So I have this cat. His name is Jules, but I call him Tron.
Sometimes you just name the creature in your house the wrong name. It’s hard to know until you know them. Never let me name a child. I won’t get it right. That’s the lesson we’re supposed to learn here.
So I have this cat. Sometimes I make him cat toys and cat treats. 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. I made them again this weekend and my kitten-cat was pretty excited. To be fair, he also gets excited when I buy a rotisserie chicken or slice into an avocado. He’ll also steal a warm blueberry muffin, eat through the center of a pie, or lick the frosting off a cake. 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. Find out how to make them here.
Cat treats! 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. 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. But these are just cat treats, so maybe we could just all calm down by like, at least 12%. Just sayin’.
One of the binder of these cat treats is oats.
More specifically, oats that are pulverized into oat flour. Like so. 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. The mixture is doughy and people-edible but mostly kitty-edible.
I roll the tuna dough into teaspoon sized balls. Kitty-sized.
A little criss-cross action. Just for even baking. 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. 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
*It’s 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 — 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.
Emily
Making these for Tron’s long lost brother’s birthday today!
Denise
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!!
kyrgyzgal10
my kitties love them. thanks!!
Deb
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!
Charlette
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.)
Cats and Tattoos
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.
gris-noir chic
oh my world, what a great idea… have to made them for my little sweety… thanks for sharing.
Kathy K
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!)
bakerkat
your a great cat mom.
tron is one lucky cat
Heather
What fun! We to changed our kitties names after we got to know them. Names are tricky.
Jessica Bell
So cute!! Thank you for sharing!!
MaryEllen
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.
Martha
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 . . .
Deborah Singer
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!
cheyenne
aww, what a cutie! i bet my kitty would love these, saving the recipe!
xo, cheyenne