When you’re looking at cat food, you should not focus solely on the ingredients – you should look at the nutrition too. Every food manufacturer must list the minimum and maximum amounts for the four main nutrients: protein, fat, fiber, and moisture content. In this brief article, we will give you two grain free cat food recipes, so you can take total control for your cat's diet and health!
How To Make Your Own Grain Free Cat Food
Some people prefer to forego cat food they get at the store because they’d rather make their own, that way they are in control of what their cats eat, especially with countless trusted pet food brands coming under fire because pets have been getting sick (or even dying) from contaminated food.
It’s important to know that if you do decide to make your own grain free cat food, it is going to require more time and you will need to be mindful of quality control because the risk of nutritional deficiencies and even bacterial contamination are pretty high.
With that said, you can find a variety of homemade grain free cat food recipes online that you can use. These recipes will need to have a good balance of the following:
You can find exact nutritional guidelines for cats through the American Association of Feed Control Officials.
The way you go about making your cat food can be either a raw diet, or a cooked diet.
If you opt for a raw diet, it is important to understand that the American Animal Hospital Association warns against the risk of your cat (or other members of your household) contracting salmonella from the raw meat. However, if you are careful, you can go ahead with making your own raw food.
If you want to stay away from the potential dangers of a raw diet, you can opt for a cooked diet. Unfortunately, there is very little research that is in favor or against a cooked diet for your cat. However, it is important that if you do decide to switch from a commercial diet to a homemade one, you consult your vet and have them help you formulate one.
A Grain Free Cat Food Recipe For Raw Meat Diet
If you do want to go ahead and try making your own food, here is a recipe from Lisa A. Pierson, DVM. We fully recommend visiting her site for more information on homemade cat food and other great information for caring for your pet.
This recipe will make enough for one cat, for about 14 days, so divide into fourteenths and freeze. When you serve,keep in mind that cats prefer warm food, because of their carnivorous nature. For more information and a guides on making this food, visit her in depth article, Making Cat Food.
A Grain Free Cat Food Recipe For A Cooked Meat Diet
This recipe is going to provide you with enough food for one day, for an average sized cat. You will need a dietary scale that weighs food in grams. This will be essential so you can achieve the correct measurements – at least until you are familiar with the process and can accurately eyeball the correct amount.
Note: The food should be kept in the refrigerator or freezer in between meals and heated slightly when it comes to meal time.
Combine:
If you try out one of these recipes, come back and let us know how your cat liked it, and any changes that you made! Of course, if making your own cat’s food is too involved for you, you can find high quality, grain free cat food in both a wet or dry formula.
