Homemade cat treats are easy and inexpensive to make. Cat treats help you bond with your cat and are the key to training your cat to be an obedient house cat.
Dogs will do just about anything for a treat. Cats? Not exactly. Even so, it’s still nice to have healthy homemade cat treats in your arsenal for birthdays, special occasions or for those moments when your stubborn kitty needs a little extra motivation. Natural Dog Food
But before you whip up just any old homemade cat treats, take a minute to think about your cat’s favourite flavours, as well as what’s healthy for them to nibble, as each cat can be choosy depending on what they prefer.
There are a few rules of thumb to follow when baking for cats. Remember that some common human foods – including grapes, raisins, onions, salt and chocolate – are toxic to felines if ingested. Before you take on any homemade cat treats recipe, take some time to read up on what not to feed your cat on the Battersea website. Cats need a lot of moisture, so avoid loading their dish with grain- or cereal-based foods that aren’t healthy for them and opt for nutritious cat food instead. Shop-bought processed treats aren’t the healthiest choice for your pet, either.
We rounded up 10 recipes for natural cat treats you can easily make yourself, as your cat sits back and quietly judges you. From catnip croutons to tuna treats, this DIY nutritious cat food calls for a variety of wholesome ingredients, like salmon, cheese, tuna and even catnip. Now, hit the kitchen and don’t be surprised if a certain puss tries to hop up and distract you.
These nutritious carrot and catnip treats from Epicuricloud will make your cat feel extra loved. Mix shredded carrot and catnip with egg, oil and flour, and then flatten the dough for easy cutting with a knife or pizza cutter. Bake for 12 minutes or until they are slightly golden on top – and prepare to be your cat’s favourite human.
Sammy’s Sweets and Treats made these baked cat treats by mixing tuna with a packaged baking mix and cutting with a fish-shaped cookie cutter. If you want to make them at home, try this easy cat treat recipe from The Nest. Start by mashing tuna really well with a fork, then mix in wholemeal flour, milk, vegetable oil and egg. Roll the dough into balls or flatten and cut into shapes and bake for 10 minutes. If tuna isn’t your cat’s thing, substitute salmon or strained meat baby food in ham, beef or chicken flavours.
If cats could use Instagram, they’d definitely ‘heart’ these easy tuna treats by From Under A Palm Tree. To make them, mix tinned tuna with olive oil, egg, flour and mashed banana. Flatten onto a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake for 10-15 minutes at 180 degrees, and then cut into kitty-bite sized pieces.
Natural treats for cats that also help with hairballs? It’s a cat parent’s dream. These hairball control cat treats from Broomstick Pet Treats combine brown rice flour with tinned pumpkin, egg, oil and ground flax to make a healthy and yummy snack for cats. For an extra treat, you also have the option of adding some catnip before cutting them into pieces and baking in a 180-degree oven for about 15 minutes.
You’ll find variations of this chewy cat treat recipe from Joy the Baker all over the Internet — it’s that good. This tried and tested recipe uses baby food or tinned wet cat food as a base and includes parsley, rice and flour, baked for about 10 minutes. Clearly, cats have been passing this one down for generations.
These kitty delights from Serendipity and Spice are like little thumbprint biscuits especially for puss. This four-ingredient recipe is quick and easy to whip up. The hardest part is cooking the treats for five minutes on each side. But your cat doesn’t know that, so just tell them you worked on them all day.
These grain-free cat treats from Salt In My Coffee are crunchy, nutritious and gentle enough for young cats to chomp on. Combine tuna and pumpkin with coconut flour, mineral powder or parsley and egg, then drop by the quarter teaspoonful onto a baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake at 180 degrees for about 15 minutes, and don’t be surprised if these are gone before you know it.
These homemade salmon cat treats from Cookie Rookie are fast, so easy to make and include only healthy ingredients for your best furry friend. All you need to make them is tinned salmon, one egg and wholemeal flour. Combine ingredients in a stand mixer, then roll out and slice or cut with a 3/4-inch biscuit cutter of your choosing. Bake at 180 degrees for about 20 minutes. Don’t be alarmed if your cats pace excitedly around the kitchen the entire time.
Feline taste-testers approved of these gooey, cheesy cat treats from Cowboy Way. They’re made from a combination of cheese, yogurt, flour, cornflour and water. Flatten the mixture out with a rolling pin and bake like a pizza for 25 minutes, then cut into tiny, cat-friendly squares. If the finished product is firm on the outside and chewy on the inside, you’ve baked yourself some serious bargaining power.
Tinned mackerel is the main ingredient in this holy mackerel cat treat recipe from CDKitchen, which also calls for breadcrumbs, egg, vegetable oil or bacon fat and brewer’s yeast (said to be packed with vitamins). Mix the ingredients well, place treats one inch apart on a baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes. You’ll get soft, tasty morsels that your cat will want right meow.
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