Simple and Quick – Top Dog Tips
Tuna is one of the most common protein sources used in commercial cat food products. So, it’s safe to say that it’s a good source of protein to consider when making your pet homemade meals. Tuna is readily available in most regions and a budget-friendly protein option. This DIY cat food recipe is made with limited ingredients and should be a suitable meal for most adult cats.
Did you realize that most homemade cat food diets are not nutritionally balanced for your cat? Your cat’s nutritional needs are unique to her, and they vary based on her age, weight, breed, activity level and overall health condition.
The only person that can tell you if this DIY cat food recipe will make an appropriate diet for your pet is your veterinarian or a trained feline nutritionist. They will likely recommend adding additional supplements to the recipe to ensure that it meets all of your cat’s nutritional needs.
DIY Cat Food Recipe
While it can offer some great health benefits, it can also be extremely dangerous to feed your pet a homemade diet if you do not know what you are doing. It’s not enough to just look up recipes on the internet. This may come as a surprise, but you cannot trust everything you read online.
In the study linked above, researchers selected 114 recipes from different online sources and books. Of these recipes, NONE of them provided all the essential nutrients to meet the National Research Council’s recommended allowances for adult cats.
Only 94 of the recipes provided enough information for an accurate nutritional analysis. 40% of them didn’t include feeding instructions, and 7% of the recipes called for ingredients that are toxic to cats!
This research proves that it is imperative to speak with your veterinarian before switching your cat to a homemade diet. The following recipe will NOT provide balanced nutrition for every cat, but your veterinarian can help you choose supplements or a multi-vitamin that will help to fill the gaps.
DIY Cat Food Recipe: Simple and Quick
As I mentioned, this is a limited ingredient recipe. With just 4 ingredients, it may be a good option for cats with digestive problems or food sensitivities. Your veterinarian can help you decide if adding more ingredients or making ingredient substitutions would be necessary for your cat.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: about 1.5 cups of food 1x
- Category: Cooked Food
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Cat Food
- 2/3 cup canned or boiled tuna
- 1/3 cup cooked white rice
- 1/4 cup cooked, mashed sweet potato
- 1 tsp. fish oil
Cook the rice according to the instructions on the packaging. Boil or bake the sweet potato and mash it. Add all of the ingredients to a large mixing bowl and stir until thoroughly combined.
Ensure that all of the ingredients are completely cooled before feeding this recipe to your cat.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 cup
- Calories: 263
- Sugar: .6 g
- Sodium: 60 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Carbohydrates: 9.9 g
- Fiber: .4 g
- Protein: 31 g
- Cholesterol: 39 mg
How much to feed: I recommend feeding about 1/4-1/2 cup of food daily. This recommendation is for 2 servings per day. This is just a guideline. Typically cats do not overeat, but some cats do. Your cat may not overeat dry kibble, but the enticing whole food ingredients of homemade food may cause him to eat more than he should.
How to store: You can store the leftover DIY cat food recipe in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days or freeze it in an airtight container for storage of up to 3 months. Keep in mind that this recipe includes no preservatives, so it won’t last nearly as long as commercial cat food.
For More Information
We publish many homemade dog food and treats recipes every month. For more recipes, pet food cooking tips and advice, see our “Recipes” section. If you’re new to the home cooked pet food subject, I recommend you read more about “How Much To Feed” to understand serving sizes, “What Supplements To Use” to create well-balanced meals, and “How To Store” for tips on simple and easy homemade pet food storing in a fridge or a freezer.
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