Homemade cat food
Chicken Bone Broth Hydration Cubes
A gentle, unsalted chicken broth frozen into cubes — the perfect way to boost water intake in cats who don't drink enough, or to tempt a fussy or recovering appetite.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time
- 4 hr (mostly hands-off)
- Makes
- About 12 ice-cube-sized portions
🧺 Ingredients
- 2–3 raw chicken drumsticks or a chicken carcass (no cooked bones fed to the cat)
- Enough water to cover (about 1 litre)
- NO onion, garlic, salt, or seasoning of any kind
👩🍳 Method
- Place the chicken and water in a pot — do not add salt, onion, garlic, stock cubes, or any seasoning, as several of these are toxic to cats.
- Bring to a gentle simmer, then reduce the heat and let it barely bubble, partly covered, for 3–4 hours.
- Turn off the heat and let the broth cool completely. Lift out and discard ALL the bones — cooked bones splinter and must never be given to your cat.
- Strain the broth through a sieve to catch any small bone fragments.
- Skim off excess fat if you wish, then pour the clear broth into an ice-cube tray and freeze.
- Serve by thawing one cube and drizzling the room-temperature broth over food, or melting it into a little warm water as a hydrating drink.
Nutrition: Plain bone broth is mostly water, making it an excellent, palatable way to increase fluid intake — important for kidney and urinary-tract health. It also carries gelatine and trace minerals, and its strong aroma can rekindle the appetite of an unwell or senior cat.
📝 Notes
Keep frozen for up to 3 months; use thawed broth within 48 hours and keep it refrigerated. This is a supplement and a hydration aid, not a meal — it is not nutritionally complete. It's especially useful in hot weather, for cats prone to urinary problems, or to encourage eating during recovery.
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⚕️ 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.