Homemade Birthday Cake for Cats

It is important to make a cat's birthday cake from something healthy that your cat will enjoy. Cats cannot sense sweetness. According to researchers Joesph G. Brand and Xia Li of the Monell Chemical Senses Center, ''...the sequence of genetic 'letters' in the two genes encoding the sweetness receptor's two proteins...is missing a stretch of 247 letters (which) prevents the gene from making a proper protein."

  1. Make It Meat

    • Cats are true carnivores. According to the Journal of the American Veterinary Association, "Cats...rely on nutrients in animals tissues to meet their specific and unique nutritional requirements." Make your cat's cake from ground meat or poultry. It is okay to add some fish or fish oil, but that should not be the main ingredient.

    Eggs

    • Eggs are another animal protein that you can use when making a cat's birthday cake. Mix eggs by hand into the ground meat. It is okay to use raw eggs, because cats do not ordinarily contract salmonella. According to Neils C. Pederson's book, "Feline Husbandry: Diseases and Management in the Multiple Cat Environment, "Salmonellosis isn't seen very often in cats and it is believed they have a natural immunity to the bacteria. Risk factors which can make a cat more susceptible to salmonellosis include cats in high stress situations and environments, cats who's natural resistance has been compromised due to another infection, general poor health status, hospitalized animals & kittens. Kittens are more likely to be clinically affected than adult cats."

    Decorations

    • If you want to decorate the cake, use whipped lard and food coloring to write "Happy Birthday," and the cat's name on the cake. Do not "ice" the cake with the whipped lard mixture, however, unless your cat is young or very active. Older, sedentary cats do not use enough calories in their daily activities. Animal fats and oils are necessary, according to veterinary researcher Debra L. Zoran. "In the diet of carnivores, fat typically provides most of the fuel for energy..." Because cats do not convert vegetable proteins efficiently, avoid using vegetable shortening in your cat's birthday cake.

    Cooked or Raw

    • Cats prefer raw food when permitted to have it. If there is a chance that other pets or small children might touch or eat your cat's birthday cake, it is better to cook it and allow it to cool to room temperature before serving it to your cat. Cooking will destroy some of the essential amino acids, though. Also, if you are going to "ice" the cake, wait until it is cold or the lard will melt.