Revised from discussion on this post: #578152
Making cat food is economical yet vastly more nutritious than store-bought, especially for cats suffering from health/stomach problems like mine when she was initially rescued as the runt of a litter in an actual dumpster
Diverticulitis, internal inflammation, worms, bowel obstructions, etc
Store bought and even the veterinarians' recommendations only made her worse - the vet's "best" idea was to feed muddy gray "bland diet" wet food packed with ash (very caustic!)
This recipe made the little runt healthy, happy and she bulked up with lots of muscle especially when combined with a healthy play regimen
Don't freak out about the bones - they're getting ground twice
Cats eat birds whole in the wild and they love the bone marrow, but you can mitigate any perceived risk if you must by removing every 2nd/3rd bone
Note that this assumes you have a meat grinder or stand mixer with meat grinder attachment, but most butchers will grind as needed - you can ask them to remove every 2nd or 3rd bone as you see fit
Finally, on to the recipe:
- 3 pounds of chicken thighs with bones/skin
- 1/4 lb chicken liver Liver (at least 3-4 oz per 3 lbs of chicken)
- 1 1/2 cup water, or less as needed
- 2 eggs - raw, or soft boiled/pasteurized for the paranoid
- 5000 – 10,000 mg fish oil (5-10 1000mg gelcaps)
- Vitamin E – 400 IU (268 mg)
- 1 gelcap, Vitamin B-50 complex
- 2,000 mg taurine (2 grams)
- 1 tsp (6g) salt with iodine, no fluoride
- 1/4 cup yogurt, with live culture
- 1 Tbsp gelatin
OPTIONAL/VARIABLE, see notes below
- 2 Tbsp coconut flour
- 3 Tbsp. dry fiber like pumpkin
- 1 tsp of food grade bentonite clay
This initially started with roasting the chicken to mitigate parasite risk but, obviously, cats in the wild don't roast their prey - just don't feed them garbage quality meat
If you have quality concerns and/or cannot overcome the paranoia: lay out the thighs on a baking sheet, roast until lightly browned and save any liquid as this will contain lots of important collagen/fat
Add the liver to the thighs for the last 5-10 minutes of roasting and then remove sheet to cool completely to room temp
When cooled, run thighs through a single coarse grind with liver, skin and bones
Add the dry ingredients including any gelcaps, mix thoroughly, then give the mixture another coarse grind
Mix in the wet ingredients, including any liquids if you cooked the meat
Add the water last, mixing in gradually for desired texture
Add a bit more water than you think you need if it's got the coconut flour, fiber and/or clay
If it's too mushy/wet, let it rest uncovered 15-30 minutes in the fridge
Pack in mason jars etc leaving headroom (don't overfill), set aside enough for a couple days in the fridge, then you can freeze the rest!
Our frozen 1-pint jars were thawed in the morning if placed in the fridge the day before
NOTES
The vitamin supplements are not strictly necessary, but they do help reproduce the diversity of a natural wild diet - animals in the wild live longer for good reason!
ON FIBER, COCONUT FLOUR AND CLAY
These were included to demonstrate a very effective treatment for a very sick little rescue, but should only be used if you're willing to pay attention to their needs
These additions are also helpful to clear out swollen anal glands naturally, if that ever becomes an issue
If they get diarrhea etc, start by adding the coconut flour and gradually add clay/fiber in future batches until digestive health improves
The clay helps to firm, removing obstructions and pockets of diverticulitis, but it also takes some nutrients away from the digestive system so it's not recommended long term
If your cat gets constipated (crying when they need to go is a critical alarm bell), back off on these immediately until that's resolved and add gradually to future batches as needed
Mine turned her nose up at the store bought after eating this