Cats are obligate carnivores, so they need nutrients only found in animal products for a complete diet—including animal protein and fat. Cats are also notoriously picky, so reliable kibble may not be enough to entice their appetite sometimes.
While it’s difficult to feed cats a homemade diet and achieve the perfect balance of protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals, you can give your cat some gravy topping on occasion to encourage them to eat their healthy kibble.
Read on to learn how to make gravy for cats with these three vet-approved cat gravy recipes you can prepare at home.
Top 3 Homemade Cat Gravy Recipes
1. Catster Recipe: Easy Homemade Cat Gravy
Catster Recipe: Easy Homemade Cat Gravy
Equipment
- Stock pot with lid or slow cooker
- Strainer
- Storage container
Ingredients
- Plain meat (chicken, duck, pork, beef, lamb, turkey)
Instructions
- Throw whole carcass or animal parts into the stock pot or slow cooker. You can include the skin, fat, and bones, which make a rich gravy. The meat or carcass you use should not be seasoned and should be safe for human consumption once cooked.
- Fill the pot with water to cover the meat you have in the pot.
- Bring to a boil, then turn down to a medium or soft boil. Place the lid of the pot on and let simmer for 2–3 hours, stirring occasionally.
- Let cool. Strain so there’s nothing left but the liquid. Portion out the gravy and freeze for a great yet simple topper for your cat’s food.
Notes
Notes: An additional optional ingredient for this recipe is a low-sodium chicken broth at a ratio of 1:4 with water (for example, only add 1 part broth for every 4 parts of water in your pot). It must be garlic and onion free, however.
If this gravy is frozen, it can last for up to 2 months. However, once you thaw it to serve, you shouldn’t re-freeze it. If you opt to refrigerate it rather than freeze it, it will only last for a week at most.
It’s best to freeze several batches to ensure you don’t thaw too much at once. The night before you want to add the gravy, take one portion out and leave it in the fridge. You can bring the gravy to room temperature on the stove or microwave (make sure it’s not too hot!), then add it to your cat’s meals.
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2. Chicken Gravy for Cats
| Prep Time: | 5 mins. |
| Cook Time: | 1 hr 30 mins. |
| Total Time: | 1 hr 35 mins |
| Equipment: | Stockpot with lid or slow cooker, strainer, storage container |
| Ingredients: | 1 cup chicken meat, 2 cups chicken broth (no onion or garlic), 2 cups water |
- Chop chicken into small pieces.
- Boil chicken in a pot with 2 cups of water.
- Add 2 cups of chicken broth.
- Stir the gravy for about one hour.
- Cool the gravy.
- Strain or include the chicken in the gravy.
- Divide gravy into two portions.
- Add ½ of one portion to your cat’s food.
- Freeze or refrigerate the second portion. Gravy will only keep in the fridge for a few days.
Notes: You can make this quick gravy with chicken meat, and you can do the same with whole chicken parts like thighs or wings. Just be sure to strain all the meat, bones, skin, and fat out of the gravy before serving.
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3. Easy Chicken Carrot Gravy for Cats
| Prep Time: | 10 mins. |
| Cook Time: | 30 mins. |
| Total Time: | 40 mins |
| Equipment: | Pot, blender, storage container |
| Ingredients: | 5-6 oz chicken breast, 1 medium carrot |
- Chop and boil chicken breast for 20 to 30 minutes. Allow to cool once fully cooked.
- Chop and boil the carrot for 5 minutes. Allow to cool.
- Combine the carrot with chicken.
- Separate broth.
- Combine chicken breast and carrots into a blender.
- Blend into a fine paste.
- Gradually add broth while blending until you reach the desired consistency.
- Store excess gravy in portions and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze.
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Is It Safe to Give Gravy as a Cat Food Topper?
Yes, as long as the gravy doesn’t contain toxic ingredients, it’s generally safe to give your cat gravy as a topper. However, cats may have individual preferences and tolerances for different ingredients, so start slowly to see how your cat tolerates new foods.
Avoid overfeeding gravy or any other supplements. These foods are not nutritionally complete and adding them to your cat’s diet can upset their balance of nutrients. The general rule is not to exceed 10% of your cat’s daily caloric intake with supplements or treats.
Conclusion
If you have a picky eater, these cat food gravy recipes should entice your cat to eat their kibble or wet food. Be sure not to overfeed the gravy, as it can disrupt the balance of nutrients in your cat’s diet. These gravies should be frozen and reserved as occasional treats for your cat to add some taste and variety, not as a complete meal.
See also:
- Homemade Tuna Cat Treats You Can Make Today: Our Vet’s Recipes
- Cat-Themed Cocktail Recipes For Feline-Loving Party Guests
Featured Image Credit: Elizabett, Shutterstock
8 Responses
I have been trying to find gravy in the pet stores, with no luck, so I'm happy to see these recipes. Water strained after boiling meat is stock, however, not gravy. Believe it or not, my Benny will eat gravy but will not eat food that is sitting in water (I guess perhaps because it's not toilet water, which seems to have become the only source of water acceptable to him). Is there anything to use as thickening that will suite a cat's diet? Although the gravy I make will be a far cry from his complete diet, I will likely have to use it as a topper most days. He's an old guy with cognitive issues, and seems to have forgotten that he needs to eat more often than every three days.
Hi Sue. The best and safest cat-friendly thickener is to use the cooked meat itself: simply blend a portion of the boiled meat with the hot stock until it forms a smooth, thick purée, resulting in a protein-dense, biologically appropriate gravy. Other options, used sparingly, include whisking a raw egg yolk, (from in-shell pasteurized eggs) into warm stock (being careful not to scramble it), or adding a tiny amount of plain, unsweetened puréed pumpkin or sweet potato for binding, which should provide the texture Benny accepts and help stimulate his appetite.
I have 3 adult cats, one is overweight, the other two are not. Instead of feeding them dry cat food in the mornings I started giving them wet food with gravy… you guessed it, they lick up the gravy and leave all the bits. I've been looking at recipes for "cat gravy" and have come across a couple that look good. My question is, do I add taurine, multivitamins and fish oil to the mix of gravy? My plan is to make the gravy using either chicken or lamb along with carrots which I emulsify and add to the fluid after simmering. Some of the recipes recommend adding the items. Any thoughts or advice?
Hi Holly, these gravy recipes are only meant to be used as toppers or supplements for cats eating a complete and balanced diet. This is why no vitamins or taurine are included in the recipe. You can not feed a cat these gravies as their base diet, though.
can I feed my cat just the food I cook to make cat gravy with, like chicken or a beef roast with no seasoning? and can I make a vegetable gravy with carrots? and what other vegetables are okay for cats? to make veg. gravygravy?
My cat loves gravy. but the package you buy for cats in the store are expensive.
I spend too much money on cat food.She doesn't like. And it's very expensive. not a very good cook and I don't want to spend hours in the kitchen. like some of cat food recipes i've seen.
Will it be enough nutrition for my cat? I want her healthy and happy. she's an older cat and has some arthritis issues. please help
Hi Dawn, no, as stated in the post, these recipes are not complete and balanced and are only meant to be used as treats, toppers, or supplements. Feeding homemade food to a cat is something that can not be taken lightly, they have very specific needs and if you wish to feed them only homemade cat food please get a veterinary nutritionist involved so they make a personalized complete, and balanced recipe for your cat’s specific needs.
Why would you not include the cooked meat?
Misty Daigneault, you can include it, only that would no longer be considered a gravy so that is why the recipe instructions are to strain it.