need to be in great shape to perform all the outdoor activities adult cats love doing like climbing, jumping, running, hunting, and exploring.
They must be strong enough to deflect health hazards and defend themselves from dogs, wild animals, and other cats.
So to keep your cat healthy enough to withstand the outdoor challenges and fully enjoy the daily adventures, you need to feed her with the right cat’s diet.
This is what we are going to talk about in this article, Best Cat Food for Outdoor Cats.
Here at FelineLiving.Net we have a dedicated mission to provide cat owners like you with well-researched information so they can provide the best care and nutrition to their cat.
Our readers rely upon the cat food reviews, articles and recall alerts that we research and publish. We also routinely update and review our own reviews ensuring that any changes by manufacturers are brought to your attention.
FelineLiving.Net is maintained by Mary Nielsen & her staff. Mary is an animal lover of both cats and dogs. She and her staff are passionate about animals and work hard to provide you with a wealth of information for you and your cat.
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at a glance: our top 5 picks for cat foods for outdoor cats
Royal Canin Feline Cat Food Best Food For Feral Cats
The Royal Canin food has an active and fit formula designed for cats that love playing outside. This cat food has all the ingredients your cat will need to continue thriving outside.
It has a unique protein-to-fat ratio that can help your feline pal play outside while maintaining its body weight. The food is also rich in powerful antioxidants that can boost your cats immune system. Therefore, you dont have to lose sleep over free radicals wreaking havoc in their system.
The Royal Canin food was created for adult cats aged between 1 and 10 years. With a combination of about 52 ingredients, this cat food was designed to improve your cats health.
The only disadvantage is that it has corn. Corn can be an allergen for some cats. This cat food is a perfect option for cats that are not allergic to corn.
Specs
- Contains perfect protein-to-fats-ratio to help the cat play around while maintaining its ideal weight
- Powerful antioxidants to boost your cats immune system
- Balanced diet formulated for an adult cat between the ages of 1 and 10 years old.
Cons
- This cat food contains preservatives, additives, and gluten, which are not ideal for felines with sensitive stomachs.
Overall rating 4.7 out of 5
The Royal Canin Feline cat food has a perfect formula that will keep your cat healthy while maintaining its ideal weight. The powerful antioxidant in this cat food helps improve your cats immunity, which is a bonus.
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But What About The Needs Of Feral Cats
Feral cats have the same basic nutritional needs as house cats, but there are some practical considerations to be made.
Protein is essential for all cats to maintain lean muscle mass, but feral cats tend to need extra fat in their diet to provide calories.
When every meal is a struggle, it is important to maximize the calorie and nutrition content of each meal. Balanced nutrition is also important for feral cats because they often feed on scraps between meals, which may not provide essential nutrients.
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Diamond Naturals Indoor Real Meat Recipe Dry Cat Food With Real Cage Free Chicken Protein
If you are concerned about the source of protein in the cat food you are feeding to your outdoor cats, this is a good option for you! The source of the protein makes all the difference especially when every bit of nutrients count to your survival.
Diamonds Naturals cat food is made with cage-free chicken. That means the chickens are raised in a stress-free environment which, to make a long story short and get straight to the point, produces better quality meat.
It also contains superfoods, prebiotic fiber that makes it easy to digest and more!
Truth be told it is a little more than the lesser quality cat foods BUT not by much! Which is why we recommend this one. You just cant beat that price for better quality because especially in these winter months, your cats need all of the extra nutrients they can get!
Heres the breakdown of the Diamond Naturals INDOOR Real Meat Dry Cat Food:
Weight: available in 6 lb and 18 lb bags
Grain-Free: not marketed as such but does not contain:
- Corn
Artificial Ingredients: No artificial flavors, colors or preservatives
Made In The USA? Yes, and family-owned & operated!
Rating: 4.4 out of 5 stars on Amazon
How others are helping strays with Diamond Naturals INDOOR Real Meat Dry Cat Food:
Been feeding it for years, cats stay healthy and we have a feral cat thats 18 yrs old, not saying its the food but it sure dont hurt! GCRedfisher
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How To Care For Outdoor Cats In Winter
As the weather gets colder, you may worry about the cats you see around your neighborhood.
They may be pets whose owners let them outside, or they could be community cats, a group that includes ferals and strays . No matter how resourceful these outdoor cats are, they need help surviving winter.
If you’ve got time to help, the kitties will thank you! Follow these tips to help your local outdoor cats during the cold months.
Choosing The Right Feeding Dishes
Youll want to choose an overall bowl style that will work best for your own situation. As a general rule, though, its important to select bowl colors that will blend in with the area where youre feeding. If youre feeding in an open, natural setting, choose earthy colors such as tans, greens, browns and blacks. A bright red bowl in a park or nature setting will stick out like a sore thumb and draw unnecessary attention. Go with muted and dark colors.
Plastics, metals and glassware are the most widely used materials. Heavy plastic bowls are versatile and easy to clean. Metal can retain heat or cold more than plastic, staying cool or staying hot longer. Use caution with glassware, since glass dishes can break and you dont want broken glass around ferals. If you go with glassware, try Pyrex since it doesnt break so easily.
Paper plates and paper bowls can be a cheap and easy option, but they arent water resistant like plastic and they tend to blow around as soon as theyre empty. If they are not picked up diligently, they can make an area look trashy. Use paper plates appropriately and sparingly.
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Applaws Fish Selection In Broth Variety Pack
Ingredients:
We find Applaws Fish Selection as the best cat food for outdoor cats in the wet food class. This wet food has an astounding 15% protein content per serving to sustain your outdoor kitty the whole day as well as provide hydration.
Applaws Fish Selection has definitely one of the shortest list of ingredients we have ever seen. The first of its 3-4 natural ingredients is tuna fillet. The tuna fillet is of the highest quality human grade cut of tuna.
It is a 100% natural source of taurine which is essential for eye and heart health. This cat food product contains absolutely no additives.
This cat food is meant as a complementary food for adult cats. It can be fed with a complete wet or dry meal for a balanced diet.
This Applaws cat food is not intended to be fed on a daily basis, but instead as intermittent or supplementary feeding only.
This variety pack comes in 3 flavors: Tuna, Tuna with shrimp and Tuna with seaweed.
Pros
- Clean, simple ingredients. With only 3-4 items on the list of ingredients, cat parents love that this Applaws cat food has no additives or any chemicals that could be harmful to their pets.
- Soft, healthy fur. Cat owners have noticed that their pets fur have grown softer and shinier since being fed with this tuna recipe.
- Contains Taurine. These recipes promote proper heart and eye function, which makes pet parents happy.
Cons
Top 5 Best Cat Food For Outdoors Cats
OUR TOP PICK
At less than $25 for 13lb, this is one of our more reasonably priced cat foods. It is dried and gives a much better value for money.
The flavor is chicken and salmon, and the first 5 ingredients are Chicken, Chicken By-Product Meal, Corn Grits, Ground Whole Grain Corn, and Salmon. Three of these are meat, which is what you should look out for.
The food contains Omega 3 and 6 to support the joints and calcium for teeth and bones. The food also includes prebiotics and beet pulp to help the cats digestion. It also contains taurine, niacin, and Vitamin A.
Pros
- Less than $2 per pound
EDITORS CHOICE
At less than $40 for 12lb, this is one of our more expensive picks.
The flavor is chicken and salmon, and the first 5 ingredients are: Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Turkey Meal, Potato Starch, Fish Meal. 4 of these are meat, meaning that there is a high protein content.
The food contains Omega 3 and 6 to support the joints and give your cat a shiny coat. It also contains essential vitamins and minerals to support your cats immune system.
The food is grain-free and does not contain poultry by-product meals.
Pros
This food is under $30 for 16 pounds, our cheapest pick.
The chicken flavor has not got the best ingredients, but they are still primarily meat-based: Chicken, rice flour, corn gluten meal, chicken by-product meal , beef fat.
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Cons
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