Homemade Allergy-Free Cat Food

Like humans, cats can suffer from allergies to certain foods. As many as 10 percent of cats may have food allergies, and these allergies may account for about 57 percent of the itching and scratching cats do, according to the Pet Education website. For owners of cats with food allergies, making your own cat food is a healthy and simple way to deal with food allergy problems.

Things You'll Need

  • Chicken
  • Rice
  • Vegetable medley
  • Brewer's yeast
  • Garlic powder
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Instructions

    • 1

      Stop feeding your cat any store-bought cat food and cat treats. Begin feeding only a combination of one protein and one carbohydrate, such as chicken and rice or venison and potato. Avoid beef, lamb, seafood, corn, soy, dairy products and wheat gluten, which all tend to frequently cause food allergies in cats. Make sure to chop up the chicken into small pieces and cook it well. Mix in with the rice.

    • 2

      Continue this regimen until you are certain that your protein-and-carb combination does not cause allergies. Pet Education recommends doing this for 12 weeks, but you may stop sooner if allergic symptoms do not appear. If your chosen combination does not trigger a food allergy, this will become the basis of your homemade cat food. If it does, experiment with a different protein-and-carb combination until you find one that works for your cat.

    • 3

      Find a cat food recipe that makes use of your protein-and-carb combo by experimenting on your own. One simple recipe would add brewer's yeast, using two tsp. for every one pound of protein, and garlic powder, using one-eighth tsp. per every one pound of protein. You may also add two tbsp. of tomato paste to the protein-and-carb mixture.

    • 4

      Make enough food for a week or two, and store in single-portion containers. Freeze all but what you plan to use for the current and following day. Take more food from your freezer and put it in your refrigerator as needed.

    • 5

      Add small amounts of vegetables to the mix once your cat gets accustomed to his new, healthier food. Cats are very picky eaters, and because they are pure carnivores, it's not technically necessary for them to eat vegetables. However, vegetables provide lots of nutrients that can result in long, healthy feline lives. If you decide to add vegetables to your recipe, be very conservative in how much you use. A vegetable medley provides a good variety of both flavors and nutrients. Chop up the vegetables very finely to ensure your cat will not pick them out.