Directions for Whole Cuts of Meat

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The below information is to be used as a guideline. Please make adjustments as necessary for your cat(s) and their specific goals and veterinary care.

Ingredients & Supplies

Prepare the Meat

Mix & Portion

FAQs & Guidance

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Step 1: Ingredients & Supplies

1. Purchase Meat

To use with the Trial Size Kit

1 - 1.3 pounds whole cuts of meat - to account for water loss in cooked meat, purchasing over one pound is recommended. 

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 fresh, finely ground bones adds beneficial marrow to the food.

Meat options to try: Chicken breast or thighs, turkey breast or thighs, rabbit, pork or beef. For more options and details, see below - Pro Tips & Guidance > Additional Protein Options to Try. 

To use with the Full Size Homemade Cat Food Mix

1 or more pounds of whole cuts of meat. If making a large batch to freeze, 3+ pounds of meat works great.

If preparing Raw Food, use the raw chopped meat weight OR chopped meat + finely ground bones (if grinding bones).

 

Bones are optional - there are enough supplements included in the Mix to substitute for bones. However, adding some fresh, finely ground bones adds beneficial marrow to the food. 

Suggested meat options: Chicken breast or thighs, turkey breast or thighs, rabbit, pork or beef. For more options and details, see below - Pro Tips & Guidance > Additional Protein Options to Try. 

2. Recommended Kitchen Supplies

Whisk, blender or handheld milk frother (optional)

Glass 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, meat grinder, etc

Mixing Spoon, or for 3+ pounds of meat, Stand Mixers work great

Measuring cups and measuring spoons

Food-safe, freezer-safe plastic or glass storage containers

Masking tape or food labels

Kitchen Scale
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Step 2: Prepare the Meat

Cooked or Par-Cooked Meat Preparation

Baking Instructions

Set oven temperature to 325-350°F

Grease the baking pan with coconut or olive oil (cat-safe options)

Place the meat in the pan in a single layer

Cover the pan with tin foil and place in oven

Check meat after 25 minutes for doneness - place back in oven for 5-20 minute intervals until desired level of doneness is achieved

Remove meat from the oven and let cool
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Need easier cooking options or "cooler" option for warmer months?

Click Here for More Ideas!

Raw Meat Preparation

To kill potentially harmful bacteria on the surface of store-bought meat, we recommend cooking/par-cooking/flash boiling or grilling the meat prior to making it into food

Flash Boil Instructions

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

Grill or Bake Instructions

Heat the grill or oven to at least 350°F (grill could be higher).

Put the meat on the grill or in the oven for 5-ish minutes. Adjust the time to meet your cat's preferences. 

 

If grilling, make sure to flip the meat. You basically want to sear both sides of the meat to kill off the bacteria. 

Remove meat from the heat, let cool before chopping/grinding

Chop the Meat

If using bone-in thighs/meat, remove the meat and skin from the bones.
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If your meat has skin and/or fat on it, adding a little to the food can increase the palatability for most cats. 

 

Depending on the meat you are using, you can remove more or less fat/skin. 

Example: for Split Chicken Breasts - use all or most of of the skin because the skin to meat ratio is low. 
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For meat with a lot of skin or fat:

For normal weight cats: save approximately 10-40% of the skin/fat

For underweight cats: save approximately 40-60% of the skin/fat

For overweight cats or cats with digestive issues: only save about 5-10% of the skin/fat or try no skin at all or very minimal fat. 

 

If you are using chicken thighs, try mixing cooked chicken breast with the chicken thigh meat or using only chicken breast.
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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.
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Optional: If you have a grinder and would like to add some finely ground raw chicken thigh bones for the bone marrow benefits, feel free to do so. Weigh the ground bones and meat together to get an accurate Mix measurement.

Meat Preparation: Types, Tips & Additional Info

Additional Meat Preparation Ideas

There are a variety of ways to prepare meat - we put together a helpful document of methods we and our customers have tried with success:

Click Here for the Meat Prep Options Document

Poultry

We prefer mixing some chicken thighs with chicken breasts - our cats are currently loving these prepared in the slow cooker. We also regularly use half turkey breasts for another poultry option.

When making large batches of chicken in the oven, we purchase a package of bone-in, skin-on thighs and then purchase double that amount in boneless, skinless thighs or chicken breasts.

We prefer to par-cook (or completely cook) the store-bought poultry to kill off potentially harmful bacteria & our cats prefer it prepared this way. The inside of the meat can remain more raw if you/your cat prefers a more raw food vs cooked.

PLEASE NOTE: as of January 2025 with the Bird Flu outbreak, we currently cook poultry thoroughly and do not leave any part raw.

Beef

We like using the Flash Boil or Grilling methods for Beef cuts. One of our cats is obsessed with raw beef homemade food and these methods make it simple to prepare.

Pork

If using Pork, make sure to COOK THE MEAT TO AT LEAST 145°F. Pork muscle can contain microscopic worms and needs to be cooked thoroughly.

Transitioning from Wet or Dry Food

If your cat is used to eating wet or dry food, we’ve found it easier to transition them starting with meat that is cooked/mostly cooked and then decrease it a little more each time we make it, until we find the level of doneness that the cat prefers.
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Step 3: Mix & Portion

Mix it Up!

Weigh the meat after baking/cooking (drain liquids, if possible) to determine the most accurate Homemade Cat Food Supplement Mix measurement amount.

 

If unable to drain liquids, on average, most meat loses approximately 25% of it's raw weight after cooking. Using this guideline, estimate your cooked weight at about 75% of the raw weight.

Trial Size Kit Instructions

Weigh the meat (drain/separate the liquids, if possible) to make sure it’s around 1 pound. If it's a little more or a little less, that's ok.

Measure out about ½ cup water in a measuring cup; for raw meat preparers, start with ¼-⅓ cup, increase as preferred

Add the water, the contents from the Trial Size Omega-3 Oil (= 1 tsp of Omega-3 Oil) and the contents of the Trial Size Homemade Cat Food Supplement Mix to the meat.
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OPTIONAL: save a little Wild Anchovy Oil in the vial and try as a food topper!

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Mix thoroughly with a mixing spoon to properly disperse the Supplement Mix throughout the meat - aim for at least 50-75 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 (unless your cat prefers it soupy!)

Full Size Homemade Cat Food Mix Instructions

Per pound of prepared meat, measure out the following and add all either to a blender pitcher/cup (and mix/blend prior to adding to the meat) or add directly to the meat: 

½ cup water per pound (for raw meat, start with ¼-⅓ cup) - you can also use the drippings from cooking/preparing as part of this

1 tsp of Omega-3 Oil* per pound (1 TB for every 3 lbs) 

1 Loose Level Scoop of Supplement Mix per pound (do not firmly pack the Supplement Mix into the Scoop)


For the most accurate measurement, weigh out 29 grams of Supplement Mix per pound for the Chicken Liver Flavor Formula or 19.6 grams per pound for the Liver Powder Free Formula. 
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If you pre-mixed the water, Supplement Mix and Omega-3 Oil, add this mixture to the meat. 

Mix the meat, water, Supplement Mix and Omega-3 Oil together thoroughly - if mixing by hand, aim for 100 strokes. 

Time Saver Tip: if you have a Kitchen Aid or Stand Mixer and have 3+ pounds of prepared meat, add everything to the bowl and let the mixer do the work!

If the mixture seems a little dry or hard to mix, add in a small amount of water at a time until it is mixable, but not soupy (unless your cat likes it that way! 😻) 
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*adding Omega-3 Oil is not required, but there are many benefits in doing so. To learn more about Omega-3 Oil and the two types we recommend and offer, see our Blog Post: Chia Oil vs Fish Oil.

Portion into Containers

Portion the prepared food into containers (½ to 2 cups sizes generally work well) and label the containers with the date and type of meat

TRIAL SIZE TIP: use smaller containers - this works well for transitioning with smaller portions of food.

Put a container of the prepared food in the fridge to serve to your cat(s) for the next feeding, if needed

Freeze the rest of the food and pull a container to thaw in the refrigerator as needed.
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PRO TIP: Our cats prefer their food frozen and then thawed vs freshly made food, so try both options with your cat(s)

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Pro Tips & Guidance

Additional Protein Options to Try

Pheasant, Duck or Rabbit - check with a local butcher shop

Cornish Hens or Quail - frozen from the grocery store

Split Chicken Breast - since the skin to meat ratio is low, we tend to keep and use all the skin in the food.
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Whole Turkey/Turkey Breast with skin/Turkey Thighs - we get a half breast from Trader Joe’s or Sprouts and Thighs from Sprouts or another grocery store (when available - they can be hard to find) and mix them together.

 

Around the Thanksgiving holiday, it's easy to find whole turkeys on sale at excellent prices. We like to get a couple whole turkeys and use them for cat food.
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Pork (pork shoulder/chops/loin) - we remove the excess fat from these cuts
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Lamb - can be a little higher in fat, some of our customers use this with positive results
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Beef - we get sirloin steaks, cook the outside for about 10 minutes at 350℉ or Flash Boil for 10 seconds, leave the inside mostly raw and then grind/chop it up.

Bison - some of our customers use bison with positive results
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We DON’T recommend using fish. Fish is fatty, high in phosphorous and may contain levels of mercury that can be harmful to cats if fed often. For cats that like fish, we recommend using it as a food topper or mix a little into their homemade food. A little bit of tuna (Safe Catch is a great brand) or salmon on top is a tasty treat!

Vary the Proteins

It’s good to vary the proteins you feed your cats so that they don’t get tired of one protein and then refuse to eat it or develop an allergy to it.

Example: You could rotate protein options weekly. Some veterinarians recommend a slow transition by mixing increasing amounts of the transition food into the current food at the beginning of each cycle.

A couple of our cats prefer different homemade food proteins throughout the day 

 

Example: Turkey in the morning, Pork for mid-day and Chicken or Beef in the evening.

As always, make sure to experiment to discover what your cat prefers!

If your cat will only eat one protein option, try adding toppers to it for some variety - see our recommendations in the Tips & Troubleshooting section

Helpful Resources & FAQs

Additional Meat Preparation Ideas

There are a variety of ways to prepare meat - we put together a helpful document of methods we and our customers have tried with success:

Click Here for the Meat Prep Options PDF

How much homemade food should I feed my cat?

The amount of homemade food to offer your cat depends on a number of factors including age, activity level, size, breed and health. Generally, plan for your cat to consume between 2-4% of its body weight daily.

 

You may need to experiment with the amount of food your cat needs (more/less food) to find the amount that works best for them and supports their health, growth and energy needs.

 

Please see the Feeding Guidelines Page with more information regarding feeding amounts, including age, weight and special breeds.

Transitioning from Wet or Dry Food

If your cat is used to eating wet or dry food, we’ve found it easier to transition them starting with meat that is cooked/mostly cooked and then decrease it a little more each time we make it, until we find the level of doneness that the cat prefers.

 

For more information and transitioning tips, please see the Tips & Troubleshooting Page

Help! My cat won't eat it!

Believe it or not, this is normal! Not all cats love homemade food right away. Some need a transition period and some just need a little "encouragement" 😉 In fact, we have to "trick" one of our cats into eating homemade food daily! 

 

Below are a few of our favorite "tricks":

Liver Powder Food Toppers - our Liver Powder Toppers are a favorite! Our cats rarely eat their food unless we add one of these tasty toppers to it! Most cats love the taste of liver - plus, it's not only delicious but very nutritious! 


Trial Size Kits include a Trial Size Liver Powder Topper to try out! 😀

Does your cat have a favorite treat or are they addicted to kibble? Try crushing up their favorite treat or food and add this on top of the homemade food or mix it in. 

Shredded Chicken Breast - all 4 of our cats love shredded chicken breast! Sometimes we mix a little into their food (especially if a batch of food got a little "soggy") or put it on top and it entices them to eat their food.

For more options and details, check out our Tips & Troubleshooting page!

Help! My cat is having digestive issues!

Thankfully, this isn't a common occurance, but it can happen. If your cat is experiencing digestive upset, it could be due to a number of reasons:

The most common reason is transitioning the kitty to homemade food too quickly. 

 

Some cats need a slower transitioning process. Their little tummies are sensitive and need more time to adjust to the new food. 

 

Please go back to feeding kitty their previous food. Once their issue clears, add a little bit (example: a teaspoon or less) of homemade food to their current food for few days. Then, slowly increase the amount of homemade food while decreasing the amount of the current food every few days until their meals consist of mostly homemade food. 

Another common reason is the consistency of the food. 


Some kitties need food that is more paté-like in consistency. Their little tummies don't do well with chunkier food. 


A food processor or immersion blender work well for this. Try putting the homemade food into the food processor and pureéing it or add the food to a bowl and use an immersion blender to make it a fine consistency. You may need to add water to each of these methods to create a paté.
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For more info and ways to troubleshoot digestive issues, please download our document:

Troubleshooting Digestive Issues PDF

If you are concerned for your pet's health, please contact your Veterinarian.

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