Cooking Instructions for Homemade Dry Cat Food

Commercially available dry cat food can contain ingredients such as animal by-products, artificial colors and preservatives. To avoid feeding your cat these types of foods, you can make your own at home, using ingredients that you control. Homemade dry food, as opposed to wet food, stays fresh during the day for your cat, allowing you to feed it even when you are not home. By feeding your cat a freshly made, cooked diet, you don't have to worry about possible cat food recalls, like the large-scale recall that occurred in 2007.

Things You'll Need

  • 10 oz. boneless chicken
  • 3-qt. pot
  • Food processor
  • 2 large mixing bowls
  • Spoon
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 cup nonfat dry powdered milk
  • 1/2 cup wheat germ
  • 1/2 cup cornmeal
  • 1 tbsp. brewer's yeast
  • 2 tbsp. dried catnip
  • 1 egg
  • Whisk
  • 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 tsp. flax seed oil
  • 1/2 tsp. salmon oil
  • Rubber spatula
  • Wax paper
  • 2 cookie sheets
  • Non-stick cooking spray
  • Air-tight container
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Instructions

    • 1

      Boil the 10 oz. of chicken for 20 minutes in a 3-qt. pot. Allow it to cool for 10 minutes, then place it a food processor and pulse until you get a smooth texture, similar to a coarse grain. Put the ground chicken aside.

    • 2

      Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

    • 3

      Mix together the 1 cup each of wheat flour and dry nonfat powdered milk in a medium size bowl with a spoon. Add 1/2 cup each of wheat germ and cornmeal, along with 1 tbsp. brewer's yeast and 2 tbsp. dried catnip. Stir until completely blended.

    • 4

      Beat the egg in a separate bowl with a whisk, and put aside the shell. You will use the shell in the recipe to add calcium.

    • 5

      Combine the beaten egg, 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth, 1 tsp. flax oil, 1/2 tsp. salmon oil and the ground chicken in a bowl until well-blended.

    • 6

      Grind the egg shell in a food processor to a fine powder. Add it to the wet ingredients.

    • 7

      Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients, stirring until the consistency reaches that of a sticky dough. Scrape any dough from the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.

    • 8

      Line a flat surface with wax paper and sprinkle whole wheat flour over it. Place the dough over the floured paper and knead it until smooth, adding more flour as needed.

    • 9

      Grease two cookie sheets with non-stick cooking spray, and place the dough in dime-sized balls on the surface of each sheet. Flatten each ball with the back of a spoon, allowing about 1 inch between dry food pieces.

    • 10

      Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown. Turn the "cat cookies" halfway through the baking process. Allow the cookies to cool for at least 20 minutes before serving to your cat. Store any remaining cookies in an air-tight container in your freezer for up to two weeks.