Recipe for Homemade Dog & Cat Food

If you think you've been spending too much money on cat or dog food, just slow down and take a look around your kitchen for a second. There are plenty of ingredients in your house that will serve as a healthy and hearty meal for your pets. Just do a little research and make sure you're not giving your pet something that will harm him. Once you do that, you have a list of endless dishes that you can cook up in no time.

  1. Foods to Avoid

    • Cats should avoid: chocolate, caffeine, mushrooms, onions, sugary foods, yeast dough, raw eggs and citrus oil extracts.

      Dogs should avoid: grapes, raisins, onions, Garlic, chocolate, artificial sweeteners or artificial fats and raw meat.

      Each of these foods will have its own effect on your pet and some may even be healthy in small doses. It's always best to check with your veterinarian before you feed your pet any household foods.

    Dry Food

    • Dog: Multigrain Kibbles

      Ingredients:
      2 cups whole wheat flour
      1 1/2 cups all-purpose, unbleached flour
      1/2 cup soy flour
      1 cup cornmeal
      1 cup nonfat dry powdered milk
      1 cup rolled oats
      1/2 cup wheat germ
      1/2 cup brewers yeast
      1 tbsp. salt
      1 large egg
      5 tbsp. corn oil
      3 cups water

      Instructions: Heat oven to 350 F. Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl and combine egg and corn oil in another bowl. Now stir water into the dry ingredients then add the egg mixture and mix well. Spread the batter on a baking sheet 1/2 inch thick and bake for 45 minutes. Let the food cool to room temperature and break them into small pieces.

      Cats: Dry food is not a healthy source of food to be feeding your cat. Maybe every once in a while, but the fats stored in the dry food can go rancid after a little bit of time, making the food bad. When feeding a cat, opt for something with fish or meat.

    Meat

    • Dog: Poultry and Rice Meal

      Ingredients:
      1 cup boiled poultry, chopped
      1/2 cup cooked brown rice
      1/2 cup boiled mixed vegetables
      3 to 4 tbsp. unsalted chicken broth

      Instructions: Stir everything together and serve at room temperature. You can store unused portions in a covered container in the refrigerator and use within three days.

      Cat: Beef and Rice Meal

      Ingredients:
      one big cup of cooked rice
      1/2 lb. of cooked beef meat
      2 spoons of oil
      1/2 cup of beef sauce

      Instructions: Mix everything all together and serve hot or cool to your cat.

    Vegetarian

    • Dog: Rice porridge

      Ingredients:
      2 cups uncooked rice
      3 quarts water
      2 tbsp. vegetable oil
      2 cups 1-inch pieces bok choy or Swiss chard
      2 scallions, finely chopped
      1 tsp. grated fresh ginger
      1 tbsp. tamari sauce (wheat free soy sauce)
      1 tbsp. sesame seed oil

      Instructions: Bring rice and water to a boil over medium heat in a large saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer rice. Cover for 30 minutes. Stir-fry vegetables, bok choy or chard and scallions for two minutes in a large skillet. Transfer stir-fried vegetables to pan with rice. Add ginger, tamari and sesame seed oil. Return rice mixture to a boil over high heat and stir. Reduce heat and cook mixture 30 minutes more. Let cool down and serve warm.

      Cat: Sardine Surprise

      Ingredients:
      2 flat cans of sardines in oil (do not drain)
      2/3 cup cooked rice
      1 tbsp. pureed liver (or canned liver cat food)
      1/4 cup chopped parsley

      Instructions:
      Combine all ingredients and mix well. Shape into balls of desired size or simply spoon into cat's dish and serve. You can store these treats in the refrigerator for up to three days or freeze them.