Homemade Cat Food To Gain Weight: Tips and Recipes
Learn how to help your skinny cat gain weight with these homemade cat food recipes and easy tips.
Is your furry feline looking a little too skinny? Maybe they're just a picky eater, or there's an underlying health issue. Either way, we have tips and tricks to help your cat pack on the pounds and become the chubby kitty you've always wanted. If you're looking for homemade cat food to gain weight, you're in luck! We have some delicious recipes that will fatten up your kitty quickly. From pre-ground rabbit and boneless poultry meat to chicken or turkey thighs, we'll show you how to make homemade cat food to fatten your kitty. So, get ready to dust off your apron and get cooking! But before you start, make sure to consult with your vet first!
🐾Our A.I.W (Article in words)🐾
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Homemade cat food recipes are a solution only If your cat is losing weight due to insufficient food intake, not a health problem.
Tips that can help your cat gain weight
Fats are not always bad.
Entice your picky cat with bacon fat but take care!
Don't use rice and potatoes as the first option.
Chicken skin shouldn't be 100% eliminated.
Enhance the appeal of the cat's food.
Best Homemade Cat Food Recipes To Gain Weight
Cat Food Recipe #1: Rabbit and boneless poultry meat with skin
Cat Food Recipe #2: Chicken/Turkey Thighs
Cat Food Recipe #3: Homemade and dry cat food mix
When is homemade cat food the right choice for weight gain?
Some cats may lose weight because they don't eat enough or have health problems. If your cat is not getting enough food, then you can try our homemade cat food recipes for gaining weight. But if your cat has a health problem, homemade cat food may not help, and in this case, you should consult your vet to know why your cat is losing weight. Also, ensure there's nothing to prevent your cat from eating enough. For example, other pets in the house may take your poor cat's food. Or the food brand may have changed, and it has fewer calories than before. Or the food dish may be in a place that is hard for the cat to reach for any reason. If you ensured that only the cat's diet is the case, let's dive into the smart tips we collected and the delicious recipes that may help your cat gain weight.
Tips that can help your cat gain weight
1- Fats are not always bad
Many online articles portray fats as a negative and undesirable element. But fearing a cat's obesity can lead to not getting enough fat in its diet. While it's true that too much fat can cause obesity in cats, especially if they don't get enough exercise, it's still important to include some fats in your cat's diet. Including good fat sources for your cat's homemade food, like fatty fish, vegetable oils, and animal fat, may help fatten up your thin cat, so avoid removing it from their meat. Also, fish oil provides concentrated calories to help the cat gain weight, making it a great way to increase the calorie content in the cat's food while improving the flavor and making its fur look healthy and shiny.
2- Entice your picky cat with bacon fat but take care!
During your journey to make homemade high-calorie cat food to help your cat gain weight, try adding bacon fat to their food. This tip has been mentioned by Lisa A. Pierson, DVM, in her ultimate guide to cat food. Bacon fat is the oily and tasty part of bacon that cats love. It is also high in calories, which can help your cat put on some pounds.
Here is how you can make bacon fat for your cat:
Buy some nitrite-free bacon. Nitrites are chemicals used to preserve some meats, but they may be bad for your and your cat's health.
Cut the bacon into small pieces and put them on a baking tray with a rack. The rack will let the fat drip down into the tray as the bacon cooks.
Bake the bacon at a low temperature until it is dry and crispy. You want to cook the bacon slowly to get the most fat.
Collect the fat from the tray and store it in a jar or a container.
Use a teaspoon to measure some bacon fat and add it to your cat's food. You can use up to one teaspoon daily; even a little bacon fat can make the food more appealing for your cat.
If you are not vegetarian, you can also use the dried bacon pieces as treats for your cat or yourself. They are crunchy and delicious, and your cat will appreciate them.
However, you should not use bacon fat regularly. Bacon fat can be high in saturated fat and sodium, which can harm your cat's heart, kidneys, and liver if consumed too much or too often.
Before you start using bacon fat for your cat, consult your veterinarian about your cat's health and dietary needs. Your veterinarian can advise you on how much bacon fat you can safely give your cat and how often.
3- Don't use rice and potatoes as the first option
Although cats can eat potatoes, it is not a necessary part of their diet. While recipes online use ingredients like potatoes, pumpkin, squash, and rice for cats, it's important to remember that cats are obligate carnivores. This means they require meat-based nutrition that provides essential amino acids such as taurine. Additionally, the ASPCA warns that a cat's digestive system is not adapted to a plant-based diet.
Feline nutritionists may occasionally use non-grain carbohydrates like potatoes in cat food as a source of minerals. Still, it should only be used to complement the formula. It's crucial to remember that too much of this type of food can cause protein malnutrition and contribute to diabetes. Therefore, it's essential to ensure that your cat's diet is well-balanced and based on their nutritional needs as obligate carnivores.
4- Chicken skin shouldn't be 100% eliminated
Chicken skin can be added to their food if your cat is thin and needs extra calories. However, it's important to avoid feeding them raw or fried chicken skin. Instead, it's best to cook the chicken skin by boiling or baking it without any spices, oil, garlic, or onion.
It's worth noting that feral or wild cats also consume the skin when they hunt birds, so it's a natural part of their diet. Additionally, some types of cat food available on the market already contain chicken skin as an ingredient.
5- Enhance the appeal of the cat's food.
Some cats are picky, so you must use your imagination to get more calories. You can experiment with the consistency, presentation, shape, and temperature of your cat's food by adding the broth from the boiled chicken. Remember, no added salt or condiments. Many cats will only eat food that has been pre-warmed. When you consider that a freshly captured animal in the wild has a specific temperature, it's natural that cats would prefer their meals to be a little warmer. Enhancing the appeal of the cat's food is a great way to increase its appetite and help it gain weight.
Best Homemade Cat Food Recipes To Gain Weight
Before you start getting bored, it's time to start the classic ingredients and directions type of content. We will list three options for homemade cat food for weight gain:
Pre-ground rabbit and boneless chicken or turkey meat/skin/fat.
Chicken or turkey thighs.
Homemade and dry cat food mix.
Cat Food Recipe #1: Rabbit and boneless poultry meat with skin
This homemade cat food uses pre-ground rabbit and boneless chicken or turkey meat/skin/fat.
Ingredients:
2 – 2.25 lb of pre-ground rabbit (meat, bones, and liver)
0.75 -1 lb of boneless chicken or turkey meat/skin/fat
1 cup of water (or more if your cat likes it)
2 eggs (use the yolk raw but lightly cook the white)
5000 – 10,000 mg of fish oil (5-10 capsules)
400 IU (268 mg) of vitamin E
50 mg of vitamin B-complex
2,000 mg of taurine
1/2 tsp of iodized lite salt
Directions:
Thaw the pre-ground rabbit.
Cut the boneless chicken or turkey meat/skin/fat into small pieces.
Whisk together the water, vitamin E, vitamin B-complex, taurine, iodized lite salt, and fish oil in a small bowl. This is your supplement slurry.
Combine the pre-ground rabbit, ground chicken/turkey, and eggs in a large bowl. Mix well with your hands.
Pour the supplement slurry over the meat mixture and mix well again.
Portion the cat food into freezer-safe containers, leaving some space for expansion.
Thaw one container at a time in the refrigerator and feed your cat as usual.
Cat Food Recipe #2: Chicken/Turkey Thighs
Ingredients:
3 lb of chicken or turkey thighs (meat, bones, and skin)
3-4 ounces of chicken livers if not included in the chicken/ turkey you bought.
1 cup of water (or more if your cat likes it)
2 eggs (use the yolk raw but lightly cook the white)
5000 – 10,000 mg of fish oil (10 capsules)
400 IU (268 mg) of vitamin E
50 mg of vitamin B-complex
2,000 mg of taurine
1 tsp Morton Lite or 3/4 tsp of regular salt with iodine
14 tablets of potassium gluconate or 14 capsules of potassium citrate.
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F and bake the chicken or turkey thighs for about 15 to 20 minutes or until half-cooked. Save the fat drippings from the baking pan.
Bake the liver for about 20 minutes, stirring halfway through. This will ensure even cooking and reduce the risk of bacterial contamination.
Cut some raw meat from the bones into small chunks for dental health. You can start with pieces about the size of a die and gradually increase the size as your cat gets used to chewing them.
Run the rest of the meaty bones, skin, liver, and eggs through a grinder using a plate with 4 mm holes.
Combine the ground chicken/turkey, eggs, and fat drippings in a large bowl. Mix well with your hands.
Whisk together the water, vitamin E, vitamin B-complex, taurine, regular salt with iodine, and fish oil in a small bowl. This is your supplement slurry.
Pour the supplement slurry over the meat mixture and mix well again.
Portion the cat food into freezer-safe containers, leaving some space for expansion.
Thaw one container at a time in the refrigerator and feed your cat as usual.
Cat Food Recipe #3: Homemade and dry cat food mix
Ingredients:
1/2 cup of high-quality dry cat food
2 tbsp of water
3 tbsp of canned tuna or other high-protein meat
4 tbsp of cooked chicken or beef broth
1 tbsp of olive oil
Directions:
Mix all the ingredients until they are well combined with the dry cat food.
Serve the food to your cat in small portions throughout the day, depending on their appetite and nutritional needs.
Conclusion
With the right ingredients and recipes, homemade cat food can be a great way to help your skinny cat gain weight. However, ensuring that your cat's diet is well-balanced and based on their nutritional needs is crucial. Following our tips and recipes can help your cat gain weight healthily and safely, and always let your veterinarian be aware of what you're feeding your cat.