6 homemade recipes for kittens

Author: Peter Berry
Date Of Creation: 14 February 2021
Update Date: 6 November 2024
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Healthy Homemade Cat Food Recipes
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Few moments will be as crucial to a feline's healthy development as its first "childhood." A baby cat needs to get the nutrients it needs to strengthen yourimmune system and prepare your body for its adulthood. Naturally, breast milk would be the ideal food to meet the nutritional needs of a kitten. But what do we do if we find a kitten that unfortunately cannot be breastfed by its mother? Is there any way to help him?

Thinking about it, PeritoAnimal invites you to know 6 homemade recipes for kittens. If you have rescued or adopted a kitten and want to provide balanced and natural nutrition for it, you will be able to find, in this new article, simple and economical options for preparing breast milk and weaning foods for your new companion. Good reading.


Can cats drink cow's milk?

Yes, a cat can drink cow's milk, but it's better to consume the lactose-free or goat's milk version, let's explain better now.

Many people wonder if cats can drink cow's milk or if this food would be harmful to their health. In fact, lactose has gained a certain “bad reputation” in recent years, with the growing number of diagnoses of intolerance in humans. But does lactose really harm the digestive system of animals?

The digestive system of mammals changes as animals develop and acquire new nutritional needs and, consequently, different eating habits. During the lactation period (when they are breastfed by the mother), mammals produce a large amount of an enzyme called lactase, whose function is to digest the lactose in breast milk. However, when the weaning period is reached, the production of this enzyme progressively decreases, preparing the animal's organism for the food transition (to stop consuming breast milk and start feeding on its own).


A cat's breast milk, on the other hand, has a different composition than a cow's and generally has a lower concentration of lactose. So when we make homemade formula for our kittens, we must use preferably lactose-free cow's milk or goat milk (which also naturally has a lower lactose content).

Can adult cats continue to consume milk? Although some cats can still produce the enzyme lactase in doses sufficient to digest small amounts of ingested milk, most can develop symptoms associated with lactose intolerance. Therefore, it is best to adapt the cat feed adult to your natural nutritional needs, and for that we can choose a varied diet that includes balanced rations, moist foods and homemade recipes.


3 homemade maternity milk recipes for kittens

If you have already consulted a veterinarian and discovered that your new kitten has not yet passed the weaning stage, you will need to artificially supply the nutrients that breast milk naturally provided. The most practical option would be to use commercial breastmilk, which can be found in most pet stores and some veterinary clinics. However, you can prepare your kitten a very nutritious and natural homemade maternity milk with economical and easy-to-find ingredients.

Recipe 1: with 4 ingredients

This recipe for kittens is the best way to nourish the little ones. To make it, you will need the following ingredients:

  • 250 ml of lactose-free whole milk
  • 15 ml of heavy cream (preferably 40% fat)
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 tablespoon of honey (glucose can be used, but honey is more recommended)

Recipe 2: with 3 ingredients

Unlike the first recipe, this option is made with goat's milk, which is naturally more digestible for kittens (and puppies as well). You will need the following ingredients:

  • 250 ml of goat milk
  • 150 ml of Greek yogurt (if you can find it without lactose, the better)
  • 1 egg yolk

Recipe 3: with 5 ingredients (suitable for malnourished kittens)

Often, a rescued kitten that has not been breastfed can be malnourished, which makes its immune system even more vulnerable. This highly energetic formula of breast milk for baby cats is indicated to quickly reverse this condition, but it is important to consult your veterinarian to avoid side effects resulting from excessive consumption of proteins and fats.

  • 200 ml of lactose-free whole milk
  • 25 ml of heavy cream (preferably 40% fat)
  • 1 egg yolk
  • ½ tablespoon of honey
  • 10 g of butter
  • 15 g of calcium caseinate (which is milk protein already isolated)

Preparation of the three recipes

The preparation of these 3 homemade recipes for kittens consists, first of all, in mix all the ingredients well until you get a milk with a slightly thicker consistency and a more yellowish color than usual. Afterwards, we recommend heating the breast milk in a bain-marie until reaching a temperature around 37°C. And then, wait for it to cool down a bit, and finally you can offer it to your kitten with the help of a sterile syringe or nipple.

You can prepare your kittens' milk for 1 or 2 days of offering it to them and keep it in the fridge (maximum of 48 hours, at an average temperature of 4 ºC). We also recommend checking out our tips on how to feed your kitten to help keep them well fed and healthy during their first few weeks of life.

Amount of milk a kitten needs to consume

The amount of milk a kitten needs to consume will depend on each kitten's daily energy requirement, and this changes as the baby cat grows and gains body weight. The estimated calculation is 20 kcal daily for every 100g of body weight.

If their mother breastfed them, the kittens would absorb the milk in small amounts and could take up to 20 feeds a day. At each feeding, a kitten usually consumes 10 to 20 ml of milk, despite its stomach capacity to support up to 50 ml. Between feedings, kittens digest milk and absorb nutrients.

When offering homemade maternity milk to your kitten, you should do it several times a day, respecting its time of rest and digestion. It is recommended to provide 6 to 8 daily feeds, with 3 to 5 hour intervals between them. It is very important to keep your kitten's food regularly and never leave it without food for more than 6 hours. And remember that kittens also need to be fed at night and early in the morning.

Sudden dietary changes, too much milk, and too much space between feeds can cause stress symptoms in cats, such as diarrhea and vomiting.

3 homemade recipes for weaning foods for kittens

It is common to hear about weaning as a moment, but in fact it is a process that all mammals experience. And it's not just a dietary change, but also a preparation for adulthood, where the animal must be able to become independent from its mother to survive on its own. So it's so important respect the weaning age by choosing you can bring a new pet to your home.

If a kitten develops with its mother and is breastfed, the curiosity inherent in its instinct makes it want to try the mother's ration. This usually happens from the first month of the animal's life, when the teeth start to grow.

When your little companion catches up to your 25 or 30 days of life, you can start to present solid food, but in the form of baby food to facilitate its chewing and further digestion. Below, we suggest 3 homemade recipes to keep your kitten well fed during its childhood:

Recipe 1: homemade maternity milk baby food and balanced feed

  • 1 cup of balanced baby cat food
  • 1 cup of warm homemade maternity milk

This baby food recipe is a great option to gradually accustom our kitten to the taste of the commercial food it will consume during its childhood and to ensure the adequate proportions of nutrients for its healthy growth.

To prepare it, we must heat the milk in a bain-marie and then dump it on solid kibble. Let it stand for a few minutes so that the food softens and beat the mixture until you get a mush. The ideal is to offer the baby food to the kitten at room temperature or a little warm.

We must remember to gradually introduce solid food into our kitten's routine. In the beginning, we can substitute 1 feeding for baby food, and then increase its intake, until it occupies 100% of your daily food. And it's important to consult your trusted veterinarian before adding any new foods to your pets' diet.

Recipe 2: Homemade turkey (or chicken) baby food with carrots

  • 150 g of turkey breast (you can also use chicken)
  • 1 carrot
  • Enough water to boil food

This is another simple and practical baby cat recipe that you can prepare for your kitten to complement her diet and introduce her to solid food. To prepare the baby food, you must first boil the chest well of turkey (or chicken) and also the carrot. When the food is tender, just beat until it forms a mush. Remember to let it cool before offering it to your kitten.

Recipe 3: homemade chicken liver food

  • 200g of chicken liver
  • Water in the amount needed to boil and give consistency

This baby food recipe for kittens can also be adapted to make a delicious homemade pate for your kitten. The basic difference is in the amount of water we put in to get the consistency we want. To get a baby food, we must boil the livers in plenty of water until they are well cooked. Afterwards, we let it cool for 10 minutes to be able to liquefy together with 100 ml of warm water that was left over as broth after cooking. Remember to let the baby food cool down before offering it to your furry little one.

If we want to get a consistent pate, we must simply drain the livers well after boiling them and crush them with a fork.

To discover more delicious homemade recipes using fish meat that our cats love so much, be sure to read our homemade Cat Food – Fish Recipes article. And if you also have a homemade recipe that you want to share with us and our readers, leave your comment! In the following video, we leave another option for a homemade microwave-safe cat biscuit recipe:

If you want to read more articles similar to 6 homemade recipes for kittens, we recommend that you enter our Home Diets section.