Homemade pet food

[Newtricks]

I've been giving a lot of thought to making food for my cats and dog for a while now, I've read hundreds of recipes and tens of sights regarding this topic... there is no cohesion at all when reading this information, can anybody point me in a direction that provides well balanced diets for cat's/dog's?

 

[table1349]

Blue Buffalo ? Discover the Best Dog Food and Cat Foods with our Pet Food Comparison Tools

 

[Braineack]

my cats just eat off my plate anyways...

 

[Newtricks]

Blue Buffalo...

Great pet food, as a pensioner, buying quality high-end pet food is outside my budget... hence my desire to make it myself.

 

[Newtricks]

my cats just eat off my plate anyways...

We don not feed our cats and pup off our plates, ever period. When having beef, chicken or lamb I'll mince some of the meat with veg and carb and put food down for them before we start eating.

 

[Designer]

I am somewhat interested in what you find out. I have never researched this, but bear in mind that both those are carnivores, meaning; meat, doused with meat, sprinkled with meat, and meat on the side.

All that cereal that is in normal pet food is just cheap filler.

 

[Braineack]

my cats just eat off my plate anyways...

We don not feed our cats and pup off our plates, ever period. When having beef, chicken or lamb I'll mince some of the meat with veg and carb and put food down for them before we start eating.

But he's so polite:

 

[TheNevadanStig]

What exactly are you looking for when asking for information? Recipes? Nutritional info? Helping any possible health problems?
Just remember if you are doing both cats and dogs, they will need separate recipes. Cats need meat, and nothing else (well, besides water). Cats do not have the proper biology to digest and absorb anything from plant matter. The vegetables in most cat foods are there simply to lure in consumers. Outside of adding a little fiber to the meal, the veggies do nothing at all for them. Dogs on the other hand can make use of nearly anything you give them.
If money is an issue I strongly suggest actually taking stock of what you are going to be needing and adding it all up. Preparing food yourself or going raw is almost always quite a bit more expensive then even premium kibbles. Also be prepared to do a lot of work in dental maintenance. Dry kibble is pretty good at scrubbing teeth. We see a TON of people that do home prep an/or raw and the animal's teeth have gone to hell because of it. I would plan on doing manual brushing 3X a week on those diets.
There are lots of good kibble out there that don't necessarily cost an arm and a leg. Blue buffalo, Natural Balance, etc. The Costco foods stick out as being some of the best for the money. And no by-products. Most cheaper foods contain stuff like formaldehyde and road-kill. When you actually delve in to pet foods a lot of the stuff you will find will make you sick.

 

[Gavjenks]

Yeah, I don't see you saving any money this way compared to high end (in quality) off the shelf. Fresh meat is not cheap.

 

[paigew]

You should research RAW food diets. The thing about creating your own food is you would have to include so many supplements etc. There are many many REALLY great foods out there. I would be happy to help you pick a food. If you wish to "cook" your own food, the best is raw. This way they get a well balanced diet. They will eat the bone and all! They also have RAW patties/cubes which I have also fed.

 

[Mach0]

What exactly are you looking for when asking for information? Recipes? Nutritional info? Helping any possible health problems? Just remember if you are doing both cats and dogs, they will need separate recipes. Cats need meat, and nothing else (well, besides water). Cats do not have the proper biology to digest and absorb anything from plant matter. The vegetables in most cat foods are there simply to lure in consumers. Outside of adding a little fiber to the meal, the veggies do nothing at all for them. Dogs on the other hand can make use of nearly anything you give them. If money is an issue I strongly suggest actually taking stock of what you are going to be needing and adding it all up. Preparing food yourself or going raw is almost always quite a bit more expensive then even premium kibbles. Also be prepared to do a lot of work in dental maintenance. Dry kibble is pretty good at scrubbing teeth. We see a TON of people that do home prep an/or raw and the animal's teeth have gone to hell because of it. I would plan on doing manual brushing 3X a week on those diets. There are lots of good kibble out there that don't necessarily cost an arm and a leg. Blue buffalo, Natural Balance, etc. The Costco foods stick out as being some of the best for the money. And no by-products. Most cheaper foods contain stuff like formaldehyde and road-kill. When you actually delve in to pet foods a lot of the stuff you will find will make you sick.

Raw diet with a good meaty bone will suffice at cleaning the teeth well. My vote is for a raw diet but invest in a food scale and make sure your ratios of muscle meat, organ meat, any raw meaty bones are on spot on. You can do a lot of good on raw but you can also mess up the animal really fast.
Just make sure the bone can be eaten easily ( like chicken)

 

[Designer]

Always shoot RAW.

 

[limr]

What exactly are you looking for when asking for information? Recipes? Nutritional info? Helping any possible health problems?
Just remember if you are doing both cats and dogs, they will need separate recipes. Cats need meat, and nothing else (well, besides water). Cats do not have the proper biology to digest and absorb anything from plant matter. The vegetables in most cat foods are there simply to lure in consumers. Outside of adding a little fiber to the meal, the veggies do nothing at all for them. Dogs on the other hand can make use of nearly anything you give them.
If money is an issue I strongly suggest actually taking stock of what you are going to be needing and adding it all up. Preparing food yourself or going raw is almost always quite a bit more expensive then even premium kibbles. Also be prepared to do a lot of work in dental maintenance. Dry kibble is pretty good at scrubbing teeth. We see a TON of people that do home prep an/or raw and the animal's teeth have gone to hell because of it. I would plan on doing manual brushing 3X a week on those diets.
There are lots of good kibble out there that don't necessarily cost an arm and a leg. Blue buffalo, Natural Balance, etc. The Costco foods stick out as being some of the best for the money. And no by-products. Most cheaper foods contain stuff like formaldehyde and road-kill. When you actually delve in to pet foods a lot of the stuff you will find will make you sick.

I agree with all of this ^^^

Disclaimer: I'm not a vet so I have no scientific background in this matter. However, I've done a ton of research in this area and I have found pretty much the same conclusion even on the sites that promote a homemade diet for cats (I don't have a dog so I never researched that.)

I am just as picky about what I feed my cats as I am about what I feed myself. My budget is also pretty tight, so I was looking at an alternative to Blue Buffalo. Looking at the ingredients I would have to buy for the recipes I found, however, made me realize I wouldn't really be saving any money. I am sticking with the Blue Buffalo, and I've found a wet food that both my cats like and they each get a can on Saturdays (it's Caturday after all ) Amazon.com: Taste of the Wild Canned Cat Food, Rocky Mountain Feline Formula in Gravy a Grain Free Diet (Pack of 24, 3 Ounce Cans): Pet Supplies

And as a vegetarian myself, I didn't really relish the thought of having to deal with so much meat, even if it was for the cats and not myself.

So I sympathize with your desire to go homemade, Newtricks. I chose to stick to the store-bought food, but if you do find a recipe that works and is cheaper than the store-bought options, I'd love to hear about it.

 

[Newtricks]

Braineack, Yeh well my Tomcat will eat spaghetti off my plate all day long, doesn't mean that's the best diet for him.

 

[Newtricks]

I am just as picky about what I feed my cats as I am about what I feed myself. My budget is also pretty tight, so I was looking at an alternative to Blue Buffalo. Looking at the ingredients I would have to buy for the recipes I found, however, made me realize I wouldn't really be saving any money. I am sticking with the Blue Buffalo, and I've found a wet food that both my cats like and they each get a can on Saturdays (it's Caturday after all ) Amazon.com: Taste of the Wild Canned Cat Food, Rocky Mountain Feline Formula in Gravy a Grain Free Diet (Pack of 24, 3 Ounce Cans): Pet Supplies

Funny thing is, our animals will not eat most of the store bought foods, they will all eat what I cook at home... just trying to make it balanced.

Anthony