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.
Making changes to your cat’s diet can be difficult with so much information to go through. It is therfore advisable to talk to a veterinary nutritionist. You can do that today from the comfort of your home and get the answers and advice you need. At PangoVet, they make it easy.
If you have a question about your cat's health or behavior, why not Ask a Vet for Free with Catster. Our veterinary team answers reader questions and provides trusted advice to help you better understand your cat.
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.
- Recommended read: Best Wet Cat Foods – Reviews & Top Picks
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
10 Responses
Wondering how the gravy in these recipes gets a thicker consistency? Also I read in another article that making a cats food at home requires additional supplements to make sure they are getting the proper nutrients but I do not see any in the recipes in this article.
thank you
Carol
Hi Carol! Those are two excellent, highly observant questions.
To answer your first question about consistency: the safest and most biologically appropriate way to get that thick, luxurious gravy texture for a cat is to blend a portion of the cooked meat directly back into the hot broth using a blender. This creates a thick, protein-dense purée without relying on human thickeners like cornstarch or flour, which add unnecessary carbohydrates. Alternatively, you can whisk a tiny amount of plain, unsweetened puréed pumpkin or a raw egg yolk (from pasteurized eggs) into the warm broth to bind it together beautifully.
As for your second point regarding nutrients, you are spot on! Making a standalone, complete daily diet for a cat absolutely requires very specific essential supplements like taurine, calcium, and vitamins to prevent severe, life-threatening deficiencies. However, the reason you don't see them listed in this specific article is because these gravy recipes are exclusively intended to be used as food toppers or intermittent treats alongside a commercially balanced kibble or wet food. They are not nutritionally complete on their own and should never be fed as your cat's main, daily base diet. This is mentioned in the post, just before the conclusion.
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.