Feeding cat boiled chicken

[AhmedUK]

I have seen some posters mention before they give their cat boiled chicken. What is the recipe? Is there some special part of a chicken you give? Do you serve it hot old cold?

Thanks.

[Crewella]

I buy what's on sale at closing time at the supermarket and just boil it in water (just covering) on a mid heat for about 10 minutes (or a bit more if it's a whole breast). I then take the bones out it there were any. I have steamed it sometimes too. I don't add anything - salt is bad for them!

I also do white fish the same way sometimes.

I sometimes feed it still warm (not hot) and if I save some for later just feed it cold, but at room temperature - never straight out of the fridge.

[Lilith]

Ah funny you should ask that - this afternoon I've pot-roasted a chicken in honour of new year's - that is, put it into a casserole with about an inch of water and (although this varies) no seasoning - so the meat is perfect for cats.

Youngest cat Molly got very excited about the smell and beat up senior cat Emily who whacked her back. 'Tha'll get nowt but the skin!' I threatened Moll, who of course didn't believe me.

Molly is a young active cat who can eat a little fatty skin, though the fat would have melted into the juice. They all got a lump of breast meat, and, as they're none of them overweight or suffering from any disease, they'll be offered titbits off all parts of the chicken, and even the trimmings off the bones after the carcass has been boiled up for stock (makes lovely broth - fat skimmed away and with no seasoning and boiled down to a nourishing jelly would be ideal for tempting a poorly cat.) The fat is the stuff to avoid; thighs are fattiest, and any juice will need cooling and skimming before feeding. I chop up jelly and feed everything at room temperature.

I used to buy chicken mince - quality varied and it contained neck bones, which are safe; I used to stew this; it wasn't fatty, and they loved it. I imagine this is still available in pet supermarkets.

Hope this helps. Happy new year

[Janey]

Just to add ( although I'm sure you already know this) not to give them the cooked bones as they can splinter and the cat can choke.

[AhmedUK]

Ah, thanks all. I have never cooked chicken in my life, let alone bought any, so this will be fun.

I know my parents used to buy "boneless chicken", but that was from a butchers and I don't know if the supermarket does it. I guess chicken breasts don't have any bones, so I'll get that, shove it in some boiling water, cover it, and leave it for 20 minutes as I don't want it undercooked, and then take some out and let it cool and then give it to him and put the rest away in the fridge for the next few days.

[Crewella]

Chicken breast fillets will be perfect.

[Lilith]

When I'm cooking chicken breasts only, my faddy little devils like, insist on, them grilled...

Just saying. Miaow miaow nom nom nom

(My old tomcat Finn - sadly departed - when I had chicken and chips, used to say - let's share. I'll have the chicken and you have the chips...)

[bobbys girl]

I buy chicken breast fillets from Lidl - they often have them on offer. I cook one and freeze the rest. In a hurry one day I defrosted one in the microwave - then carried on cooking it in the microwave! It was fine! Now if they see me with chicken they come running when they hear the microwave ping.

BTW Purdy loves the chicken fat. Being a skinny minnie I let her lick the bowl - not sure if I should

[Crewella]

My ex stray, Daz, came from quite an urban environment - he actually would be just as happy with the chips! He is, occasionally, allowed the odd one.

[Hazel]

We cut it into small chunks before freezing or cooking it, then it cooks really quickly. Just cut a couple of chunks in half and check it's not still pink in the middle.

[AhmedUK]

Ok, sorry for sounding like a noob, but I just don't cook.

These are the fillets

fillets

20150101_122719.jpg (235.69 KiB) Viewed 29661 times

Can someone please now give further advice, for fillets this size, do I shove them all together in the pan, how much water, how much time, do I need to cut them up further?

Thanks.

[Lilith]

Bless him - that is one pampered cat!

Unless you plan to share the chicken with him, I'd stick a couple of the fillets in the freezer - one cat might not work his way through 4 in a couple of days - though if he's a greedy lad he might.

Put them in the pan, add just a little water, just to half cover, and cook quite fast, pushing the chicken about with a wooden spoon so that it doesn't stick, for 5-10 mins, till it's nice and firm and doesn't leak any pink juice, then cover and leave to cool in the gravy, which your cat may enjoy too. (Oops - edit - yes as some people have said, the chicken will cook faster if cut up - scissors are best - or you can cut it up into suitable pieces to your cat's taste, once cooked.)

Alternatively, wasn't joking about grilling chicken breasts - my cats do enjoy grilled chicken - but they are faddy ferals - have had pampered pedigrees and really down and out ferals - and the pedigrees would eat anything and the ferals, who'd had to scavenge and eat raw rat in their time, would only eat Whiskas. And grilled chicken.

Doled out some cold chicken today - Em (ex-feral) toyed with hers - Molly (who's always had a home) wolfed skin and all lol.

[AhmedUK]

Great, thanks, no, I won't be eating any, so I'll put some in the freezer as he's a small cat and I only want it to supplement this with his normal food.

Great, I'll cut them up and do it as you say, grilling sounds fun but I have never used the grill and the boiling way seems so much easier

[Kay]

I have my fingers crossed for you, Ahmed - mine won't eat chicken, boiled, roasted or grilled - not even the tinned chicken like Applaws

[bobbys girl]

Ours won't touch chicken Applaws, but will scoff chicken meant for human consumption, be it boiled, microwaved, roast or stir fried!

[nannymcfee]

I was just thinking they look the size of my turkey !All three of mine eat chicken, and daughters buy it for their 4 too (even though vegetarians...daughters not cats) but one of mine will not touch turkey

Ahmed, if in doubt ask your ladylady

( oh and if its a shared freezer, write on who it is for!!! )

[AhmedUK]

Well my landlady is on holiday and I am looking after him.

He doesn't want to eat his dry food, and he finishes his tin of wet food in a few hours and then sits there and meows away.

I read here before that someone feeds their cat boiled chicken, so I thought I will get him some.

I hope he likes it!

[Crewella]

Two of mine aren't keen, Grumpy Nellie has no teeth, and though she starts it OK, even cut up fine I think it becomes too much like hard work for her and she always leaves some. The other is foster cat Jess, who has never been handled and is very wary of everything, including 'strange food', though she is starting to eat a little now and again.

Bon appetit TC!

[nannymcfee]

I had wondered why you were feeding him, your landlady is very lucky to find someone as caring as yourself to look after and care for him whilst they are away.

[AhmedUK]

Well I will not be around here for much more time, so I enjoy every moment I get with him, because once I move out, I will probably not be down here again and so will probably never see him again, so I just want to try and keep him as happy as possible when my landlady isn't around as I think he does get very lonely.

Well, about the chicken, it didn't go down too well! He had a bit, and that was it - I left it out for 12 hours, but nope, he left most of it. He did however go to the pan and lick the juices off that! I think I might have overheated it and made it too dry, I don't know if all cats do this, but whenever he has his wet food, he licks all the gravy first and then eats it. I think he likes gravy!

[bobbys girl]

Mine are just the same. Perhaps there is a market for 'Cat Gravies' by the tin?

[AhmedUK]

Mine are just the same. Perhaps there is a market for 'Cat Gravies' by the tin?

Now that's a business plan!

[sarie]

Oh no Ahmed, TC clearly not appreciating the work that went into his delicious chicken!
Mine actually prefer chicken raw, just to be awkward. If it's cooked they'll eat it but they're less keen. I originally started giving them the offcuts when I was preparing chicken for myself and Harvey started going so nuts for it that I now save him a little bit when I'm cooking. He also loves a bit of raw white fish - I get whatever is going cheap at the fish counter in the supermarket that week - usually Hake or River Cobbler (comes in at around £1 for one boneless fillet).

I just dice it into little pieces and give it raw as a treat. I usually split it into portions and put it in freezer bags and put some in the fridge and some in the freezer so it doesn't get wasted.
Maybe try a bit of raw with what you have left so you don't waste the rest if he's not keen on it cooked? If he's indoors he's probably had little chance to chow down on any raw meat in the past as he can't get out to hunt so he might just be baffled, but worth a shot if he's not that bothered anyway

[Hazel]

I have two gravy lickers! I'd definitely buy it!

Mika will at least go back for the shrivelled up dry bits of meat later, Jess only eats biscuits and licks gravy.

[Kay]

seriously, it would make sense to sell cartons of cat gravy, to boost the liquid content of ordinary wet food, and add to fresh meat or fish - if it was nutritious enough to supplement the diet in its own right it could be very useful for cats who are struggling to eat solid food

I'd buy it as a good thing to have on stand-by

Dragon's Den, anyone?

[booktigger]

seriously, it would make sense to sell cartons of cat gravy, to boost the liquid content of ordinary wet food, and add to fresh meat or fish - if it was nutritious enough to supplement the diet in its own right it could be very useful for cats who are struggling to eat solid food

I'd buy it as a good thing to have on stand-by

Pets at home did for a while, mustn't have been popular

[Hazel]

I've thought about blending normal cat meat with a bit of water in to see if they like that. They won't eat mushed up meat or pate though (only tried a pate yesterday, most of it got spread around the hall and up the stairs and dived on, great fun, for Mika at least, not much eating went on) so it would have to be proper gravy consistency.
Maybe the pets at home version was not tasty enough or owners didn't like it (too high in bad stuff and low in nutrients maybe?)

[Walesgang]

I tried the PAH one on my Gang. They didn't touch it! Good job I only bought a couple of cartons!

[Lilith]

Recipe for jellied stock/gravy -

Whole chicken carcass or for that matter any chicken, lamb or beef bones, put in pan large enough, cover with water, cover, simmer 2-3 hours, strain the stock well, cool, refrigerate, next day skim off fat and boil up again uncovered to 'reduce' - ie evaporate - to half its former quantity, cool. It will usually jellify in the fridge but become runnier at room temperature, and can be frozen in suitable portions. If it stays jellified, just chop or mush it.

I skim off the fat because this can give some cats diarrohea although some cats enjoy it with no ill-effect - someone posted on this thread about their cat liking it so it's up to the cat

It's a faff, but a good free way of making proper nutritious additive free gravy for cats

[bobbys girl]

Maybe the pets at home version was not tasty enough or owners didn't like it (too high in bad stuff and low in nutrients maybe?)

Maybe that's the reason. But I'm still liking this idea.... I wonder if Pets at Home have a suggestion box? Pester power, 'we want gravy, we want gravy'. It would depend on who makes it.

Purdy loves chiken fat and always trys to lick the pan out. Tonight I caught her licking mayo out of a bowl.