Last Updated on January 11, 2023 by Amanda P. Brown
It is undoubtedly a great idea to make your cat food on your own. Making cat food at home has numerous benefits, including the ability to manufacture a large quantity of food at once for a minimal expenditure and monitor nutrition.
Dry cat food can be made at home in a variety of ways. I’ll explain the most effective method how to make dry cat food below.
How to Make Dry Cat Food?
Table of Contents
The following are the instructions for manufacturing dry cat food at home.
Before I get started, there are a few stuff you’ll need to have on hand for any of these dry-food recipes:
Tools Required:
- Whisk
- Rolling pin
- Parchment paper
- Baking sheet
- Mixing bowls
- Long knife for cutting the food
- Large wooden spoon
- Airtight container
1. Salmon
This will become your cat’s new go-to if it enjoys fish. In an airtight container, this dry salmon food will keep for a minimum of two weeks and up to three weeks in the fridge.
Ingredients
- Nonfat dry milk powder: 1 serving spoon
- Whole wheat flour: 1 serving spoon
- Soy Flour: 1 serving spoon
- Salmon: 1 can
- Cornmeal: 1 serving spoon
- Shredded Vegetables: 1 or 2 cups
- Vegetable oil: 5 tablespoon
- Wheat germ: 1 serving spoon
- Flaxseed oil: 1 tablespoon
- Brewer’s yeast: 3 to 4
- Water: 2 and a half cups
Process
- Put the salmon in a bowl with some water and bring it to a boil; after about 5 minutes, it will be tender. Then, move it to a cool cooking pot.
- Set the oven temperature to between 325 and 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare the dough while you preheat the oven and set out the baking sheets and parchment paper.
- Put everything into a big bowl and mix it up. Mix in everything else but the salmon and oil, including the cornmeal, dry milk, soy sauce, finely chopped vegetables, yeast, and flour. Pour in 2 cups of water and mix thoroughly using a wooden spoon.
- When the salmon has cooled, mash it with some oil. Then, throw it in the basin and give everything a good stir.
- To make a crisp and thin crust, roll out the dough using a rolling pin. Use parchment paper to keep the dough from sticking while it rests. Tear the dough into manageable chunks. Cut the thin dough with a knife into bite-sized pieces for your cat. Kibbles is the name for these bite-sized morsels.
- Bake the kibbles by spreading them out on a baking pan. Put them in the oven for 25-30 minutes. Preheating the oven to 350 degrees will cut the cooking time in half to around 30 minutes; preheating it to 400 degrees will cut it to about 21-25 minutes. To guarantee even baking on both sides, turn the kibbles over every 5 to 10 minutes during the baking process.
2. Chicken and Turkey
The majority of a cat’s diet consists of chicken. It’s a great way to keep your cat full without worrying about them gaining weight. Chicken and turkey breast is the most nutritional dry food for your cat.
Ingredients
- Turkey Breast: 1 can
- Soy Flour: 2 tablespoon
- Wheat Germ: 1 tablespoon
- 2 to 2 and a half cups of water
- Whole Nonfat milk powder: 1 or 1.5 tablespoons
- Chicken Breast: 1 can
- Brewer’s yeast: 1 tablespoon
- Whole wheat flour: 3 tablespoon
- Vegetable oil: 1 tablespoon
Process
- Put the chicken and turkey in a dish, cover it with water, and bring it to a boil. Cook for 5 minutes. Then, place it in a pot with cold water.
- Fix the oven temperature to between 350 and 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare the dough while you preheat the oven and set out the baking sheets and parchment paper.
- Just combine everything in a big bowl and stir it up! Mix in every ingredient except the chicken and turkey, including cornmeal, dry milk, soy sauce, thinly cut veggies, yeast, and flour. Throw two cups of water and stir it with a wooden spoon.
- Once the chicken and turkey have cooled, shred them and mix them with oil in a food processor. Then, throw it all in a basin and stir until combined.
- Continue mixing until a dough-like consistency is reached. In this context, you can also utilize your hands. With a rolling pin, flatten the dough until it is very thin. Use parchment paper to keep the dough from sticking while it rests.
- Shape the dough into bite-sized pieces, number 6. The thin dough can easily be cut into bite-sized pieces (kibbles) for your cat using a knife.
- In a preheated oven, arrange the kibbles on a baking sheet and bake for 7 minutes. You can bake it for 25–30 minutes. Kibbles should be flipped every 5 to 10 minutes to achieve even baking.
3. Beef Recipe
Some felines have severe reactions to even small amounts of seafood, and many others simply don’t care for the taste of fish. Beef is an excellent replacement in this regard.
Ingredients
- Ground Beef: 1 can
- Whole wheat flour: 3 tablespoon
- Nonfat milk powder: 1 or 1.5 tablespoons
- Soy Flour: 2 tablespoon
- Brewer’s yeast: 1 teaspoon
- Vegetable oil: 1 teaspoon
- 2 to 2 and a half cups of water
- Wheat germ: 1 tablespoon
Process
- Put the ground beef in a bowl, cover it with water, and boil over medium heat. Then, place it in a kettle with cold water.
- Prepare an oven temperature of 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare the dough while you preheat the oven and set out the baking sheets and parchment paper.
- Besides ground beef and oil, add cornmeal, dry milk, soy sauce, finely chopped veggies, yeast, and flour. Pour in 2 cups of water and mix thoroughly using a wooden spoon.
- Once the ground beef has cooled, mash it with oil. Then, throw it in the basin and give everything a good stir. Knead it until it’s the consistency of dough.
- Roll out the dough to make a thin crust. Using parchment paper will prevent the dough from sticking while you work with it.
- Turn the dough into bite-sized pieces.
- The thin dough can easily be cut into bite-sized pieces (kibbles) for your cat using a knife.
- In a preheated oven, arrange the kibbles on a baking sheet and bake for 7 minutes. The total baking time for the kibbles is about 30 minutes. The kibbles should be turned over every 5 to 10 minutes to achieve even cooking.
Read More:
Nutrients Your Cat Food Should Contain
Proteins, minerals, oil, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, and water all play important roles in a cat’s daily activities, so their food must contain them in the right amounts.
A cat should consume at least 2 grams of protein per pound of body weight. Since too much fish oil is hazardous for cats, you should only feed them about 30 milligrams per pound.
As a source of calcium, eggshells can provide 0.6% of an adult cat’s total calcium intake; however, they should be baked at 300 degrees to make them brittle and easy to break and then ground in a coffee grinder once they have dried out completely.
The ideal fat percentage for a cat’s diet is between 20 and 24 percent. Be sure the protein and fat levels are optimal for a healthy diet. Vitamins are recommended at a rate of 9000 IU per kilogram of food for adult cats.
Dry diets are heavy in carbs, even though cats only need about 10% of their calories from this source to stay in shape. The good news is that specific cat diets are not only nutritious for your cat but also give a wide variety of nutrients. However, their exorbitant price tags mean that nothing has been done to address the issue. Therefore, you can only have peace of mind if you master the art of making dry cat food.
Read More: How to Choose Cat Food or Cook It Yourself?
Wet Cat Food Vs Dry Cat Food: Which is Better?
Wet cat food will win, as it still has more variety and is simpler for cats to consume than dry food. Nutritionally, wet cat food is superior. However, this does not mean feeding your dry cat food harms its health. Each possesses useful knowledge and abilities.
Read More: Dry Vs Wet Cat Food Pros and Cons
How to Soften Food for Kittens?
There are a few options for making kitten food more palatable, but we’ll cover the two most basic ones here.
- Adding water is the first step, and the food should quickly absorb the liquid, softening it for the kitten.
- The food can be easily liquefied and softened with the help of a bladder. You can add a small amount of water to make it more liquid.
How Do I Make Dry Cat Food Better?
If you are familiar with your cat’s eating habits and preferences, you can adjust the recipe to suit their tastes. Cutting things into more manageable chunks is another viable strategy. One should always start with a smaller quantity when trying a new recipe. If your cat seems to enjoy the new food, you can gradually increase the serving size since most cats have trouble adapting to new diets.
Final Verdict
For your cat to remain healthy and active, your cat food has to be perfectly balanced. It can be difficult to acquire all the nutrients in commercial cat food, so experts advise producing your own cat food with balanced nutrients. This will help your cat stay healthy and more lively throughout the day. As a responsible owner, it is your obligation to understand how to manufacture dry cat food and provide your pet with the best nutrition possible. For your concern, I have explained above how to make dry cat food. I hope making homemade cat chow will be easier after that.
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- What to Feed Kittens? – A Complete Feeding Guide for Kitten
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- American Shorthair Cat Food
- Homemade Raw Cat Food for Ragdoll Cats
