I decided to make my own cat food for Mac who is a 12 year-old Cornish Rex cat. Although having a cat as a pet is as popular as dogs, I noticed there are more options for dogs than cats, especially very limited options for senior cats. Less toys, treats, and food. Especially when it comes to wet food, it is very limited for senior cats. Perhaps, older cats do not need to be treated as well as younger cats…? Well, as far as I know senior cats have their own tastes; some only like meat and some only like fish, like younger cats. Some like chunky food in gravy and some like smashed food in jelly. I noticed that Mac tends to like smashed food in jelly and I only found two or three wet food options. Unfortunately, some brands only sell certain flavors of senior food all together in one box, so I cannot pick just what he likes. Some senior food is quite expensive, and they only sell food indicated as “7+”. There is 5 years gap between Mac’s age and 7-year-old cat. I often wonder if what I feed him really suits his age.
So, this is why I decided to try to make my own cat food.
First, I googled websites witch contained many cat food recipes for older cats. I have to admit that there is quite a lot of information and some of it is quite confusing. As a result of spending so many hours/days googling, I summarised what is good for senior cats to eat.
Chicken breast, chicken and beef liver, white fish such as founder, horse mackerel/Japanese mackerel and fluke, some vegetables such as carrots, cabbage, corns, peas, broccolis, and pumpkin, cottage cheese, eggs, sesame, white rice, flour, black beans, and corn oil.
Second, I tried to find as simple a recipe as possible, since I do not own any sophisticated tools, such as blenders.
Third, I tried to focus on more nutrition than tastes cats tend to like. Since he is a 12 year-old cat with poor dental condition, I wanted to give easy-to-eat food with appropriate nutrition.
What I prepared: Chicken liver, Chicken breasts, Flake fish, Carrots White rice (1/2 JP cup – Sunrice Brand – short grain) White sesame Cottage cheese, Eggs and Broccoli
How I cooked (The first 3 steps are the same in all the dishes):
1. Make rice
2. Cut chicken liver and breast into small pieces and boil.
Boil Flake fish. (*Do not boil them together)
3. Grate carrots
[Chicken Liver and Rice]
4. Once rice is ready, put 1 big tablespoon of rice into a saucepan with 1 cup of rice. And boil until water reduces to about half the amount.
5. Add 1 teaspoon of graded carrots and three or four tablespoons of chicken liver. Boil until water reduces to almost none.
6. Smash with a smasher until all ingredients get mushy.
[Chicken Breast and Rice]
4. Put 1 big tablespoon of rice into a saucepan with 1 cup of rice. And boil until water reduces to half the amount.
5. Add 1 teaspoon of graded carrots, a half of teaspoon of sesame and three or four tablespoon of diced chicken breast. Boil until water reduces to almost none.
6. Smash with a smasher until all ingredients get mushy.
7. Add one teaspoon of cottage cheese and mix well.
(This photo is with a bit of broccoli.)
[Fish and Rice]
4. Put 1 big table spoon rice into a source pan with 1 cup of rice. And boil until water reduces to half the amount.
5. Add 1 teaspoon of graded carrots and boil until water reduces to almost none.
6. Add egg yolk and mix well.
7. Smash with a smasher until rice gets mushy.
8. Break a piece of fish into small pieces and add into the saucepan.
9. Add a teaspoon of cottage cheese and mix well.
*During step #5, you can also add a small amount of fish broth or chicken broth, but make sure those do not contain nay salt. If they do, make sure you add very small amount. I usually do not use chicken broth if it contains salt, since it is not good for cats.
Usually, the above amount can be served as three meals. Store them in a fridge and whenever you serve, add a bit of hot water to make it loose. Left over ingredients are stored in a freezer in separate containers.
*Freezing meat also kills some bacteria, which can be harmful for senior cats that live indoors. So, when I have left over chicken breast / minced chicken breast and fish, I chop it well and freeze it before cooking. Then, of course, when I cook it, I cook it very well.
Result: Mac seems to like all the food, especially the chicken liver and rice. He ate everything in his plate, which made me smile 🙂
I also noticed that it would be less mess if I start smashing the food when the water starts reducing. This way, the food remains a bit watery if your cat needs more water to hydrate.
HOWEVER, a week later, I found one problem!! Mac started becoming constipated!! 🙁 I was so shocked that I could not forgive myself until he got back to a normal condition. Old cats tend to be constipated and here are some tips of what to add to those cats’ meal.
– Pumpkin
– Bran
– I also gave him small pieces of cheese since cheese gives him diarrhea. This helped him too.
Conclusion: Since I am still a beginner at making cat food, I decided to give Mac both my own cat food and sold wet food. When I give food, I make sure I spread it flat in his bowl so that it takes him time to eat. When he eats too quickly, he throws up right after finishing his meal.. Also, I try to give him a small amount of meal a few times a day. There is also dry food available for him to eat if he feels the meal is not enough. 🙂
