How to Cook for Your Cat

Cats are obligate carnivores and require a meat-based diet while avoiding foods that are unhealthy and high in difficult-to-digest carbohydrates. An unsuitable diet can lead to health issues and a reduced lifespan. Cooking for your cat is an excellent way to provide the necessary protein, and it's a fun activity for the cook as well. However, it's important to consult an animal nutrition expert before switching to homemade meals exclusively for your cat.

Learn about your cat's nutritional requirements. These needs are vastly different from human dietary needs, so you must carefully consider and calculate the foods to feed your cat. Cats need a diet rich in protein and fat. In fact, cats require twice the amount of protein that dogs do. Don’t rely on your own judgment—consult a veterinarian to recommend a pet nutritionist who can ensure your cat gets the essential nutrients.

• Your cat's diet should consist of about 85% meat, fat, organs, and bones; vegetables and fiber make up just 15% of their nutritional needs.
• Formulating a balanced nutritional plan for your cat is no easy task, and even experts in animal nutrition can face difficulties. If done incorrectly, you may not notice issues in the short term, but problems could develop over months or even years. Never change your cat's diet without consulting a nutrition expert, and don’t be misled by the appearance of good health.

Recognize all the components of a healthy diet for your cat. A healthy diet for cats must include the following elements: clean water (always available and easy to access), protein (most cats will refuse food with less than 20% protein), fat (cats need fat for energy, essential fatty acids, fat-soluble vitamins, and flavor), vitamin A (cats require enough vitamin A, which is abundant in liver, eggs, and milk, but be cautious when using these ingredients), vitamin B (cats need vitamin B and may eat brewer's yeast if they show signs of deficiency, such as loss of appetite or fever), vitamin E (vitamin E is needed to break down unsaturated fats in a cat's diet), and calcium (an important mineral for bone formation and maintenance).

• Taurine is an amino acid also necessary in a cat’s diet. Commercial cat foods (both dry and wet) usually provide sufficient taurine, but your cat may be at risk of taurine deficiency if fed homemade or vegetarian food. Taurine deficiency in cats can cause retinal degeneration, leading to permanent vision loss and heart failure. This is why adding taurine to your cat's diet is crucial.

Consider the timing and method of feeding your cat. For example, cats of different ages will require different feeding schedules or types of food. While most cats can regulate their food intake well, some situations will require you to adjust their meals.

• Kittens from 6 weeks to 3 months should eat 3-4 meals a day. By 6 months, you can reduce the number of meals to 2 per day.
• Adult cats should be fed when they are hungry, with additional snacks available throughout the day. However, if this is difficult, they still need to be fed at least a few times per day.
• If you have multiple cats with different dietary needs, find a way to feed them separately so they don’t eat each other's food.

Prioritize your cat's health over your own dietary habits. Cats cannot thrive (or survive) on a vegetarian diet. There has been much debate on this topic, but prioritizing your cat's natural needs is key to their health and happiness.

• Although there are supplements (such as taurine) that some vegetarians give their cats along with various advice on feeding cats vegetarian diets, this can lead to blindness and heart failure. These diets not only require significant effort from the owner but also pose health risks and can shorten your cat’s lifespan, especially when you feed them too many unhealthy carbohydrate-rich foods.

Consult with a veterinarian and animal nutrition expert, and thoroughly research before starting to cook for your cat. A fully homemade diet for your cat without high-quality commercial food must be carefully planned to meet all their nutritional needs. This is not recommended unless you have done extensive research and consulted with a veterinarian.

Note that cats can get 'addicted' to certain foods. If you don't understand this, you may be disappointed when trying to change your cat’s diet. Don’t be surprised if all your cooking efforts are rejected! Be patient and keep trying until you spark your cat's curiosity. Occasionally removing familiar foods and replacing them with something new is a key part of encouraging your cat to try new dishes.

• Gradually mix homemade food into your cat's regular food. This will help them get used to the texture and taste of the new meals you’re preparing for them.
• Don’t leave uneaten food out. Remove food if your cat hasn’t eaten it within an hour. Try again next time.

Avoid feeding your cat foods that are hazardous or toxic to them. Remember, not all human foods are safe for cats. Foods to avoid include: onions, garlic, chives, grapes, raisins, chocolate (including white chocolate), sugar, raw yeast dough, and certain spices such as nutmeg, baking powder, and baking soda.

• Additional ingredients to avoid: alcohol (which affects cats much faster than humans – as little as 2 teaspoons of whiskey can cause a 2.5 kg cat to become unconscious), dog food (wet or dry – dog food contains different nutritional content), candy and gum (can lead to liver failure if they contain xylitol), coffee, tea, and products with caffeine, such as cold medicine, energy drinks, and painkillers (in large amounts, these can kill a cat, and there’s no antidote), and any human medications (acetaminophen and ibuprofen can be fatal to cats).

Limit feeding your cat non-toxic foods that are still not ideal if eaten in excess. Cats need a balanced diet, but this doesn’t mean they need large quantities of every nutrient.

• Limit fat and bone intake. Avoid giving your cat cooked bones, and fat can lead to pancreatitis.
• If you want to give your cat raw eggs, only offer the yolk. Always cook the eggs if you intend to feed the whites. It’s best to cook eggs to prevent the risk of Salmonella, as raw eggs can carry this bacteria. Even if they don’t get sick, cats can be carriers of Salmonella that can be transmitted to humans.
• Raw meat should be frozen before feeding to your cat unless you are completely sure of its source.
• Limit liver to twice a week.
• Tuna is highly addictive, and too much tuna can lead to thiamine deficiency. In general, overfeeding any type of fish can cause similar deficiencies.
• Milk and dairy products can cause digestive discomfort and itching. Consult your vet if you want to keep giving milk to your cat; not all vets or cat owners believe that cats are lactose intolerant.

Be cautious when considering a long-term homemade diet for your cat. Feeding your cat an entirely homemade diet may cause nutritional deficiencies and harm, unless you’re confident in your ability to balance the nutrients. Many veterinarians discourage homemade diets because they know that most people aren’t trained or knowledgeable in this area, and many cat owners may not follow the recommended recipes that provide optimal nutrition due to time constraints. Vets are also concerned that owners may lack understanding of their cat’s nutritional needs and fail to focus on their diet due to busy lives.

• If you enjoy cooking for your cat, it is possible, but you must thoroughly research and consider the various ingredients available in your area.
• Consider your lifestyle. If you’re often away and rely on someone else to feed your cat, can you ensure that homemade meals will meet their nutritional needs? If you’re busy working all day, can you prepare enough meals over the weekend to feed your cat throughout the week?
• Some people prefer to feed their cats raw food. This is a controversial issue for several reasons, including the risk of parasites and bacteria that aren’t killed by cooking. Raw food diets for cats are not recommended by veterinary organizations like the American Veterinary Medical Association due to the greater risks than benefits.

Remember that you need to find (or create) a balanced recipe for your cat’s diet. Incorrect or incomplete recipes can cause serious health problems for your cat. As with other animals, including humans, the key is maintaining a healthy balance. Even essential nutrients can harm your cat’s health if fed in excess.

• Because nutritional balance is crucial, you should seek advice from veterinarians or cat health specialists, even if the recipes are from someone else.

Create or find a recipe for your cat and prepare their meals. Once you understand the basics of your cat’s nutritional needs, you can begin cooking for them. Below are suggestions for occasional and non-typical recipes that may not form the basis of a regular diet. If you want to cook for your cat long-term to adjust their nutrition, research and create a balanced diet that meets all their needs, and consult your veterinarian for approval.

• Your cat may not initially like homemade food, but they will soon let you know!
• If you have any concerns, talk to your vet about the best way to prepare food for your cat, especially if they are growing, pregnant, unwell, or have a health condition.

Start with protein. For example, you can buy chicken thighs free from antibiotic residue, growth hormones, and with a verified source. You can also use chicken liver, turkey, egg yolks, and other options.

• Make sure to cook the meat thoroughly to kill any bacteria. Remove the meat from the bones and cut it into pieces about 1.5 cm using sharp scissors or a knife.

Grind animal protein to make it easier for your cat to eat. Put the meat bones into a meat grinder with a 4mm plate. Grind about 110g of chicken liver for every 1.3kg of raw chicken. Add 2 boiled eggs to the mixture for every 1.3kg of raw chicken. Mix all ingredients in a bowl and store it in the fridge.

• If you don't have a meat grinder, you can use a food processor. While not as efficient and harder to clean, a food processor can still cut meat into smaller, digestible pieces.

Add additional ingredients. Take another bowl and mix 1 cup of water, 400 IU (268 mg) of vitamin E, 50 mg of B-complex vitamins, 2,000 mg of taurine, 2,000 mg of wild salmon oil, and 3/4 teaspoon of light salt (with iodine) for every 1.3 kg of meat. Mix everything together.

• Pour the supplement mixture into the ground meat and stir thoroughly.

Consider using a variety of foods to provide essential nutrients for your cat. These ingredients should not constitute the majority of your cat's meals, and in fact, you should not serve these daily. These ingredients help supplement your cat’s nutrition.

• Mix a little white rice with chopped salmon and add some water. The dish will have a soup-like texture; just pour it into a bowl for your cat.
• Chop vegetables into small pieces and add them to your cat’s meals (the type of vegetables is up to you).
• Add oats to your cat's food. Boil 8 cups of water. Measure the water and oats according to the package instructions. Add the oats, cover, turn off the heat, and wait 10 minutes for the oats to cook or until they are soft.
• Some suggestions include: raw food for cats with oats, tuna for cats, and recipes that are good for your cat's overall health.

Prepare individual meals and freeze them. An average cat consumes about 110 – 170g of food each day. You should store the cat's meals in the freezer, and the night before the planned feeding day, move them to the refrigerator. This allows enough time for the food to thaw properly.

• Regularly wash your cat’s bowls. Dirty bowls can harbor bacteria and pathogens, and they can cause discomfort for your cat.
• Consider incorporating raw food into your cat's diet. There is both supporting and opposing evidence regarding feeding raw food to domestic cats, and even veterinarians are divided on this matter. While cooking meat for cats is often recommended, raw meat is actually part of a natural diet for cats. Unfortunately, the risk of parasites has caused raw meat to be excluded from many cats’ diets, mainly due to owners not having the time or resources to source safe raw meat. The absence of raw food in the diet means that beneficial components, including amino acids, are destroyed during cooking, which can negatively affect your cat’s health.

• Milk contains lactose, and cats lack the enzyme lactase to break it down. As a result, milk can cause diarrhea in some kittens and adult cats. However, not all cats have this reaction and some can still drink milk. Milk can be a good source of calcium if the cat drinks it, but it may cause itching and digestive upset. It’s best to consult your veterinarian about this issue.
• Ideas regarding pet diets continue to evolve as more veterinary studies are released. Stay up to date with the latest information.