Perhaps you have gotten frustrated by reading made cat food you bought from a pet store. You might feel betrayed to find the pricey cat food is not balanced, fresh, and edible. It is time to go for homemade cat food if experienced the above.
Before making healthy homemade cat food, you will need essential ingredients like meat, bones, organs, and supplements. You must also know the essential nutrients required in your cat diet and what harmful ingredients to avoid.
At most times, you might not know how and where to begin preparing your healthy homemade food. You will search online for tips and find thousands of solutions that might confuse you further. I have researched and summarized for you how to make healthy homemade cat food. Just read and implement!
How To Make Healthy Homemade Cat Food
When preparing your homemade cat food, ensure the following ingredients at minimum are on the plate.
Meat
The cat being a carnivore, much of the food must be meat-based. You can use raw or cooked meat. Be cautious and follow safe handling procedures to avoid cross-contamination.
You can use fish, rabbits, poultry, and beef, with animal organs like the liver rich in vitamin A. Avoid giving your cat canned tuna. Lamb and mutton contain fats, though you need to feed smaller portions. Always prepare your cat food with fresh meat and avoid processed meat.
Bones
Your cat loves bones but, avoid giving cooked bones. Cooked bones splinter easily and can hurt the cat’s internal or external body organs. Calcium is plenty in raw bones, and uncooked bones are good exercise for cat teeth. If feeding your cat on fish, always take out the bones first.
Organs
Critical organs to provide in your homemade cat food include the liver that gives vitamin A, and kidneys vitamin B and iron. Other organs like the heart are rich in vitamin B12, phosphorous, and iron should not be overcooked. Beef tongues are rich in vitamin B12, zinc, cholesterol, and iron and serve only small portions. You can still feed your cat animal brain but ensure that it is not infected.
Supplements
Supplements should be used in specific cases, like when your cat cannot get essential nutrients from the diet. Cat supplements may be in liquid form or powdered. Supplements in pill form must be powdered and mixed with cat food. Consult a vet before using any over-the-counter cat supplements and never overdose.
Benefits of feeding your cat with homemade food
Making homemade food for your cat makes you bond with your kitty. Preparing cat food should be similar to the way you want to treat yourself or the family. Taking your time to plan ingredients, mix and serve the correct portion makes you connect with the cat.
Making homemade food for your cat allows you to know you have used the right ingredients. You serve the cat fresh semi-solid food that is not plenty with carbohydrates and proteins. You find stored food at most times being contaminated by fungal mycotoxins, bacteria, and vermin.
Preparing homemade cat food is cheaper in the long run. Consider where to get your ingredients in bulk, and chicken is cheap than warren. Giving your cat healthy homemade food reduces vet costs because health complications reduce. You are in a position to change the cat menu, and a healthy cat is a happy cat.
When preparing your homemade cat food, the question of whether to give raw or cooked food comes into context. Cooked food has fewer nutrients, while uncooked food may contain parasites and bacteria. Par –cooking is recommended for homemade cat food.
Remember to follow all the safety precautions taken when handling raw meat for people to avoid cross-contamination.
When you decide to shift to homemade cat foods, note the following;
Age and energy requirement: The nutrition you feed a cat should correspond with the age and energy requirements. You must consider the state of the teeth because they get poorer as the cat ages, and eating some foods can be problematic. Kittens are more active, and their diet needs to be high in energy-rich components.
Body condition: You may need to buy formulas for particular body conditions. Ensure that you follow the guidelines as given on the packaging when administering to your cat. They should not make your cat either slim or obese.
Health condition: Cats suffer various health conditions that you need to consider in homemade cat food. The health status of your cat will determine the food to feed your cat. Similar to human beings, your cat may develop body allergies when given some foods. After introducing a new diet in your homemade cat food, observe any adverse effects on the cat’s health.
Desist feeding your cats with sausage meat and other manufactured meat. They contain sulfite preservatives that are not good for your cat.
Essential nutrients in your cat diet
Similar to man, cats require a balanced diet to stay healthy. Ensure that your homemade cat food contains the following ingredients.
Animal protein: The cat is an obligate carnivore, requiring meat in its food to survive. Avoid the lies in prepared cat food as ‘high protein’ when the main ingredient is lentils or wheat gluten. Only proteins from animal sources are digestible by cats. The short digestive system cannot allow cats to digest plant proteins.
Animal fats: Cats require easily digestible fats in their diet to give energy. They need omega 6- fatty acids like arachidonic and linolic acid, while krill oil and fish oil contain omega 3- fatty acids. Do not worry because these fats are available in beef, pork, and poultry.
Calcium and Phosphorous: They perform a similar function in cats as they do to us- the formation of strong bones and teeth. Calcium helps in blood clot factors and enables cat muscles to function quickly. Phosphorous boosts the repair of cells and helps in protein metabolism. You can get calcium and Phosphorous for your cat from small fish like sardines.
Taurine: It is an essential amino acid that cats cannot make in the body, and it comes from beef, eggs, shellfish, and brewer’s yeast. Deficiency of taurine in cats leads to heart problems, poor vision, and shortened life span.
Water: Your home cat may not drink as much water because they get some from the flesh. Cats are selective with water, and to compensate for this, feed them with moist food to prevent hydration. They love their food mixed with less broth and avoid salt if possible in the broth.
Vitamins: Cats cannot convert beta carotene from a plant into vitamin A, and they get it from animal’s liver and kidneys. Vitamin D comes from tuna, mackerel, and beef. The smooth coat of a cat requires vitamin E from eggs to flourish. Vitamin B is needed for well-being and comes from brown rice, liver, red meat, and fish.
Harmful ingredients in a cat diet
Do not feed cats on anything available. The following items should not be given to a cat even if it likes them;
Onions and garlic: They are harmful to your cat because they contain thiosulfate that is toxic.
Cured meat: Cured meat like sausages is not advisable to feed your cats. That is because the foods are high in salts and the side effects include diarrhea and vomiting.
Chocolate: Avoid chocolate in cat food because it contains Theobromine. Theobromine has been food to be a cardiac stimulant and a hazardous substance in a cat’s body.
Caffeine products: Caffeine products such as tea leaves, coffee beans, and cocoa pods accelerate the heart and nervous system. They can also cause tachycardia.
Sugars and sweets: They are not required for your cat well -being because they destroy teeth and cause obesity.
Milk: Most people think it is good to feed cats on milk. However, most cats become intolerant to lactose in the milk as they age. Consumption of milk may cause stomach problems in your cat. Sometimes you may find the cat is not feeding because of this discomfort.
Alcohol: Any alcohol amount is enough to kill your cat.
Greasy foods and condiments: You need to avoid them in the diet because they are unfavorable for your cat’s digestive system.
If you want to treat your cats, give cat biscuits made with vitamins and proteins.
