How to Make Your Own Cat Food

As we found out in 2007, pet foods that are mass-produced can become contaminated. It's also necessary to add fillers, by-products, hormones and chemical preservatives in order to give the food shelf life and generate profits for the pet food company. So many cat owners have opted to make the foods their cat eats.

There are a few very important guidelines that the pet food cook must keep in mind, in order to ensure that their cat gets the proper nutrients and avoids eating harmful substances.

Cats should never be fed these items that are potentially harmful to them: onions, pork, chocolate, milk, raw eggs (cooked eggs are fine), fish or bone. Veterinarians also advise against giving your cat raw meats because of the dangers of bacterial contamination.

There are also some necessary ingredients that must be included in your cat's diet. Cats need taurine in order to metabolize foods and acids properly, but they don't produce it naturally. Taurine powder can be purchased and added to your homemade cat food, but not until it is cool after cooking. Heat from cooking destroys taurine.

It's also helpful to add a general vitamin/mineral supplement in order to ensure that the cat gets all the proper nutrients. With that being said, here are some of the cat foods that my three cats love the best.

Salmon Veggie Patties

1/4 cup coarsely chopped green beans
1/4 cup coarsely chopped sweet potatoes
1/4 cup coarsely chopped zucchini
1/4 cup coarsely chopped yellow squash
1/2 cup spring water
1/2 pound wild salmon
1/4 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon plain yogurt

Combine the green beans, sweet potatoes, zucchini, yellow squash and water in a large skillet over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then add the salmon. Cover and steam for 5 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Cool to room temperature, then transfer to a food processor. Add the orange juice, Parmesan cheese and yogurt and blend well. Shape into patties and either serve right away or store in the refrigerator. Freeze any portions you won't use within 2 to 3 days. Makes 4 1 ½ inch patties.

Kitty Poultry Pleaser

1 ¼ pounds ground turkey or chicken
½ pound yellow squash or pumpkin, coarsely chopped
½ pound celery, coarsely chopped
¼ pound chicken or turkey liver
1 tablespoon kelp powder
5 to 7 cups water or Chicken stock

Combine all of the ingredients in a stainless steel pot with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Remove from the heat and let cool. With an electric hand mixer, or using a food processor and working in batches, blend all the ingredients into a nice puree. Using Ziploc bags or plastic yogurt containers, make up meal-sized portions and freeze whatever you won't use within 3 days. Makes about 20 ½ cup servings.

Kitty Treats

1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup nonfat powdered milk
1/2 can tuna, in oil or 1/2 cup cooked chicken or turkey, chopped into small pieces
1 tablespoon vegetable or cod liver oil
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup water or vegetable stock

In large bowl, mash the tuna (or chicken). Add the flour and powdered milk, mixing well. Stir in the water, oil and egg, mixing well. Mixture will be sticky. Shape mixture into 1/2-inch sized balls. Place on greased baking sheets. Press balls to flatten. Bake at 350*F (175*C) for 10 minutes. Remove treats from oven; let sit 5 minutes and then turn treats over and bake another 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely on wire rack. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator.

There are great online resources for cat food recipes. Here are a couple of great sites:

CooksRecipes.com - http://www.cooksrecipes.com/category/pet-recipes.html
RecipeZaar - http://www.recipezaar.com/recipes/pet-food