Do you want to pamper your cat with something healthy and delicious? How about some homemade cat treats with pumpkin? Treating your fur balls occasionally is a good way to make your bond stronger. Plus, they too love to be treated sometimes.
You can get your kitty store-bought treats, but most of them are made of not so healthier things. In that case, you can put some extra effort and time to make some DIY cat treats at home, which is a healthy alternative.
But, in the end, treats should not be given daily or include a large portion of your pet’s diet. Treats have a lot of calories; hence, they should not exceed more than 10% of your pet’s daily calorie intake.
Note: These recipes may have a lot of calories. For an adult cat, 2 or 3 treats are more than enough. It is not suggested to give any of the below treats if you have kittens. Save these recipes for later, when they are adults.
Let’s show some love to our furry friend with these homemade cat treats with pumpkin.
Tips and Tricks
Use what your pet likes:
If your cat likes tuna, add it to the treat. If he likes salmon, add that. Please do not force your pet to eat something that he doesn’t like.
Break the treat into smaller pieces or make it thinner:
Some cats like their food to be sliced up into bite-size pieces. It is important not to make any treat thicker, as it can cause difficulty for them to chew and swallow. It can also lead to indigestion.
6 Homemade Cat Treats With Pumpkin:
1. Pumpkin Tuna Cat Treats
This recipe includes fresh tuna, an egg, carrots, pumpkin, and some oats. These homemade cat treats with pumpkin are a sure hit.
Ingredients:
7 oz of fresh tuna
1 egg
0.7 oz of carrot
0.7 oz of pumpkin
1 ½ tbsp of olive oil
1 tbsp of catnip herb
0.8 cup of oat flour (plain oat flour)
Directions:
- Preheat your oven to 350 F.
- Now, roast both pumpkin and fresh tuna. Let them cool down for a bit and crush them properly.
- Beat an egg and add it to a bowl. Add peeled and grated carrot, olive oil, catnip herb, pumpkin, and tuna to the same bowl. Mix well and add the oat flour to make a dough. Keep it aside for 5 minutes.
- Now, spread the ready dough to at least 0.5 inches. Cut the dough into fun shapes with molds.
- Place the sliced cookies carefully on a greased cookie sheet and bake them for 10-15 minutes at 350 F.
- Let them rest at room temperature and serve the cookies with love.
You can store these cookies in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for 1 week.
2. Pumpkin Salmon Cat Treats
This recipe is for salmon lover cats. Instead of feeding baked salmon strips, try these pumpkin salmon cookies next time.
Ingredients:
14 oz of unsalted and non-oily canned salmon
½ cup of plain oats
1/3 cup of pumpkin puree
1 egg
2 tbsp of avocado oil
Directions:
- Heat your oven to 350 F.
- Grind the oats to make a fine powder.
- Drain the excess water from the canned salmon.
- Take a bowl and add salmon, pumpkin, egg, avocado oil, and fine oat powder and mix them well.
- Let the dough rest for 5-10 minutes and finally cut it into cookies.
- Bake the cookies for 25-30 minutes and let it cool.
You can store these cookies for a maximum of 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
3. Pumpkin Pie Cookies
It requires oatmeal, applesauce, and pumpkin to make these cookies. Make sure to take unsweetened and plain apple sauce for this recipe.
Ingredients:
1 cup of grated carrots
½ cup of applesauce
1 cup of canned pumpkin
2 cups of rice flour
½ cup of oatmeal
¼ cup of flour for rolling the dough
Directions:
- Preheat your oven to 350 F.
- Blend pumpkin, applesauce, and carrots using a blender until smooth.
- Now, add oatmeal and rice flour to a bowl. Add the wet paste to the dry mixture and mix it well to make a soft dough.
- Spread the dough and roll it to keep ¼ inches thickness. Cut the cookies in the desired shape.
- Bake the cookies for 12 minutes on greased sheet and flipping it after half time.
You can store these in a refrigerator for a week.
4. Peanut Butter Pumpkin Treats
If your cat likes peanut butter, then this recipe is going to be his favorite. Add some whole wheat flour in it to make it healthier.
Ingredients:
2 ½ cups of whole wheat flour
2 eggs
½ cup of canned pumpkin
2 tbsp of peanut butter
½ tbsp of salt
½ tbsp of cinnamon
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Mix all the ingredients properly in a bowl. Gradually add some water if required to make a firm dough.
- Spread and roll out the dough to ½ inches. Cut the cookies and bake for 40 minutes.
You can store it in the refrigerator for a week.
5. Roasted Pumpkin Seeds Treat
If your cat likes crunchy snacks, then these homemade cat treats with pumpkin seeds are the best choice.
Ingredients:
Lots of pumpkin seeds
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 325 F.
- Rinse the pumpkin seeds properly. Please take out all the pumpkin leftovers and its pulp.
- Place all the seeds on a lightly oiled baking sheet and put it in the oven for 20-25 minutes. Keep flipping the seeds every 10 minutes.
- Take out the seeds when they are properly toasted and serve them cold.
You can store these seeds in the refrigerator for 3-4 weeks.
6. Creamy Pumpkin Cookies
These creamy cookies can be made artistically through shaping them by piping bags.
Ingredients:
15 oz of canned pumpkin
½ cup of no-fat powdered milk
½ cup cream of wheat cereal
¼ cup of mixed grain baby cereal
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 300 F.
- Mix all the ingredients well and shape it out using the piping bag on a baking sheet.
- Bake for 20 minutes and serve them cold.
You can store it in a zip-lock bag in the refrigerator for a week.
The Bottom Line:
We all know that cats are picky when it comes to food. They can never tell you whether they like salmon or tuna or maybe both? All they do is turn around their faces and move out from there. Always do your research on what foods are safe for your pet. Consider asking your vet before changing your pet’s diet, and if that food is safe for your cat. Just make sure you feed these treats in moderation and not in their daily diet.
What healthy foods are your cat’s favorite?
Let us know what ingredients does your cat prefers in his treats!