As carnivores, cats should eat meat and should not eat unhealthy foods that are loaded with indigestible carbohydrates. Giving your cat the wrong food can lead to health problems and will eventually reduce the cat's life expectancy. One of the best ways to provide the protein you need is to cook your cat's own food. It can also be used as a fun entertainment for those who make it. All you need to know is the essential elements in cat food and some ways to cook it so that your cat gets the best nutrition.
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Part 1 of 2: Understanding Cats' Food Needs
Step 1. Know the requirements needed in cat food
Cats need nutrition that is far different from humans, which must be carefully considered and planned to meet their dietary needs. Cats need food that is rich in protein and fat. Cats even need twice as much protein as dogs need.
About 85 percent of the food a cat needs should be in the form of meat, offal, fat, and bones. While the remaining 15 percent is in the form of vegetables, leaves, and fibrous foods
Step 2. Identify all the parts of a healthy diet for cats
Some types of food that are healthy for cats include: clean water (must be easily accessible and available at all times), protein (most cats don't want to eat food containing less than 20 percent protein), fat (cats need fat for energy, fatty acids important, intake of fat-soluble vitamins, and their taste), vitamin A (cats need this vitamin in adequate doses. This vitamin can be found in eggs, liver, and milk but should be used with caution), vitamin B (cats need B vitamins and will devour yeast when signs of a deficiency appear, such as fever or loss of appetite for several days), vitamin E (vitamin E is needed to break down unsaturated fats in cat food), and calcium (this is an important part of the diet). used to build and maintain cat bones).
Taurine is an amino acid that is also an important ingredient in cat food. Factory-made cat food usually provides adequate amounts of taurine (either dry or wet). Cats are at risk for taurine deficiency if you feed them homemade or vegetarian food. Taurine deficiency in cats can lead to degeneration of the central retina, which can lead to blindness, and heart failure. So, taurine is an important ingredient that must be present in cat food
Step 3. Think about when and how you feed your cat
For example, cats at different life stages may require different feeding schedules and different types of food. While most cats can regulate their food intake fairly well, there are some cases where you may need to regulate your cat's food intake.
- Kittens should be fed 3 to 4 times a day from six weeks to three months of age. By the age of six months, the food can be reduced to two times a day.
- Adult cats may eat as they please, and devour food throughout the day, but if this is not possible, feed them several times a day.
- If you have several cats with different dietary needs, you may need to figure out the best feeding system so that your cats don't eat each other's food.
Step 4. Consider your cat's health beyond your personal food regime
Cats cannot thrive (or survive) on a vegetarian diet. This has indeed caused heated debate and passion on the topic, but the primary concern for the cat's welfare is providing the animal with its natural needs.
While there are certain supplements that some vegetarians give their cats, such as taurine, and many vegetarian cat foods are recommended, vegetarian diets given to cats can lead to heart failure and blindness. This type of food is not only difficult for cat owners, but also risks shortening the cat's life span and causing illness. Especially if the cat food contains a lot of unhealthy carbohydrate products
Step 5. Remember that cooking cat food requires some research and should be done under veterinary supervision
Completely homemade cat food without the involvement of factory-made food requires a careful balance of food so that your cat gets everything it needs. This is not recommended unless you have thoroughly investigated everything your cat needs and have consulted with your veterinarian about the matter.
Step 6. Recognize that cats are easily addicted to eating in certain ways
If your cat hasn't already, you could be frustrated when you try to change the cat's diet. Don't be surprised if your cat refuses the food you cook! Don't be discouraged and keep trying until your cat's curiosity is piqued. Getting rid of foods that your cat usually eats when trying new foods is an important part of getting your cat to eat them.
- Try gradually adding homemade food to your cat's usual diet. The goal is for your cat to adjust to the new textures and smells of your homemade food.
- Don't leave uneaten food there. Discard the food if the cat has not eaten it within an hour. Try giving it another time.
Step 7. Do not feed the cat any food that is harmful or toxic
Remember, even if a food is safe for you to eat, it doesn't mean it's safe for cats. Some foods that should not be given to cats include garlic, onions, scallions, raisins, grapes, chocolate (even white chocolate), sugar, uncooked yeast dough, and spices such as nutmeg, baking soda, and baking powder..
Other ingredients to avoid include alcohol (has the same effect as in humans but much faster - two teaspoons of whiskey can cause a coma in a 2.2 kg cat), dog food (dry or wet - dog food has a high nutritional value). completely different), candies and chewing gum (sweetened with xylitol can cause liver failure), tea, coffee, and other products containing caffeine such as cold medicines, stimulants and painkillers (in large amounts they can kill cats and dogs). there is no antidote), as well as drugs for humans of any kind (acetaminophen and ibuprofen can kill cats)
Step 8. Limit foods that, although not toxic to cats, are not good in large quantities
Cats need a complete diet, but that does not mean that all nutrients must be given in large quantities.
- Limit the provision of fat and bone. Cooked bones should not be given, while fat can cause problems in the cat's pancreas.
- Use only part of the raw egg. Raw egg yolks can be digested but egg whites cannot. If you want to give the egg whites too, cook them until they are cooked first. Due to the problem with bacteria in eggs, try to cook them beforehand every time. While cats are less susceptible to salmonella than humans (adult non-pregnant cats are considered moderately immune to this bacterium), the problem is that cats can be subclinical carriers, which can transmit salmonella to humans.
- Before serving, raw meat should be frozen unless you are absolutely sure that the meat is healthy.
- Don't give your cat a heart more than twice a week.
- Tuna can be addictive if given too much and can cause a thiamine deficiency. Basically, feeding certain fish in large quantities can make your cat thiamine-deficient.
- Milk and products made from milk can irritate cats, including digestion and cause itching. Consult your veterinarian if you wish to continue using it. Not all veterinarians or cat owners believe that milk is an unsuitable product for cats.
Step 9. Be careful before making homemade food a permanent feeding strategy
Unless you are absolutely sure that you can maintain a proper nutritional balance, homemade cat food can lead to nutritional deficiencies and harm your cat. Many veterinarians discourage homemade feeding because they know that busy owners can deviate from recommended food recipes to provide optimal nutrition (due to time constraints). In addition, veterinarians may be concerned that their owners lack adequate knowledge of dietary needs, and that owners are not paying attention to cat food due to experiencing things that happen in their own lives.
- If you really want to make your own cat food all the time, you can do that. All you need is to do a lot of research (which is often contradictory) and choose the ingredients that are available in your area.
- Think about your lifestyle. If you travel a lot and ask someone else to feed your cat, are you sure that homemade food is sufficient? If you work long hours, are you ready to make enough food on the weekends to feed the cats in a week?
- Consider your cat's need for raw food. If all cat food is pre-cooked, your cat will not be able to get the nutrients normally obtained from raw or fortified factory food.
Part 2 of 2: Making Your Own Cat Food
Step 1. Formulate or find a recipe and start cooking
Once you get the basics of cat food, start cooking food for your cat. Keep in mind that the following ideas are recipes that are recommended for occasional use and are not a meal plan. If you want to cook or make your own cat food to use as a permanent cat food change, it's a good idea to do your research to create a balanced diet that meets all of your cat's needs, and consult with your veterinarian first.
- Maybe your cat won't like homemade food but she will show you right away!
- If you experience any problems, consult with your veterinarian about the appropriateness of the food you cook for your cat, especially when your cat is growing, unwell, pregnant, or has certain medical conditions.
Step 2. Remember that you must obtain, or create a recipe that provides balanced nutrition for the cat
A recipe that is not good or lacks essential nutrients can cause serious health problems in cats. As with any other animal, including humans, the key is a healthy balance of food. In fact, the provision of essential nutrients can have negative effects on the cat's health if given in too much quantity.
Since balanced nutrition is so important, seek advice from your veterinarian or cat health professional, even if the recipe was made by someone else
Step 3. Start with protein
For example, buy naturally bred, hormone-free chicken thighs from a trusted breeder. You can also use chicken liver, turkey, and egg yolks, among other options.
You can leave the protein source raw or cook it. For example, boil chicken thighs to cook the outside while leaving the inside raw. Immediately put the thigh in cold water. Remove some of the meat from the bone and cut it to about 12.7mm in size using a sharp knife or kitchen shears
Step 4. Grind the animal protein to make it easier to eat
Insert the bone that is still attached to the meat into the meat grinder using a 4mm grinding disc hole. Add 113 grams of chicken liver for every 1.3 kg of raw chicken meat through the grinder. Add 2 hard-boiled eggs for every 1.3 kg of raw chicken through the grinder. Mix all ingredients in a bowl and let it cool.
If you don't have a grinder, just use a food processor. It's not very efficient and difficult to clean, but it can cut protein into small, digestible chunks
Step 5. Mix some additional ingredients
In a separate bowl, for every 1.3 kg of meat, add 1 cup of water, 400 IU (268 mg) of vitamin E, 50 mg of B-complex vitamins, 2000 mg of taurine, 2000 mg of wild salmon oil, and 3/4 scoop salt tea (which contains iodine). Mix all ingredients together.
Pour the supplement mixture into the ground beef and mix thoroughly
Step 6. Consider a variety of other foods that contain essential nutrients for cats
While these ingredients won't be made into staple foods for cats and don't have to be in every diet, they can be added to cat food as key nutrients.
- Mix some rice with chopped salmon and a little water. The consistency will be similar to that of a soup you can pour into your cat's bowl.
- Slice the vegetables into small pieces and add them to the cat's diet (the type of vegetables is up to you).
- Add oats to your cat's diet. Bring 8 cups of water to a boil. Follow the directions on the oat package to determine the ratio of water to oats. Put the oats in the water and close the container. Then turn off the heat, and let the oats cook on their own for 10 minutes until soft.
- Some other ingredients that can be added include: raw oat-based cat food, tuna processed into cat food, and holistic cat food recipes for overall cat health.
Step 7. Make meals of appropriate portion sizes and freeze them
The average cat eats about 113 to 170 grams a day. Store cat food in the freezer until one night before feeding the cat and at which time it should be moved from the freezer to the regular cooler. You will have sufficient time to remove the frost from the food.
Tips
- Clean the cat's food bowl regularly. Dirty bowls can be a breeding ground for germs and bacteria, and make your cat uncomfortable.
- Choose raw food for cats. The evidence supporting feeding cats raw food is overwhelming, although veterinarians do not agree on this issue. Although it is often said that meat given to house cats must be cooked first, don't forget that raw meat is a natural food for cats. Unfortunately, this ingredient has the potential to spread parasites, so many don't agree to giving cats raw meat. This is because most cat owners don't have the time or inclination to make the effort to provide raw food with healthy, well-prepared meat. A lack of raw cat food means that many of the elements that are useful for cats (including amino acids) are broken down when cooked. This condition can reduce the cat's health.
Warning
- Milk contains lactose and cats do not have the enzyme lactase, which breaks down lactose. For this reason, milk can cause diarrhea in some cats and kittens. However, not all cats experience this and may not react badly when drinking milk. Milk serves as a source of calcium if your cat likes it and is not experiencing side effects. However, this can result in itching and reduced digestibility. You should consult a veterinarian.
- The idea of pet food is constantly changing as research on this subject continues. Keep your knowledge up to date.
