So I have this cat. ย His name is Jules, but I call him Tron.
Sometimes you just name the creature in your house the wrong name. ย It’s hard to know until you know them. ย Never let me name a child. I won’t get it right. ย That’s the lesson we’re supposed to learn here.
So I have this cat. ย Sometimes I make him cat toys and cat treats. ย It’s a thing I do with only a residual amount of shame and embarrassment.
I first made these cat treats for my kitten about a year ago, and Design Sponge was pretty keen on them. ย I made them again this weekend and my kitten-cat was pretty excited. ย To be fair, he also gets excited when I buy a rotisserie chicken or slice into an avocado. ย He’ll also steal a warm blueberry muffin, eat through the center of a pie, or lick the frosting off a cake. ย He’s not particular about food, he’ll eat it all, and he’s a terrible person (and I love him).
Animal Jar Tops were invented by the Internet, not me. ย Find out how to make them here.
Cat treats! ย Let’s talk about these little bites.
These cat treats are made of very simple ingredients that aren’t cat food, but that our cats are going to eat and enjoy. ย If now is the time that you’d like to freak out about oats and tuna and making your own cat food and cat health… ok. ย But these are just cat treats, so maybe we could just all calm down by like, at least 12%. ย Just sayin’.
One of the binder of these cat treats is oats.
More specifically, oats that are pulverized into oat flour. ย Like so. ย Easy.
In the food processor we combine oat flour, canned (unsalted) tuna, and catnip.
Olive oil for moisture, good fat, and good fur.
An egg yolk for good fat, good binding, and good fur.
Good fur is important.
Pulverized and combined. ย The mixture is doughy and people-edible but mostly kitty-edible.
I roll the tuna dough into teaspoon sized balls. ย Kitty-sized.
A little criss-cross action. ย Just for even baking. ย Even with cat treats we want to get things right!
I usually shush him away, but these crunchy treats are fresh from the oven for him, so….
So why not make some Catnip Yarn Balls along with the cat treats and just go all the way.
I’m the only one that knows I’m a crazy cat lady… until I share it with all of you.
Sorry/NOT SORRY!
Ps. ย Since these baked kitty treats have tuna and egg in them, I store them in a jar in the refrigerator.
Tuna Catnip Kitty Treats
makes
1 (5 ounce) can tuna, no salt added and packed in water, drained
1 cup oat flour*
1 large egg
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 heaping tablespoon dried catnip
*Itโs easy to make your own oat flour. Simply grind old-fashioned oats in a spice grinder (or a super clean coffee grinder) until it is transformed into a light powder. There you have it โ oat flour!
Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade attachment, combine drained tuna, oat flour, egg, olive oil and catnip. Blend until mixture is smooth. It will be thick but pliable and not terribly sticky.
Roll dough into 1/2 teaspoon balls and place on prepared cookie sheet. Use a skewer to press an X-shape into each cookie ball.
Bake cookies for 10 to 12 minutes until they are dried on top and slightly browned. Allow to cool completely before offering to your kitty.
Place treats in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to seven days.
84 Responses
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First time ever as well attempting treats so Iโm excited to see how it goes.
Iโve literally just put in an order for the ingredients I need to be picked up later and Iโm going to make a batch of these for my 3 kitties.Hope it goes well
I think you are officially the most awesome food blogger in the history of the internet!
Thanks for the inspiration! For the sake of my two cats, I’ve just placed an order for the supplies needed to prepare a batch of these treats.
In addition, the aesthetics of the presentation are first-rate. From the jar lids to the nibbles, everything is done to perfection. What a great post, I’m pleased I found it today!
Is it possible to use salted Tuna in oil!? The one people consume because it’s hard to find unsalted for me. Thank you <3
Never feed cats salted tuna as the level of salt in a can is toxic to them. You have to use unsalted only. Try ordering online if you cannot find locally.
I have tried everything to get some oil in my cat for her fur. Itโs scratchy and scaly this is perfect for getting her to eat thanks
My cat was already trying to eat it before I could get it panned. First time ever attempting treats so I’m excited to see how it goes.
Perfect for my scout troop. We’ll probably also do the container! Awesome
I have SIX cats Two golden one Abbott ,Golden eye. Then Peapod , Strips and Dumbledore and Tiger. I am going to make some today! They are going to love them! Thank You so very much!
I made a similar ingredient recipe except you added water which was huge mistake & it called for too much flourโฆ.disaster!! Dough was entirely too moist. I realized that I should have added an oil instead of the water.
You inspired me! I’ve literally just put in an order for the ingredients I need to be picked up later and I’m going to make a batch of these for my two kitties.
The presentation is stunning too. From the jar lids, to the nibbles. Awesome post, really glad I stumbled across here today!
Joy, with a cat called Torn and a recipe for kitty treats on your blog, I think you are officially the most awesome food blogger in the history of the internet! And my furbabies love you too ;)
Where can I get those jars with the cats on top. They are amazing
Hi, this site is using your pictures without crediting you >> https://www.lalocadelosgatos.com/diy-botes-con-gatos-hazlo-tu-mismo/
Can you freeze these treats
Yes!
Making these for Tron’s long lost brother’s birthday today!
I was wondering about the catnip. Did you use regular old catnip one would put in a toy? Is it safe for them to eat it? It probably has chemicals in it, everything does. Is there such a thing as food grade catnip? I don’t want feed them anything harmful. I really am a crazy cat lady!!
You can look for organic catnip(dried)
my kitties love them. thanks!!
I made these yesterday and they are terrific. I subbed spirulina for catnip bcs my cat loves it – so this made them green. He ate them and I tried them on two other cats who also loved them! Thank you!
Thank you for sharing these. It’s not easy to find good treats for kitty. I love that you’ve made them GF. (Kitty here says thank you as well.)
My cat has a grain allergy so I have to be careful about what I give her, does anyone know if oats would trigger that allergy? I admit I’m woefully uninformed about the specifics.
oh my world, what a great idea… have to made them for my little sweety… thanks for sharing.
Tron/Jules (how about Tron J.?) is adorable and SO lucky to have someone who bakes for him! Thanks for sharing this healthy treat recipe with your ‘feline-inclined’ followers! (The 5 rescued kitties who live here send their ‘thanks’; these are their new favorites!)
your a great cat mom.
tron is one lucky cat
What fun! We to changed our kitties names after we got to know them. Names are tricky.
So cute!! Thank you for sharing!!
Joy, cat’s can’t absorb nutrients from anything other than animal sources, they lack the required enzymes. To make these healthier you could use dairy from grass-fed cattle or rendered chicken fat or fish oil. Olive oil will only make your cat poop more, it won’t help kittie’s coat.
You know, my cat gets sick from all store bought treats. The only “treat” I can give him is tuna and he loves catnip. Might just have to give these a try . . .
This is so great! You are the first person to do something like this ever. How awesome. I am making these for my two boys. I love my kitties so love spoiling them and store bought treats are not always a hit with them so maybe these will be. Thanks, what a great idea!
aww, what a cutie! i bet my kitty would love these, saving the recipe!
xo, cheyenne
very lovely post :-) I don’t know if it’s good english!! Happy birthday
This is too cute…I love the picture with his paw in the jar. I make dog treats from spent brewing grains for our dog (Sam) and our cat (Eddie) always runs under him to snag a bite then sniffs it and just looks a me. So, now I have a treat I can make for him. They are in consent competition over whose’s the favorite child :)
Ugh! That last photo is priceless!!
xo
Diana
https://unusuallylovely.com
Awe! I don’t have a cat but yours is adorable. Love the last photo where he’s pawing in the jar. Too cute! :-D
Totally amazing. I’m also sorry/not sorry about being a wild cat lady and I am MAKING THESE. Yes!
My cat Leroy chowed down on my fresh-out-of-the-oven lemon drizzle cake as I slept soundly. He then peed on my stairs and left a number of nice treats in the litter box. If he was a human friend, I would totally ditch him/seek to have him assessed.
Your photos are beautiful. Totally cute post!
Joy, my kitties thank you. I tried hiding my crazy cat-ladiness from all my friends. but they knew. they all knew. you might be in the same boat. :-)
I’ve had several vets tell me to NOT feed canned tuna to cats, as it can lead to vitamin deficiencies. A yahoo answer here: https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20061130105524AANEtn7
Are these treats on the softer side? I have a 14 cat whom I spoil and obsess about like no other. I adopted her a year and three months ago. She’s a furball of personality. She only has two teeth so I have to feed her can food (although she tends to go and steal hard food from my roommates cat…not too sure how she eats it but she does) and anything that’s easy enough for her vampire teeth to eat. I would love to make her treats, they just have to be soft enough for her to break it down with two teeth.
My kitty has no teeth and she eats hard and wet food !!! They swallow their food whole mostly my vet says and it is true !!!!!!! I just break hard treats in half :)
You make me want to get a kitty :)
LOVE THIS! I’m a crazy cat lady too, except I think everyone knows it and not just me. haha. I would really love to make these, but one of my two kitties had a crystallized urinary tract a few years ago and he’s no longer able to eat fish because of it (I’m not sure how it’s relate-able, but it is). I wonder if it would work the same with canned chicken (disgusting for humans, yes, but they would probably like it). I’m definitely gonna try! Thanks for the inspiration!
xoxo
Taylor
http://www.welcomehometaylor.com
Your cat is adorable! I love the photo of him with his paw in the jar :)
These photos of your cat are PRECIOUS. Oh my gosh. I need to make these treats for my cat now. :)
What a great recipe!
I love your kitty posts, Joy! These treats are going to happen at my house. :) My kitten cat also loves all food. (He stole an entire portobello mushroom off the counter last night, but didn’t get far:)
Oh my gosh, love this! Everything about it is fabulous and perfect, and Jules himself is beyond fabulous and perfect. He’s such a lucky boy to have a mama like you!
xoxo
Sophie
Loooove this post. Tron has great fur, all those good fur-enhancing additives are doing their job ;)
i am so glad that i’m not the only person whose cat has a proper name, but also a “nickname” that has actually turned into his/her real name. my cat, iris, i got as a stray kitten from a friend. she originally named my little girl kitten “otis”. now, i couldn’t leave her name as “otis”, because what kind of name is that for a teeny tiny girl kitty? i changed her name to “iris”, but being that she was sooooooo teeny tiny, her name became “teeny”, or occasionally, “the teens”. i never call her iris. ever. the vet does, but he’s the only one.
anyway, i love these treats. i can’t wait to make them for my “teens”!
Holy adorable goodness! Those cat photos are perfection!
I love that you shared this! I used to make doggy treats for my dog, Buster, before he passed away. I loved making them for him and knowing what was in them. And he loved them too!
Do you think cooked rice run through food processor could work in a pinch?
Awe; you are such a good mama to your sweet cat! I LOVE posts about Jules! That little paw in the treats jar…doesn’t get any more adorable than that.
Joy, I love that you not only make cat treats for your kitty, but you make a sweet (adorable!) jar to store them in. You are swell.
Your kitty is adorbs! Loving the shots with the yarn balls and confetti!
These photos are the best.
My cat’s name was Beaubo, but I called him my little prince. I bought his tuna at Trader’s Joe’s, no salt, packed in water. My first Christmas without him helping with the wrapping and putting the decorations away. Your cat is a gorgeous boy. Enjoy his company and keep on spoiling him.
I love your blog and your sense of humour.
Best wishes for the new year.
I have the most wonderful kitty but she has no teeth :( i will make them smaller !!! Great post and pics .
oh my word this is absolutely darling! not crazy at all!!
I couldn’t think of the right name for my cat either – eventually a friend suggested Angel & it just felt right – although I call her my Pookie Wookie or Pookie Pie too…. LOL & Pookie Pie is definitely getting some of these made for her today :-)
The name thing is true! My (also orange) cat started as MacAroni. Once I got to know her, it was clear that what I called her on a daily basis as she kept getting into trouble was a more appropriate name, so she is now known as Bad Girl. It stuck and is still fitting 8 years later.
What a lucky kitty! I will have to try the recipe and make my three kitties lucky also! Thank you for sharing this recipe, Joy.
I just finished making them, I hope are cats love them:)
Naming is really hard! It took me over a month to name my cat and even though i think his name suits him well, i have like 30 other nicknames for him.
Same here! We have 2 beasts that will never know their own names because I call them everything except those names! They only got names on the way to the follow up vet visit because I got shamed into it!
Joy, I will always appreciate your crazy-cat-lady side. Since I currently can’t have a kitty in our apartment, I enjoy seeing others spoil their furry children, and I save the recipes for later on down the road.
love the post! where did you get those cat lids for the jars of treats? cheers!
They look like regular jelly jars/Ball jars with kitty statues glued on, and then painted :) Great gift idea for cat lovers – like me :)
Your pictures are amazing. And your cat must be pretty awesome – my cat would never allow me to get such perfect pictures. Thanks for sharing this recipe – what a cool idea! Never would have thought to make cat treats.
I’m sure that both kitties in my house would love these. They come running when I just open a tuna can :) Thanks for sharing.
WOW! I need to reproduce that for my 2 lovely loafers! :D Love the idea!
Love this recipe! Must pass it on to my friend for definite!
Rachael x
All The Little Things x | Rachael McClenaghan
Iv wanted to make cat treats for a while but i keep forgetting and buy those Dreamies (cat treats) which my cat goes mental for. As soon as they are finished I’ll make a batch of these. Oh also love the first and last picture. X
Oh he’s adorable and these treats are a great idea! I have 3 cats, 2 are orangies. I am proud to be a crazy cat lady!
your kitty is so so cute!
Love it! And my cat will too. Definitely gonna make them!
I have two cats: one who will turn his nose up at anything that is not ‘proper’ cat food and one who will eat absolutely anything she can get her paws on! I will have to try making these and see if I can get both cats to enjoy them!
Cats. Are. THE BEST. That is all.
Oh this post is so sweet, you kitty is so cute and happy birthday!
I might not have a kitty but I am sure i could past this recipe on to few of my cat loving friends.