Homemade cat food
Beef & Spinach Power Mince
A hearty, iron-rich mince of lean beef with a little wilted spinach — a warming, protein-packed topper for an active or fussy cat.
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Time
- 25 min
- Makes
- 3–4 small meals
🧺 Ingredients
- 150 g lean minced beef (low fat)
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh spinach
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon plain cooked, mashed sweet potato (optional, to bind)
👩🍳 Method
- Add the minced beef to a dry non-stick pan over medium heat with the water, breaking it up finely with a spoon. Use no oil, salt, onion or garlic.
- Cook, stirring, until the beef is browned all the way through with no pink remaining.
- Add the finely chopped spinach and cook for a further 1–2 minutes, just until it wilts down.
- Drain off any fat, then stir through the mashed sweet potato if using, to bind the mixture into a soft mince.
- Cool to lukewarm and serve a small spoonful on its own or as a topper over your cat's regular food.
Nutrition: Lean beef is an excellent source of highly digestible animal protein, iron and B vitamins that fuel energy and healthy muscle, while a small amount of spinach adds vitamins A, C and K. Cooking without fat or seasoning keeps this a clean, nourishing treat for a hungry, active cat.
📝 Notes
Serve as an occasional treat or meal-topper, not a sole diet — it lacks the balance of taurine, calcium and other nutrients cats need daily. Keep spinach to a small amount, and avoid it entirely in cats with a history of urinary or kidney stones, as it is high in oxalates. Refrigerate for up to 2 days.
⚕️ Before you cook for your cat
- Homemade food must be balanced. Cats need taurine, and deficiency causes heart and eye disease.
- Treat recipes are supplements to a complete diet, not a replacement for it.
- Check any new ingredient against the toxic-foods list, and ask your vet before switching diets.