A Happy Cat-instance

I went out of town and came home to a kitten. This happened to me twice. Seriously. My mother did not like cats. It is one of those questions I wished I had asked her before she died. Why didn’t she like cats? Growing up we only had dogs, no cats. By osmosis I suppose, I haven’t been very fond of cats. Indifferent at best.

Tippy as a kitten, tiny enough to fit into a paper cup

While at the Brimfield Antique Show in 2010, my phone pinged and there was a cute kitten picture from my husband, with the text, “look what the girls found”. I immediately called him and was told the girls were playing in the yard and they captured this kitten. I promptly asked what we were doing with it? The response was, ” We will find it a home.”

I returned a few days later and the kitten had a home…..ours. There was a new litter box and the kitten had a collar and a name. Sigh. But she was a cute little thing and the girls were SO excited. I agreed, as long as I didn’t have to clean out the litter box.

About a year later, I was out of town again. This time I received an angry phone call from my husband. He thought the girls were playing nicely and happily running around the yard. But unknown to him, they were trying to capture another kitten. Whaaat? This time he was NOT happy about it and we definitely agreed that this kitten had to go to the rescue shelter. When I got home, the kitten had a name, a collar and a new home…..ours.

At that time, we had 4 dogs, chickens, ducks, rabbits and now CATS!?!? God made kittens cute for a reason. I must admit that these furry creatures did worm their way into my heart. Donovan, a Maine Coon male, is so people friendly and not afraid of anything. Tippy is our prissy, aloof female.

Donovan working on my computer

The cats and dogs get along rather well. Donovan loves to play with Cooper’s tail. When the house is cool, they all snuggle together.

Last year, Donovan suddenly became very ill. He was fine in the morning but by dinner time we couldn’t find him. After a lengthy search, we discovered him huddled behind the washer/dryer. I didn’t realize cats could get gravely ill so quickly. Being indoor cats with restricted access to the entire house, I couldn’t imagine what he had gotten into. This is what prompted me going down the rabbit hole with my Google search into cat food and illnesses.

Always helping with my chores. They love it when I iron my tablecloths.

I was surprised to learn that cat food is commonly recalled. And there are numerous articles about the deficiencies of dry cat food. It was rather terrifying to read all the problems with cat nutrition. I was already making our dog food (see blog post here), so how difficult was it to make healthy food for the cats?

Many of you have asked for my recipe for fresh cat food. I have sourced this recipe from The Whole Pet Diet by Andi Brown. I make it monthly and freeze it. We add a big spoonful of this to their kibble twice a day. We also add a few drops of the Beautiful coat oil (see previous blog post here), which helps prevent intestinal blockages.

The cats LOVE it! They lap it up and there is never any left over in their bowls. And we haven’t had any further emergency visits to the vet.

I have to thank the girls for being such good trappers. The cats are wonderful additions to our menagerie. As much as my husband was adamant about not keeping the second cat, Donovan loves him the most.

When I finally get off my feet at the end of a long day, this is a typical scenario. The cat(s) and dog sit on me/my legs and settle in for the night.

The cats have enriched the childrens’ lives as well.

Do you like cats? Out of all our animals, they are the least labor-intensive. But they have added such value to our lives. It’s been a good lesson for me to understand old prejudices, make my own choices and to give cats a chance.

Healthy Chicken Stew

from The Whole Pet Diet
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 3 hours
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings 20 cups

Ingredients
  

  • 5 lbs Whole Chicken or turkey (bones, organs, skin and all)
  • 2 cloves chopped fresh garlic
  • 1/2 lb. green peas
  • 1 lb. coarsely chopped carrots
  • 1/2 lb. coarsely chopped sweet potato
  • 1 lb. coarsely chopped zucchini
  • 1 lb. coarsely chopped yellow squash
  • 1/2 lb coarsely chopped green beans
  • 1 lb. coarsely chopped celery
  • 1/4 tsp kelp powder
  • Dash dried rosemary
  • 6-8 cups springwater

Instructions
 

  • Combine all of the ingredients in a 10-quart stock pt (stainless steel, please) with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat as low as possible and simmer for 1 1/2 hours (the carrots should be quite soft at the end of the cooking time). Remove from the heat, let cool, and debone the chicken. With an electric hand mixer or a food processor and working in batchs, blend all the ingredients into a nice puree; the stew should be more soupy for cats. Using plastic containers, make up meal-sized portions. Refrigerate what you'll need for three days and freeze the rest. Be sure to seek your pet's advice on ideal meal sizes.
  • Serving Size. Amounts will vary depending on age, activity level, current health, weight and season, but here are some guidelines. The average adult cat will eat roughly 1 cup a day.

Notes

Since I only put a large spoonful of this stew in with our cats’ kibble, I put a week’s worth into a plastic container and keep the rest frozen.  This recipe can be altered for dogs by adding 12 oz. of rolled oats and increasing the water to 12 cups.  The author does not recommend the grains portion for cats.

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5 Comments

  1. Thanks for the fresh cat recipe. I will see how my cats like it. I love all animals….I’ve had dogs and cats in the past but just 4 cats now. When we lost our last baby (dog) I haven’t been able to get another dog. It has been 25yrs. Loved seeing your fur babies. We had a Maine coon cat and he was a big baby.

    1. Yes, our Maine coon cat is really big compared to the other cat. Making the cat food is relatively easy, similar to making chicken soup. One recipe lasts approximately a month, because I use it as a topping to their kibble, not as their only source of food. Freezes nicely and just defrost, no need to warm up beforehand. Let me know how your 4 cats like it!

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