Holistic Cat Care at Birch & Blue

Why We Make Our Own Cat Food

One of the biggest parts of caring for our cats is providing them with a diet that supports their natural nutritional needs. At Birch & Blue, we make our own homemade food for all of our cats. We completely understand that homemade food isn’t realistic for every household as it takes time, preparation, and equipment, but we believe nutrition plays one of the biggest roles in a cat’s long-term health and happiness, and we wanted to share why.

Our recipe

Our homemade recipe follows a prey-based balance of approximately 80% muscle meat, 10% edible bone, 5% liver, and 5% other secreting organs. We make our food using chicken thigh, beef heart, beef kidney, beef liver, and chicken wings. We use a commercial-grade meat grinder to grind all the meat together, including the chicken wings. The bone is very essential to making your cat’s food because it is a cat’s natural source of calcium and phosphorus, both essential for strong bones and teeth. Without it, a diet of muscle meat alone can actually throw off a cat’s calcium-to-phosphorus ratio over time. We also add whole chicken eggs with the shells, salmon oil for healthy skin and coat, and a small amount of coconut oil for additional nutritional benefits.

We feed our cats this recipe raw, but for anyone nervous about raw feeding, the same recipe can be cooked instead.

Sourcing & cost

We purchase most of our meat in bulk and get our organs from local farmers’ markets. Making homemade food lets us provide high-quality ingredients while actually saving money compared to many premium commercial diets — though it does require investment beyond ingredients, including equipment like a meat grinder, a stand alone chest freezer, and containers.

For reference, our ingredients come out to a little over $2 a pound. Many popular wet foods range from around $3/lb for budget brands, and up to $10+/lb for premium brands. Keep in mind that those are still processed diets, typically containing thickeners, gums, and added synthetic supplements rather than fresh, whole-food ingredients. If you’re thinking about making your own homemade cat food, know that the initial start-up cost can be pricey, but you’ll end up paying much less over time compared to regular canned wet food, all while feeding a fresher, healthier diet.

Why raw, why fresh

Cats are obligate carnivores, meaning their bodies are designed to get nutrients primarily from animal-based foods. Unlike humans, cats have a naturally low thirst drive because their ancestors got most of their hydration from prey. Wild prey animals contain roughly 70–75% water, while dry kibble contains about 5-10% water. Because of this, we strongly recommend feeding wet or fresh food instead of relying on dry kibble.

After switching our cats to this diet years ago, we noticed huge improvements: softer, silkier coats, healthier skin, far fewer hairballs, fewer eye boogers, and stool with very little odor.

The fish myth

Contrary to popular belief, fish is not actually ideal for cats, which is why we don’t feed our cats anything containing fish. Many cats are sensitive or allergic to fish, and fish-based foods often contain high histamine levels and heavy metals like mercury from bioaccumulation. There’s also research linking fish-based diets to feline hyperthyroidism. We recommend high-quality, meat-based foods instead. Cats in the wild rarely eat fish at all.

If homemade isn’t for you

A high-quality wet food is still an excellent choice over dry kibble. Look for a named meat source as the first ingredient (whole meat is best, followed by meat meal, then meat by-product). If you’re interested in trying the exact recipe our own cats eat, please feel free to reach out!