Homemade Canned Cat Food

Many veterinarians feel that a balanced homemade diet will contribute to the better overall health of a cat. As Lisa A. Pierson, DVM noted, "It is important for them to eat a diet that is equal in nutritional quality to what I would put on my own dinner plate." Cat owners rely on varying recipes to prepare homemade cat food, but whichever recipe you use, canning some of the food allows you to know that your cat will eat healthy, homemade meals even when you can't prepare fresh food.

Things You'll Need

  • Canning jars, bands and lids
  • Rubber seals
  • Parboiled chicken, liver or fish
  • Eggs
  • Meat grinder
  • Pressure cooker
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Instructions

    • 1

      Wash 8 oz.or 1 pt. canning jars with their bands and lids in hot, soapy water. Rinse well. Alternately, run the jars, bands and lids through the hot cycle of the dishwasher.

    • 2

      Soften the rubber seals on the lids by placing all the lids in a saucepan, covering them with water and heating the water to a low simmer on a stove. Keep the water warm but do not allow the water to boil.

    • 3

      Prepare the homemade cat food using your own recipe or by grinding up parboiled chicken, liver or fish together with the bones. According to Lisa A. Pierson, DVM, you should add 1 cup of water and 2 eggs per 3 lbs. of meat, skin and bones. Leaving in some meat chunks for the cat to chew can help its dental health.

    • 4

      Pack the meat into the clean jars, leaving 1 inch of empty space at the top of the jars.

    • 5

      Wipe the jar rims with a damp cloth to remove any meat residue left on the rims.

    • 6

      Remove the lids one by one from the saucepan and place them on the jars. Tighten the bands to close the jars.

    • 7

      Place the jars in a pressure cooker with water according to the pressure cooker's directions.

    • 8

      Seal the pressure cooker. Heat the pressure cooker until it reaches an 11 lb. pressure. At that point, begin to process the canning jars for 75 minutes.

    • 9

      Turn the stove off after 75 minutes and let the cooker pressure drop naturally. After the pressure drops completely, remove the jars and place them upright in a cool, draft-free area for 12 hours.

    • 10

      Check each jar to verify that the lid sealed properly. The lid's shape should appear concave and should not move if pushed down. Refrigerate jars which did not seal properly, and use them within three days.

    • 11

      Store homemade canned cat food in a cool dark place. Use within one year of canning.