Ever noticed that all the homemade pet treat guides going around seem to be for dogs? Whoever forgot our feline friends?  

Don’t worry – at RSPCA South Australia, we’re keeping your precious kitty in the loop. Here are our 7 top recipes for homemade treats that even a fusspot puss should love.

1. Bite-sized baked wet food

Did you know that you can make a fun and exciting treat for your cat with nothing more than their wet food?

Simply open the can and shake the loaf of cat food out, cut it into slices about half a centimetre thick, then cut these into bite-sized pieces. Place these pieces on a tray lined with baking paper and pop in the oven for about 30 minutes at 180 degrees.

Treats can then be stored in the fridge for up to a week, but cannot be frozen.

 

2. Dry food cookies

For unbelievably easy kitty cookies, all you need is 2 cups of your fur baby’s dry food.

To turn the dry food into cookies, add 2 cups to a blender until it’s ground into a powder. Pour the powder into a mixing bowl and add 1 to 1 ¼ cups of water. Stir until it forms a dough-like consistency.

Shape the dough into individual balls and place on a tray lined with baking paper. Next, flatten the balls with the back of a spoon (just beware that it won’t behave the way traditional cookie dough does!) and pop in the oven for approximately 30 minutes at 180 degrees.

These ones can also be stored in the fridge for up to a week, but not frozen.

 

3. Tuna treats with a catnip crunch

This one’s a sure-fire way to show your kitty just how much you love them.

To begin, gather the following:

• 150g canned tuna
• 1 cup brown rice flour
• 1 tbsp flaxmeal, mixed with 3 tbsp water and left to sit in the fridge for 15 min
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp catnip

In a food processor, blend all ingredients but the catnip together until smooth, then mix in the catnip at the end. (If you don’t have a food processor, you could also combine ingredients using a fork.) If the mixture seems too dry, add extra olive oil as needed.

Roll the mixture into balls of about ½ a teaspoon each, and place on a tray lined with baking paper. Next, flatten the balls with the back of a spoon and pop in the oven for approximately 10 minutes at 180 degrees.

If you’re feeling creative, using a skewer you can also press a heart or X shape into the top of each flattened ball to show your kitty some extra love (no promises they’ll appreciate your gesture, though!).

Store these tuna treats in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days.

 

4. Salmon and sweet potato bites

Full of antioxidants, these superfood treats are sure to give your puss glowing skin ;) They’re also a great opportunity to get creative by freezing treats into fishy shapes.

You’ll need these ingredients:

• 400g salmon
• 1 ½ cups sweet potato, baked and mashed
• 1 ½ cups rolled oats
• Silicone mould for the freezer (we think a fish mould would be super fun, but feel free to use a regular ice cube tray)

Cut salmon into small pieces, then combine with sweet potato in a large bowl. Using a food processor, pulse together the oats and parsley until finely ground, then mix into the salmon and sweet potato mixture.

Spoon the mixture into a mould (hopefully a fishy one), ready to pop in the freezer for a few hours.

Top tip: you can find super cheap fish moulds at stores such as IKEA.

5. Sardine hearts

A variation of our tuna treats, these are a great option for kitties who have a thing for sardines (and they’re also another opportunity for making treats into fun shapes).

Start by getting together the following:

• 150g sardines
• 1 cup oat flour
• 1 tbsp flaxmeal, mixed with 3 tbsp water and left to sit in the fridge for 15 min
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp catnip

Blend ingredients together in a food processor until a smooth dough forms, adding extra olive oil if needed.

And here’s where it gets fun! Roll the dough onto baking paper on the counter and press into a thickness of about half a centimetre, then use a cookie cutter to make treats into star or heart shapes (or anything else you like).

Place shaped treats on a tray lined with baking paper and bake in the oven for approximately 10 minutes at 180 degrees.

These can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days.

Top tip: if your cat doesn’t like sardines, these would also work with cooked, plain chicken.

 

6. Catnip super tonic

For a creative way of quenching your cat’s thirst, in a few short minutes you can make a magical tonic out of only 3 ingredients.

Simply pour 1 cup of warm water into a jar, add ¼ tsp of chicken stock powder and 3 tbsp of catnip, pop the lid on and shake until the stock has dissolved.

Then, pour the tonic into a bowl and serve to a thirsty kitty – it’s as simple as that!

This one is a special but super easy treat that your cat should love you for (again – no promises if your fury baby’s especially stubborn!).

 

7. 3-ingredient salmon bites

Be sure to also check out this awesome vid from our friends at RSPCA England and Wales on extra simple homemade salmon bites!

We’d love to see your handiwork! If you make any of these treats, don’t forget to post a photo of your happy kitty with your creation on Facebook or Instagram and tag us at @rspcasa and #rspcasa.

This post is part of our comprehensive guide to raising a kitten – to make sure you’ve covered all bases, head over here for the other posts in the series.

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