Homemade cat food
Chicken & Watermelon Hydration Cubes
Cooling frozen cubes of chicken broth and a whisper of seedless watermelon — a refreshing way to sneak extra fluids into a cat on a hot day.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time
- 15 min
- Makes
- 12 cubes
🧺 Ingredients
- 120 ml unsalted chicken broth, cooled (no onion or garlic)
- 1 tbsp seedless watermelon flesh, rind removed
- 2 tbsp cooked shredded chicken breast
- A little plain water to top up
👩🍳 Method
- Make sure the watermelon is seedless with all rind removed, then mash or blend the flesh into a smooth pulp.
- Stir the watermelon pulp into the cooled, unsalted chicken broth.
- Divide the shredded cooked chicken between the wells of a small ice-cube tray or silicone mould.
- Pour the broth mixture over the chicken, topping up with a little plain water so each well is full.
- Freeze until solid, ideally overnight.
- Pop out one cube and offer it in a shallow dish, letting your cat lick and paw it as it melts. Tip away any uneaten melt afterwards.
Nutrition: Chicken broth and lean chicken tempt fussy drinkers into taking on extra fluid, which supports urinary and kidney health, while a touch of watermelon adds water and a naturally sweet novelty on a warm day.
📝 Notes
Watermelon is safe for cats only in tiny amounts, with all seeds and rind removed, and should be an occasional treat rather than a regular food — its natural sugar means it is not suitable for diabetic cats. Offer just one cube at a time and keep all treats to under 10% of daily calories. Store the cubes in the freezer for up to a month and always supervise so your cat licks the ice rather than gulping chunks.
⚕️ 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.