Homemade Dry Cat Food

Recent concerns over contaminated cat food and a move toward holistic feeding have prompted more and more owners to make their own pet food at home. While there are a host of recipes for moist or wet cat food, it is difficult to find a dry food recipe that is appropriately nutritious. Understanding feline dietary needs is essential when devising a recipe for homemade cat food.

  1. What Cats Need

    • When it comes to wet food, cats often are quite happy with a simple homemade chicken stew. Dry food is a little trickier to concoct because cats are true carnivores and can become sick from ingesting too much grain. Dry food should be at least 60 percent protein. The remaining 40 percent should be primarily vegetable- and supplement-based, with as little grain as possible used as binder. Soy flour is a great substitute for wheat flour, as it provides protein in addition to holding the wet ingredients together.

      To create your own recipe, try starting with three parts soy flour and add one part wheat germ, which provides needed oil to reduce hairballs. Then, add about two parts nonfat dry milk and one part brewer's yeast (a kitty favorite). Mix in your choice of vitamins and supplements. A can of water-packed, drained mackerel or a jar of chicken baby food along with a spoon of cod liver oil will get the dry ingredients to bind. Mash the ingredients together with a fork, then use your hands to knead, adding soy flour as necessary, until you have a sturdy dough. Roll the dough out to about a quarter inch thick and then cut it into quarter-inch squares. Pile the little bits in a couple of layers on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, tossing the pieces around occasionally during baking so they brown evenly. Turn off the heat, open the oven door and allow the bits to cool before taking them out and storing in airtight containers. Experiment with recipe proportions until you get the desired consistency and add ingredients and supplements that will meet your cat's needs and, of course, tastes. Some cats like chicken more than fish and vice versa; only you can judge your finicky feline's preferences.

    Ingredients And Supplements

    • Avoid garlic, broccoli, chocolate and onions in your recipes, as these ingredients can be very harmful to cats. Also do not include corn and potatoes because of the high carbohydrate count. Although cats have no actual dietary need for vegetables, pureed pumpkin is a good choice as it adds gloss to the coat.

      Add supplements such as human grade bone meal, probiotic/enzyme digestive supplement, taurine capsule or taurine powder, plus a dash of salt to taste. You also can crush one of the many different feline multi-vitamins and add it to your recipe. Do not, however, use coated human vitamins as they can cause digestive problems for your furry friend.