Sourcing homemade cat food ingredients locally from farms and farmer’s markets is the best option. But you can also buy cat food ingredients from the grocery store or online.
Where you buy your cat food ingredients depends entirely on the recipe that you’re using and what is available to you.
Online raw pet food suppliers sell homemade cat food ingredients if you cannot buy ingredients locally.
Here is where to buy cat food ingredients:
Big tip: avoid free vet approved recipes online. They are not complete!
Disclaimer: I earn a commission if you purchase through affiliate links below.
Local farm or farmer’s market
You can buy your food and your cat’s food ingredients at local farms and farmer’s markets.
Eat Wild is an excellent website where you can find a local farm in your state. Some farms also accept online orders and will ship food to your door.
Speak to the farmers about the parts that you need. More and more of them are selling secondary parts like secreting organs.
I was able to get turkey giblets (heart, gizzard, and liver) from my local farmer’s market just because I asked!
White Oak Pastures is an excellent farm that ships online orders. Stock up on delicious meat for yourself and your cat!
Use code JESSCATICLES to get $20 off your purchase of $150+ at White Oak Pastures.
Grocery store
Your local grocery store has all types of cat food ingredients. You can shop by manager specials too.
Check with the butcher about getting specialty cuts or parts. He may order them for you!
But you should find most of what you need out in the cases.
I’d suggest avoiding preground, thawed meats. Preground, thawed meats are more likely to have surface bacteria that you cannot wash off.
Ask the meat department if they have any frozen preground meats if your recipe calls for preground meats.
Or choose a pack from the back that isn’t directly under the shelf light.
Asian market
Some additional cat food ingredients aren’t typically at chain grocery stores.
But can find additional ingredients like cooked oysters and duck gizzards at Asian markets.
Just do a quick search for “Asian markets near me” to find one.
Raw food co-ops
A raw food co-op is a group of raw feeders who place bulk orders from raw pet food suppliers to save on shipping costs.
You would have to find one locally. And also be mindful that these are typically individual people and not a business.
Do a quick search for “raw pet food co-op near me” to find one. Or you can start your own!
Raw pet food suppliers
Raw pet food suppliers sell cat food ingredients online.
This is a great option for those who can’t find ingredients locally. But also for ingredients that are not considered human-grade quality like raw green tripe and whole prey.
My 2 favorite raw pet food suppliers are Hare Today and Raw Feeding Miami (get 10% off with that link).
I like Hare Today and Raw Feeding Miami the most because they focus heavily on homemade cat food.
Both raw pet food suppliers have a wide variety of protein options and parts. They both sell whole chunks of meat, muscular organs, raw meaty bones, and secreting organs.
They both have excellent reward programs as well. So you can earn discount points on each purchase and referral.
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Where I buy cat food ingredients
I do a little bit of everything to buy Jericho’s homemade cat food ingredients.
I rely on the farmer’s market for raw meaty bones and secreting organs. Then I buy other chunks of meat from farms that ship online.
I’m on the carnivore diet so I eat a lot of meat and secreting organs. So I bulk order our meat and organs together every month.
I buy whole prey quail and green tripe from Raw Feeding Miami. Or I buy green tripe and other parts I need from Hare Today. I rotate between these two depending on what I need.
I’ll get duck gizzards from the Asian market. And I use the grocery store as a backup if I forget something or need something last minute.
Final thoughts on where to buy cat food ingredients
Where you buy your cat food ingredients depends entirely on the recipe you’re using and what’s available to you locally.
But you can buy cat food ingredients online if you cannot find ingredients locally.
The farmer’s market is my favorite local place to buy most of my cat food ingredients.
And I order the rest online from either Hare Today or Raw Feeding Miami raw pet food suppliers.
Ready to make homemade cat food? Check out homemade cat food hacks next!