Cooking for cats an owners guide to meals for cats

Some cats are fussy, others will eat anything.   Delilah isn’t keen on cat food – she sniffs it suspiciously and then looks for something else.   We can’t provide cooked dinners for all the stray cats but we do try to give everyone at least one meal of fresh food every day.   Canned food is made in a factory, it’s convenience food.  It isn’t real food. We humans are advised not to eat convenience food, all those additives, it’s not fresh, it’s bad for us.   Is it the same for our pets?   We certainly see a lot more chronic illness than we used to in the ‘old’ days when cats and dogs ate scraps from the butcher and fishmonger.    Here are some of our cat and kitty meals, they’re all quick and easy and with no manufacture, animal derivatives, packing, transport and storage costs, they help to save the planet – for the animals as well as us humans.

RAW & READY

This is so easy – buy half a pound of minced lamb or beef and from a butcher if possible.  We make sure it’s a lean cut for Delilah and ask for it to be minced fairly fine.   Some of the other cats with a bigger appetite will eat almost any kind of mince but fussy cats don’t like the fat and gristle.  Put out a mouse-sized portion and drizzle a couple of drops of salmon oil on top.  Delilah has mince for a couple of meals and then it’s on to something different.  Cats like to eat fresh so put some of the meat in the freezer till you need it.  We don’t feed from plastic dishes, a saucer or stainless steel plate is better.    A cat likes to spread her whiskers out while she’s eating so bowls aren’t suitable.

LAMB CASSEROLE

Cook some finely cut raw lamb in a small amount of water in a saucepan and a bit of grated carrot.  A small sprinkle of mixed herbs (the sort you buy ready prepared) gives some natural flavour.   If I have celery I put a slice or a leaf in too.  As soon as it comes to the boil, turn down to very low.  It won’t take long to cook, about 10 minutes.  Drain off most of the liqued, mash up the carrot and celery and put out as a side serving – some cats like it, others don’t .   They all wuffle up the fine lamb though.  Make sure it’s cool before you let them get at it!   Any surplus will store in the fridge for a meal the next day or you can freeze it in small portions and get out when you need it.

CHICKEN LIVERS

You can get a big tray of these for a small amount of money and cat’s love them!    They only take a few minutes to cook, almost as soon as they’re heated through, they’re done.   I sometimes mix them with rice I’ve already cooked (when we’re having rice ourselves) – they are soft when they’re cooked and mosh up easily with a fork.  Or cut into small pieces.  

MACKEREL & SARDINES ON TOAST

A lot of cats enjoy canned fish, we only get it when it’s (relatively) inexpensive and from a sustainable source.   Cats like to eat food at blood heat so warming it slightly makes it more enjoyable for them.   Lightly toasted bread, buttered and cut up into small cubes is liked and with the fish on the top.   A parsley sprinkle rounds it off.  yum yum.

We know cooking for pets isn’t always possible. The good news is there are some great raw and fresh food manufacturers out there. We like Natures Menu. We’ve have used it for some years and have seen remarkable results – skin allergies disappearing, shiny coats and noses. We have seen dogs live into their twenties without a single trip to the vets. We still have large breeds in their late teens that are fit and healthy fed on fresh raw food. Good food is the secret to health and prevention is better than a big vets bill, wouldn’t you agree.

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