Homemade cat food
Ostrich & Pumpkin Novel-Protein Mince
Ultra-lean ostrich — a red meat that is technically poultry and utterly novel to most cats — cooked plainly with pumpkin for a low-fat treat kind to sensitive stomachs.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time
- 25 min
- Makes
- 4 small servings
🧺 Ingredients
- 100 g lean ostrich mince, unseasoned
- 1 tablespoon plain cooked, mashed pumpkin (not pie filling)
- A little plain water to loosen
👩🍳 Method
- Brown the ostrich mince in a dry non-stick pan over a low-medium heat, breaking up any clumps.
- Cook it right through until no pink remains — ostrich is very lean and cooks quickly, so don't let it dry out.
- Let it cool to lukewarm.
- Stir the plain mashed pumpkin through the meat.
- Loosen with a little plain water to a soft, spoonable texture and serve a small amount.
- Keep leftovers refrigerated and use within two days.
Nutrition: Ostrich is a very lean, iron-rich red meat high in protein and low in fat, and a spoon of pumpkin adds soluble fibre for digestive comfort.
📝 Notes
Ostrich is exceptionally lean and, being both a red meat and a bird few cats ever eat, makes an excellent novel protein for allergy trials or a change of pace. Because it is so low in fat it can dry out — cook it just to done. Serve plain and unseasoned, keep portions to a treat-sized amount, and rely on a complete diet for daily nutrition.
⚕️ 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.