Dear Kitten,
It’s time to celebrate two years together.
Two years of purring and tenderness. Two years of crying for food at five in the morning. Two years of sleeping in what you know is my spot on the couch. Two years of lint rolling all of my clothes. Two years of also keeping a lint roller in my car.
Two years of tricking my friends with your cuteness and leg rubs. Two years of attacking my shins. Two years of belly rubs turned forearm attacks. Two years of trying to get outside. Two years of climbing the walls… literally. Two years of sneaking into my food shots.
Two years of sitting in and on everything I need. Two years of sleeping at the foot of my bed… and attacking my feet at the slightest sign of movement. Two years of keeping me company. Two years of scaring my catsitters. Two years of making me laugh. Two years of making my boyfriends run screaming. Two years of eating exactly everything I make… including that pancake you snuck off the pan while I was photographing.
Two years of trying to convince me that you don’t love me… when I know you do… because I love you back. And I made you treats so quit your yappin’, and no you can’t go outside.
xo.
ps. We’ll always have Cat Land.
I made cat treats. Admittedly this is slightly ridiculous.
Yes, I realize that I can easily pop into any grocery and buy the kitten a package of treats without making my house smell like weird, warm, wet cat food.
Aaahhh, the things we do for love: make cat treats.
Aaahhh, the things we do because we’re ridiculous: watch the entire season of Bachelor Pad 3 with rapt attention. (Cry for help!)
I let the little guy (he’s totally not little, but he hates when I call him big-boned) get some sniffs and licks in. Happy Birthday, Kitten. I’m teaching you bad habits.
He was so sweet and tender as a youth.
I always knew he’d grow into his nose.
I didn’t know that he’d lose all sense of decency.
Can you teach a cat manners? Seriously.
I let him lick the cat treat dough bowl . Just this once… and just to see if he’d like it.
He did… but he would have licked the bowl if it had mushrooms and onions in it too. He’s a go-getter.
Note: Cats aren’t supposed to eat onions (or garlic). I know this. Don’t yell at me cat evangelists.
He used to sleep in bowls of the punch variety.
I always thought it was cute.
And then he got really big.
… which kinda makes me feel like I let a bengal tiger live in my house. (Unwise).
Kitten knows that this is my spot on the couch. He knows darn well…
(He doesn’t care.)
He really likes when the mail lady comes. If he could bark, I’m sure he would.
Your cat sleeps like this too, right?
Tell me this is normal.
All things considered (and I have considered all things), he’s a good helper… or at least consistent, and fluffy.
He let me get him a humiliating haircut… because he has the self-confidence to rock it.
Extreme closeup involving tiny tiny teeth.
It’s because of the tiny teeth, the shaved belly, and the constant companionship that I made these chewy cat treats.
I need to be clear. My cat eats absolutely everything. If I roasted an eggplant, this kitten would be all over it. He sneaks onto the counter to steal waffles, red peppers, and scallions. I have to keep the avocados away from him . For this reason… it’s hard for me to say with full certainty that these are the cat treats for your cat. Is your cat a normal finicky cat? Yea… it’s hard to say how these might go down. You might consider the addition of such treats as catnip or extra wet cat food in the dough. Cats have a very protein-centric diet. These treats are just meant to be a small addition to their diet, and not meant to replace their normal diets in any way. Cool?
Happy Birthday, Kitten!
Chewy Cat Treats for Cats
makes about 50 small treats
1 large egg
1 4-oz jar chicken and brown rice baby food (or something meaty which may include canned wet cat food)
1/4 cup parsley, coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 tablespoons water
1 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup cooked white (or brown) rice
other things you might add other treats like : 1 tablespoon of catnip or a hearty tablespoon of extra wet cat food.
Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together egg, baby food (or wet cat food), parsley, olive oil, and water. Add brown rice flour and cooked rice. Stir to incorporate. The mixture will be thick but spreadable.
Spread mixture onto prepared baking sheet creating a rectangle that is about 1/3 of an inch thick. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven. Let rest until cool enough to handle, then slice soft dough into bite-sized pieces. Return pieces to the oven to bake for another 8 minutes. Remove from the oven. Allow to cool completely. Store in an airtight container in the fridge. I store my treats in the fridge just to be safe.
Marcie
That’s looks like a great recipe for a cat; thanks for sharing!
Shoshanna
I am sitting here watching my little kitten man sleep in the corner of the room. He has beds, trees, and many blankies but he loves to sleep in his corner of the room. This post was found as I searched for homemade cat treats and yours do sound like just what I am looking for. You have a very lucky cat and the cat has a very lucky owner. It sounds like you two are a perfect match. Sam just woke up and meowed loudly so I take it that was his two paws worth and he sends them. Thank you for such a glorious post and for giving me a smile.
Cheryl
I love how your kitty acts. I have 4 and love them all so much. Our newest addition is a 4 mo. old black kitty named Lilly, she is adorable, has to smell everything, sample everything, I am anxious to make the homemade treats. All my cats eat high protein diets and are healthy and fun to be around, We all play with toys, or they chase each other around. Yes, all my kittens sleep at foot of bed, Lilly likes to cuddle at night. Thanks for your posts I just love what you have said and I can relate with my cats too. Keep your wonderful posts coming.
Tammy
Found your blog by doing a search for cat treats. Love the write up about your cat! Very cute. I was dismayed to see baby food in the recipe. Baby food is not safe for animals. There are ingredients that can be toxic, but are not listed as the actual ingredient (ie onions may just be listed as seasonings). I bring up ONIONS specifically because ONION POWDER can be TOXIC to cats fed baby food for an extended period of time. Can also result in nutritional deficiencies, if fed in large amounts. The ingredients list on Gerber brand Chicken and Rice dinner includes onion powder.
Yes, these are treats and should not be given often. However, many people like to spoil their pets and treats are given more often than 1 or 2 times per week. THESE TREATS CAN BE TOXIC. Please remove or alter the recipe to remove the baby food. There are plenty of other options available.
Here is a link to a site of foods to never feed a cat. Please refer to it and your followers should refer to it too. https://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=1&aid=1029
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Sophia & Java the 3 Legged Kitty
My tripod kitty, Java (see website) loves these treats! I’ve been making them for a while and he eats all 50 within 2 weeks usually. Sometimes it only takes a week. He asks for treats by climbing on his treat bin.(:
mikala
my cat is even crazier! I got her a couple of weeks ago and she is already well trained. I love how crazy she is. Ive been wondering does anyone elses cat suck on blankets or even a blancket…. Thats what my cat does. 0-0