Homemade cat food
Chicken & Cranberry Urinary-Support Bites
Soft-baked chicken bites with a hint of unsweetened cranberry, a treat some owners like to offer cats prone to urinary grumbles — always alongside, never instead of, veterinary care and plenty of water.
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Time
- 35 minutes
- Makes
- 2 dozen small bites
🧺 Ingredients
- 200 g cooked chicken breast, finely shredded or minced
- 1 teaspoon plain unsweetened cranberry (no sugar, no juice cocktail)
- 1 egg, to bind
- 1 tablespoon oat flour or ground oats
- A little plain water if the mix is stiff
👩🍳 Method
- Heat the oven to a moderate temperature and line a baking tray.
- Mix the shredded chicken, mashed unsweetened cranberry, egg and oat flour into a soft, sticky dough, loosening with a little water if needed.
- Roll into small pea-to-marble-sized balls and flatten slightly onto the tray.
- Bake for about fifteen to twenty minutes until firm and lightly golden.
- Cool completely, then store in the fridge for up to three days or freeze; serve just one or two as an occasional treat.
📝 Notes
A treat, not a treatment — cranberry is a popular folk remedy but is not a proven cure for feline urinary disease, and any cat with signs of a urinary problem (straining, blood, frequent tiny visits to the tray) needs a vet, urgently, not a home remedy. Use only plain unsweetened cranberry in a tiny amount; never use sweetened dried cranberries, cranberry juice cocktail or anything containing xylitol. The single most useful thing for urinary health is keeping a cat well hydrated, so pair treats like these with wet food and fresh water.
⚕️ 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.