10 wholesome and homemade cat treats

Updated 26/06/2024

Nothing says I love you like a handmade gift, and if you’re a cat, even more so if it’s edible. That’s why we’re here to help you show your appreciation to the feline friend in your life with a selection of homemade cat treat recipes, all centered around wholesome ingredients that’ll nourish your kitty. 

Cats are notoriously fussy (and rightly so!), so before whipping up your homemade cat treats, think about your kitty’s refined taste buds. Consider which meals get the side eye, and the others that only take a waft to lure them into the kitchen.

And before you think about studding your cat treats with raisins (please don’t, they’re toxic to cats) or flavoring them with a hint of fresh garlic (again, avoid like the plague), get clued-up on what’s safe for cats to eat and always avoid ingredients you know aggravate your kitty.

Tuna cookies

Ingredients

• 1 ¼ cups canned tuna. Canned tuna should be in spring water only.
• 1 egg
• 2 cups whole wheat flour

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Pulse the tuna in a blender with the egg.
3. Remove the tuna mixture and combine with the flour. Adjust the texture by adding more water or flour - it should be malleable but not too sticky.
4. Roll your dough out onto a lightly floured surface and cut out into shapes of your choice (fish would be cute!).
5. Cook on a baking sheet for up to 20 minutes, allowing them to cool completely before serving - and there you have it - perfectly nutritious, uber tasty, and most of all simple homemade cat treats!

No-bake salmon balls

Ingredients

• 1 can of cooked salmon in spring water
• 1 cup dry cat food
• Mayonnaise

Method

1. To make these healthy cat treats, drain your can of salmon and spread the flakes out onto a plate.
2. Pulse the dry cat food or crush in a pestle and mortar. Add a splash of water and leave to sit for around 10 minutes or until they’ve softened. Make sure you’re cautious when adding water - you’ll need to form these into balls later!
3. Combine the biscuits with the fish, adding just a touch of mayonnaise (unless your kitty is lactose intolerant), and form into balls. 
4. Refrigerate until they’ve set, and there you have it - a batch of soft cat treats perfect for kitties with sore gums or simply those who detest the crunch! Make sure you’re sparing with these as mayonnaise may affect your kitty’s stomach.

No bake pumpkin and turkey treats

Ingredients

• 1 cup pumpkin (cooked or single-ingredient canned)
• ½ cup turkey
• Enough gelatin to set 100ml (strengths will vary so check the packet you’re using)

Method

1. If you’re using fresh pumpkin, boil it until soft, drain then mash. Place it in a muslin cloth, straining out any excess water (keep this!). If you’re using canned pumpkin, you can skip this step.
2. Bloom your gelatin in 100ml of the pumpkin water or plain water if you’re using canned pumpkin.
3. Making sure your turkey is bone and skin free, whiz it up in a blender until a breadcrumb-like texture is formed.
4. Combine your turkey, pumpkin and gelatin in a saucepan, slowly heating until a toothpaste-like consistency is formed. Once the gelatin has melted completely, remove from the heat and allow to cool for around 10 minutes.
5. Roll your mixture into pea-sized balls and place on a grease-proof sheet. Set in the fridge overnight and voila - homemade cat treats that’ll help use up your Thanksgiving leftovers!

Tuna melts

Treats for cats can be indulgent and shared sparingly, but if you know your kitty is lactose-intolerant, skip this slightly cheesy cat treat. And even if your kitty seems to tolerate lactose, don’t overdo it on these.

Ingredients

• ½ cup canned tuna in spring water
• ½ cup whole wheat flour
• ½ cup all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon grated cheese
• 1 tablespoon tuna water

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Drain your tuna, keeping the water.
3. Pulse all ingredients in a food processor until smooth.
4. Knead the dough until it’s smooth and roll into balls.
5. Bake on a greaseproof baking sheet for around 30 minutes and allow to cool completely before storing in the fridge.

Salmon squares

Ingredients

• 1 cup canned salmon in spring water
• ½ cup cornmeal
• ¼ cup powdered milk (leave this out if they’re lactose intolerant)
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon cooking oil
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 cup wholewheat flour

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Except the flour, combine all the ingredients and give them a good mix.
3. Slowly add the flour, kneading to combine and to form a dough.
4. Roll out the dough and cut into bite-sized squares, then bake for 15 minutes. Allow to cool completely before treating your kitty to these delicious homemade cat treats!

Chicken balls

Ingredients

• ½ pound ground chicken
• ½ cup grated carrots
• ½ cup finely crushed crackers
• ¼ cup powdered milk
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon yeast

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl, then shape into balls (around a golf ball size).
3. Bake on a greaseproof baking sheet for around 20 minutes, making sure they’re piping hot all the way through. And like with all of these cat treat recipes, feed to your kitty sparingly and only as a (the clue is in the name) treat!

Mackerel treats

Ingredients

• ½ cup canned mackerel in spring water
• 1 cup wholegrain bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• ½ teaspoon yeast

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Drain and mash the mackerel or pulse in a blender until it’s broken into small pieces.
3. Add the remaining ingredients to the mackerel and mix well.
4. Roll into small balls and bake on a greaseproof baking sheet for around 10 minutes, or until piping hot all the way through. And voila - as far as homemade cat treats recipes go, this one will be a winner with your feline friend (we know how much those curious kitties go mad for oily fish!).

Salmon puffs

Ingredients

• ⅔ cup wholewheat flour
• 1 egg
• ½ cup canned salmon in spring water
• 1 tablespoon salt-free salmon water

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a food processor, blend your salmon, salmon water and an egg. This will form a dough.
3. Turn out your dough onto a floured surface and roll out into your desired thickness.
4. Get creative and cut out into shapes your kitty will love (homemade food for cats can be fun and tasty!) and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool completely before treating your kitty.

Salmon and catnip cookies

Ingredients

• ½ cup canned salmon in spring water
• 2 egg whites
• 1 teaspoon dried catnip

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Beat your egg whites until they form stiff peaks.
3. In a blender, pulse the drained salmon with the catnip and a quarter of the egg whites until smooth. Remove from the blender and gently fold in the remaining egg whites.
4. Dollop rounds onto a greaseproof baking sheet and cook for 25 minutes or until golden brown - the perfect, healthy cat cookies that your kitty is sure to appreciate!

Kitty cake

Ingredients

• ⅓ cup sweet potato
• ½ cup canned tuna 
• 1 teaspoon plain flour
• 1 mashed white potato

Method

1. Boil your sweet potato until soft and mash until no lumps are left, allowing to cool until moving onto the next step.
2. Combine your drained tuna with the sweet potato, then add the flour, mixing until everything is combined.
3. Mold your mixture into a large round on a greaseproof baking sheet, allowing it to set in the fridge for around 10 minutes.
4. Boil your white potato until soft and mash until smooth, allowing it to cool completely before moving on.
5. Remove your sweet potato cake from the fridge and pipe the white potato on top to form an ‘icing’. Add a meat stick for candles and there you have it - the cutest kitty-friendly birthday cake that’s certainly no ordinary cat snack.

Meet our veterinary expert, Greg

This article has been checked by veterinarian Dr Greg Steele MA VETMB MRCVS. A mixed vet working in the UK since qualifying from Cambridge University in 2015. Greg enjoys working with all species of animals in all settings, but equally takes pride in communication and education of clients too. He lives with his wife and their cat, and enjoys a variety of sports, gardening, and the great outdoors.

Which ‘human’ foods are safe for cats?

It turns out that many of the ingredients we humans lace throughout some of our most popular dishes are in fact poisonous to cats, or can cause serious stomach upset. To avoid aggravating your kitty’s gastrointestinal system or causing a toxic reaction, get in the know on what cat can and can’t eat.