We are facing a major shortage of cat food, especially canned cat food. This has been the most severely hit area of shortages that I have seen. It has been caused by many factors such as shortages of raw materials, including aluminum for the cans. The best way to make ourselves immune to these issues is to become more self-sufficient and reduce our dependence on the supply chain and the grocery store. After hearing from so many desperate viewers unable to find food for their feline friends, I decided to do this video on DIY homemade canned cat food.
I did a lot of research in preparation for this video. I wanted to find a recipe that is not “trendy” but appropriate and healthy for cats. This is the article and recipe that I settled on and used. Once you get through the VERY detailed explanations, the actual recipe and process are quite simple. This is the article I used: [ Ссылка ]
I chose to pressure can my cat food. I want it to be stable for long term storage and the possibility of a grid down situation. If you aren’t concerned with long term, non grid dependent storage, you can skip the pressure canning and store this food in your freezer, thawing portions as needed.
Ingredients for a single batch:
3 lbs chicken leg quarters
3 oz chicken livers
1 cup water
2 eggs
1 can mackerel (optional)
1 ½ Tbsp fish oil (OR 5-10, 1000mg capsules, pierced and squeezed in )
1 400IU vitamin E softgel, pierced and squeezed in
½-1 B-complex 50 capsule
2000mg Taurine powder
1 tsp Morton Lite iodized salt
Method 1: Bake chicken legs until fully or mostly cooked. Remove meat from bones, saving thigh bones. In bowl of food processor, blend chicken meat along with accumulated pan juices, 3 oz liver and 1 cup water. Process until you have a pate consistency. Meanwhile, process thigh bones in an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker with 1 ½ cups water through 2 4-hour cycles. Drain bones, reserving broth and process bones along with the can of mackerel in the food processor until smooth. Add reserved bone broth as needed for consistency. Add bone meal mixture to meat mixture along with eggs and all nutrients, mixing well. Pack into jars of your preferred size, leaving 1” of head space. Debubble, clean jar rims with white vinegar and apply lids. Process according to your canner’s directions for meat times (75 minutes for pints or smaller, 90 minutes if you chose to use quarts.)
Method 2: Grind meat and bones raw, removing drumstick bone before processing. If using mackerel run this through the grinder as well. Dissolve powdered nutrients in water and mix into ground meat and bone mixture along with remaining ingredients. Continue on with recipe as directed. Raw ingredients will cook during the canning process.
Options:
-Some cats may initially reject a new food. You can sprinkle something like Fortiflora (or a cheaper option like Proflora) on the food. These are probiotics but contain an ingredient to make food more irresistible to pets. It’s not a bad idea to have some on hand anyhow in case illness or stress makes your pet unwilling to eat.
-If you really don’t want to process your own bones, (although this really wasn’t as scary as it sounds) You can add bone meal powder instead. The recommended amount is 2 Tbsp.+ 1 tsp. (7tsp.) per batch.
-If you prefer an easier but more costly option, check out TCFeline supplements. They are available with liver or without liver. These contain bone meal and all the nutrients needed by cats.
-If you have or want to purchase a meat grinder that can handle the bones such as this one [ Ссылка ], you can process the meat and bones raw and bypass the cooking steps entirely.
I have included links below to the supplements and supplies I used for easy reference.
BEST Canning lids: [ Ссылка ]
B Complex Vitamins: [ Ссылка ]
Vitamin E capsules: [ Ссылка ]
Taurine powder: [ Ссылка ]
Morton Lite salt: [ Ссылка ]
Fish oil for pets: [ Ссылка ]
Bone meal: [ Ссылка ]
TC Feline with liver: [ Ссылка ]
TC Feline without liver: [ Ссылка ]
Fortiflora: [ Ссылка ]
Proflora: [ Ссылка ]
Usa pan xtra lg sheet pan: [ Ссылка ]
Usa pan xtra lg sheet pan: [ Ссылка ]
Cuisinart food processor: [ Ссылка ]
My Instant pot: [ Ссылка ]
Pyrex bowls: [ Ссылка ]
My canner: [ Ссылка ]
Canning accessory set: [ Ссылка ]
💊Emergency Antibiotics for Preppers, Travelers!💊
[ Ссылка ]
Thrive Life Freeze Dried Foos:
[ Ссылка ]
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Our page: [ Ссылка ]
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