I have three cats. One of them doesn't pee in the litter box. He uses puppy pads. He does use the litter box to poop. SAVE ME!!! At least two of them a few times a week throw up their dry food... a high end pet store product. One is for sure the one who doesn't pee in the box. They also get one can of medium priced cat food, the small tin. Once a week, they get a tin of tuna in water. That usually lasts the three of them two days.
So I thought I'd try to make cat food for them. Anyone else do that? Any suggestions? I've got a recipe that calls for chicken stock, chicken, rice, egg, and olive oil. Thought I'd add a carrot. Says grind it all up after cooking.
Any thoughts?
The vet has examined the cat who doesn't use the litter box and says there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with him. I have four litter boxes for the here of them. Clean them every day. And change them once a week.
Hmm... there's a lot going on here.
How long ago did the peeing outside the box start? How old is the cat? Is he declawed?
The main reason for litter box avoidance is associating the box with pain. It is possible he is having a urinary issue that is causing pain when he pees -- this is common in males, and more so in cats with a dry diet. Have the vet test him for urine crystals. If declawed, this could be from the memory of the post-surgical pain (litter is grainy and could hurt when rubbing against hurt-y paws).
The recipe you've given won't be complete for a cat, though I'm sure it's a delicious treat. They need the whole animal: meat, bone, and organs. They also need it uncooked; cooking burns off some of the nutrients, especially in the organ meat. If they don't get enough nutrient-dense organ meat, they can rapidly become deficient. Taurine deficiency is the biggest danger, and can cause blindness and heart issues. There is also no need for plant matter.
Home making a complete cat diet takes a LOT of research. They are very different from us, and their bodies can't make some of the nutrients that humans and dogs can (like taurine), so the balance of their diet is important. They don't have as much room for error as we omniverous creatures do.
The surest way to safely ensure their diet is complete is to get commercial diet, either traditional wet food, or commercial-made raw food (don't cook it!). Not as expensive as it sounds.
If you are committed to home-making their diet, don't rush yourself. Make sure you really research their nutritional needs and get comfortable, well, handling dead animal parts. You can spend that time transitioning them with a commercial diet; cats are famous for being stubborn about diet changes, even if it's better for them. It may take time to convince them.
But it is definitely a good idea to get them on some sort of moisture-dense diet, especially if they are getting older. Cats struggle to process starch (all dry foods have a lot of it, even the best). And because cats are dry-weather creatures, they don't have a strong thirst drive. In their cat-brains, they expect to get almost all the water they need from just their food, so they often don't drink enough water to stay optimally hydrated while eating primarily dry food.
Hope this helps!