Natural Homemade Cat Treats – for spoiling the kitties we love!

To find something our cats will love and keep them healthy, we turned to treat loving animal expert Elise to help narrow down the choices and ensure happier cats in the north of Brisbane. Elise has studied performance animals and animal therapy as she worked in all aspects with cats in her professional life, including at the RSPCA. Elise has most recently rescued a kitten called Jingles and, in the past, has helped all kinds of breeds, sizes and personality types rehabilitate into family life. 

This is what Elise says; it was 4 am on a balmy Brisbane Boxing Day when I suddenly needed to google a quick and super effective kitten treat. A beautiful three-week-old stray kitten had somehow found its way into the yard and was calling for her mother cat. ***cuteness overload awwww*** I will never know how this kitten aptly named Jingles came to be there, but as it turns out, she is growing into a magnificent friend and has spearheaded a cat-treat journey like no other. 

When I first met Jingles, I tried to coax her out of her dangerous location but only had terrible cat foods (like Christmas leftovers). The shops were all closed and I needed something fast! Que a walk down the homemade cat treat virtual recipe aisle … It wasn’t very enlightening! What is available is so cryptic and challenging to cook that I almost gave up (remember it was 4 am). I’m not going to lie — when it comes to cooking, I’m terrible. Luckily, back in the day, when I had more feline friends to feed, one kind of cooking always went well; making homemade cat treat recipes. My fur-babies and two-legged kids all loved the process. I’m the world’s most outstanding cat-chef, and cats don’t even care that I sometimes leave the dirty dishes in the sink. Hoorah!

It took a few trials, but I finally remembered a few old favourites. Since I made so many different cat treat recipes, I decided to share my go-to homemade cat treats if you need a healthy homemade snack for your cat.

At first, I tried the standard varieties, and they worked to coax her out, but as Jingles had such a rough first three weeks and was missing the goodness of mothers milk, I needed cat treats that are just as nutritious as delicious. I was adamant about skipping sugars, artificial colours, and carbohydrates found in popular recipes and knowing that cats, in general, crave meat, I knew the perfect healthy cat treat alternative! Cats love eating the things that are best for their health. As natural carnivores, fresh meat, organs, and bones are their favourites. So, if you’re looking to make some healthy, natural homemade cat treats of your own, here are two simple recipes to try. They come with personal recommendations from Jingles and all our kitty-cat friends. 

You can avoid the pet aisle altogether by searching your kitchen for unexpected cat treats. Easy human food treats include oily fish (such as tuna or mackerel), poultry, beef, cooked pumpkin, oatmeal, cheese, bananas, berries, eggs, spinach, melon, carrots, and rice (and not fatty Christmas ham leftovers or bread). 

These simple cat treat recipes are easy to make and are packed full of happy-cat love. 

Healthy Salmon Treats For Happy Cats

Prep time approx 10min if you don’t have too many extra ‘helpers.’ 

Cook time approx 30min.

Ingredients

1 can salmon, undrained

1 egg, beaten

2 cups of cat safe flour or grain (e.g. chickpea flour, oats, quinoa, wholewheat flour or cooked brown rice)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to your ‘normal’ temp – let’s be honest, we all have a ‘spot’ the oven dial usually sits on
2. Combine ingredients 

*If using flour, combine until dough forms. It should be tacky but not sticky (add flour or water if needed).

*If using grains, it shouldn’t be too sticky or dry (add more cooked grain or water if needed).

Pop in a shallow dish or just on a flat tray 

1. Pop in the oven for 15 minutes
2. Let cool and enjoy

Remember, your cat loves being a part of your beautiful family more than any treat, so time with your cat is the best treat of all. If you don’t have time to put something together, meat treats made from high-quality, simple ingredients, like chicken liver, beef meat, and perhaps a little salmon, are excellent too. 

Treats don’t mean a meal. Problems with nutritional adequacy continue to dominate online cat treat recipes. Appropriate formulation of your cats’ unique dietary demands requires specialised knowledge of nutrition from an expert to avoid potentially harmful nutrient deficiencies. However, keep in mind that eating too many high-calorie snacks will actively harm your cat, so too many treats are never a good idea.

As with anything, if you try new foods, or create a change in routine, be sure to keep an eye on your cat and introduce changes slowly. Every cat is different; always check with your vet before implementing new foods and changes to your cat’s life.