Homemade cat food: How do I make my own cat food? raw food diet for cats pros and cons

Cats are carnivores and need to eat meat and avoid eating unhealthy foods that are difficult to digest and rich in carbohydrates. [1] Improper feeding can lead to cat health problems and ultimately shorten the cat ’s lifespan. Homemade cat food not only allows cats to get the protein they need, but also a very pleasant pastime. You only need to know which dietary nutrients can provide the best nutrition for your cat, and whether these foods can be homemade.

Understand cats’ dietary needs

1: Be familiar with the cat ’s dietary needs. The nutrients required by cats are very different from those required by humans, so cat diets must be carefully considered and arranged. Cats need high-protein, high-fat foods. In fact, cats need twice as much protein as dogs. homemade cat food 

The cat’s diet needs to contain about 85% of meat, fat, offal and bone, as well as 15% of vegetables, grass and coarse grains to meet the cat’s dietary requirements. 

2:Identify all aspects of a cat ’s healthy diet. Cats ’healthy diet includes: [4] clean water (anytime, anywhere), protein (most cats do not eat foods with less than 20% protein), fat (cats need fat to provide energy, essential fatty acids, fat-soluble vitamins Intake, and taste), vitamin A (cats need a sufficient amount of vitamin A, liver, eggs and milk contain vitamin A, but use with caution), vitamin B (cats need vitamin B, when there are signs of vitamin B deficiency, If there is no appetite or high fever for several days, the cat will actively eat beer yeast), vitamin E (the cat needs vitamin E to break down unsaturated fats in food), and calcium (an important part of building and maintaining bones).

Taurine is an amino acid and an essential ingredient in cat diets. Commercial cat food (dry food and wet food) usually contains sufficient taurine. If you feed homemade food or vegetarian food, your cat may lack taurine. The lack of taurine can cause the cat’s retina to degenerate, causing irreversible blindness and heart failure, so adding taurine to the cat’s diet is essential.homemade cat food 

3: Consider when and how to feed the cat. For example, cats of different ages need to be fed at different times and provide different types of food. Although most cats can better control their food intake, they sometimes need you to help them regulate.homemade cat food 

Kittens that are six weeks to three months old need to be fed three to four times a day. After six months of age, it can be reduced to feeding twice a day.homemade cat food 

Adult cats should be free to eat throughout the day, if the actual situation does not allow, at least several times a day.
If you keep multiple cats and feed different foods, you need to prevent them from competing for food.

4: Don’t consider your cat’s health with your own diet. Vegetarian cats are not strong enough (not alive). [5] [6] On this topic, everyone has a great deal of enthusiasm and fierce debate, but the most important thing about cat health is to put the natural needs of cats first.

Although vegetarians can provide cats with specific supplements, such as taurine, there are many suggestions for cats to be vegetarian, but vegetarians can cause cats to be blind or heart failure. Vegetarian food not only consumes a lot of energy from the owner, but if the food contains a lot of unhealthy carbohydrates, it will also expose the cat to short-lived and disease risks.

5: It ’s important to remember that homemade cat food at home requires you to study hard and must follow the advice of the veterinarian. It does not contain any high-quality commercial grains, and completely homemade food needs to be carefully balanced to meet the nutritional needs of cats. Without a comprehensive study of cats ’dietary needs and without consulting a veterinarian, it is not recommended to provide cats with homemade food.homemade cat food 

6: Cats can easily indulge in a dietary pattern. If you haven’t noticed this, you will find it difficult to change the cat’s diet. Do n’t be surprised if the food that you bothered to make is rejected directly by the cat. Cats should always be encouraged to try until they arouse their curiosity. It is also an encouragement for cats to try new foods while gradually replacing the foods that they often eat.homemade cat food 

Add homemade food to the food that cats often eat, and let cats adapt to the texture and taste of homemade food.
Don’t leave leftover food. If the cat does n’t eat it within an hour, throw it away and try again next time.

7: Avoid feeding cats unsafe or toxic food. Don’t think you can eat cats. Do not give cats onions, garlic, onions, grapes, raisins, chocolate (including white chocolate), sugar, raw yeast dough, and kitchen seasonings such as nutmeg, baking powder, and baking soda. [7]homemade cat food 

You should also avoid giving cats alcohol (just like the effect on the human body, but the action is faster, a cat weighing about 2.3 kilograms only needs two tablespoons of whiskey to be comatose), dog food (whether dry food or wet food Because dog food contains completely different nutrients), sugar and chewing gum (such as the sweetener xylitol, which can cause liver failure), coffee, tea, and other caffeine-containing products such as anti-cold medicines, refreshing drinks and pain relief Tablets (large doses can kill cats without an antidote) and drugs taken by humans (paracetamol and ibuprofen can kill cats). [8]

8: Limit large amounts of harmless but unhelpful food to cats. Cats need a comprehensive diet, but this does not mean that cats should be provided with various nutrients in large quantities.homemade cat food 

Limit fat trim and bones. Don’t feed cats with cooked bones, fat can also induce pancreatitis. [9]

Raw eggs cannot be used all. Raw egg yolk can be digested, but raw protein is not. If egg whites are to be used, cook the whole egg. Because eggs have bacteria, it is best to cook the whole egg every time. Although cats are not as sensitive to Salmonella as humans (it is generally believed that adult cats who are not pregnant are basically immune to Salmonella), the problem is that cats can carry Salmonella and thus infect humans. [10]

Raw meat should be frozen before feeding the cat, unless you can be 100% sure that the source of the meat is okay.
Feed the liver no more than twice a week.homemade cat food 

Tuna fed too much can be addictive, leading to vitamin B1 deficiency. Excessive consumption of salmon food can also lead to vitamin B1 deficiency.

Milk and dairy products can make your cat uncomfortable, including digestive problems and itching. Before feeding milk or dairy products, it is best to consult a veterinarian. Not all veterinarians or owners can be sure that although cats can accept milk, milk is still not suitable for cats.

9: Careful consideration is required before preparing to feed cats homemade food for a long time. Unless you can ensure a balanced nutrition, all foods made at home can cause nutrient deficiencies and harm cats. Most veterinarians do not recommend homemade food at home, because they know that once the owner is busy, they will not be able to provide the cat with reasonable nutrition due to limited time and cannot fully follow the recommended recipes. [11] In addition, the veterinarian may also worry that the owner does not have enough knowledge about dietary nutrition and will neglect the cat ’s diet when something happens in life. [12]homemade cat food 

If you really want to be able to prepare food for cats all the time, it is okay, but you need to fully research (often conflicts) and weigh possible solutions.homemade cat food 

Consider your lifestyle. If you travel frequently and let others feed cats, can you guarantee that their homemade food will meet the requirements? If you work long hours, can you prepare a whole week of food on the weekend?
Consider whether raw food is needed in cat food. If all food is homemade, how can cats get the nutrition normally provided by raw food or fortified commercial food? homemade cat food 

Homemade cat food

1: Remember, you need to find or create a recipe to provide cats with balanced nutrition. If the formula is unreasonable or lacks important nutrients, it can cause serious health problems for cats. Like other animals, including humans, a healthy balance is essential. Excessive amounts of necessary nutrients will also adversely affect cat health.

Nutritional balance is very important, so no matter whether the recipe is provided by yourself or others, you need to understand the opinions of the veterinarian or expert on the recipe.

2: Make cat food by yourself or by recipe. Once you basically understand your cat ’s dietary needs, you can start preparing food for your cat. Please note that the following recipes are only occasional suggestions for changing patterns and represent long-term consumption. If you want to change the homemade cat food to cats for long-term consumption, you must delve into a balanced diet formula to meet the cat ’s needs, and you must get veterinary approval.

Cats don’t necessarily like homemade food, you will know soon.

If you have concerns, you should consult your veterinarian about how to properly prepare food for your cat, especially if you are growing, pregnant, or have a medical condition or illness.

3: Start with protein. For example, buy free-range, whole chicken legs free of antibiotics and hormones from reliable sources. Chicken liver, turkey and egg yolk can also be used.

Protein can be raw or cooked. For example, chicken thighs can be cooked on the outside and most of the inside remains raw. Place chicken thighs directly in cold water. Remove a portion of the meat from the bones and use a kitchen shear or kitchen knife to cut the meat into approximately 0.5-inch (12.7 mm) pieces.

4: Grinding animal protein is easier to eat. Place the meat bones in a meat grinder with a 0.15-inch (4 mm) hole exit plate. For every 3 pounds (1.3 kg) of raw chicken meat, add 113 grams of chicken liver. Add two hard-boiled eggs for every 3 pounds (1.3 kg) of raw chicken. Mix in a bowl and put in the refrigerator.

If there is no meat grinder, you can use a food processor. It is less convenient and faster to clean than a meat grinder, but it can cut protein into small pieces that are easy to digest.

5: Mix other ingredients. In a separate bowl, add 3 cups (1.3 kg) of meat to a glass of water, 400 IU (268 mg) vitamin E, 50 mg multivitamin B, 2000 mg taurine, 2000 mg wild salmon oil, and 3/4 tablespoon Light salt (containing iodine). Then mix all the ingredients.

Mix the supplement into the ground meat and mix thoroughly.

6: Consider other foods that provide cats with important nutrients. Although these nutrients are not the main components of cat food, and actually do not need to be provided with every meal, they do provide cats with key nutrients.

Mix a small amount of steamed rice with salmon and add a small amount of water to make a soup. Pour it directly into the cat bowl.

Add the chopped vegetables to the cat food (the variety of vegetables is up to you).

Add oatmeal to cat food. Eight cups of water, boil the water. Add oatmeal according to the water and oatmeal ratio in the package instructions, and then cover the pot. After turning off the heat, let the oats continue to cook for ten minutes until soft.

Other suggestions: Oat-based raw cat food, tuna cat food, healthy all-natural cat food recipes.

7: Pack and freeze according to the amount of each meal. Ordinary cats feed about 113-170 grams a day. Freeze the cat food and remove it into the refrigerator the night before feeding to allow the food sufficient time to thaw.

hint

• Clean the cat food bowl regularly. Dirty bowls tend to breed bacteria, and cats also hate dirty bowls.
• Please decide whether to use raw food in your meal. There are many debates about whether domestic cats should be fed raw food, and veterinarians also have different views on this. It is generally believed that cats should be fed cooked meat at home, but it is also important to remind you that cats in their natural state already eat raw meat.
• [13] Unfortunately, because of the possibility of spreading parasites, cat owners refuse to provide raw food to cats, mainly because they have no time and are not willing to spend their energy to ensure that the meat provided to cats is healthy and handled properly. The lack of raw food in the cat ’s diet means that nutrients that are good for the cat, such as amino acids, may be destroyed during processing, which will affect the cat ’s health.

caveat

• Milk contains lactose, and cats do not have lactose-degrading enzymes, so milk can cause diarrhea in cats or kittens. But not all cats have this situation, and some cats drink milk. If your cat likes to drink milk without side effects, this is indeed a way to add calcium, but milk can cause itching and digestive disorders, so it is best to consult a veterinarian.
• The announcement of new research results keeps changing the concept of keeping pets, so it is necessary to constantly update the relevant knowledge of keeping pets.

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