Trial Size - Chicken Thighs | Whole Meat
The below information is to be used as a guideline. Please make adjustments as necessary for your cat(s) and their specific goals and Veterinarian care.
Ingredients & Supplies
Step 1:
1 pound boneless or 1.3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (feel free to use a different whole meat option, if you prefer or if your cat is allergic to chicken - rabbit, pork or beef may be good options to start with.)
Whisk, blender or handheld milk frother
Glass (preferred) or metal baking pan
Tin foil
Tool or appliance to chop the meat into small pieces - ex: sharp knife, hand-held food chopper, food processor, grinder, etc
Mixing spoon
Food-safe, freezer-safe plastic or glass storage containers
If preparing Raw Food, use 1 pound of raw chopped meat or chopped meat + finely ground bones.
Bones are optional - there are enough supplements included in the Mix to substitute for bones. However, adding some finely ground bones adds beneficial marrow to the food.
Prepare the Meat
Step 2:
Bake the meat in the oven
Set oven temperature to 325°F
Grease the baking pan with coconut or olive oil
Place the chicken thighs/meat in the pan in a single layer
Cover the pan with tin foil and place in oven
Check chicken thighs after 15-20 minutes for doneness - place back in oven for 5-10 minute intervals until desired level of doneness is achieved (make sure the outside of the meat is completely cooked, you can leave the inside rare or somewhat pink as desired. If you’re using pork, cook thoroughly to at least 145℉.)
Remove the thighs/meat from oven and let cool
Flash Boil for Raw Food Option:
Bring a pan of water (big enough to place the meat into) to a boil on the stove
Once the water is at a rolling boil, place the meat into the boiling water for 10 seconds. This should kill off the bacteria on the outside of the meat.
Remove the meat, let cool before chopping/grinding
We recommend cooking or par-cooking store-bought meat to kill potentially harmful bacteria on the surface of the meat.
If you are experienced with preparing and feeding raw meat and take the proper bacterial precautions, you can skip this step and prepare your meat as you normally do and go to Step 3.
Chop the meat
If using bone-in thighs/meat, remove the meat and skin from the bones.
Save some of the skin to add a little fat and increase the palatability for most cats. Toss the unused skin.
For normal weight cats: save approximately 20-30% of the skin
For underweight cats: save approximately 40-60% of the skin
For overweight cats or cats with digestive issues: only save about 5-10% of the skin or try no skin at all. You can also try mixing cooked chicken breast with the chicken thigh meat or using only chicken breast.
Using your chopping tool or appliance, chop/grind the meat and skin into small pieces.
If you’d like to pureé the meat with an immersion blender, first cut the meat and skin into small chunks, then add the supplement mix + water (see Mix it Up! below) to the meat before using the blender.
Mix it up!
Measure out about ½ cup water in a measuring cup (*for raw meat preparers, start with ¼-⅓ cup, increase as preferred)
Add the contents from the Trial Size Wild Anchovy or Trial Size Chia Seed Omega-3 Oil (or 1 tsp of Omega-3 Oil) to the water
Mix & Portion
Step 3:
OPTIONAL: save a little Wild Anchovy Oil in the vial and try as a food topper!
Add the contents of the Trial Size Homemade Cat Food Mix to the water and oil and mix well with a whisk/frother or add to a blender and blend for 5-10 seconds
Add the supplement water mixture to the prepared meat and mix well with a mixing spoon - aim for at least 50 strokes
If the mixture seems a little dry or hard to mix, add in a tablespoon of water at a time until it is mixable, but not soupy
Portion into containers
Put a portion of the prepared food in the fridge to serve to your cat(s) for the next feeding
Freeze the rest of the food in ½ cup to 2 cup container sizes
Our cats prefer their food frozen and then thawed vs freshly made food, so try both options with your cat(s)