Of 114 recipes for homemade cat food found on the Internet and in books, 40 percent did not provide any feeding instructions whatsoever (including how much to give), say researchers reporting in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. And of the 94 recipes that provided enough information for nutrition analysis, not a single one contained all the essential nutrients to meet the National Research Council’s recommended allowances for adult cats. The researchers, reporting from the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, say that some recipes lacked enough of 19 essential nutrients and that some called for ingredients potentially toxic to cats, including garlic and onions.
The take-away: don’t be afraid of commercial diets, which will serve your pet well. If you feel strongly that you want your cat fed a homemade diet, consult a board-certified veterinary nutritionist.
