Cat food has developed by leaps and bounds. Today, there are cat foods packaged in cans to ensure that the natural moisture of fish is preserved. Giving your cat a homemade liver treat, however, is one way to break the monotony of constant cat food. These are also very easy to make and are inexpensive as well. Here’s how you can make liver treats for your feline friends.
Process the liver. You will need a pound of fresh chicken liver. Clean the liver pieces in running water to remove dirt and slime. Cut these into small chunks and then place into a food processor. Turn the processor on for a few minutes, until the liver has been fully ground to bits. Then, add a whole egg into the food process, followed by about two spoonfuls of molasses. Turn the processor on again for a few seconds, until the liver, egg, and molasses are fully combined to a thick liquid.
Add in flour. Create the dough base for the liver cat treats by combining a cup of cornmeal, a cup of whole wheat flour, and half a cup of milk. Blend this mixture in the food processor where the liver, egg, and molasses are found. Take the mixture out of the food processor and then flatten it with a baking pin. Use a cookie cutter to create small cookie treats out of the dough. To make the treats more visually appealing, you can use fish shaped cookie cutters to create treats that match your cat’s favorite fish food.
Bake. Preheat your oven to around 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Afterwards, spray a baking dish with a nonstick coating. Add the pre-cut cat liver treats and bake the treats for around fifteen minutes. The treat should have a rich brown color.
Storage. Let the cat liver treats cool down before letting your pet have a bite. You can store the excess treats in an air sealed bag or canister. Place these in the refrigerator to keep the liver bits from spoiling. These will last for about a week when properly stored.
With food. Another way to give your cat liver treats is to boil some chicken liver in a pot of boiling water. Do this for around five minutes, until the liver has turned brown. Afterwards, run the liver dish in tap water, and remove the slime that will form on the surface of the liver as you boil it. Cut these into bite size pieces and then place it on a small baking pan. Preheat the oven to around 200 degrees Fahrenheit and let the liver cook for around twenty minutes. After twenty minutes, the liver should become leathery and well cooked. Let these cool down before combining the treat with regular cat food.
Liver cat treats are an excellent way to reward your favorite pet cat. Make sure, however, that you dole out the liver cat treats in moderation. The cat treat will provide vitamins and minerals that may not be present in regular cat food, but is still not a substitute for the carefully formulated cat food sold in the market.