Just a few weeks ago, we were getting ready to bring home a furry new family member. Izzy has been wanting a kitten so badly, and we'd learned of a wee little black and white cutie that was going to be needing a new home soon.
As the day for picking up our new baby kitty grew closer, we were all so excited. We could hardly wait! We got her little bed all ready, picked out some healthy food for her, and chose the perfect little food bowl.
One thing Izzy kept mentioning was how sweet it was that the "big mama" kitty was going to let her baby come live with us, and be our kitty.
We decided to make a special present to say "Thank You!" to Big Mama Kitty, and some homemade cat treats seemed like the perfect idea.
I wanted to keep things simple, since I'd have two eager little helpers. And since we're all grain-free, I wanted this recipe to be nutrient-dense, without some of the "filler ingredients" that so many cat treat recipes have.
So I winged it. And you know what? They're amazing.
The dough is easy to work with, the treats brown up nicely, and they're crispy-crunchy...but still easy to eat, even for tiny kitten teeth.
They're extra healthy, because this recipe includes a good dose of mineral powder. If you don't want to spring for the powder that we use, it's easy to substitute: try instead, using some of these herbs that also have wonderful health benefits for cats:
- echinacea (immune boosting)
- red clover (immune boosting)
- nettle (urinary tract health)
- parsley (discourages tumor growth)
- licorice root (anti-inflammatory)
All of these make excellent additions to cat treat recipes. (If you're substituting, just grind them up into a good fine powder, and use in place of the mineral meal in the recipe.)
We had so much fun making up "many, many, many" treats! Of course, we were sure to make some bigger ones for sweet Lucy, our dear old golden retriever mix.
She was our first taste tester, and she could hardly wait for them to come out of the oven!
These are a little smaller in real life, than the pictures make them look. We dropped them onto the cookie sheet by the 1/4 teaspoonful.
They're a great size for being able to give a few treats at a time, without filling up a little tummy too much.
We packaged up a jarful for our big weekend trip to go meet our new kitty - and we really hoped "Big Mama Kitty" would like our present!
She loved them! And so did our brand new little fur baby...
We named her Kona. She's now Izzy's constant companion, and absolute best buddy.
We hope your fur babies like these homemade cat treats as much as ours do!!
Grain Free Cat Treats Recipe
Equipment
- food processor
- baking sheet
- parchment paper
- oven
Ingredients
- 2 cans tuna (not drained)
- 1/2 cup cooked pumpkin
- 3 egg yolks
- 3 tablespoons sea meal mineral powder
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Put all ingredients in bowl of food processor, and process until the whole thing is a fine-grained mash.
- Drop by 1/4 teaspoonfuls onto parchment-lined baking sheet. Press slightly with finger, to make a firm little disc.
- Bake for 12 minutes, until treats are getting golden brown. With a wide spatula, turn treats, and return to oven for another 3-5 minutes, until this side is brown too. (This step is really just so that both sides will brown up nicely. You can skip this and just cook all on one side for about 15-16 minutes until treats are fairly brown at edges and golden in centers, and they'll be fine)
- Cool thoroughly, and store in an air-tight container. While these stay very dry, crisp, and stable for a remarkably long time at room temperature, I try to use them up within about 2 weeks, or refrigerate if storing longer.
Nutrition
Val says
Hiya,
This recipe sounds great! My cat has just started a food elimination diet. Could I sub the fish for other proteins? I know he’s ok with coconut.
Thanks 🙂
Roxy says
Hello! Thank you for the easy recipe, I was wondering since pumpkin is hard for me to find right now what substitute would you recommend? Thank you again!!
Victoria S says
I don't have a food processor - could a blender be used instead?
Lily says
If I wanted to put salmon, how much would I blend with the other ingredients?
Anna says
Hi Lily! I would go ahead and swap out the salmon for the tuna in equal measure. So in this recipe, if you're looking to completely use salmon instead of tuna, I'd use 6 ounces (or right about 3/4 of a cup if that's easier). Hope this helps!!
Anne says
This is the first time I've seen homemade cat treats - great idea! I don't have a cat, but will pass this on to my son for his cat!
[email protected] says
Always make home-made treats and meals for our animals - will pin for future use — thanks ! Sweetest story + special new fur baby !!!
Anna says
Thanks Carol! It feels so good to know exactly what ingredients go into the food our furbabies eat, doesn't it?
Lindsey Dietz says
What a lucky kitty you have! We have 2 dogs, and I really enjoy making treats for them, too!
Anna says
Thanks Lindsey! Isn't it fun watching HOW happy "baking day" makes our fur babies?
ChihYu Smith says
Aww you baby kitty is so cute !! I love pets and have two chihuahuas at home. I love making healthy snacks for them. Best feeling ever!
Anna says
Totally agree!! Such a great feeling to make a furry little sweetie so happy, with something you know is actually really healthy for them too!
Yang says
I don't have a cat, but I love your ingredient list for this recipe and I think your cat is the luckiest in the world! <3
Anna says
Aw, thanks Yang! We really did get a super sweet kitty!
Christina says
My parents would love this recipe! Such a thoughtful thing to do for your new kitten!
Anna says
Thanks Christina!! We've now made this recipe quite a few times, and it's still such a hit!!
Emily @ Recipes to Nourish says
This is such a fun idea! I've never made homemade treats for my cat before. I bet he would love these.
Heather says
What a sweet kitty! my daughter just adopted two kittens and this will be the perfect "welcome to the family" treat!
Anna says
Aw, Heather! What fun...those kitten days are THE BEST!! Congrats on your new additions!!
Kari - Get Inspired Everyday! says
This is such a great idea, and I bet they go absolutely crazy for these!
Renee Kohley says
Oh gosh what a sweet story and a sweet kitty! This is such a great idea instead of the junky treats at the store!
Kathryn says
Such a cute and healthy idea. My kids adore their dog, I'm sure they would have a blast making these. Love it!
Jean says
I love that you make you own fur baby's treats! I do the same, but I make my dogs jerky. So much healthier than the store-bought version!
linda spiker says
Going to pass on to my cat loving daughter in law! Great idea!
Megan Stevens says
This is the COOLest idea!! I like the idea of having my kids help me to make these!! Thank you!! Pinning and making!
Lisa Murano says
Anna......This is the cutest story in the blogosphere right now! Your Izzy is so sweet to be so grateful to big mama kitty! I just love this!
Pinning, sharing, tweeting.....cause everyone needs to read this!
Lisa
Anna says
Aw, Lisa! How sweet of you! Izzy really does have such an amazingly insightful and caring little heart...she astounds me with her thoughtfulness almost daily. I swear, just keeping up with her kind ideas makes me a better person - lucky mama! Much love to you!