When I decided I wanted to start making my own raw cat food I was overwhelmed. I didn’t know where to start. But it is not as difficult or complicated as it may seem. I am here to share my experiences with you. After one year of using this recipe, I and my cat are trilled with the results.
Below is the raw cat food recipe I use most often about 70% of the time. It is best to vary meat sources to avoid allergies because a varied diet is always best. Rabbit, lamb, and other game birds are great sources of meat. But this chicken recipe is what I use most often.
I am not an expert nor a veterinarian. While I have done a ton of research I am not claiming to be an expert. Dr Lisa Pierson is my biggest teacher and I refer you to her website for detailed scientific information regarding the recipes and reasoning behind each supplement and ingredient. Below is a very close version of her recipe that I use.
This recipe includes chicken, bone, chicken liver and chicken hearts. Bone, heart and liver are essential and should not be supplemented.They are not optional, they are necessary.This recipe will feed my cat for between 3-4 weeks.
Raw chicken recipe:
3 kg of chicken thighs (drumstick plus thigh w/bone. If your cat is overweight: remove most of the skin. For kittens, underweight or active cats you can leave all the skin.)
900 grams chicken heart
300 grams chicken liver
3 cups water
6 egg yolks
6000 mg salmon oil
1200 IU Vitamin E
300 mg Vitamin B-50
2 1/4 teaspoon Lite Salt (with iodine)
6 capsules raw grandular supplement (for me, this is the only supplement that is optional)
4000mg Taurine
*****Some people say bone, heart, or liver can be supplemented I can only recommend using the real thing. Some supplement bone, heart and liver with Taurine vitamin A and D. Bone, heart and liver should always be included in a cat’s diet. The real thing is better and much easier than working out alternatives.
Taurine is the most important amino acid for cats. Without this a cat will not survive. Most of the taurine is coming from the meat and organs in this recipe.
Because I freeze the food after making, about 1-2 times a week I sprinkle a capsule of salmon oil and taurine onto their fresh food to make up for anything that was lost in freezing. When buying supplements it is best to buy capsules rather than a powder or oil because after opening they can go rancid very quickly.
All of the supplements I buy from iherb. They carry every vitamin supplement you could possibly want from quality reputable brands. Some of these vitamins you could find in a drugstore or whole foods. Because I live in Europe, these vitamins are incredibly difficult to find and expensive. iherb.com offers the cheapest international shipping I have ever heard of. So I buy all my cat food making supplies from them as well as some essential oils and beauty products. You can find all of the supplements I purchased here. This exact quantity has lasted me just over one year feeding one cat.. If you use code: PDK049 you can save $10 off your first order of over $40.
iherb shopping cart of supplies
*Salt with iodine you can find at any food store
You can also read:
Step-by-Step process of preparing raw cat food
Thanks for reading and I’m happy to answer any questions!
Hi Jenna! Do you use upper thighs or full thighs (with the back) for the chicken recipe? I read on Dr Pierson site that she pulls off all bones of one thight out of five. I’m concerned with the ratio thing, how to calculate appropriate edible bones quantity if I want to vary meat recipes. Should I separate all the meat from bones and weigh to be sure or there is an easier way? Thanks!
OK I solved the problem. I made the recipe and added brewer’s yeast. It’s hard work but worth it totally. My cats are enjoying. Thank you so much!
Author
Hello, I’m sorry I was on holiday and neglected my blog for a bit. But I’m back now. I’m happy to hear it worked for you finally! Your cats are very lucky!
Hi Jenna. Sorry for being, may be, invasive. I was about to make my first try and a problem occured… Have you experienced some tinned spray/coating chips off while using your meat grinder? Even after complete washing and proper light oiling, the metallic tinned shiny silver metal came off just by turning the crank without placing meat in. It seems like even if I assemble it very carefully, the mechanism rubs in the grinder body. I can’t return the grinder (a Sportsman 32 inche) since I bought it 6 months ago and I don’t see any obvious default however with it. I don’t want to take any risk to smear the meat. Gee I’m a little distraught now. Any advice?
Thanks for the information Jenna! I will go however with your original recipe wich is much simplier. Other points, the vitamin E that I have is liquid in capsule. Should I put it complete in the mixture and it will dissolve there or it would be better to use capsule with powder in it? Also, do you have an opinion about giving brewer’s yeast to cats?
Greetings.
Hi again. I recently wrote in french somewhere else on your blog but may be I was hard to understand :) What do you think if I use a whole chicken for the recipe? Would it be better with the lean meat of the breasts? Is there a concern with bones from other parts than thighs? Also I’d like to know if you polished your grinder before using it?
Thanks!
Author
Martin, Sorry, I’m not sure what happened to your message. You can use a whole chicken, but keep in mind the 80 / 10 / 5 / 5 rule – that’s 80%-87% meat, fat, skin, sinew, connective tissue and heart, 5%-10% edible bone, 3%-5% liver, and 5% other secreting organ. If you use a whole chicken you will need to add some organs and meat. No concern with the other parts of the bone, just watch the ratio. If there is too much bone in the food your cat’s poop will be extremely hard and dry and they could become constipated. Not enough bone and it will be softer and more runny. Polished my grinder? No, I just washed it before using and when I’m done I coat it with vegetable or coconut oil to prevent rusting.
Hi! First, I’m so grateful for this blog! I switched to raw food for my cats since nearly a year to give them a better life. I tried different recipes wherein bones are supplemented with egg shells or bone powder because I didn’t believe I would be able to grind them myself. The raw food market is growing recently here in Quebec (Canada) and for the last months, I tried products from two brands with mixed results. I have two major concerns about them: First, complete recipes contain fruits or vegetables and one of my cats has diabetes. Second, the grinding quality is not always good, I mean there is a lot of bone pieces in the meat, the size of their teeth or smaller, and when it happens, my cats simply won’t eat. I bought a grinder like yours (size 32 though) in december and I still haven’t tried to use it because I fear that I won’t have a better result. The problem doesn’t seem to matter for most of the consummers or the manufacturers because, I think, mainly it’s dog owners who buy and their pets can manage the roughly grounded bones. All that being said, my question is: do you obtain a REALLY smooth meat with this grinder? Thank you very much and sorry for my english :)
Author
Thank you for your message! With my grinder, yes the result is quite smooth. Actually, I wish it was less smooth and more chunky. The chunks are good for cats and dogs to chew. Sometimes I give my cats whole chicken necks and they can eat the whole thing so I know they can handle it. Congratulations on switching to raw, your cats are thanking you for it. Even though it’s not perfect, I’m happy to see the pet food industry growing and moving towards raw and higher quality food. It’s a good move in the right direction! Je parle aussi le français, pas de problème -)
How much do you feed a kitten of 4 months per meal if you feed them 2x a day as you recommend? Also, when do you increase the amount of food as they get older and to how much? It is my understanding that a person doesn’t need to feed as much food on a raw food diet. Have you noticed a decrease in your kitty’s bowel movements when feeding a raw food diet? Thanks
Author
I used to stress about the amount to feed as well so I understand. But I quickly learned how to read my cat and their needs. If you are feeding kittens raw food you can feed them as much as they will eat in one sitting. The younger the kitten the more often they need to eat. A 4 month old kitten I would feed them at least 3-4 times if possible. When my cats got to be 1 year old is when they started eating less. Yes one of the biggest changes I saw was in the litter box. They poop about once every 24-26 hours max. And it is much drier and has a very low odor. Have you started feeding raw yet?
Where do you buy chicken hearts? Does all the meat need to come straight from a butcher? I heard to not buy grocery store meat.
Author
That depends where you live and the quality available in your local grocery store. In Switzerland I buy all my meat from grocery stores and they always have chicken hearts in stock. I just my grocery stores and I know the meat is coming from local farms. It’s a good idea to check with your local butchers and see what they can supply you with. Making friends with them could be very helpful.
Hi Jenna. I got all of the vitamins you listed. How many capsules of the B-50 do you add? All the other supplements list the mg but not the B-50 as it only lists the individual amounts of the various components, which is confusing because not all of them are B vitamins. Thanks!
Author
One B-50 capsule is 50mg. I thought the same thing, they should be more clear on the packaging. :-)
Thanks Jenna. So, I will add 6 of them. :)
I will be making rabbit as my girl kitty seems to throw up raw chicken (not cooked) sometimes. I’m thinking it is the protein rather than the “raw” element.
Cheers.
Are all the vitamins human or animals ?? Silly question I bet
Author
Everything I used is sold for human use. The vitamins you can buy from pharmacies or health food stores like iherb.com
Could you estimate the average monthly cost of making this food for one cat?
Author
For one cat it costs me between $35-40 a month. However I live in Switzerland so meat prices are higher than in the US. While even $40 a month is more than dry kibble, it is substantially cheaper than a high quality wet or raw commercial food. I would love to know how much other people spend on a raw food.
Does the Swiss Post or the Swiss customs charge taxes when you order your supplement on iherb ? Purrs
Author
No! As long as your order is under $80 you should not be charged. I’ve ordered 6 times and never been charged anything from the post or customs :-)
Wow – very interesting, and chuck full of lub and healthy nutrients! This is a great raw cat food recipe – I’m gonna share it with my followers!
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Thank you!
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That’s interesting I’ve never heard of that happening (PICA). All of them or just one? I don’t put the supplements in the grinder just to make sure I get them all in the mixture. In my grinder there is always a bit of bones that do not get ground and I throw them away, I fear that the vitamins would get stuck to this. With a electric grinder you may not have that. Plus you are busy feeding for 8! That’s great work, congratulations to you!
I don’t use an extra bowl. I mix up the eggs and the supplements in the same bowl I grind into.. saves me an extra step. I put the supplements right in the grinder too.. I also felt the need to add a little parsley because my cats developed PICA with out it.