Before reading this article, you can first read the article I wrote about Is cat food specifically for cats? No! Cat food will eventually harm your cat. One thing that surprises me is that many people in the comment area don’t just feed cats cat food. Everyone's feeding methods are really diverse, and some of them are really attentive. I admire the level of care they put into making their own cat food. But some friends may still have some misunderstandings about homemade cat food. The food they make for cats is actually not suitable for cats.

Because I am the one who told you that cat food is bad, I feel it is necessary for me to write an article about homemade cat food here to help you avoid mistakes that you may not even know about.

Making cat food at home is really much better than cat food. It is economical and very healthy. However, you must know that it will only be good for the cat if you really do it right. Otherwise, you may still be putting your cat in an unhealthy state, or even endangering the cat's life. But don’t worry, there are some very simple ways to help you avoid these mistakes, let’s take a look.

　

A bowl of fresh cat food

I once encountered such a situation during my internship. An owner brought her 5-month-old kitten to the animal hospital of our school, and the kitten only ate one kind of food after weaning - raw chicken breast. The owner felt that raw meat was not good for the cat. Very healthy because cats are exclusively carnivores. However, when we diagnosed the kitten, we found that the kitten was severely deficient in several important nutrients, which led to the kitten's metabolic disease. The kitten's hind legs were lame when walking, and the kitten's retinal function was also impaired. Begins to degrade.

But the good news is that kittens usually have strong healing abilities. We just need to correct their diet, and in a few months they will be active again. that's the truth. However, you have to know that not all cats are so lucky.

We are seeing more and more pets suffering from bone problems, organ failure, and endocrine abnormalities, and a large part of these diseases are caused by a lack of essential nutrients in the diet. After graduation, I have been engaged in pet nutrition and pet food development. I have been making fresh food for cats for a while. I can really understand how easy it is to make a mistake.

　

5 Homemade Cat Food Mistakes to Avoid

Mistake 1: Not supplementing taurine.

Even if you are feeding raw meat and bones, you must supplement taurine. Insufficient taurine in food can lead to serious heart and eye disease in cats. Cats cannot synthesize enough taurine in their bodies to meet their own needs, and they must obtain this nutrient from their food. Therefore, even if there is natural taurine in food, you also need to add a little extra taurine to the recipe, because taurine itself is easily degraded. At this point, it’s better to go a little extra than skimp.

Mistake 2: Failure to ensure that the food contains other nutrients important to cats

Here are some other nutrients that are important for cats, but aren’t always found in the foods you choose:

　(1) Niacin (vitamin B3) and thiamine (vitamin B1)

These two B vitamins are easily degraded during your cooking process, so if your homemade food needs to be steamed or boiled, you need to add these two nutrients. Adult cats cannot produce niacin in their bodies. If they cannot get it from their food and are deficient in it, the cat will begin to lose weight and even die in severe cases. Thiamine is also essential for cats, and a lack of it can lead to blindness and neurological disorders such as epilepsy and heart rhythm disorders in cats.

(2) Vitamin A (not beta-carotene): Lack of vitamin A can cause blindness in cats. Cats are not like us humans in that they cannot produce vitamin A themselves, nor can they convert carotene into vitamin A. They must get this substance from their food, but it is not found in most foods. Vitamin A is mainly found in liver and egg yolk. So, if your homemade recipes don’t include these two foods, you’ll need to supplement them with extra vitamin A. If you feed your cat liver regularly, then you don't need to think about this.

(3) Calcium: If you just feed cats meat, they will be deficient in calcium. Calcium deficiency can cause the cat's lumbar spine and pelvis to collapse or bend, making them more susceptible to fractures during activity, and may induce hyperthyroidism in cats.

　

Cats need various vitamins in their food

Mistake 3: Adding key nutrients before cooking

Why is this wrong? Because key nutrients cannot survive these processes! Be sure to add the key nutrients mentioned above after cooking. Taurine is easily lost with water in hot water, and most B vitamins cannot survive at high temperatures!

Mistake 4: Excessive supplementation

You are adding nutrients to your homemade cat food, but if there are too many, it may cause your cat's disease.

(1) Excessive magnesium intake is related to urinary stones in cats.

(2) Although vitamin A is very important, too much intake is also toxic, so the liver is good, but you can’t eat too much.

(3) Excessive vitamin D is also toxic.

Mistake 5: Using ingredients that cats should not eat

(1) Onions and garlic can cause hemolytic anemia in cats.

(2) Tomatoes, chocolate, grapes and raisins are poisonous to cats.

(3) Raw egg white.

　(4) Cereals or soybeans in any form (wheat, rice, corn, oatmeal, etc.). These grains are difficult for cats to digest, and they can cause digestive problems in some cats.

　

Onions and garlic are poison to cats

So how can we avoid the above 5 mistakes? The method is very simple!

Were you frightened after reading the above mistakes in homemade cat food? Have you started to worry that the food you prepared for your cat was not nutritionally balanced? If you have made some mistakes when preparing your cat’s food, it doesn’t matter. Below suggestions will help you. Making homemade cat food is no secret, and the nutritional mix of cat food is not complicated.

Use as many raw materials as possible.

You can choose as many different ingredients as possible to make cat food in a month. The reason is very simple. The composition and content of nutrients in different ingredients are different, and different ingredients can complement each other. Why don’t people pay so much attention to their meals? Why don’t people eat nutritionally balanced “human food” every day? Have you ever thought about the reason?

The following are some foods that cats like very much, you can choose and match them:

　(1) Meats and eggs: beef, pork, chicken, mutton, duck, eggs

　(2) Internal organs: chicken heart, chicken liver, pig brain, pig kidney

　(3) Fish and shellfish: tuna, salmon, cod, bonito, sardines, saury, oysters, scallops, clams

　(4) Fats and oils: olive oil, fish oil, sunflower oil, linseed oil, butter

　(5)Algae: seaweed, kelp

(6) Fruits and vegetables: Cats don’t need too many fruits and vegetables. The addition of fruits and vegetables allows cats to consume more fiber, helps cats’ digestion, and regulates their gastrointestinal functions.

We recommend that the proportion of meat content is 85%, the proportion of offal is 5%, and the proportion of fruits and vegetables should not exceed 5%.

　

Rich food can provide various nutrients that cats need

Buy some nutritional supplements

(1) You can buy some multivitamins for your cat. You don’t have to buy special ones for pets. Vitamins for humans can also be used. Buy products or vitamin capsules that are very small in size. One capsule is about 15 mg. Just feed it to your cat every 2 to 3 days. Please note that when you choose a multivitamin for cats, look at the formula table at the back and choose those products with added vitamin B12, because there areSome products do not add this vitamin, which cats need.

(2) Buy a bag of taurine powder. It can be used for pets or people. In fact, it is the same thing. Just add 400 milligrams per kilogram of meat. Just convert it yourself.

(3) Buy some eggshell powder, which is a good source of calcium. Prepare a 1/2 teaspoon, which can be purchased online. Just add 1/2 teaspoon per 500 grams (meat + offal).

　

Sometimes a little help from nutritional supplements is needed

The above is a simple way to avoid the mistakes of homemade cat food, it is really simple!

You have to believe that homemade cat food must be better than 80% of cat food. If you look at the water content of the food, homemade cat food is better than any cat food. Some people underestimate the role of water. Water is more effective than many medicines and prescription foods. Even if you don’t have much time to prepare cat food for your cat, you should consider when to take a vacation for yourself and cook a delicious dinner for your cat. Should cats only eat one kind of food for their whole life?