PLEASE NOTE: I am so used to making large batches of homemade raw food for the cats, and keeping organ meats to around 10% of the ingredients, that I didn't realize this recipe only used 5 lbs of chicken instead of the 10 lbs I used in the video. Please DOUBLE the amount of supplements in the recipe OR ONLY USE 5 lbs of chicken thighs. Items featured in this video: Kitchen Scale - amzn.to/3qkIidl KitchenAid Metal Food Grinder - amzn.to/3qtALsp KitchenAid Mixer - amzn.to/3QqWFXR Taurine Capsules - amzn.to/3eAoDTO B Complex 100 Capsules - amzn.to/3KXew7I Fish Oil For Cats - amzn.to/3qnSpOk Kelp Powder - amzn.to/3TTLV7v Vitamin E Capsules - amzn.to/3Bq2h0j Amazing Grass Amazing Trio - amzn.to/3B27muh Weston Butcher Series #12 Meat Grinder - amzn.to/3DbiPun Avanti Compact Upright Freezer - amzn.to/3x4NOV2 16 oz Ice Cream Containers With Lids - www.webstaurantstore.com/choice-1-pint-white-paper-double-wall-ice-cream-container-with-paper-lid-case/760IC16WPA.html 8 oz Ice Cream Containers With Lids - www.webstaurantstore.com/choice-8-oz-double-poly-coated-white-paper-soup-hot-food-cup-with-vented-paper-lid-case/760SOUP8WPA.html Ingredients Basic Recipe: 5 lbs raw chicken thighs with skin on and bone in 7 oz raw chicken livers 14 oz raw chicken hearts (or 4000mg taurine and 14 oz chicken thigh meat) 4 raw egg yolks 2000 mg taurine 4000 mg fish oil 200 mg vitamin B complex 200 iu Vitamin E 1 1/2 tsp lite salt (I used 2 tsp kelp powder) My additions: 1 scoop of Amazing Grass Amazing Trio powder 2 cups of steamed non-starchy vegetables (I used carrots and zucchini) PLEASE NOTE: I used 10 LBS of raw chicken thighs instead of 5 LBS. There is an ongoing debate as to what percentage of cat food should be liver (5% or 10%) or heart. Recipes for cat food vary widely with regards to ingredients and amounts. Make sure to feed your cats a varied diet to compensate for what is still unknown and up for debate with regards to cat food and nutrition. Thank you to Feline-nutrition.org for their Basic Raw Cat Food Recipe - feline-nutrition.org/nutrition/making-raw-cat-food-for-do-it-yourselfers
All very well done, I would recommend using a large steel mixing bowl, because it's easy to clean and reusable, Also you should switch to deli containers, they come in many sizes and are totally reusable also.
@@d.r.l.9314 No, because cod livers are high in Vitamin A and there is already a good amount in the recipe from the chicken livers. Too much Vitamin A is toxic to cats.
I grew up in a 2 generation Veterinary clinic and was groomed to become the 3rd. In all my YEARS/DECADES in this field, I have NEVER seen A BETTER, MORE PRECISE, WELL PRESENTED with GREAT INSTRUCTIONS for making one's own cat food! I can't recommend a BETTER video than this one! The ONLY suggestions I could make are options with using Organic meats and specific supplements that I KNOW are made from the highest, human grade quality, which I'd be happy to share with you! This video is better than ANY OTHER I've ever seen! I can't wait to share with all my 😺 lover friends and also to watch EVERYTHING you post! Much, much thanks ❣️ 😻🐱😻❤️
Thanks. Yes, organic would be better but then it would not be comparable to or cheaper than Friskies. I’ve never seen organic Friskies or organic Fancy Feast, etc. The goal of the video was to give people who purchase standard supermarket varieties of cat food, a healthier and less expensive alternative as prices of cat food continue to rise. Unfortunately, I’ve been hearing too many stories of people surrendering their cats to shelters because they can no longer afford them. I made this video when I was feeding 11 cats. Not everyone has a budget for organic meats, especially when taking care of larger cat families and colonies. I have found that feeding 11 cats versus feeding 4 cats is a completely different experience. Feel free to leave a reply with your supplement suggestions.
It's amazing how many more indepth, nutritionally correct recipes that are surfacing, I feed all 8 of my cats and my 3 working line gsd a full raw diet and I love seeing these kind of videos It is also extremely cost-effective when doing it correctly in comparison to shop bought foods that are packed with fillers and junk
I've been using this recipe for over four years for my seven cats. They have the softest fur, bright eyes and are extremely healthy. A great benefit of feeding raw is that the litter box does not smell as bad. Their bodies digest the majority of the food, so there's way less poo, and the pee is not as strong because they're getting more moisture from their food, and because they're not eating carbs. I don't grind the bones, I dry and grind the egg shells instead. I make around 65 pounds at a time.
For a boneless recipe if you don't have a grinder or yours can't handle bones: Add about 1/2 tsp of powdered eggshell per lb of meat, or 3 grams per lb.
If you have a coffee grinder, those are fairly cheap. Use that to grind out the egg shells. Dr Jones, has a video on that. I'm looking into making homemade cat food, myself. @@nmartin5551
Eggshell causes kidney stones, nvr use eggshell for pets or humans. Dont believe me put it in ur diet and u'll find out. Give humans & pets Soft bones, Tendons, Pig Skin(anticancer), Marine Fish (but not mackeral, sardine with metallic stuff in them, factories make this kind of fish because it's much cheaper),Tofu (higher calcium level than milk)& China Kailan(this is the king of vegetables better than western kale, with high calcium, selenium, antioxidents & other good stuff, build strong & dense bones).
I have the same question. There's no way I can afford a proper grinder to handle the bone and I know they need it so I'm looking for a solution that isn't simply artificial supplements as I'm trying to avoid as many non-typical food sourced nutrients as much as possible.
@@LoyalLove3believe it or not, bones are actually GREAT for dental health! They act as almost a toothbrush & add a great deal of calcium to their diet ❤
I just wanted to share my experience with raw food, one of my cats (i have 5) suddenly got severely ill he started limping then couldn’t walk i took him to three vets one said he is constipated , tried laxative but he still couldn’t walk properly, two others said it’s a feline virus that caused neurological issues with him, and there isnt much to do on the long term as it’s fatal so they had him on steroids and b12 shots and physiotherapy for almost a week, he responded well to it & he started barely walking again, but the dr wouldn’t give me much of a solution and told me he might relapse within a week or so, he lost 1.5-2 kg within a week, felt helpless after plenty of research i came to a conclusion that its the lack of nutrition ( he only ate dry food) and so i decided to transition to raw food, everyone was skeptical but i changed his diet to raw food mimicking a prey diet, he is now not only walking properly he became super active that he is now the trouble maker among his siblings 😅 (his name is on top of the list when something gets broken around the house ) but hey i dont mind as long as he is active 🥰 he gained the weight he lost and his coat is shiny & overall he is happy healthy cat..
To me a true prey diet for cats is mice, rats, moles...you know, small rodents even chipmunks. I had a cat that even ate mothes (she was an outdoor cat) but I have never seen a cat go after chickens or ducks. So maybe the proper name for it would be a domestic diet because I've never seen them go after cows either.
My dog was injured years ago. She could barely walk after tearkng a tendon and the surgery was expensive. I started her on a raw meat diet of chicken and ground venison with organ meats. She was walking within 3 weeks. She is 12yo now and looks like she's 5! I have adopted a new cat last month and have been looking for this recipe. Thank you from a new kitty lover!
My grandmother (I'm 63) used to give steamed green beans to her feral cats that lived under her house. They loved them. (My grandma lived in the country and people were always dumping unwanted cats out there.) Every time I visited Grandma, it was my challenge to somewhat tame one of the kittens (there were always kittens) so I could play with it and cuddle it. It took a great deal of patience for a child, but so rewarding when I succeeded!
My cats like to play with green beans. I've never tried to give them a steamed green bean. I will have to try that. Here's my video about Stella and her green bean - ruclips.net/video/jd5Apu1j2js/видео.html
I used to grind up food for both my cats and dogs and I found if the meat was at least partially frozen, it went through the grinder very easily and no splatters. Shortly after it was ground, because of the smaller size, it was thawed out and easy to mix/blend. I also found out that if the meat was slightly frozen, it cut up much easier as well.
Great job you’re doing ! I love to see people feeding their animals the food nature intended. People who just want to empty that dried garbage into a bowl for their dog or cat (or open a can ) will also be emptying their wallet at a vets office, they operate like drs for people, you will keep going back to get that “bandaid” never a cure. Make food your medicine and medicine your food, applies to animals as well ! The Pet Food Industry is Only About Making Money, PERIOD PEOPLE ! Please understand that and follow this girls advice, she’s doing an awesome job obviously. I have a dog but I’m saving this and subscribing to this channel. Thank you for being so thorough, amazing video !
My kitty loves her raw food. I found a vintage meat grinder for $20 and have made this twice. She runs to eat now and finishes every speck. Her hair is fluffy and shiny. Thanks for sharing this with us and taking the time to answer so many questions. ❤
@SkyCreX She also eats commercial dry food and some canned wet food, When canned food runs out, we'll probably go with raw ground chicken and dry food only.
@xXWOAT13Xx Yes, it's a "Hamilton Beach Gourmet Center with Meat Grinder and Sausage Stuffer". Long name, but that's what it is. I oil my blades and moving parts with vegetable oil to hopefully keep it running longer.
I'm so happy I found this video! Ive been looking for a more affordable option with cat food. I have 4 indoor cats and I care for a colony of about 10-12 feral, stray and abandoned cats that live in the alley near my house, and it's so expensive trying to feed everyone and I'm struggling, but I love each and everyone of them and I won't give up on them and hope to one day be able to build them cat houses/shelters to keep them warm during the winter and cool during summer, I just want them to have a safe place to go. Can't wait to try this recipe.
I feed homeless cats, too. This video is so interesting. But I can't make cat food at home. I can afford cheap cat food Pet Pride in Kroger but it's made in the USA and Special Kitty canned food in walmart. Now, the gas price keeps going up and my car's ac stops working 😢😅😂
About 20 years ago I had a feral born cat that developed chronic urinary crystals. The poor guy was at the vet multiple times. The vet finally said, to save his life, we needed to give him an operation to basically change him into a girl. She had me feeding him a very expensive prescription diet for urinary tract health. I did a bunch of research and found a raw food recipe very similar to yours (I used organic whole chicken or turkey, canned pumpkin, Missing Link supplement, egg yolks, various supplements, etc). I bought a hard-core grinder (I did the first grind with medium holes and then reground it on the small holes). I then would pack it into individual 1 cup glass bowls (with lids) and store them in the freezer. I had two cats so these individual servings worked well for me. END RESULT: I no longer had to buy him the special prescription food, I knew exactly what was in his food, I saved money...eventually, he loved his food, AND he never had another urinary tract issue again. Ever. He filled out, had an amazing soft glossy fur coat, and even the vet was amazed at his abundant health! He lived a strong, happy, and healthy life with no further medical issues ever. I strongly recommend a homemade raw diet. This video nailed it. The ingredient information, the process, everything. I had to make my batches once a month. It was worth the effort to see my cat regain his health and beyond! Thank you for making this video!
My little guy is going through the urinary issue. The Rx food doesn't seem to be doing much. I am going to try making him raw food to see if that helps. Glad to hear that it worked for your cat.
How did you thaw them out when you were ready to feed both of them ? Take the container out of the freezer , put it in the fridge overnight , etc ? And did you feed him this twice a day , etc?
@@SleeplessinOC I always kept a couple in the fridge so that they would be ready to go. Typically they only ate one a day (each) as it was very filling. The more wholesome the food, the less they need. There aren't a bunch of empty calories and fillers. So their body uses all of it and doesn't get hungry again so fast. I didn't withhold, they were allowed to eat as much as they wanted. Trial and error were a fine line. They always ate all of it, but were satisfied when finished. So the 1-cup serving was plenty. And always defrost in the fridge! This is raw meat and they could get sick if you leave it on the counter. If you put it into a microwave, it will cook it. Which, I suppose, would be fine once cooled (depending on ones views about microwaves). But it negates the point of feeding a raw diet. Just always keep a couple in the fridge. Best of luck with your fur babies!! You will be glad you switched as they will become super-healthy!
@@tarap5618 I bet you will be super happy with it! My boy was so incredibly healthy once I started him on the raw diet. Complete turn around on his urinary issues. Wishing you the best of luck!!
To debone a chicken thight ; Use a sharpened boning knife. (A short flexible blade knife) Scrape around the larger hip end of the bone. Down the sides. Until you can hold on to the end of the bone. Scrape all the bone until the other end. Then cut it free from the meat. 🍗🍗🍗🍗🍗🍗😺😽😸 Love from Norway 🇳🇴
Thanks. I think I'm going to start experimenting making my own food. I don't trust the pet food companies to not kill my cat putting garbage in the food.
Samuel is a lucky kitteh to have you as his human, Ash -- he'll be eating better than a lot of humans then. Keep us posted re his responses to your raw-food experiments (via live stream, if pawsible); be well, and hugs to Sammie.
@@brujalinda So sorry to hear! I am taking my cats off dry food since my baby cat died from eating it (aspiration pneumonia as per my vet) and my other cat, Miracle passed from uncontrolled IBD. She ate both wet & dry, but I was mostly giving dry food. Stopping that now! Again, so sorry. ((HUGS)) to you.😢
@@NoName-zh9ov not mine! It is a daily trial , trying to avoid having to manually push it down either of their throats. My daughter’s young dog is pretty good about them.
I've got a meat grinder as present for my wedding and I have 3 cats. I've been thinking about switching their diet to raw food for quite some time, since I want the best for my fur babies! So glad I got this video in my recommended section ❤ Thank you so much, the instructions are so clear, it's like fate!
If a person doesn’t object to plastic, those little cups sold as jello shooter cups are handy. I think they are 2 oz each, and are reusable. Using the bones and skin that is left over you can make a really nice broth, cook it down to a concentrated form and freeze them in those little cups and use for any sort of cooking that needs a little punch of flavor.
Just a thought - if you purchased a sealing machine, you could fit even more in your freezer, plus, when sealed by the machine, all the air is removed and the bags can stay fresh much longer both frozen and in the refrigerator.
I actually just purchased a sealing machine a week or two ago for my farm share. I hadn't thought of using it for cat food. I might have to try it out. :)
I add a small bit of water to my cats canned wet food when i serve it. Cats are notorious for not drinking enough water, so it was recommended to me to do that. I have a fountain for their water, but they still don't drink enough. I really admire your dedication to your cat's nutrition!
If they're eating only wet or raw food, it's very normal for them to barely drink any water. Certainly doesn't hurt to add some more water to their food! But just so you know, that's normal and nothing to worry about 😊
I'm eating a brownie watching this and I'm wondering why all of a sudden my brownie started tasting like chicken it's amazing how much the mind can affect things isn't it
@@redwinger4281 Yes, I can understand how that might be the case for many people. I saw my cat bite the head off a mouse and then he ate it, that was way messed up!
Now this is a TUTORIAL. You did an amazing job here...very informative and easy to follow. You've even provided written instructions and links to everything. Absolutely fabulous job .. thank you so very much for sharing 😊😺
@@LuckyFeralsI was confused when you added supplements according to the linked recipe for 5 pounds of meat but said you used 10 pounds of meat. Did you add the additional supplements off camera?
FYI, kitchen shears/scissors helps with cutting meat and lots of other food. I don’t have a grinder so kitchen scissors helps. Also try to remove the tendons, they tend to be stubbornly chewy. ❤
The high end wet food costs more per can than human grade tuna fish. My last cat was a rescue with skin problems and he was super finicky about wet food. He liked the fishy junk with ethoxyquin that gave him skin flakes and mats more than the more expensive brands, but he also really liked my homemade wet food, so the home cooked and pureed option won the day. I spread the pureed food out on plastic wrap on a cookie sheet and froze it in long thin bars so it was easy to take only as much as I needed from the freezer as I only had one cat. His coat got beautiful and shiny and wow, homemade rocks. The pet food industry is slimy. If you want to do something awesome for your pet, make food! I haven't tried the raw option yet, but it makes sense for hunting cats and young cats. The freezer is you friend. Grinding bones for nutrition. I just had one cat so I used seaweed (bladderwrack) and that was before seaweed prices soared. Minerals are really important (and gristle has good nutrition too.) I don't even have a pet right now. I pet sit other people dogs and cats. I keep chicken around in case somebody runs out of food, as that always happens once in a while.
@@catw5294 I would just cook the chicken in water with maybe a tiny pinch of each celery seed, bladderwrack seaweed,; pulled all the meat off the bone and put it in blade type food processor and puree the meat with the cooking water (so try not to use tooooo much water) till smooth, along with some liver, also cooked, or alternately I would addition some canned tuna or mackerel, human grade or for a while I was getting some cat grade tuna that was pure tuna with no additives and really cheap. Easy on the fish. Kitty didn't like the makerel as much as the tuna. I would put a piece of plastic wrap on a cookie sheet and put the puree up the middle and fold the plastic closed over it forming long flat bars. Then I would put the cookie sheet in the freezer and when the bars were hard, I put them in those long plastic newspaper bags to further protect from freezer burn. Kitty always liked the fresh puree best, but still preferred my homemade frozen to most commercial brands. Kitty was also still getting a quality kibble ration and this meat puree was just a supplement he got once a day. It cured him of obesity and a really bad case of skin flakes that made his long coat mat. He was a rescue, and a starving formerly fat cat with lots of loose skin when I found him, and I don't know exactly what he was eating before, but I did manage to contact another attempted rescuer that was his former mistress's alzheimer's care person and it sounded like the cat was just on huge bowls of free feed cheap kibble.
@@OWK000 Thank you so much for responding. With my work schedule they do get a high quality kibble but I want to replace the canned stuff. I saw a huge difference in their coats when I went from a basic kibble - not the cheapest by any means - and a no grain formula. Again thank you for responding. This sounds like a great place to start to replace the canned food.
I lost my two beloved cats in 2020. I had them for 19 years and they were my world. Losing them was devastating. I had wanted to have them on raw food, but by the time I introduced them to it, they were both 10 years old and neither one of them would go near it. It has taken me three years to deal with the grief of losing them, but I am finally ready to adopt two more. This time I will start my new kittens on raw food right away. I’m glad I found your video. I’m going to make and freeze a big batch so it’s ready to go by the time I pick them up and bring them home. Thank you for this video!
If you are feeling grief now, it is because your cats are visiting you and you are sensing their energy but reacting to it with grief. They are visiting you. When you feel the grief, know that they are right there with you.
I wish this was how businesses made cat food. I hate having to read labels and searching for good food for my cat Ginger Beans. I will never give him junk food. He deserves to live a long healthy life. ❤
To prevent splattering, I use a rubberband to secure a paper towel such that the paper towel hangs down in front of the discharge outlet. This way, the paper towel catches all of the splatters.
Another place you could find chicken hearts & livers is bait & tackle shops for fishing. And they're often packaged in tubs. I don't know if they would be cheaper than buying hearts & livers from grocery stores or ethnic markets, but it is a suggestion.
@user-dn6lf5ch9s it's still true though? Unlike you nobody cares if it was "original" and OP was clearly prioritising truth over "being original" lmfao. Don't be weird. 💀🤡
Thank you for this! This is the first cat out if many that I have had only on a raw diet. I cannot believe the difference in every aspect! Healthy teeth, gums, digestion, the lack of need for water, non smelly and small poops, beautiful coat and the list goes on! Best investment I have made. I will be trying this recipe! Thank you 🙏🏼
Our old shop cat used to be so proud of herself when she caught a mouse. She had to show off by esting in front of us. Crunch, crunch, crunch, from nose to tail. The only thing she ever left behind was a full stomach, if the mouse had just eaten.
We have never figured out what that little organ is that the cats leave behind after eating a mouse or mole or even squirrel. Is it the stomach? It does look like a liver I guess, but I'd think they would want to eat that. ??
My two Romanian rescue dogs , both aged around eight , love raw food . Raw chicken wings , mince ...anything raw . They have not been 💉 since I got them five years ago , healthy poos , no flea treatments..no fleas . No vet visits 👌 Blessings from the Isle of Wight , England. 🆓🇬🇧
Can they eat this? I have 4 Chihuahuas that I want to get away from store bought food. Also my dogs will eat cut up soft carrots and softer peas as well. A very very small amount of wild rice..I don't like giving them white rice, although they have. A couple of them are older, and have had gum and some teeth removed, so soft food, and small bites help them
@@sherylreed3558 I'm not familiar with what's good for Chihuahuas . You can easily Google for information , if you want to wean them off shop dog food . Good luck ..👌
Organic chicken skin rendered into oil with chopped onion added is delicious. Cook until onion is crisp. Pour off liquid into small jar. When cool is great on toast or to grease pans.
Thank you for this video and the comment updating the info! My friend sent me this since I foster cats and occasionally help with other rescuers and cat colony carers. It looks like a great way to save money and help keep these animals healthy.
Yes. I was feeding 11 cats when I made this video. I usually make around 30 pounds of food at a time since I go through 3 pounds a day. It definitely helps me save money on healthy cat food.
Thank you for this video! I moved to Mexico from the US and am finally ready to have cats again. I plan on adopting two next month and while I can order my preferred litter and other stuff from the US, I was at a loss as what to do for food. When I lived in LA, there were so many specialty pet food stores and delivery services (shocker lol) so getting raw food for my little girl was super easy. Here in Mexico, they are almost non-existent. This is so helpful and I have seen lots of organ meat here even in the chain grocery stores.
What a relief and a gift having those links. I would have stressed for days and then maybe given up in the end. I'm very grateful it was all supplied ❤
This is the best video I’ve seen online for making cat food. I’ve been using it for a year now and my cats are so much healthier and happier. You can see the difference in their coats and the overall lack of dander. Not only is this cheaper overall your cats health is so much better. Do yourself a favor and start doing this!
🙏Great recipe, and very important with the steamed vegetables that add fiber and plant nutrients - so inspiring and my five cats just love it - ps remember to add water when served 😃😺❤️
Way healthier than processed poison. Used to make my own dog biscuits. My dog used to smell the oven when she went through the kitchen, and she knew from upstairs when I made them for her. Actually got me to start thinking about what I was eating. Nothing processed. Nothing.
I so appreciate so much, how much care and love in everything you do for these precious angels.🫠💞🌼 It warms my heart. Thank you for being you. Blessings to you and these beautiful felines. Thank you also for sharing. 🎉💞🌺
Thank you! I think another benefit which is important to me is the reduction in recycling. I have four cats, and going to freeze dried raw was a huge improvement vs all the cans! However, I still would like to make their food so that they get a little more variety and so that my skeptical vet can be assured as to where my ingredients are sourced. Loved this detailed review and the resources!
A supplement I add to my canned food is diatomaceous earth as it reduces parasites. thanks to your lovely video, I will now add it to homemade cat food!
One of my cats had watery diarrhea. I put diatomaceous earth in his food. After the first day his movement was solid. I continued for a few days just to make sure. I surmise he drank funky water outside and got coccidia or some other microscopic internal parasite. D.E is amazing!
@@Rafaela201907 - You have the internet. Have you never tried searching for them? There's lots of places where you can buy them online. All you have to do is look.
Best video ever! I feed raw to my cat- and have wanted to make my own. Because of your great instructions, I feel confident that I can do this. Thank you so much!
I started out by purchasing commercial raw food for my cats, but because I was feeding 4 cats at the time, the local stores could never keep enough of it in stock for me. Thankfully, a viewer greatly encouraged me to start making my own food. It’s been a game changer. I used to feed them commercial raw food for one meal a day and homemade raw food for their other meal. Eventually that changed to homemade raw twice a day.
I had one additional comment to my long post earlier. When I make the raw food I mix everything together before running it through the grinder. It makes it easier at the end. That includes all of the eggs, supplements, organ, meat, etc. Some of that stuff is hard to ensure even distribution, but it definitely helps to do it this way
I love chicken thighs but I hated deboning them until I got a ceramic knife and am definitely in favor of using gloves. I am not a chef either but your deboning technique is exactly how I learned to do it. The only difference is after cutting down the sides of the bone you can make a little gab under the bone with your finger before cutting up one side. Once you have half the bone exposed you can hold it by the bone and let gravity do the rest of the work while you trim the other half. A ceramic knife makes this so much easier. As for your unused chicken skin, cook it up right away and save the grease. If you are familiar with fancy ramen the cooked fat is great for aroma oil or in a non-ramen soup it adds great flavor if you don't mind the extra fat. As for grinding meat, I have never done it but have seen a lot of videos that feature it. They all suggest freezing all the metal parts of the grinder overnight and freezing the meat long enough to get it really cold but not actually frozen. This make sense as all the grinding causes a lot of pressure and thus heat.
Thank you for this recipe, I can't wait to make this! I love how you explained the by-product label on pet foods. It is so important to spread this knowledge. Let's show companies we want better for our pets! I do want to help clarify your statement about by-products being "anything that is not muscle meat, and as long as they specify what the by product is from." Which is true! I think these examples could help clarify though if anyone doesn't understand the concept. (Like me when I first heard this.) GOOD: Named by-product meals have one thing in common. They all clearly identify the source species of the by-products that were used to make the meal. (Chicken, Beef, Turkey, Salmon) Chicken by-product meal Turkey by-product meal Poultry by-product meal Beef by-product meal BAD: Generic by-product meals are different. They do not identify the source of the meat. (Any species of animal, unfit for human consumption, roadkill, zoo deaths, diseased, old, doa). Meat meal Meat and bone meal Meat by-product meal Animal by-product meal Their presence must always be considered a reliable clue that the food is made with cheaper ingredients. Not nice to hear but let's spread the word! Pets can live so much longer than they do with the junk they sell us!
@faith5563 Try putting some warm winter gloves under disposable gloves to help protect from the cold. It’s not a perfect solution, but it should help :)
I'm so glad I stumbled onto this video! I have two kittens and am just amazed at the prices of cat food these days and how disappointing the quality is. Thank you for sharing this recipe. I'm gonna give it a go!
@@maxmaxed2887 I haven't yet.... but I plan to. My only hesitation has been buying a meat grinder. What if I purchase and they don't even like the food? I asked around to see if any of my friends had one before I bit the bullet but it turns out, it's not a common cooking utensil. So, maybe Santa will buy me one for Christmas.
@@andreaplum9919 Try ask'n the butcher to grind the chicken when you buy it .. they'll do it beef, and pork... So you could get it ground before you leave the store, then add whatever and pack freeze 🥶 at home... Less work so bigger batches if you have freezer room.... But def when good chicken is on sale it'd Save you even more time &💰 right!
You can also get meat processors at hunting and sports stores, during their sales. we got ours for hunting season and it was $200 something on sale at bass pro. it was originally like $469 or something but we’ve never used it for bones because it’s just been used for deer meat.
I use almost the same recipe, I grind my bones in a Vitamix or blender with extra water, the eggs and the vitamins to make sure the bones are well ground. I tried it once in the grinder but wasn’t happy the bones were completely ground. Bits of bone can puncture the cats insides and I also cut some of the chicken in small chunks without grinding so it gives the cat choice and helps keep their teeth clean. Which all worked well for me. Thanks for the extras gonna give them a try
Raw bones are safe for cats. When put through the grinder they are the size of a grain of rice which is much smaller than the size of bones in a mouse, bird, chipmunk, etc which the cats eat when living outside. 👍😸
I was so nervous clicking on this video because I know how difficult it is to make sure that cats get all the correct vitamins and nutrients from their food. Glad I did though because this is amazing! Thank you!😊
It’s interesting to watch how our cats’s taste is changing during summer. At spring they would eat almost whole mouse, later they eat body but not head or feet. Later in summer they eat only heads, no bodies anymore. We are on acreage and cats are in and out. Sleeping always inside in the house.
3:40 Yeah, 'By products'. I've been hearing this term for so long that it seemed like back-ground noise. Finally one day I heard it again in a dog food commercial, and as I was feeling particularly ornery, thought, what the hell does that even mean? So I looked the term up as it relates to pet food and like you say, all the good stuff any predator in the wild would go after first. I've been thinking of doing this for a while now and glad RUclips suggested this video. Thanks!
Talk to your butcher or go right to a poultry processor. You can order a box of chicken and organ meats cheaper. I live in Ireland and work with our butcher these in order in bulk for my dogs and cats.
This was very informative. I have been wanting to make homemade cat food for my cat, but did not know where to start. The instructions were very clear, and it is a lot cheaper than buying canned food. Thanks so much!!
Thank you so much for this video! My cats have been eating this food for over a month. They stopped barfing and one of them has bad allergies and her fur is growing back where she’s had bald spots. I love that my cats aren’t eating as a bunch of synthesized crap. ❤
Holy cow. We just lost our beloved cat and I had wanted to get into making her food. We're waiting to get her ashes back and then we're going to rescue a little black house panther. This video is freaking amazing!! It's so well done and informative and easy to follow!! I have researched raw cat food and was so intimidated. But this I know I can do. And it's cheaper than Friskies?!? NOTHING is cheaper than Friskies. Thank you so much! I read your pinned tweet so I know what to make. You're amazing!!! 🐈⬛💖💖💖
I started making homemade raw food years ago and YES, it is very intimidating and confusing. It took me a long time to fully understand the entire process and procedure but it's actually so much more simple and easy than most websites and online resources make it out to be. I also found a great local holistic vet who makes her own dog and cat food for her dogs and cats and it was super helpful to be able to talk to her about it and learn from her. Over the years, the ability to make my own cat food has saved me thousands of dollars. I'm glad to hear the video was helpful.
…This is fantastic Lady Feral, as I was watching videos of protection dogs, in various countries, some raw fed, your video came up on my recommended videos (on my I Pad). …I watched this long ago, but will watch again, because this video is so educational. 😁🐾🐈⬛🐈🐾🌷🖤
Hello and thank you for this demonstration. I wanted to ask, do you let the cup in room temperature to defrost or at the fridge and how long does that take? Also, do you serve in room temperature or slightly warmed up for the cats to eat? If you warm it up what is your preferred method of doing so? Lastly, what is the daily amount you serve per cat according to their weight? Let's say for maintaining weight.
I started m first batch of cats on raw food when they were around 9 years old because science diet kibble was making them sick. I didn't supplement with taurine and they developed neurological orders. My current batch have eaten raw their entire lives. I have four 17 year olds and one 15 year old. A couple are developing health problems, but over the years they've rarely been to the vet because I avoid allopathic practitioners and pharmaceuticals. I have no fear of bacteria from raw meat. I've been handling it over 30 years. Another huge benefit from raw feeding is that your cats' stools are odorless. I lived with over 20 cats at one point, and I never knew when they had done their business. Kibble feces odor makes me gag and almost vomit, it is so foul. Great video!
holy mackerel i’m obsessed with cat nutrition so glad i stumbled upon this , i don’t feed raw but im so impressed with how pragmatic and thoughtful this explanation was. You just answered like 7 looming questions i’ve had for years. i do wonder if u can have a cat eat raw/ canned / and some dry food together that’s my goal. either way thank you so much for this amazing presentation
thanks for watching. my cats eat homemade raw food for breakfast and dinner. they have a little bit of canned food or dry food as snacks and treats or as a meal on special occasions.
The video I was waiting for! Thank you so much for this video, I’ve 7 cats I’ve been searching a lot because I want to feed them homemade raw food and know I feel like I can do this ❤
Thank-you so much for this wonderful instruction and info. As you probably know, barley is excellent for the kidneys and is recommended for cats and dogs. Great source with the supplement you use and so good for them. You are so thoughtful and conscientious.❤
Use for extra skin: Do you like pork rinds? I first had chicken rinds in a chicken restaurant in Japan. Self explanatory, simmer, the fat will render out, adjust so what needs rendering stays under, pull out and drain fat when crispy. And I love chicken fat. It makes a great dip for certain foods, a good addition to dishes for a keto diet or other.
Thank you for the video. One important cost factor in your favor which is hard to factor of course, is fewer vet visits as I imagine this is exponentially more healthy for the cats.
This is a very detailed and informative video. I also give my cats chicken hearts and raw chicken. I like the idea of doing a big batch including all the different meats and adding supplements. I give my cats lysine and taurine but I add it into their food. Thank you for giving me more ideas in adding a variety of supplements to their food. This is a healthy meal and well worth the work involved to give your cats the very best!
I agree with and think your recipe is quite wonderful. I have only one inside cat, and one Chihuahua puppy. My late husband and I raised Dobermans for nearly the 40 years we were married. We had an excellent vet years ago who told us NEVER to give our dogs ANY chicken bones, since they have a tendency to splinter and can cut the animal inside as they travel through the digestive system and cause internal bleeding that may cause death if not diagnosed in time. I think I would like to make your recipe, I will need a grinder attachment for my stand mixer.However , I do think( for my own peace of mind) I will omit the chicken bones and research the addition of calcium substitute. I realize that cats in the wild eat the bones if birds naturally but I just would rather not chance losing my Bella… and since dogs are also carnivores as well I see a logical similarity in the issue. I may add my own bone broth as well. Please don’t take this in any wrong or disrespectful way! I’m just an old cat lady who is very attached to my one and only indoor cat ! I would love to hear any response or insight you have regarding this…
It sounds like your vet was talking about cooked bones. Never feed a dog or cat cooked bones because they splinter and can cause internal injuries. Raw bones are completely different. When raw bones are put through a grinder they end up about the size of a grain of rice and are not sharp. I included the link to where this recipe originated in the description of this video and also my pinned comment. I would be good to click through and check it out because there is lots of information there including how to replace the bones with a supplement instead if you go that route.
Thank you so much for putting this out into the ether for us to find and help feed our kitties a much more healthy diet and economical. I have two kitties so I will try a small batch first.🐈🐈
You can also get these box frozen blocks of sardines and other smaller fish. Sometimes you can get them to put it on the ban saw and cut it up into useable chunks for you. It's shockly cheap when you whole sale it. Keeps for awhile but they are oily.
We've been doing basically this (other supplements too, but we stopped adding fish oil to the batch and add it individually to their meals) for roughly 2 years now. But we don't have a food processor lol, so I'm literally mincing up the chicken and offal by hand. Our cats love it, they're super healthy, and it's very affordable.
QUESTIONS. Does each cat eat about 3oz of this per meal? How much water do you add per oz? How long can this stay unrefrigerated? My cats are grazers and won’t eat all their food in one sitting. I know I can just give them a little at a time but would still like to know how long.
Thk u for sharing this. The cost break down is amazing. So much less than Purina and way less than "premium" cat food. Not to mention so much healthier. ❤❤❤
The meat is much easier to handle and to grind if it is cold. Not frozen, but very cold. Although you could do frozen liver, otherwise you just make gout :-) I remember the first time I sent liver through the grinder. I splattered it all over the kitchen. I only made that mistake once.
This video has definitely inspired me to try my hand at making my own cat food. I have an old lady, and she was recently diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. Poor girl has really lost her appetite of late, and I'm hoping I can find some good recipes and getting her feeling better so she can enjoy her final few years. Maybe even squeeze some extra in. Will definitely discuss the matter with my vet at her next appointment.
Iodine, magnesium, sellinium, iron and protein are critical in people gotta be the same for cats so I'm bet'n this diet could really help if not heal your critter! 🩺
I make a similar raw blend for both my cats and ferrets ❤❤❤ they thrive on raw . You can use a variety of muscle meats,chicken,pork,turkey ,beef,etc...
How much do you feed them a day, and how many meals do you divide that into? Do you serve the food cold or heat it to room temp? If heated, how do you do that?
@@buckeyejen1076 I don’t know if that person is going to respond to you but you can feed cats three meals a day. And what I do is I pour some very warm water on top of the food to warm it up a little bit.
This video should be mandatory viewing for all cat caregivers. But _not_ because of any savings in cost, which is sadly the primary concern of too many people all too often. Rather, it should be viewed for providing the most healthful dietary information I've seen. These furry angels deserve only the highest nutritional quality, regardless of cost.
Cost should be factored in because of today's economy. Humans should eat well and pay their bills. They can't take care of their pets if they are sickly and starving. That is why many pets are abandoned--because of the cost of taking care of them (hence, one should not have pets if s/he can't take care of them for life...but then bad things happen even to good people).
@@whatevergoesforme5129 I didn't say that cost shouldn't be a factor; only that it shouldn't come at the cost of nutritional deficiency. That is nothing short of cruelty. Cats don't have the discretion of choice in the matter. If we're going to accept the responsibiliity of making that choice for them, we owe it to them to make the right choice.
I started making my own homemade cat food years ago because I wanted to feed them the healthiest food that I could. I’m feeding 11 cats on a daily basis now so I am very happy that it is much cheaper to make my own cat food than to purchase even some of the cheapest canned food. It has also been nice to be more self-sufficient and not have to be concerned about supply chain issues with regards to commercial cat food.
@@AethericEchoes Hmm, you did say "regardless of cost." Of course, pet owners, whether owners of cats and dogs or other pets, should be responsible individuals. The reason this video had to showcase homemade cat food that is "cheaper" than commercial cat food because not all cat owners have deep pockets and I am not one who will accuse them of cruelty just because instead of abandoning their cats, they have chosen to continue feeding them albeit the cheap commercial cat food. I'd rather they continue feeding their cats at the cost of nutritional deficiency than dump them in shelters or abandon them on the streets or the forests. As I said, bad things happen to good people and losing a job or paying medical bills and other bad circumstances can happen to any cat owner. That was my point.
@@whatevergoesforme5129 "Regardless of cost" means "within the context of providing proper nutrition." Once that is assured, then you can consider the cost. I've seen too many people who can afford a home, car, cell phone, dinner at restaurants, subscription TV, nice clothes, etc, but skimp on proper nutrition, both their own and their pets. That's not economic pressure; that's their choice. You are not a victim of circumstance. You map your own path in life by your choices. Don't look for excuses to justify those choices. Rather, look for solutions that allow more compassionate choices. This video proves that you can provide the ultimate perfect diet at about the same cost or less than the cheapest -- and I choose that word carefully -- commercial product. It proves that there is no excuse.
It's 2023, and it costs me $3/lb for basically the same recipe. My cats (11 and 14#) get ~4oz each per day, so $.75 per cat per day. I get the meat in bulk from a local company specializing in raw pet food. I pre-portion meals in mini deli cups (5.5oz cups), and freeze until I am ready to use it. Each cat gets ~1/2 cup per meal. My vet has reservations about raw diet, but they always compliment my cats' coats.
Love this!!! I think ill save the bones to make bone broth. Sounds like a great way to keep waste down. Plus my little beans really like it and are getting up in years. Thank you so much for this ive been trying raw with them and this looks amazing💗😻
This is exactly what I was thinking could be done with the removed bones and skin. My kitties are snooty if I add a bit too much water so adding tasty broth from what would be discarded components instead may help change their minds. Very excited to make my own food as the wet food I've been buying seems to go up in price every few months.
Very detailed video... I would've loved to see your cats actually eating the food, after you prepared it. My cats tend to be picky, so I'll try a smaller batch of ingredients just incase I need to tweak it. 😻
Even the Friskies here in Boston is 88 cents. So compare to the high end cat food cans, you still save money and you are feeding high quality food and supplements that are nutritious and you know exactly what they are eating. Ms LF thanks for sharing. Your detailed recipe ❤❤❤❤😅❤❤❤
PLEASE NOTE: I am so used to making large batches of homemade raw food for the cats, and keeping organ meats to around 10% of the ingredients, that I didn't realize this recipe only used 5 lbs of chicken instead of the 10 lbs I used in the video. Please DOUBLE the amount of supplements in the recipe OR ONLY USE 5 lbs of chicken thighs.
Items featured in this video:
Kitchen Scale - amzn.to/3qkIidl
KitchenAid Metal Food Grinder - amzn.to/3qtALsp
KitchenAid Mixer - amzn.to/3QqWFXR
Taurine Capsules - amzn.to/3eAoDTO
B Complex 100 Capsules - amzn.to/3KXew7I
Fish Oil For Cats - amzn.to/3qnSpOk
Kelp Powder - amzn.to/3TTLV7v
Vitamin E Capsules - amzn.to/3Bq2h0j
Amazing Grass Amazing Trio - amzn.to/3B27muh
Weston Butcher Series #12 Meat Grinder - amzn.to/3DbiPun
Avanti Compact Upright Freezer - amzn.to/3x4NOV2
16 oz Ice Cream Containers With Lids - www.webstaurantstore.com/choice-1-pint-white-paper-double-wall-ice-cream-container-with-paper-lid-case/760IC16WPA.html
8 oz Ice Cream Containers With Lids - www.webstaurantstore.com/choice-8-oz-double-poly-coated-white-paper-soup-hot-food-cup-with-vented-paper-lid-case/760SOUP8WPA.html
Ingredients Basic Recipe:
5 lbs raw chicken thighs with skin on and bone in
7 oz raw chicken livers
14 oz raw chicken hearts (or 4000mg taurine and 14 oz chicken thigh meat)
4 raw egg yolks
2000 mg taurine
4000 mg fish oil
200 mg vitamin B complex
200 iu Vitamin E
1 1/2 tsp lite salt (I used 2 tsp kelp powder)
My additions:
1 scoop of Amazing Grass Amazing Trio powder
2 cups of steamed non-starchy vegetables (I used carrots and zucchini)
PLEASE NOTE: I used 10 LBS of raw chicken thighs instead of 5 LBS. There is an ongoing debate as to what percentage of cat food should be liver (5% or 10%) or heart. Recipes for cat food vary widely with regards to ingredients and amounts. Make sure to feed your cats a varied diet to compensate for what is still unknown and up for debate with regards to cat food and nutrition.
Thank you to Feline-nutrition.org for their Basic Raw Cat Food Recipe - feline-nutrition.org/nutrition/making-raw-cat-food-for-do-it-yourselfers
All very well done, I would recommend using a large steel mixing bowl, because it's easy to clean and reusable, Also you should switch to deli containers, they come in many sizes and are totally reusable also.
I use the disposable pan and containers to save time which is my most valuable resource. I also do not like to use plastic. Thanks for watching!
Have you considered canned cod livers instead of fish oil? It’s more natural and whole than the oil supplements
@@d.r.l.9314 No, because cod livers are high in Vitamin A and there is already a good amount in the recipe from the chicken livers. Too much Vitamin A is toxic to cats.
Unless you include the weight of the hearts, livers, veggies, and supplements ( ie:the final wight), ALL your math is off for price per pound.
I grew up in a 2 generation Veterinary clinic and was groomed to become the 3rd. In all my YEARS/DECADES in this field, I have NEVER seen A BETTER, MORE PRECISE, WELL PRESENTED with GREAT INSTRUCTIONS for making one's own cat food! I can't recommend a BETTER video than this one! The ONLY suggestions I could make are options with using Organic meats and specific supplements that I KNOW are made from the highest, human grade quality, which I'd be happy to share with you! This video is better than ANY OTHER I've ever seen! I can't wait to share with all my 😺 lover friends and also to watch EVERYTHING you post! Much, much thanks ❣️ 😻🐱😻❤️
Thanks. Yes, organic would be better but then it would not be comparable to or cheaper than Friskies. I’ve never seen organic Friskies or organic Fancy Feast, etc. The goal of the video was to give people who purchase standard supermarket varieties of cat food, a healthier and less expensive alternative as prices of cat food continue to rise. Unfortunately, I’ve been hearing too many stories of people surrendering their cats to shelters because they can no longer afford them. I made this video when I was feeding 11 cats. Not everyone has a budget for organic meats, especially when taking care of larger cat families and colonies. I have found that feeding 11 cats versus feeding 4 cats is a completely different experience. Feel free to leave a reply with your supplement suggestions.
Thank you for posting your history and opinion. Will you please post your supplement recommendations; I'm interested. Thank you🤠🐈
Are you going to share your suggestions then?
It's amazing how many more indepth, nutritionally correct recipes that are surfacing, I feed all 8 of my cats and my 3 working line gsd a full raw diet and I love seeing these kind of videos
It is also extremely cost-effective when doing it correctly in comparison to shop bought foods that are packed with fillers and junk
Please leave your suggestions for supplements. I’m going to do this for my cats.
I've been using this recipe for over four years for my seven cats. They have the softest fur, bright eyes and are extremely healthy. A great benefit of feeding raw is that the litter box does not smell as bad. Their bodies digest the majority of the food, so there's way less poo, and the pee is not as strong because they're getting more moisture from their food, and because they're not eating carbs. I don't grind the bones, I dry and grind the egg shells instead. I make around 65 pounds at a time.
wow! 65 pounds! how long does that take?
65 lbs or 6.5 lbs?
Is 65lbs of raw meat a week portion for all 7 cats?
How long does 65lbs last with 7 cats. How much do you feed each cat per meal
Yes, because this is their natural food, they are true carnivores.
For a boneless recipe if you don't have a grinder or yours can't handle bones: Add about 1/2 tsp of powdered eggshell per lb of meat, or 3 grams per lb.
Eggshell is calcium... Is it fine enough not to cause issues... That's what I'm wonder'n about with the bones... Why not Organic bone meal?!?
WOULD LOVE TO SEE A REPLY TO THIS. I don’t have a food processor at all.
If you have a coffee grinder, those are fairly cheap. Use that to grind out the egg shells. Dr Jones, has a video on that. I'm looking into making homemade cat food, myself. @@nmartin5551
Eggshell causes kidney stones, nvr use eggshell for pets or humans. Dont believe me put it in ur diet and u'll find out. Give humans & pets Soft bones, Tendons, Pig Skin(anticancer), Marine Fish (but not mackeral, sardine with metallic stuff in them, factories make this kind of fish because it's much cheaper),Tofu (higher calcium level than milk)& China Kailan(this is the king of vegetables better than western kale, with high calcium, selenium, antioxidents & other good stuff, build strong & dense bones).
I have the same question. There's no way I can afford a proper grinder to handle the bone and I know they need it so I'm looking for a solution that isn't simply artificial supplements as I'm trying to avoid as many non-typical food sourced nutrients as much as possible.
Not only did you save money but you made something that was about 100 times more nutritious. Very good.
I mean, you CAN buy extremely good cat food. It's just not 20c per can
@@MrProthall true. Raw cat food, even the commercial Rall that you can buy, it's cheaper than buying semi-decent canned food.
This sold me. Please help explain the Bones nutritional benefits please
@@LoyalLove3believe it or not, bones are actually GREAT for dental health! They act as almost a toothbrush & add a great deal of calcium to their diet ❤
If we deserve to eat good so do our pets most of pet food is garbage
I just wanted to share my experience with raw food, one of my cats (i have 5) suddenly got severely ill he started limping then couldn’t walk i took him to three vets one said he is constipated , tried laxative but he still couldn’t walk properly, two others said it’s a feline virus that caused neurological issues with him, and there isnt much to do on the long term as it’s fatal so they had him on steroids and b12 shots and physiotherapy for almost a week, he responded well to it & he started barely walking again, but the dr wouldn’t give me much of a solution and told me he might relapse within a week or so, he lost 1.5-2 kg within a week, felt helpless after plenty of research i came to a conclusion that its the lack of nutrition ( he only ate dry food) and so i decided to transition to raw food, everyone was skeptical but i changed his diet to raw food mimicking a prey diet, he is now not only walking properly he became super active that he is now the trouble maker among his siblings 😅 (his name is on top of the list when something gets broken around the house ) but hey i dont mind as long as he is active 🥰 he gained the weight he lost and his coat is shiny & overall he is happy healthy cat..
That’s wonderful to hear! Thanks for sharing. 😸
I'm happy you found out about the food and got the cat better
I am convinced a prey diet will give cats the healthiest life possible.
My apologies I completely overlooked the RAW part of the recipe
To me a true prey diet for cats is mice, rats, moles...you know, small rodents even chipmunks. I had a cat that even ate mothes (she was an outdoor cat) but I have never seen a cat go after chickens or ducks. So maybe the proper name for it would be a domestic diet because I've never seen them go after cows either.
My dog was injured years ago. She could barely walk after tearkng a tendon and the surgery was expensive. I started her on a raw meat diet of chicken and ground venison with organ meats. She was walking within 3 weeks. She is 12yo now and looks like she's 5! I have adopted a new cat last month and have been looking for this recipe. Thank you from a new kitty lover!
Similar story new cat owner with a lovely dog already at home I hope my new kitty or kitties become friend with my girl dog
@@JuanVega-yr8ckand? Are they friends now?
My grandmother (I'm 63) used to give steamed green beans to her feral cats that lived under her house. They loved them.
(My grandma lived in the country and people were always dumping unwanted cats out there.)
Every time I visited Grandma, it was my challenge to somewhat tame one of the kittens (there were always kittens) so I could play with it and cuddle it. It took a great deal of patience for a child, but so rewarding when I succeeded!
My cats like to play with green beans. I've never tried to give them a steamed green bean. I will have to try that. Here's my video about Stella and her green bean - ruclips.net/video/jd5Apu1j2js/видео.html
I used to grind up food for both my cats and dogs and I found if the meat was at least partially frozen, it went through the grinder very easily and no splatters. Shortly after it was ground, because of the smaller size, it was thawed out and easy to mix/blend.
I also found out that if the meat was slightly frozen, it cut up much easier as well.
Is it safe to bake the portions before giving it to them? Or should they always eat it raw?
@@UnderHisWings0322 Feed it raw. Baking can decrease the nutritional value of both the meat and additives put in it.
Meat won't even go through my grinder unless it's partially frozen. And my grinder has something like a 3,000 watt motor
@@UnderHisWings0322 cooked bone chips do not digest the same way and can cause internal damage with sharp edges,
Great job you’re doing ! I love to see people feeding their animals the food nature intended. People who just want to empty that dried garbage into a bowl for their dog or cat (or open a can ) will also be emptying their wallet at a vets office, they operate like drs for people, you will keep going back to get that “bandaid” never a cure. Make food your medicine and medicine your food, applies to animals as well ! The Pet Food Industry is Only About Making Money, PERIOD PEOPLE ! Please understand that and follow this girls advice, she’s doing an awesome job obviously. I have a dog but I’m saving this and subscribing to this channel. Thank you for being so thorough, amazing video !
My kitty loves her raw food. I found a vintage meat grinder for $20 and have made this twice. She runs to eat now and finishes every speck. Her hair is fluffy and shiny. Thanks for sharing this with us and taking the time to answer so many questions. ❤
Yes, it does make their coats very fluffy! Glad it was helpful.
Do you only feed it this recipe or also a commercial cat food along with it?
@SkyCreX She also eats commercial dry food and some canned wet food, When canned food runs out, we'll probably go with raw ground chicken and dry food only.
would you happen to know the brand or model of the grinder? maybe i can snatch it on facebook marketplace or something, this sounds great!
@xXWOAT13Xx Yes, it's a "Hamilton Beach Gourmet Center with Meat Grinder and Sausage Stuffer".
Long name, but that's what it is. I oil my blades and moving parts with vegetable oil to hopefully keep it running longer.
I'm so happy I found this video! Ive been looking for a more affordable option with cat food. I have 4 indoor cats and I care for a colony of about 10-12 feral, stray and abandoned cats that live in the alley near my house, and it's so expensive trying to feed everyone and I'm struggling, but I love each and everyone of them and I won't give up on them and hope to one day be able to build them cat houses/shelters to keep them warm during the winter and cool during summer, I just want them to have a safe place to go. Can't wait to try this recipe.
Yes, it's very expensive. It's so nice of you to take care of so many cats.
I would highly suggest to do TNR with your cat colony, or else you will care for even more cats, over time
I'm in the same position. It's getting very expensive. Just discovered this channel. Won't give up on them. A local shelter have assisted with TNR.
I feed homeless cats, too.
This video is so interesting. But I can't make cat food at home.
I can afford cheap cat food Pet Pride in Kroger but it's made in the USA and Special Kitty canned food in walmart.
Now, the gas price keeps going up and my car's ac stops working 😢😅😂
I'm wondering if you can use bone meal instead of processing raw bones?
About 20 years ago I had a feral born cat that developed chronic urinary crystals. The poor guy was at the vet multiple times. The vet finally said, to save his life, we needed to give him an operation to basically change him into a girl. She had me feeding him a very expensive prescription diet for urinary tract health. I did a bunch of research and found a raw food recipe very similar to yours (I used organic whole chicken or turkey, canned pumpkin, Missing Link supplement, egg yolks, various supplements, etc). I bought a hard-core grinder (I did the first grind with medium holes and then reground it on the small holes). I then would pack it into individual 1 cup glass bowls (with lids) and store them in the freezer. I had two cats so these individual servings worked well for me. END RESULT: I no longer had to buy him the special prescription food, I knew exactly what was in his food, I saved money...eventually, he loved his food, AND he never had another urinary tract issue again. Ever. He filled out, had an amazing soft glossy fur coat, and even the vet was amazed at his abundant health! He lived a strong, happy, and healthy life with no further medical issues ever. I strongly recommend a homemade raw diet. This video nailed it. The ingredient information, the process, everything. I had to make my batches once a month. It was worth the effort to see my cat regain his health and beyond!
Thank you for making this video!
My little guy is going through the urinary issue. The Rx food doesn't seem to be doing much. I am going to try making him raw food to see if that helps. Glad to hear that it worked for your cat.
How did you thaw them out when you were ready to feed both of them ? Take the container out of the freezer , put it in the fridge overnight , etc ? And did you feed him this twice a day , etc?
@@SleeplessinOC I always kept a couple in the fridge so that they would be ready to go. Typically they only ate one a day (each) as it was very filling. The more wholesome the food, the less they need. There aren't a bunch of empty calories and fillers. So their body uses all of it and doesn't get hungry again so fast. I didn't withhold, they were allowed to eat as much as they wanted. Trial and error were a fine line. They always ate all of it, but were satisfied when finished. So the 1-cup serving was plenty. And always defrost in the fridge! This is raw meat and they could get sick if you leave it on the counter. If you put it into a microwave, it will cook it. Which, I suppose, would be fine once cooled (depending on ones views about microwaves). But it negates the point of feeding a raw diet. Just always keep a couple in the fridge. Best of luck with your fur babies!! You will be glad you switched as they will become super-healthy!
@@tarap5618 I bet you will be super happy with it! My boy was so incredibly healthy once I started him on the raw diet. Complete turn around on his urinary issues. Wishing you the best of luck!!
@@beasleysweets7842 Thank you!! So far, so good.😀🤞🤞
To debone a chicken thight ;
Use a sharpened boning knife. (A short flexible blade knife)
Scrape around the larger hip end of the bone.
Down the sides.
Until you can hold on to the end of the bone.
Scrape all the bone until the other end. Then cut it free from the meat.
🍗🍗🍗🍗🍗🍗😺😽😸
Love from Norway 🇳🇴
Thanks. I think I'm going to start experimenting making my own food. I don't trust the pet food companies to not kill my cat putting garbage in the food.
It’s good to experiment with it. Even if it’s only a fraction of a diet.
Samuel is a lucky kitteh to have you as his human, Ash -- he'll be eating better than a lot of humans then. Keep us posted re his responses to your raw-food experiments (via live stream, if pawsible); be well, and hugs to Sammie.
@@brujalinda sorry for your loss❤️
@@brujalinda So sorry to hear! I am taking my cats off dry food since my baby cat died from eating it (aspiration pneumonia as per my vet) and my other cat, Miracle passed from uncontrolled IBD. She ate both wet & dry, but I was mostly giving dry food. Stopping that now! Again, so sorry. ((HUGS)) to you.😢
@@debbieshomes6984it’s a must to get them off dry food
If you have dogs who need medication, chicken hearts are nature’s perfect pill pocket!
@lilomecj ❤ thank you - that’s a really good tip!
Dog? i just hand my dog the pill and he devours it like a treat 🤣
@@NoName-zh9ov not mine! It is a daily trial , trying to avoid having to manually push it down either of their throats. My daughter’s young dog is pretty good about them.
@@lilolmecj Petco has those little treat pill pockets for cats and dogs. They work pretty well.
Wow, thank you. But what kind of medication are you speaking of?
I've got a meat grinder as present for my wedding and I have 3 cats. I've been thinking about switching their diet to raw food for quite some time, since I want the best for my fur babies! So glad I got this video in my recommended section ❤ Thank you so much, the instructions are so clear, it's like fate!
If a person doesn’t object to plastic, those little cups sold as jello shooter cups are handy. I think they are 2 oz each, and are reusable. Using the bones and skin that is left over you can make a really nice broth, cook it down to a concentrated form and freeze them in those little cups and use for any sort of cooking that needs a little punch of flavor.
i would try a silicone muffin pan to reduce waste
@@stoffel6348 that would certainly work too.
My mom does that.
Use bones and skin for bone broth it’s a wonderful college. Boost
@@sandramartin5155 Win Win.
Just a thought - if you purchased a sealing machine, you could fit even more in your freezer, plus, when sealed by the machine, all the air is removed and the bags can stay fresh much longer both frozen and in the refrigerator.
I actually just purchased a sealing machine a week or two ago for my farm share. I hadn't thought of using it for cat food. I might have to try it out. :)
how long would something like this stay good in the freezer?
Sure, just use the same amount per Serving and you could lay em flat stacked!
Thank you for showing us that video. I have three indoor cats and the cost has gotten so expensive especially lately.
I add a small bit of water to my cats canned wet food when i serve it. Cats are notorious for not drinking enough water, so it was recommended to me to do that. I have a fountain for their water, but they still don't drink enough. I really admire your dedication to your cat's nutrition!
Yes, it's always a good idea to add some additional water to cat food when you serve it.
If they're eating only wet or raw food, it's very normal for them to barely drink any water. Certainly doesn't hurt to add some more water to their food! But just so you know, that's normal and nothing to worry about 😊
@@amymeyer3658 that's good to know. Thanks
Don’t put the water near a cat’s food. They drink more if it’s in a different location.
I have a large Ceramic cat fountain for my cats. They drink from streams in the wild. My cats love their fountain.
I'm eating a brownie watching this and I'm wondering why all of a sudden my brownie started tasting like chicken it's amazing how much the mind can affect things isn't it
lol
I hope you are joking because that sounds like a serious problem. Very seriously no joke...
@@rmora1 😂 watching her mix chicken messed me all up
@@redwinger4281 Yes, I can understand how that might be the case for many people. I saw my cat bite the head off a mouse and then he ate it, that was way messed up!
😄
Now this is a TUTORIAL. You did an amazing job here...very informative and easy to follow. You've even provided written instructions and links to everything. Absolutely fabulous job .. thank you so very much for sharing 😊😺
Glad it was helpful!
@@LuckyFeralsI was confused when you added supplements according to the linked recipe for 5 pounds of meat but said you used 10 pounds of meat. Did you add the additional supplements off camera?
FYI, kitchen shears/scissors helps with cutting meat and lots of other food. I don’t have a grinder so kitchen scissors helps. Also try to remove the tendons, they tend to be stubbornly chewy. ❤
Maybe try a cuisinart? Don’t think bones would work but tendons may
The high end wet food costs more per can than human grade tuna fish. My last cat was a rescue with skin problems and he was super finicky about wet food. He liked the fishy junk with ethoxyquin that gave him skin flakes and mats more than the more expensive brands, but he also really liked my homemade wet food, so the home cooked and pureed option won the day. I spread the pureed food out on plastic wrap on a cookie sheet and froze it in long thin bars so it was easy to take only as much as I needed from the freezer as I only had one cat. His coat got beautiful and shiny and wow, homemade rocks. The pet food industry is slimy. If you want to do something awesome for your pet, make food!
I haven't tried the raw option yet, but it makes sense for hunting cats and young cats. The freezer is you friend. Grinding bones for nutrition. I just had one cat so I used seaweed (bladderwrack) and that was before seaweed prices soared. Minerals are really important (and gristle has good nutrition too.) I don't even have a pet right now. I pet sit other people dogs and cats. I keep chicken around in case somebody runs out of food, as that always happens once in a while.
Don't know if you will see this but what was your recipe and process for making it into bars if you do not mind responding. Thx
@@catw5294 I would just cook the chicken in water with maybe a tiny pinch of each celery seed, bladderwrack seaweed,; pulled all the meat off the bone and put it in blade type food processor and puree the meat with the cooking water (so try not to use tooooo much water) till smooth, along with some liver, also cooked, or alternately I would addition some canned tuna or mackerel, human grade or for a while I was getting some cat grade tuna that was pure tuna with no additives and really cheap. Easy on the fish. Kitty didn't like the makerel as much as the tuna. I would put a piece of plastic wrap on a cookie sheet and put the puree up the middle and fold the plastic closed over it forming long flat bars. Then I would put the cookie sheet in the freezer and when the bars were hard, I put them in those long plastic newspaper bags to further protect from freezer burn. Kitty always liked the fresh puree best, but still preferred my homemade frozen to most commercial brands. Kitty was also still getting a quality kibble ration and this meat puree was just a supplement he got once a day. It cured him of obesity and a really bad case of skin flakes that made his long coat mat. He was a rescue, and a starving formerly fat cat with lots of loose skin when I found him, and I don't know exactly what he was eating before, but I did manage to contact another attempted rescuer that was his former mistress's alzheimer's care person and it sounded like the cat was just on huge bowls of free feed cheap kibble.
@@OWK000 Thank you so much for responding. With my work schedule they do get a high quality kibble but I want to replace the canned stuff. I saw a huge difference in their coats when I went from a basic kibble - not the cheapest by any means - and a no grain formula. Again thank you for responding. This sounds like a great place to start to replace the canned food.
And frisky's just keeps going up. Every time I go to the market, it's more expensive. God bless you for sharing this recipe, can't wait to try it❤
This is one of the BEST informative video ever! You were so precise that anyone could understand, thank you
I totally agre. Excellent video.
Schmaltz and cracklins.
I lost my two beloved cats in 2020. I had them for 19 years and they were my world. Losing them was devastating. I had wanted to have them on raw food, but by the time I introduced them to it, they were both 10 years old and neither one of them would go near it. It has taken me three years to deal with the grief of losing them, but I am finally ready to adopt two more. This time I will start my new kittens on raw food right away. I’m glad I found your video. I’m going to make and freeze a big batch so it’s ready to go by the time I pick them up and bring them home. Thank you for this video!
If you are feeling grief now, it is because your cats are visiting you and you are sensing their energy but reacting to it with grief. They are visiting you. When you feel the grief, know that they are right there with you.
Fantastic 😍
When they grow with you they become very special. I also have a special memory of my cat.
I wish this was how businesses made cat food. I hate having to read labels and searching for good food for my cat Ginger Beans. I will never give him junk food. He deserves to live a long healthy life. ❤
All the sudden I don’t feel so bad having 5 spoiled rescues, three of which I bottle fed.
We rescued 4 baby kittens and they were like 3-5 days old. And now they are eating meat. This looks like a great way to make kitty food
❤
Naw .. your wonderful! 😍
To prevent splattering, I use a rubberband to secure a paper towel such that the paper towel hangs down in front of the discharge outlet. This way, the paper towel catches all of the splatters.
Another place you could find chicken hearts & livers is bait & tackle shops for fishing. And they're often packaged in tubs. I don't know if they would be cheaper than buying hearts & livers from grocery stores or ethnic markets, but it is a suggestion.
I'd be concerned with how clean and fresh they are. Bait shops might not be as careful to maintain sanitary conditions as a grocer.
Great suggestion. Thank you.
Or the quality?!?
These cats will be eating better quality food than most humans!! 😂❤
So?
@mischapiru9514 👀 calm down, it's not that deep
thats bc most people are too lazy to take cheap ingredients and turn it into decent food
That line is so overused overplayed and unoriginal
@user-dn6lf5ch9s it's still true though? Unlike you nobody cares if it was "original" and OP was clearly prioritising truth over "being original" lmfao. Don't be weird. 💀🤡
Thank you for this! This is the first cat out if many that I have had only on a raw diet. I cannot believe the difference in every aspect! Healthy teeth, gums, digestion, the lack of need for water, non smelly and small poops, beautiful coat and the list goes on! Best investment I have made.
I will be trying this recipe! Thank you 🙏🏼
Our old shop cat used to be so proud of herself when she caught a mouse. She had to show off by esting in front of us. Crunch, crunch, crunch, from nose to tail. The only thing she ever left behind was a full stomach, if the mouse had just eaten.
My mom's cats would catch moles in the yard and bring my mom the livers. Just the livers. Maybe they thought my mom needed the nutrition.
We have never figured out what that little organ is that the cats leave behind after eating a mouse or mole or even squirrel. Is it the stomach? It does look like a liver I guess, but I'd think they would want to eat that. ??
My two Romanian rescue dogs , both aged around eight , love raw food .
Raw chicken wings , mince ...anything raw .
They have not been 💉 since I got them five years ago , healthy poos , no flea treatments..no fleas . No vet visits 👌
Blessings from the Isle of Wight , England.
🆓🇬🇧
Can they eat this? I have 4 Chihuahuas that I want to get away from store bought food. Also my dogs will eat cut up soft carrots and softer peas as well. A very very small amount of wild rice..I don't like giving them white rice, although they have. A couple of them are older, and have had gum and some teeth removed, so soft food, and small bites help them
@@sherylreed3558 I'm not familiar with what's good for Chihuahuas .
You can easily Google for information , if you want to wean them off shop dog food .
Good luck ..👌
Organic chicken skin rendered into oil with chopped onion added is delicious. Cook until onion is crisp. Pour off liquid into small jar. When cool is great on toast or to grease pans.
@@christineplaton3048 cats are allergic to onion and garlic and shouldn't have salt either.
We freeze our food in wide mouth mason jars. Reusable so it cuts down on waste.
Thank you for this video and the comment updating the info! My friend sent me this since I foster cats and occasionally help with other rescuers and cat colony carers.
It looks like a great way to save money and help keep these animals healthy.
Yes. I was feeding 11 cats when I made this video. I usually make around 30 pounds of food at a time since I go through 3 pounds a day. It definitely helps me save money on healthy cat food.
Thank you for this video! I moved to Mexico from the US and am finally ready to have cats again. I plan on adopting two next month and while I can order my preferred litter and other stuff from the US, I was at a loss as what to do for food. When I lived in LA, there were so many specialty pet food stores and delivery services (shocker lol) so getting raw food for my little girl was super easy. Here in Mexico, they are almost non-existent. This is so helpful and I have seen lots of organ meat here even in the chain grocery stores.
You’re amazing for listing the links for everything . I get anxious trying to figure out which brand , which product, which color, lol
What a relief and a gift having those links. I would have stressed for days and then maybe given up in the end. I'm very grateful it was all supplied ❤
I adore you for wearing gloves and using a fork! You are so clean with this process! Love it !!!!
Cats do not care
I worry about salmonella in raw chicken
This is the best video I’ve seen online for making cat food. I’ve been using it for a year now and my cats are so much healthier and happier. You can see the difference in their coats and the overall lack of dander. Not only is this cheaper overall your cats health is so much better. Do yourself a favor and start doing this!
Many of my cats love to eat baked acorn type squash, including the peel.
Thank you for your analysis! Love the way you lined it all up to give the best for your cats!
🙏Great recipe, and very important with the steamed vegetables that add fiber and plant nutrients - so inspiring and my five cats just love it - ps remember to add water when served 😃😺❤️
Way healthier than processed poison. Used to make my own dog biscuits. My dog used to smell the oven when she went through the kitchen, and she knew from upstairs when I made them for her. Actually got me to start thinking about what I was eating. Nothing processed. Nothing.
Exactly! All the canned food and dry food have a bunch of craps in them pet food industry is a greedy industry
Can we have the dog cookie recipe please?
@@What2B It was thirty years ago, but I'll try to find it. I've saved the bestones, but they are in different places, due to my nomadic tendencies.
I so appreciate so much, how much care and love in everything you do for these precious angels.🫠💞🌼 It warms my heart. Thank you for being you. Blessings to you and these beautiful felines. Thank you also for sharing. 🎉💞🌺
Thank you! I think another benefit which is important to me is the reduction in recycling. I have four cats, and going to freeze dried raw was a huge improvement vs all the cans! However, I still would like to make their food so that they get a little more variety and so that my skeptical vet can be assured as to where my ingredients are sourced. Loved this detailed review and the resources!
what kind of freeze dried raw do you use?
A supplement I add to my canned food is diatomaceous earth as it reduces parasites. thanks to your lovely video, I will now add it to homemade cat food!
One of my cats had watery diarrhea. I put diatomaceous earth in his food. After the first day his movement was solid. I continued for a few days just to make sure. I surmise he drank funky water outside and got coccidia or some other microscopic internal parasite. D.E is amazing!
Where do you buy the supplements?
Just a note for people who don't know, if you use Diatomaceous Earth, make sure it is FOOD GRADE!! (If it's not, it will kill them.)
what a great idea. thanks
@@Rafaela201907 - You have the internet.
Have you never tried searching for them?
There's lots of places where you can buy them online.
All you have to do is look.
Best video ever! I feed raw to my cat- and have wanted to make my own. Because of your great instructions, I feel confident that I can do this. Thank you so much!
I started out by purchasing commercial raw food for my cats, but because I was feeding 4 cats at the time, the local stores could never keep enough of it in stock for me. Thankfully, a viewer greatly encouraged me to start making my own food. It’s been a game changer. I used to feed them commercial raw food for one meal a day and homemade raw food for their other meal. Eventually that changed to homemade raw twice a day.
I had one additional comment to my long post earlier. When I make the raw food I mix everything together before running it through the grinder. It makes it easier at the end. That includes all of the eggs, supplements, organ, meat, etc. Some of that stuff is hard to ensure even distribution, but it definitely helps to do it this way
I love chicken thighs but I hated deboning them until I got a ceramic knife and am definitely in favor of using gloves. I am not a chef either but your deboning technique is exactly how I learned to do it. The only difference is after cutting down the sides of the bone you can make a little gab under the bone with your finger before cutting up one side. Once you have half the bone exposed you can hold it by the bone and let gravity do the rest of the work while you trim the other half. A ceramic knife makes this so much easier. As for your unused chicken skin, cook it up right away and save the grease. If you are familiar with fancy ramen the cooked fat is great for aroma oil or in a non-ramen soup it adds great flavor if you don't mind the extra fat. As for grinding meat, I have never done it but have seen a lot of videos that feature it. They all suggest freezing all the metal parts of the grinder overnight and freezing the meat long enough to get it really cold but not actually frozen. This make sense as all the grinding causes a lot of pressure and thus heat.
Thank you for this recipe, I can't wait to make this! I love how you explained the by-product label on pet foods.
It is so important to spread this knowledge. Let's show companies we want better for our pets!
I do want to help clarify your statement about by-products being "anything that is not muscle meat, and as long as they specify what the by product is from." Which is true! I think these examples could help clarify though if anyone doesn't understand the concept. (Like me when I first heard this.)
GOOD: Named by-product meals have one thing in common. They all clearly identify the source species of the by-products that were used to make the meal. (Chicken, Beef, Turkey, Salmon)
Chicken by-product meal
Turkey by-product meal
Poultry by-product meal
Beef by-product meal
BAD: Generic by-product meals are different. They do not identify the source of the meat. (Any species of animal, unfit for human consumption, roadkill, zoo deaths, diseased, old, doa).
Meat meal
Meat and bone meal
Meat by-product meal
Animal by-product meal
Their presence must always be considered a reliable clue that the food is made with cheaper ingredients.
Not nice to hear but let's spread the word! Pets can live so much longer than they do with the junk they sell us!
Your cats are so lucky to have you. I’m always looking for new ways I can better serve my little kitty baby. Will definitely try this soon ❤
I was having trouble getting raw meat through my grinder but find if I slightly freeze the meat it goes through much better.
Yes it does. I usually use frozen meat and semi-thaw it so that it's not stuck together and is semi-pliable. It definitely goes through quicker.
@@LuckyFerals This is very detailed. TY. Semi frozen meat will be difficult for those of us with Raynauds but is the best option.
@faith5563 Try putting some warm winter gloves under disposable gloves to help protect from the cold. It’s not a perfect solution, but it should help :)
I'm so glad I stumbled onto this video! I have two kittens and am just amazed at the prices of cat food these days and how disappointing the quality is. Thank you for sharing this recipe. I'm gonna give it a go!
Did you feed your kittens this food? I have a 2 months old, I wonder if I can make this food for him. He needs a lot and it's so expensive
@@maxmaxed2887 I haven't yet.... but I plan to. My only hesitation has been buying a meat grinder. What if I purchase and they don't even like the food? I asked around to see if any of my friends had one before I bit the bullet but it turns out, it's not a common cooking utensil. So, maybe Santa will buy me one for Christmas.
@@andreaplum9919
Try ask'n the butcher to grind the chicken when you buy it .. they'll do it beef, and pork... So you could get it ground before you leave the store, then add whatever and pack freeze 🥶 at home... Less work so bigger batches if you have freezer room.... But def when good chicken is on sale it'd Save you even more time &💰 right!
You can also get meat processors at hunting and sports stores, during their sales. we got ours for hunting season and it was $200 something on sale at bass pro. it was originally like $469 or something but we’ve never used it for bones because it’s just been used for deer meat.
I use almost the same recipe, I grind my bones in a Vitamix or blender with extra water, the eggs and the vitamins to make sure the bones are well ground. I tried it once in the grinder but wasn’t happy the bones were completely ground. Bits of bone can puncture the cats insides and I also cut some of the chicken in small chunks without grinding so it gives the cat choice and helps keep their teeth clean. Which all worked well for me. Thanks for the extras gonna give them a try
Raw bones are safe for cats. When put through the grinder they are the size of a grain of rice which is much smaller than the size of bones in a mouse, bird, chipmunk, etc which the cats eat when living outside. 👍😸
Love the kitty names.
Corporate pet food brands have been on my cancel list. Along with the delivery middlemen.
I was so nervous clicking on this video because I know how difficult it is to make sure that cats get all the correct vitamins and nutrients from their food.
Glad I did though because this is amazing! Thank you!😊
Click on the link to the original recipe for more info
It’s interesting to watch how our cats’s taste is changing during summer. At spring they would eat almost whole mouse, later they eat body but not head or feet. Later in summer they eat only heads, no bodies anymore. We are on acreage and cats are in and out. Sleeping always inside in the house.
Wow. This was very informative. Thank you for this. And how beautiful that you do this for your kitties.
3:40 Yeah, 'By products'. I've been hearing this term for so long that it seemed like back-ground noise. Finally one day I heard it again in a dog food commercial, and as I was feeling particularly ornery, thought, what the hell does that even mean? So I looked the term up as it relates to pet food and like you say, all the good stuff any predator in the wild would go after first. I've been thinking of doing this for a while now and glad RUclips suggested this video. Thanks!
Here in the UK, using these ingredients would make it almost twice as expensive as premium cat food!
Talk to your butcher or go right to a poultry processor. You can order a box of chicken and organ meats cheaper. I live in Ireland and work with our butcher these in order in bulk for my dogs and cats.
Great video. As a tip for pulling skins you can use a damp dishcloth that makes gripping the slippery skin and meat easier
This was very informative. I have been wanting to make homemade cat food for my cat, but did not know where to start. The instructions were very clear, and it is a lot cheaper than buying canned food. Thanks so much!!
Thank you so much for this video! My cats have been eating this food for over a month. They stopped barfing and one of them has bad allergies and her fur is growing back where she’s had bald spots. I love that my cats aren’t eating as a bunch of synthesized crap. ❤
Glad it helped!
Allergies are often a nutrition issue...
Holy cow. We just lost our beloved cat and I had wanted to get into making her food. We're waiting to get her ashes back and then we're going to rescue a little black house panther. This video is freaking amazing!! It's so well done and informative and easy to follow!! I have researched raw cat food and was so intimidated. But this I know I can do. And it's cheaper than Friskies?!? NOTHING is cheaper than Friskies. Thank you so much! I read your pinned tweet so I know what to make. You're amazing!!! 🐈⬛💖💖💖
I started making homemade raw food years ago and YES, it is very intimidating and confusing. It took me a long time to fully understand the entire process and procedure but it's actually so much more simple and easy than most websites and online resources make it out to be. I also found a great local holistic vet who makes her own dog and cat food for her dogs and cats and it was super helpful to be able to talk to her about it and learn from her. Over the years, the ability to make my own cat food has saved me thousands of dollars. I'm glad to hear the video was helpful.
…This is fantastic Lady Feral, as I was watching videos of protection dogs, in various countries, some raw fed, your video came up on my recommended videos (on my I Pad). …I watched this long ago, but will watch again, because this video is so educational. 😁🐾🐈⬛🐈🐾🌷🖤
Thanks!
Hello and thank you for this demonstration. I wanted to ask, do you let the cup in room temperature to defrost or at the fridge and how long does that take? Also, do you serve in room temperature or slightly warmed up for the cats to eat? If you warm it up what is your preferred method of doing so? Lastly, what is the daily amount you serve per cat according to their weight? Let's say for maintaining weight.
I would like these answered too.
Me too, would like to know how much to give per cat and how to serve it
I started m first batch of cats on raw food when they were around 9 years old because science diet kibble was making them sick. I didn't supplement with taurine and they developed neurological orders. My current batch have eaten raw their entire lives. I have four 17 year olds and one 15 year old. A couple are developing health problems, but over the years they've rarely been to the vet because I avoid allopathic practitioners and pharmaceuticals.
I have no fear of bacteria from raw meat. I've been handling it over 30 years. Another huge benefit from raw feeding is that your cats' stools are odorless. I lived with over 20 cats at one point, and I never knew when they had done their business. Kibble feces odor makes me gag and almost vomit, it is so foul.
Great video!
Thanks for sharing your info 👍😸
holy mackerel i’m obsessed with cat nutrition so glad i stumbled upon this , i don’t feed raw but im so impressed with how pragmatic and thoughtful this explanation was. You just answered like 7 looming questions i’ve had for years. i do wonder if u can have a cat eat raw/ canned / and some dry food together that’s my goal. either way thank you so much for this amazing presentation
thanks for watching. my cats eat homemade raw food for breakfast and dinner. they have a little bit of canned food or dry food as snacks and treats or as a meal on special occasions.
All depends on quality of the dry food...
FYI: dry is hard on the kidney's and Much less protein... So switch and watch them blossom 🌸
How much you make and the price you spent on all of the ingredients?
@@LuckyFerals How much do you feed each cat at each meal setting? Thank you!!!
The video I was waiting for! Thank you so much for this video, I’ve 7 cats I’ve been searching a lot because I want to feed them homemade raw food and know I feel like I can do this ❤
Thank-you so much for this wonderful instruction and info. As you probably know, barley is excellent for the kidneys and is recommended for cats and dogs. Great source with the supplement you use and so good for them. You are so thoughtful and conscientious.❤
Thank you so much for your video, I see the kitty helping you by cleaning her forks 🐾
Use for extra skin: Do you like pork rinds? I first had chicken rinds in a chicken restaurant in Japan. Self explanatory, simmer, the fat will render out, adjust so what needs rendering stays under, pull out and drain fat when crispy. And I love chicken fat. It makes a great dip for certain foods, a good addition to dishes for a keto diet or other.
Thank you for the video. One important cost factor in your favor which is hard to factor of course, is fewer vet visits as I imagine this is exponentially more healthy for the cats.
Yes, it is much healthier and the vets I go to are always very happy that my cats are eating so wel..
This is a very detailed and informative video. I also give my cats chicken hearts and raw chicken. I like the idea of doing a big batch including all the different meats and adding supplements. I give my cats lysine and taurine but I add it into their food. Thank you for giving me more ideas in adding a variety of supplements to their food. This is a healthy meal and well worth the work involved to give your cats the very best!
Make sure to click on the link to the original recipe for more info.
I agree with and think your recipe is quite wonderful. I have only one inside cat, and one Chihuahua puppy. My late husband and I raised Dobermans for nearly the 40 years we were married. We had an excellent vet years ago who told us NEVER to give our dogs ANY chicken bones, since they have a tendency to splinter and can cut the animal inside as they travel through the digestive system and cause internal bleeding that may cause death if not diagnosed in time. I think I would like to make your recipe, I will need a grinder attachment for my stand mixer.However , I do think( for my own peace of mind) I will omit the chicken bones and research the addition of calcium substitute. I realize that cats in the wild eat the bones if birds naturally but I just would rather not chance losing my Bella… and since dogs are also carnivores as well I see a logical similarity in the issue. I may add my own bone broth as well. Please don’t take this in any wrong or disrespectful way! I’m just an old cat lady who is very attached to my one and only indoor cat ! I would love to hear any response or insight you have regarding this…
It sounds like your vet was talking about cooked bones. Never feed a dog or cat cooked bones because they splinter and can cause internal injuries. Raw bones are completely different. When raw bones are put through a grinder they end up about the size of a grain of rice and are not sharp. I included the link to where this recipe originated in the description of this video and also my pinned comment. I would be good to click through and check it out because there is lots of information there including how to replace the bones with a supplement instead if you go that route.
Ya no cooked chicken bone... Cartilage and tendons... Use powdered Bone meal and your ok!
Thank you so much for putting this out into the ether for us to find and help feed our kitties a much more healthy diet and economical. I have two kitties so I will try a small batch first.🐈🐈
You can also get these box frozen blocks of sardines and other smaller fish. Sometimes you can get them to put it on the ban saw and cut it up into useable chunks for you. It's shockly cheap when you whole sale it. Keeps for awhile but they are oily.
Fab!!!! 🐟
Sardines are wonderful for people too! That oil is the secret!
Easy to make,pack with nutrition all the cat need and cheaper than wet food in the market
We've been doing basically this (other supplements too, but we stopped adding fish oil to the batch and add it individually to their meals) for roughly 2 years now. But we don't have a food processor lol, so I'm literally mincing up the chicken and offal by hand. Our cats love it, they're super healthy, and it's very affordable.
QUESTIONS. Does each cat eat about 3oz of this per meal? How much water do you add per oz? How long can this stay unrefrigerated? My cats are grazers and won’t eat all their food in one sitting. I know I can just give them a little at a time but would still like to know how long.
Thk u for sharing this. The cost break down is amazing. So much less than Purina and way less than "premium" cat food. Not to mention so much healthier. ❤❤❤
Yes, it definitely helps to save me quite a bit of money versus commercial raw food and the "premium" canned cat food.
The meat is much easier to handle and to grind if it is cold. Not frozen, but very cold. Although you could do frozen liver, otherwise you just make gout :-) I remember the first time I sent liver through the grinder. I splattered it all over the kitchen. I only made that mistake once.
This video has definitely inspired me to try my hand at making my own cat food. I have an old lady, and she was recently diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. Poor girl has really lost her appetite of late, and I'm hoping I can find some good recipes and getting her feeling better so she can enjoy her final few years. Maybe even squeeze some extra in. Will definitely discuss the matter with my vet at her next appointment.
Just saw this for homemade cat food: @holisticvet
Iodine, magnesium, sellinium, iron and protein are critical in people gotta be the same for cats so I'm bet'n this diet could really help if not heal your critter! 🩺
As a meat cutter I can say you did a pretty good job at deboning that thigh.
Sure did! 🪓
I make a similar raw blend for both my cats and ferrets ❤❤❤ they thrive on raw . You can use a variety of muscle meats,chicken,pork,turkey ,beef,etc...
Just remind people not to buy turkey that has rosemary added to it
How much do you feed them a day, and how many meals do you divide that into? Do you serve the food cold or heat it to room temp? If heated, how do you do that?
@@buckeyejen1076 I don’t know if that person is going to respond to you but you can feed cats three meals a day. And what I do is I pour some very warm water on top of the food to warm it up a little bit.
@@dcwatashi Thank you so much.
@@buckeyejen1076 so it is better to warm it up with a bit of water vs sticking it into the microwave. Chances are you will undo the benefits.
Thanks for the info, I have indeed had a hard time finding organ meats for myself to eat. I feel like this is so appetizing and appealing for a cat!
Great video thanks for sharing.. Alot of good information. My favorite cats getting a little old I'm so glad you popped into my youtube feed. ❤😊
This video should be mandatory viewing for all cat caregivers. But _not_ because of any savings in cost, which is sadly the primary concern of too many people all too often. Rather, it should be viewed for providing the most healthful dietary information I've seen. These furry angels deserve only the highest nutritional quality, regardless of cost.
Cost should be factored in because of today's economy. Humans should eat well and pay their bills. They can't take care of their pets if they are sickly and starving. That is why many pets are abandoned--because of the cost of taking care of them (hence, one should not have pets if s/he can't take care of them for life...but then bad things happen even to good people).
@@whatevergoesforme5129 I didn't say that cost shouldn't be a factor; only that it shouldn't come at the cost of nutritional deficiency. That is nothing short of cruelty. Cats don't have the discretion of choice in the matter. If we're going to accept the responsibiliity of making that choice for them, we owe it to them to make the right choice.
I started making my own homemade cat food years ago because I wanted to feed them the healthiest food that I could. I’m feeding 11 cats on a daily basis now so I am very happy that it is much cheaper to make my own cat food than to purchase even some of the cheapest canned food. It has also been nice to be more self-sufficient and not have to be concerned about supply chain issues with regards to commercial cat food.
@@AethericEchoes Hmm, you did say "regardless of cost." Of course, pet owners, whether owners of cats and dogs or other pets, should be responsible individuals. The reason this video had to showcase homemade cat food that is "cheaper" than commercial cat food because not all cat owners have deep pockets and I am not one who will accuse them of cruelty just because instead of abandoning their cats, they have chosen to continue feeding them albeit the cheap commercial cat food. I'd rather they continue feeding their cats at the cost of nutritional deficiency than dump them in shelters or abandon them on the streets or the forests. As I said, bad things happen to good people and losing a job or paying medical bills and other bad circumstances can happen to any cat owner. That was my point.
@@whatevergoesforme5129 "Regardless of cost" means "within the context of providing proper nutrition." Once that is assured, then you can consider the cost. I've seen too many people who can afford a home, car, cell phone, dinner at restaurants, subscription TV, nice clothes, etc, but skimp on proper nutrition, both their own and their pets. That's not economic pressure; that's their choice.
You are not a victim of circumstance. You map your own path in life by your choices. Don't look for excuses to justify those choices. Rather, look for solutions that allow more compassionate choices.
This video proves that you can provide the ultimate perfect diet at about the same cost or less than the cheapest -- and I choose that word carefully -- commercial product. It proves that there is no excuse.
It's 2023, and it costs me $3/lb for basically the same recipe. My cats (11 and 14#) get ~4oz each per day, so $.75 per cat per day. I get the meat in bulk from a local company specializing in raw pet food. I pre-portion meals in mini deli cups (5.5oz cups), and freeze until I am ready to use it. Each cat gets ~1/2 cup per meal. My vet has reservations about raw diet, but they always compliment my cats' coats.
Love this!!! I think ill save the bones to make bone broth. Sounds like a great way to keep waste down. Plus my little beans really like it and are getting up in years. Thank you so much for this ive been trying raw with them and this looks amazing💗😻
Yes, using the extra bones to make bone broth is a great idea.
This is exactly what I was thinking could be done with the removed bones and skin. My kitties are snooty if I add a bit too much water so adding tasty broth from what would be discarded components instead may help change their minds. Very excited to make my own food as the wet food I've been buying seems to go up in price every few months.
How much water do you add when serving?
I don’t have cats but I really liked how detailed you were and also liked the recipe that made sense. Thanks!
Me too!!
Very detailed video... I would've loved to see your cats actually eating the food, after you prepared it. My cats tend to be picky, so I'll try a smaller batch of ingredients just incase I need to tweak it. 😻
The cats eat this food in just about every Vlog episode on this channel. There are literally hundreds of Vlog episodes to choose from
Me too
Even the Friskies here in Boston is 88 cents. So compare to the high end cat food cans, you still save money and you are feeding high quality food and supplements that are nutritious and you know exactly what they are eating. Ms LF thanks for sharing. Your detailed recipe ❤❤❤❤😅❤❤❤
Chicken hearts and livers, an absolute must in my original Nonna's Ragu recipe. Bit harder to find nowadays but we'll worth it.
whole foods carries hearts and chicken livers.
I say this is more like fresh pet than Friskies, so a huge savings and you know exactly what is in it. Great vid thanks for the info.
Wish I saw this the day before yesterday. I just came home with $133 worth of food for cats and dogs. Mostly cats I feed the strays around my place.
I know how you feel😮
Return the unopened bags!