Homemade cat food hacks to make your life easier

I’ve been making Jericho’s raw cat food since 2019. And his diet has evolved a lot since then.

So I’ve fine-tuned these homemade cat food hacks over the years to make meal prep faster and easier.

Homemade cat food hacks that make your life easier:

• Switch your cat to commercial raw first
• Have a plan to make homemade cat food properly
• Don’t use a free cat food recipe online
• Get the right homemade cat food meal prep tools
• Share meat and organs with your cat
• Use a vacuum sealer to keep food fresher longer

Disclaimer: I earn a commission if you purchase through affiliate links below. No additional cost to you.

Switch your cat to commercial raw first

Do yourself a favor. Switch your cat to 100% commercial raw or lightly cooked fresh food first.

Overly processed dry/canned foods make cats picky about food changes.

This causes frustration, overwhelm, and stress. Especially if you spent a bunch of time finding a recipe, buying ingredients, and then making a batch of cat food.

It’s much easier to switch to commercially prepared fresh food first. It’s already made for you! So much less work!

This saves you time and frustration. And it helps your cat get used to better quality food gradually.

My Switch Your Cat to Raw Blueprint shows you exactly how to do this!

Use this transition time to create a proper plan for homemade cat food.

Have a plan to make homemade cat food properly

We need to meal prep properly to avoid bacteria contamination risk. And we need to use a complete recipe for our cat’s life stage to avoid nutritional imbalances.

Audit your time to plan when you:

• Buy ingredients
• Thaw ingredients
• Meal prep your cat’s food

A plan prevents overwhelm and stress. But it also helps you prepare the food with proper hygiene and food safety in mind.

For example, the right way to thaw raw food is in the refrigerator in advance. This keeps the meat safe from bacteria growth.

The wrong way to thaw raw food is to let it sit out on the counter at room temperature. This will promote the growth of bacteria.

Additionally, we need to use complete cat food recipes. More on that next!

Don’t use a free cat food recipe online

Free recipes online are tempting because they are free. But also because the recipes are simple.

However, most free recipes online do not provide a nutritional analysis. So you have no idea if the recipe is actually complete or not.

I tested 3 different free vet approved cat food recipes in diet formulation software. All 3 recipes were deficient in many vitamins and minerals. And one was deficient in almost every essential amino acid.

Nutritional deficiencies cause serious problems in the long term.

Contact the creator of the recipe and request a nutritional analysis. Make sure it’s complete before you use it!

Or work with a nutritionist who can provide a complete recipe with a nutritional analysis.

Get the right homemade cat food meal prep tools

Jericho’s diet consists of whole prey, raw meaty bones, and chunks of meat and organs.

I leave whole chunks so that he gets the mental stimulation and teeth-cleaning benefits from chewing.

But I still use this poultry shear to cut through bones and meat.

I don’t have any personal experience with using a grinder for bones. But other raw feeders recommend this grinder.

You could also use a food processor to chop up meat ingredients (not bone).

I used this Cuisinart food processor to make boneless ground raw food for my mom’s 4 cats.

Share meat and organs with your cat

I like to share meat and organs with Jericho because it helps keep the food fresher longer.

Jericho eats beef liver, kidney, and spleen. But the smallest pack I can find anywhere is 1 pound.

Secreting organs are a very small part of the diet. So that 1-pound pack would last almost 5 months!

I prefer to use up the secreting organs quicker than that so they aren’t in the freezer longer than 2 months.

I’m also on the carnivore diet. So I eat a lot of meat including the secreting organs.

Use a vacuum sealer to keep food fresher longer

I purchased a vacuum sealer 4 years into my homemade cat food journey.

It is so worth it!

The sealed packs keep the food fresher for longer. But it also helps save space in the freezer.

I use the Food Saver vacuum sealer.

And I prefer to use the rolls where you cut a specific size. I’ve found this is more cost-effective and space-effective.

So maybe you have a plan in place. But you still have some questions. How can I make cat food at home properly? What’s the best recipe? Don’t worry, I’m here to help.

Benefits cat parents report after switching to homemade raw

How Homemade Cat Food Starter Kit course works

Step 1: Buy Homemade Cat Food Starter Kit course

You can purchase Homemade Cat Food Starter Kit here. This self-paced video course shows you how to make homemade cat food.

If your cat is currently eating dry/wet processed food, you can bundle Switch to Raw Blueprint and save 25% Just hit “add to cart” and the offer will pop up!

Step 2: Follow the meal plan

Every week is planned out for you to take away the stress and guesswork. I’ve done all the planning so you don’t have to!

Step 3: Your cat is finally eating homemade raw

Now you can relax and sigh a big sigh of relief that you have complete control over your cat’s diet.

Here’s what’s included in Homemade Cat Food Starter Kit course

✅ Instant access so you can get started today

✅ Lifetime access to all content and future updates so you can go at your own pace

✅ Video guides showing you exactly how to feed our cats properly

✅ Printable, digital, and Notion planners to help you stay organized and track progress

✅ Week-by-week guidance to help you plan when and where to buy ingredients, how to meal prep cat food quickly, and how to switch from commercial fresh food to homemade

✅ My favorite meal prep supplies and places to buy ingredients

✅ Complete recipes for healthy adult cats with a nutritional analysis (raw meaty bones, raw boneless, and cooked)

✅ Use the course over and over again for all future cats in your life!