To my children, pets truly are part of the family. It was their idea to make homemade dog treats for our dog, and they wanted to make homemade cat treats for our cats, Penelope and Tiger, too (“to be fair”).
Like the dog treats we made for Daisy, these homemade treats contain coconut oil and other healthy ingredients that cats love. They are simple to make and store really well in the fridge. Our cats don’t even seem to mind if we don’t heat them up before giving them one. 🙂
These treats are part of our Natural Cat Care & Holistic Alternatives we use to keep our furry friends healthy.
Homemade Cat Treats: What You Need
There are really endless ways you could make this recipe and I’d love to hear how you adapt it for your pets in the comments. we used:
- Coconut oil which has lots of healthy fats (I got mine here)
- Coconut flour
- Cooked Sweet potatoes
- Gelatin powder (full of healthy amino acids that are great for their skin, fur and nails) I used this one in bulk because it was less expensive but any gelatin will work
- Tuna (or any canned fish- sardines are great too!)
- Egg- full of good fats and helps treats stick together
I baked these on a baking sheet with natural parchment paper to avoid sticking and stored them in a glass jar in the fridge.
Cat Treat Ingredients
- 2 medium size sweet potatoes, mashed
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 1/4 cup gelatin powder
- 1 can (drained) tuna or sardines
Cat Treat Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Mix all ingredient in a medium size bowl.
- Use a fork to mash everything together until evenly mixed and until all large pieces of fish and sweet potato are mashed up.
- Add a little extra coconut flour if needed to get a dough that is roughly the consistency of play dough.
- Roll into 1 inch balls and mash down with a fork to form little “cookies”
- Bake for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.
- Remove from heat and let cool completely.
- Store in the refrigerator for several weeks or in the freezer for several months.
Quality Cat Food
Since writing this post many have asked what cat food we use. I’ve tried different brands over the years and even experimented with making our own. Ultimately, I prefer to leave this in the hands of the experts so we now alternate between a variety of grain-free cat foods (wet, never dry). For the cream of the crop for Fluffy (and convenience for you), check out this awesome cat food delivery service that actually uses real food ingredients.
Ever made homemade treats for your pets? How did they turn out? How will you customize this recipe?
I love all your recipes my cats will definitely go crazy for this!
I tried making this recipe for my three kitties and they didn’t like it:( one cat took a bite or two but had trouble chewing it, another cat licked it a lot then walked away, and the third cat sniffed it and showed no interest. Was hoping I could make them something they would love! Side note: they are not picky eaters
I have tried to give my 2 1/2 year old kitty bones since he was very little, but he won’t eat them since nearly choking on a raw chicken neck. He just couldn’t seem to get them down. He also won’t eat kibble, but I didn’t want him on bikkies anyway. However, of course his teeth are now a problem. We feed him very good quality grain free canned food and fresh human grade chicken, but already he has gum disease and requires $450 dental clean with a general anaesthetic. I am so distressed. I have even given him turmeric, kelp, hemp oil and brewer’s yeast supplements but it has not helped his teeth. We cannot possibly have his teeth cleaned at the vet every year based on the expense alone, but he is the sweetest little Bengal kitty and they don’t do well with anaesthetics so we absolutely have to find something to help keep his teeth and gums healthy. Oh, and he refuses raw food now, and he is a stubborn little thing. I doubt raw food feeding is feasible for all kinds of reasons, including as stated above, the balance is hard to achieve at home.
Great recipe! Thanks! Do you mind sharing what you use for cat food?
Do you keep the skins on the sweet potatoes?
I have a cat related question that is severely bothering me since we got our kitten one Monday. Should I get a distemper vaccine for my kitten? Also should I get her fixed? I know the benefits of spaying her but are they all true? Wouldn’t she be healthier with the body she was born with un-altered? She will be an indoor cat. I’ve read at the very least you should wait until they are 1-2 years old. I plan on feeding her a raw frankenprey diet. Everyone keeps telling me I’m irresponsible to not get her vaccinated, but the risks scare me. I’ve only had her 3 days and she’s already my tiny little baby and can’t imagine her having any reactions to the shot or even dying. But at the same time my partially conformed head is telling me “well what if vaccines are needed”. I don’t know what to do, and wold love any advice. Also I keep reading peoples stories of their cats and how the ones who never got vaccinated were always the most healthy. I’m just so confused. And all I want is what’s best for my kitty
I never vaccinate my animals. My last 2 cats lived to a ripe age of 21 and 22. Only visit to the vet in all that time was to have them altered. My MIL routinely takes her animals every year for vaccinations. She has not had one in the 40 years I have know her had one that lived passed 10 years. Cats or her dogs. And she has had many. Not saying its the vaccines but they can live without. I did have to get their first distemper to have them fixed but nothing after that.
Hey love your blog! I want to know what can you recommend that’s safe for a dry shampoo/wipes for cats? My lovely cat is very wild, doglike and often gets into messes and extremely difficult to bath even at 2 year old.. I know she might lick it off, so in all my searching and mom and pop pet stores, I haven’t come across anything I feel is safe for her….. There seems to be so much contradicting information of what is safe, even vet doctors have differed in what is or isn’t safe… I’d love to hear your thoughts. Thanks!