# Home-cooked meals for pets



## David Baxter PhD (Apr 14, 2007)

Five home-cooked meals for pets
Saturday, March 31, 2007
_The Herald_

*If you're nervous about buying pet food from the store, make dog, cat food at home.*

Pet owners are worried about what to feed their cats and dogs since the recent recall of 95 brands of pet food.

The Food and Drug Administration reported that several cats and dogs have died of kidney failure after eating tainted pet food. The cause of the contamination is under investigation.

Many animal experts say that pet owners have a fear of feeding people food to their animals. The fear is mainly unfounded because most animals eat the same food as humans. A few generations back, there was no such thing as canned or dry pet food.

Dogs and cats basically require a diet of meat such as chicken, beef, lamb or turkey; some vegetables such as carrots and peas; rice, potato or macaroni; and a source of calcium such as milk, cheese or sardines.

Pet owners should consult their veterinarians about a reliable vitamin tablet to supplement the homemade menu.

One detailed source of information is _Home-Prepared Dog & Cat Diets: the Healthful Alternative_ by veterinarian Donald Strombeck ($42.99).

*Meatloaf*
This recipe is from _The Good Food Cookbook for Dogs_ by Donna Twichell Roberts.

3/4 cup water
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 rib celery, diced
13/4 pounds meatloaf mix (see note)
1 cup old-fashioned oatmeal
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 tablespoon ketchup

Bring water to boil in a small skillet. Add carrot and celery. Reduce heat to medium and cook 5 minutes. Drain and let cool slightly.

Place all ingredients in a large bowl and mix thoroughly to combine.

Place meatloaf on foil-lined baking sheet. Form into a bone shape measuring approximately 9 inches long by 5 inches wide by 1 1/2 inches high. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven about 1 hour.

Remove from oven and let cool about 10 minutes. If desired, spread additional ketchup or mild barbecue sauce on top of meatloaf, pipe mashed potatoes around the lower edge, and garnish with a cheese slice cutout.

Makes 1 meatloaf.

Note: A combination of ground beef, pork and veal (or chicken or turkey).​*Potted sweet potatoes, carrots and chicken for dogs and people*

1 32-ounce container (4 cups) chicken broth
1 cup apple cider
4 whole peppercorns
2 whole cloves
1 bay leaf
3 6-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
3 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
1 1-pound bag of baby carrots
Salt, to taste
Parsley, to garnish (for people)

In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the broth, cider, peppercorns, cloves and bay leaf. Cover and bring to a boil.

Lower the heat and add the chicken, sweet potatoes and carrots. Simmer until carrots are tender and chicken is cooked, about 20 minutes.

Spoon out the peppercorns, bay leaf and cloves. Season with salt. Let cool slightly before serving to pets. For humans, garnish with parsley and serve with buttered whole-grain bread.

Makes 4 servings.​*Chicken paprika for cats and people*

1 teaspoon corn oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons paprika
1 cup hot water
3 pounds of chicken, skinned, boned and cut into bite-size pieces
1 carrot, finely chopped
2 medium potatoes, cut into small cubes
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
Fresh parsley, to garnish

Additional ingredients for cat portions:

1/4 cup cooked rice
1/2 teaspoon brewer's yeast
1/2 teaspoon bone meal

In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over low heat. Add the garlic, salt, paprika and 1/2 cup of the hot water. Cover, bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Add the chicken, remaining water, carrot, potatoes and broth. Return to a simmer and cook another 10 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and red and green peppers. Stir well and simmer another 10 minutes. For people, garnish with parsley.

For cats, chop the chicken into smaller pieces and mix with rice, brewer's yeast and bonemeal. Allow to cool before serving.

Serves 6 people, or 4 people and 2 or 3 cats.

From Patti Delmonte's _Real Food for Cats_​*Gotta have heart (for dogs)*

2 beef hearts
1 cup white rice
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
1 cup water
1/2 cup finely grated carrot
1/2 cup finely grated turnip

In a small saucepan, combine the hearts and enough water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook over medium heat for 17 minutes.

While the hearts are boiling, cook the rice according to package directions.

Drain the hearts and chop into small pieces. Transfer the pieces to a medium bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Allow to cool before serving.

Makes 2 servings.

From Arden Moore's _Real Food for Dogs_​*Gil's carrot salad for dogs and people*

6 medium carrots, trimmed and grated
2 oranges
1/2 cup raw pecan pieces
1/2 cup dried blueberries or cherries
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano

Place the grated carrots in a medium bowl. Peel one orange, cut the segments into bite-size pieces and add them to the bowl. Add the dried fruit, parsley, olive oil and oregano, and toss to combine.

Cut the remaining orange in half and squeeze the juice into the salad. Mix well.

Makes 4 servings.

From Kymythy Schultze's _The Natural Nutrition No-Cook Book: Delicious Food for You ... and Your Pets!_​


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## sister-ray (Apr 14, 2007)

I know this post was mainly for dogs and cats but that last recipe will be brillant for me and my budgies to share:budgie2:


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## David Baxter PhD (Apr 14, 2007)

Think of it this way: If you share your meals with your pets, maybe they;ll share their meals with you. 

:budgie: :cat: :dog:

That cat has a HUGE head...


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## AVC (Apr 14, 2007)

This is nothing new, animal feeds have been filled with all kinds of ingredients that are of great danger for years, most of the meat used is from rendering plants that mix road kill and other discarded carcasses up in a process, steams and adds chemicals and ground bones (Bone meal) and drugs (antibiotics and growth hormones) and is then called "pet food".

The farming and feed industries are corrupt like the oil industry is, they will do anything for money, think Mad Cow where they feed grazing animals (Cows meant to eat grass) everything from ground up newspaper to chicken dung and ground up sheep that cause the Mad Cow syndrome in the first place.

Hunters then spread mad cow to deer by drawing them in with the same feed given to cows.

The real threat is what you eat at Taco Bell and McDonald's, not what you feed your pets.

Do you really know if your food is grown using sewer sludge that contains heavy metals and other wastes ??

This is a major ingredient in fertilizers today and is sprayed by many counties and cities on food crops as a way to dispose of it.


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## David Baxter PhD (Apr 14, 2007)

Yum.  I was just about to go out for dinner. :yuk:


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## sister-ray (Apr 14, 2007)

David Baxter said:


> Think of it this way: If you share your meals with your pets, maybe they;ll share their meals with you.
> 
> That cat has a HUGE head...



my budgies share their food with me all the time, it usually ends up in my ear:lol: 

Im sure that cats head is getting bigger


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## AVC (Apr 14, 2007)

David Baxter said:


> Yum.  I was just about to go out for dinner. :yuk:




Then they wonder why honeybees are dying in record numbers, maybe our clear cutting and Monsanto chemicals and genetic seeds are destroying our food supply.

It is sad indeed, that being mankind not following age old traditions handed down for thousands of years.

Technology will be the end of us by forsaking what is natural for lunacy.


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## Cat Dancer (Apr 14, 2007)

David Baxter said:


> That cat has a HUGE head...



  :cat: :cat:


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## Into The Light (Apr 14, 2007)

David Baxter said:


> That cat has a HUGE head...



that just means it has a bigger brain and therefore is more intelligent


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## David Baxter PhD (Apr 14, 2007)

:ladybug: :dog: :homer:   <---- normal size heads


:cat: <--- catzilla-size head


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## pocono (Apr 15, 2007)

This is the wackiest post I've ever seen on here!  Humor helps.


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## Heather (Apr 17, 2007)

The cat has a huge head to show its superiority to all other animals and of course people!

Just ask my cats !?!?

Heather...

P.S. I do make a lot of meals for my cats or they have mince stuff or human sardines etc... Plus they often share our meals, but then again my cats are spoiled, lol !?!?


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## David Baxter PhD (Apr 17, 2007)

I'm not sure what a "human sardine" is but I have a feeling it's like all those people in the mosh pit at a concert.


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## Halo (Apr 17, 2007)

David Baxter said:


> I'm not sure what a "human sardine" is but I have a feeling it's like all those people in the mosh pit at a concert.



:rofl:  mosh pits....oh the memories :lol:


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## ThatLady (Apr 18, 2007)

Talking about spoiled cats, I have one who will not eat anything unless she is served at least two steamed shrimp with her meal. Yep. Shrimp. Large shrimp. Cocktail shrimp will not suffice. :nah:


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## AVC (Apr 18, 2007)

That old belief that cats are finicky is false, I had 13 cats, now down to five, when they are hungry they will eat dry dog food, I know, they eat it when I run out of cat food or don't bother to buy it.

Cats are known to eat just about anything in the wild, at least the common small cats do, they will eat bugs, birds, chickens, rats, mice, snakes, lizards, and so on, so this myth of them being picky is just that.


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## David Baxter PhD (Apr 18, 2007)

No, it's not false. When any animal/person is hungry enough, they will eat pretty much whatever is available. That doesn't mean they're not finicky under normal circumstances.

I've also noticed that if you have a home with both a dog and a cat, they'll often get finicky about their own food and try to get at the other bowl.

Then again, children will do that too.


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## AVC (Apr 18, 2007)

Sure, they prefer to eat prime rib, but it is the owner that spoils the animals in the first place, finicky is created by the pet owner, not by the cat.

The same cats that never go outdoors because they are pampered by their owners would live fine outside with the rest of the cats that never come in the house, in most cases it is the owner that makes the cat finicky.


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## David Baxter PhD (Apr 18, 2007)

I've never made any of my pets finicky. It was the other way 'round.


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## AVC (Apr 18, 2007)

See this, Cats are known to hunt over 1,000 species for food, there goes the finicky cat idea out the door, this is mostly a myth and finicky cats are created by pet food companies and pet owners.

Cats are not real picky on what they will eat in nature or in the wild, I have seen them swat a dragonfly and eat them.

One reason cat dung is so deadly and carries parvo and many other diseases is because of their varied diet (rats and mice), this is why mothers are advised not to touch the litter box when pregnant.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feline_parvovirus

A strange thing is that parvo killed a few dogs of mine, but this current bulldog I have actually goes around the yard digging up cat dung and eats it, so he must be immune to just about everything, once parvo takes hold it takes a long while for the land to recover, it will kill just about every animal that comes in contact with it quickly, this dog I have now seems to be invincible though.


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## David Baxter PhD (Apr 18, 2007)

In my experience, teenagers seemed to be advised never to touch the litter box at all.


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## AVC (Apr 18, 2007)

Then who is to deal with it ??


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## Halo (Apr 18, 2007)

Parents  :lol:


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## sister-ray (Apr 18, 2007)

or the maid if you have one LOL


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## Heather (Apr 19, 2007)

erm the Human Sardines thing was me being half asleep when I wrote that, lol, I meant tin sardines that humans eat, he! he!

Also I have 2 cats and I have one fussy one and one not fussy one and I treat them both the same and always have, lol!?!?

Anyhow I love my babies so I do not mind if they are fussy!!!

Heather...


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## Halo (Apr 19, 2007)

> Anyhow I love my babies so I do not mind if they are fussy!!!



And that is the most important thing


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## AVC (Apr 19, 2007)

Well, my favorite cat died I think because of eating some chicken bones, so be careful not to let them get hold of bones, because cats will eat them, it seems it is always the tiny little splinter bones that end up killing them.

But in nature they eat skeletons all the time, I guess it is a matter of luck for animals a lot of times.


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## Heather (Apr 20, 2007)

It is a matter of luck at times, true.

But also I thought that the Chicken bones were because they were cooked, that is how it can kill them, that is why it is ok in the wild.

Dunno for sure though, I do know a lot about cats, but not everything, lol!

Heather...


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## AVC (Apr 20, 2007)

Most of the time it is when the bones splinter and get caught in the digestive system.

_{graphic details removed - potentially triggering}_

Maybe do an internet search on bad bones to give animals and research it a bit, then you will understand the problem better.


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## Heather (Apr 21, 2007)

I know that, ty.

The chicken bones splinter when they are cooked, that is why it is ok to give cats non cooked chicken bones not cooked ones.

My cats don't get bones so no need to research (besides chicken necks and wings raw to clean their teeth, which I know are safe).

Heather...


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