Homemade Pet Treats – Holiday Food For Dogs and Cats

When I think about the Holidays a purr swells in my throat. Without question, it’s the best time of year. There’s the family thing, sure. But hello! There’s presents, new smells, Santa Paws, trees in the house. And food. Lots and lots of delectable, tasty, mouth-watering food!

Now, in years past, before I was here to give my input, the canine and feline siblings got gypped. Seriously gypped. During the holidays the strong aromas of cooking were super-concentrated through the house, but it was all for naught. The poor siblings were forced into back rooms and were kept imprisoned until all of the wonderful food was consumed by the gluttonous humans.

Well, I’m here to say “no more!“. I have had some very serious conversations with Mom about this unacceptable situation. Mom insists that all of the rich human holiday food would be bad for us. Really, Mom? Because from my keen feline observations I have not seen you, Dad, or the Grandmas practice caution when participating in a food feast. Having a vet for a mom can oftentimes be troublesome.

But acting as a mediator on behalf of my fur siblings we were able to come up with  a compromise. We decided to work together to make some homemade pet treats that are perfect for the holidays. Now, admittedly, I am quite the foodie, but the opposite of finicky. So we made these recipes very simple and flexible so you can add or subtract ingredients according to your canine or feline friend’s refined palate.

Important side note: my mom is vegan. Meaning she won’t eat anything containing eggs, dairy, birds, mice, not even bugs! I shall never fully understand the human mind. So having said that, we made the pumpkin pies and the cranberry cookies free of any animal products. However, since I am not vegan, being the obligate carnivore that I am, we did compromise on the green bean and turkey casserole and included some pre-packaged non-vegan cat treats.

So without further ballyhoo, here it is. Pebbles the Blind Cat’s homemade pet treats for a perfect holiday feast:

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Green Bean and Turkey Casserole

We’ll start with the easiest. Apparently Mom feels that vegetables are an important holiday side dish. Given her (inexplicable) diet of plants, I have become accustomed to condescending to the occasional taste of vegetables. And I have (shockingly) found them to be quite palatable.

However, this recipe is the ultimate for canines or felines. Although admittedly more processed than the other recipes, just live a little, people. It is the Holidays after all!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Can Green Beans
• 1 Pack of Delectables Bisque Cat Treats  or Delectables Stew Dog Treats  for the canines
• A handful of Temptations Tantalizing Turkey or BLUE Bits Turkey Recipe for the canines

Now, are you ready for the last step? Okay, so you mix it all together. Voila! You have a perfect main dish that no one can resist!

Homemade Pet Treats – Sweet Potato and Cranberry Style (Vegan)

If your furry friend is fond of crunchy treats, these are it! Most felines are more texture sensitive than taste sensitive, so these treats can be cooked longer or shorter, depending on the dog or cat preference. These are also super simple, crunchy, healthy, and delicious!

Ingredients:

• 1/4 – 1/2 cup Oat Flour – (If you don’t have any, you can grind up some old fashioned oats in a Food Processor)
• The equivalent of 1 large egg – You can make an egg mix with Flax, but we used Ener G Egg Replacer
• 1/2 Cup cooked sweet potato (Mom just microwaved a medium sweet potato until it was soft and removed the skin
• 1/4 cup Dried Cranberries
• 3 tablespoons Peanut Butter

Preheat oven to 375. Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Line a baking dish with Parchment Paper . For dogs you can use  Cookie Cutters  for homemade pet treats. Since cats prefer smaller kibble, we just made small (dime sized) cookies. Bake in the oven for 14-18 minutes, depending on crunch preference. Allow treats to cool, and give generously to the felines (and you can share a few with the canines, as well).

My canine sister Linnie, and baby brother Milton loved these.

Purrrfect Crustless Pumpkin Pie (Vegan)

It’s no secret that I’m a pumpkin (or any kind of squash) fanatic. When Mom gets out a can of pumpkin to cook with, she often (unjustifiably) locks me away so that I can’t have any. While this is utterly offensive, I was super excited to learn that she had come up with a very simple recipe just for me so I could enjoy pumpkin pie. And enjoy it I did!

Ingredients:

• 3/4 Cup Canned Pumpkin
• 1 large egg equivalent (Ener G Egg Replacer )
• 4 tablespoons Peanut Butter
• 1 tablespoon Catnip

Preheat oven to 375. Fill (approximately 20-25) Mini Baking Cups 3/4 full of pumpkin pie mixture. Place on a cookie sheet and bake in the oven for 18-24 minutes. Allow to cool thoroughly.

Milton was most definitely a fan of these. He was a big help to Mom (after she locked me away – what the heck?!). He helped with quality assurance and cleanup.

No Excuses – Include Your Fur Friends in a Healthy Way!

Thanks, Mom, for finally letting the felines and canines enjoy a wonderful holiday meal. I know humans love their holidays. So this year, don’t be a jerk. Go ahead and make your fur friends some homemade pet treats they will go crazy over. Because after all, when you’re going around the table naming all of the things you are thankful for (I mean, do humans seriously do this?), you know that, whether you admit it or not, all of the furried or feathered friends in your life are always at the top of the list!

Until next time – Have a Wonderful Holiday Season – and keep Pebbles Strong!