Turkey Cat Food that'll drive your cats nuts... and how to make it!
34,461
Published 2021-12-14
How long do we cook the turkey? Will cats eat turkey if they're used to chicken? Do we need to add taurine to Turkey when feeding our cats? How many servings of cat food will one turkey make? Do we wash the turkey before cooking it? What vegetables can cats eat and what should we limit? Is it better to make your own homemade cat food or buy cat food from the store?
Look, there are a thousand questions related to making turkey cat food, but only one way to solve them - to provide answers. And that's where Joanna Trautman comes in. As part of her How to Really Cook series, Joanna breaks down all the steps you need for success and talks you through what your options are, why she does what she does, and what to avoid. Her bite-sized chunks of information makes it easy to digest while your mind stays active the entire lesson as you learn about your cats and turkey while you cook.
Below is an ingredient list and supply list: (I've included Amazon affiliate links to some of them, especially the ingredients and equipment I ordered from Amazon myself!)
I get a commission every time you purchase a product through my affiliate link below.
To ensure you have what you need on hand, here is the basic ingredients:
One whole Turkey (I used a 14lb turkey for this cat food recipe)
White Rice - for this cat food recipe I used 4 cups. Some people use oatmeal, and this is optional, but my cats LOVE white rice.
Pumpkin - I used roasted pumpkin (homegrown), but canned pumpkin puree will also work. DO NOT use pumpkin pie filling - cats shouldn't eat sugar. With 14 lbs of turkey, I use about 6-8 cups. This is really good for cat digestion and urinary tracts.
Ground Flax Seed - for this cat food recipe I used 2 cups. This is for protein, fiber, and healthy fats that cats need, and it thickens the food right up - it looks a bit soupy at first. Make sure it is finely ground. Brown or golden flax seed meal will work. Whole flaxseed: amzn.to/3Sugr9t Ground flaxseed: amzn.to/48FE844
Nutritional Yeast Flakes - for this cat food recipe I used 1 cup - amzn.to/3OaeQ5W
Green Beans - for this cat food recipe I used one 2-lb bag (frozen)
Eggs - for this cat food recipe I used 8 large eggs (whole)
Toasted Wheat Germ - for this cat food recipe I used 1/2 cup. amzn.to/3u26feQ
Do not use salted or seasoned anything in your cat's food - too much salt really damages their kidneys, and common human seasonings like garlic and onion actually destroy cat's red blood cells. Yikes! It's a short ingredient list, relative to commercial cat food.
Here is a list of some of the equipment I use in this video along with links to them on Amazon:
High Power Blender: Here is the one I use: amzn.to/47KGNrW
Refurbished Blender (this is what I ordered 8 years ago and still going strong): amzn.to/4binrO2
Vitamix Dry Grains Container: amzn.to/3Od7eja
Food Processor: amzn.to/3S5scBL (this wasn't nearly as effective as the blender)
16 qt stock pot: amzn.to/495mBlA
24 qt stock pot: amzn.to/3HOieQB
Mesh Strainer: amzn.to/3U9hlJs
Please comment and let me know how it goes and by all means please share it so others can start making their own homemade cat food with turkey or chicken as well!
Our 8 cats give it 2 paws up with a Me"wow" for extra credit on the Turkey!
All Comments (21)
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After trying "people grade" cat food to help with my old cats diarrhea, which got a little better.....I tried this recipe, and whaalaa! 24 hours later her diarrhea was gone! and has stayed gone! THANKS YOU for all the knowledge with this recipe.
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I applaud anyone who uses raw OR cooked meats for their little carnivores. Moving away from processed food is awesome! I personally feed raw meat but I have only love for anyone who make cooked diets and avoid processed food. I'm not sure why some people are so upset about cooked diets, raw does not work for everyone, their location, their family or their comfort zone. People relax, as long as the kitties are healthy and eating a balanced diet, it's all good, cooked or raw. I love your videos! One of my cats favourite meals is one with bone broth all over it. The broth from that turkey is packed with nutrients and minerals :D PS - I also use pumpkin in my cats food as well, they love it's sweet flavor
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This is a very good video, ignore any negative comments, as they will always be there. We had 5 cats when I lost my wife, 11 years ago. One lived to age 20, her sister to age 18. I am down to one left, but have never stopped searching for healthier ways to feed them. I am going to try a scaled down version of this, or the chicken recipe. I need to start small, to confirm my baby girl will like it. Thanks for taking the time to post this, I know it is a lot of work.
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Fantastic video. The intro scene where your cats do the stair line up is great!
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I just found whole turkey on sale for $0.69/lb, so I came online to check the nutrition and found your wonderful video. I do a similar homemade cat food with whole chicken. I roast a couple of chickens and a bunch of thighs, then after removing the meat, I throw the carcasses/bones and pan drippings into the instant pot, adding water to cover. I pressure cook for two hours, at which point many of the smaller bones just squish between the fingers. The epiphyses (knobby ends) of the larger bones are also soft, and I pinch them off, then scoop as much of the marrow out as possible from the larger, more brittle femurs. I put the brittle bone shafts back in the broth and add a package of hearts and gizzards, plus whatever organs came with the birds and about a cup of pre-soaked (overnight) millet (to mimic what might be in a bird or rodent prey's stomach), and pressure cook for another 30 minutes. I discard anything still brittle, then throw all the softened bones, a couple of hearts and gizzards into a blender with some of the broth and liquify. I chop the remaining hearts and gizzards, and all the rest of the meat. I steam-scramble 6-8 eggs with a few chicken livers, then mix everything in a huge dish pan (saved only for cat food prep!) I sometimes add freshly baked or canned pumpkin, and sometimes some cooked lentils (my boy loves lentils, little weirdo!) Then I fill about a hundred+ of these little rectangular food storage containers I got from Dollar Tree, and I've got about 4 months worth of single-serving meals prepped SUPER CHEAP! I alternate morning/evening meals with high-quality Ziwi brand canned food, and once a week he gets homemade fish-head stew (that is NOT FUN to make, I do it in a giant crockpot set on the patio outside, and have to use bare hands to seperate meat (and eyeballs, his fave) from a thousand seperate SHARP skull bones, but also very cheap and SUPER nutritious!)
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I have watched this like 3 times. Mostly for review but I also kinda adore this human.
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I take care of a community of cats in my apartment complex..as in I am the ONLY one feeding them...I am going to make this for them!!! Oh BTW..ur an awesome cat mom!!! Ur cats are lucky to have a mom like you!!
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Omg look at those cuties lining up for food on stairs 😂
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I prefer feeding my grandson Vexna ( He's my daughter only child and he's a cat) cooked food, we read somewhere that humans began to evolved once they discovered fire and started cooking their foods. No Cats are Not human but what could it hurt.? Great video!
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I've had multiple cats -not one hairball after a tsp of coconut oil each. Ever. They do love it!
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Hi glad I found you!! Looking to do homemade meals for my precious Valentino (Persian). Your cats are gorgeous!!!! Hope to view more of your cat recipes. Subscribed 👍😍
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I love how they ran from that door! They knew mama threw down in that kitchen!! This was awesome. Please keep the videos coming 🙏🏼 ☺️💞
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Great videos and recipes! The only thing I would add to the process is this: once all the meat is removed from the chicken or turkey, break the set-aside, remaining bones and RETURN these to the broth pot; and simmer the broth for an additional hour or so. This releases the last of the marrow into the broth and enriches the final product and the flavor. Then just pour the broth into a sieve (held over a large bowl or pot) to remove all of the bones and dispose of these. Then proceed with the process of adding back the meat and adding the rice and veggies for the final simmer
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Omg! I absolutely love your cat food videos! Thanks for sharing! ♥️
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I can't wait for part 2... ty for sharing. I hope you and your family have a happy holiday.
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Loved this video Thanks for the recipe!! Plus I didn’t get dizzy watching!!! Tell your son it was great 👍!!!!
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Honestly best cat food video I have seen. Thank you.
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Oh my goodness you have so many cats. Oh my goodness they know exactly where to go. Wow, this is amazing. You got them very well trained😳❤️
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Thank you, I too do have 8 cats and have been feeding them a mix of home cooked and raw food. So all the extra knowledge and tips and tricks are very welcome and appreciated ❤
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This was wonderful and very helpful. Thank you so much.
