Homemade Tuna Cat Treats – 9 Delicious Recipes (Vet Approved)
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It may seem like a good idea to give your cat a bite or two of your food every once in a while, especially as a treat for being such a good kitty. However, only some human foods are safe for cats, and even if they’re cleared by your vet, feeding human foods can create bad habits if your cat is always begging for some of your meal.
Why not try giving your cat treats instead? Treats can be store-bought, but these don’t always contain the best or tastiest ingredients. That’s why you should try making cat treats at your home so that you know what’s in them (and you might save a little money in the process). We’ve provided nine homemade cat treat recipes that are made with an affordable and proven ingredient that cats love: tuna.
While cat safe, you should remember that these treats can only be served occasionally as they are not a complete and balanced diet. The caloric content in the treats should be taken into consideration to account for the number of calories your cat ingests during a week. While your cat might really enjoy these yummy rewards, remember not to give more than 10% of your cat’s daily calories in treats.
1. Easy Homemade Tuna Cat Treats
Easy Homemade Tuna Cat Treats
Equipment
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Food processor
- Mixing bowl
Ingredients Â
- 1 can of no salt added tuna 5 oz
- 2 tbsp coconut flour
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp olive oil
InstructionsÂ
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Without draining it, add the entire can of tuna to the food processor. Use the pulse function to finely chop the tuna.
- Combine the tuna, coconut flour, and egg in a mixing bowl until a dough forms. Once combined, add in the olive oil and mix it in evenly as well.
- Use a teaspoon or tablespoon to scoop out some of the dough (depending on how large you want the treats to be), then roll it into balls.
- Place the balls onto the baking sheet and use a fork to flatten them out.
- Bake the treats for 10-15 minutes, or about 5 minutes longer if you want them to be crispier.
- Remove them from the oven and let them cool before giving them to your cat.
2. Tuna Catnip Cat Treats
Your kitty is sure to love these cat treats, made with two of their favorite things: tuna and catnip, plus three other nutrient-packed ingredients. These treats will surely put a little pep in your cat’s step.
| Prep Time: | 10 minutes |
| Baking Time: | 10-12 minutes |
| Total Time: | 20-22 minutes |
- Spice grinder
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Food processor/blender
- Skewer
- 1 can of no salt added tuna (5 oz.)
- 1/3 cup old-fashioned oats
- 1 tbsp coconut flour
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp dried catnip
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Use the spice grinder to grind the old-fashioned oats into a powder until you have 1/3 cup of oat flour add the coconut flour.
- Combine drained tuna, oat flour, egg, olive oil, and catnip in a food processor until well-blended into a doughy consistency.
- Roll the dough into balls small enough for your cat to eat, then place them on the baking sheet. Use a skewer to draw an X into the balls.
- Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, then let them cool.
3. Tuna Puff Cat Treats
These fun puff cat treats are made with only tuna, eggs, and oat flour. It really can’t get simpler than that. Plus, the taste is just as good as any of the others on our list. Give these a try!
| Prep Time: | 15 minutes |
| Baking Time: | 15 minutes |
| Total Time: | 30 minutes |
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Food processor
- Rolling pin
- Mini cookie cutter
- 1/4 cup oat flour
- 1 egg
- 1 can of no salt added tuna (5 oz.)
- 1 tbsp tuna water, no salt added
- Preheat oven to 350℉ and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Set aside 1 tablespoon of the tuna water and drain the rest.
- Add tuna, tuna water, and egg to a food processor and blend together.
- Add the flour and mix until doughy.
- Flour a cutting board or surface with 1-2 tablespoons of flour.
- Pour the dough onto the floured surface and use a rolling pin to roll it out flat.
- Use the mini cookie cutter or a knife to cut out small pieces of the dough, then place them on a baking sheet.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until they puff up and turn golden in color. Allow them to cool.
4. Tasty Tuna Cat Treats
These treats are similar to the tuna puff treats, but this recipe utilizes cornmeal to give the finished treats a crumbly texture that closely resembles that of your cat’s normal food.
| Prep Time: | 20 minutes |
| Baking Time: | 15-20 minutes |
| Total Time: | 40 minutes |
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Mixing Bowl
- 1 can of no salt added tuna (12 oz.)
- 1/4 cup coconut flour
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp water
- Preheat oven to 350℉ and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Divide the 12-ounce can of tuna in half until you have approximately 6 ounces of tuna.*
- Add 6 ounces of tuna, half the tuna water, coconut flour, cornmeal, egg, and water to a mixing bowl.
- Mix the ingredients until a dough forms, then let the dough sit for about 10 minutes.
- Cover the surface of a cutting board or countertop with cornmeal, then roll out the dough until it is ¼-inch thick.
- Use a knife to cut out the dough into shapes, then place them on the baking sheet.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, then let cool.
*Tuna typically comes in either 5 or 12-ounce cans. If you don’t want to divide a 12-ounce can of tuna in half to get 6 ounces, just double the rest of the ingredients to make twice the amount of treats.
5. Grain-Free Tuna Cat Treats
If your cat has an allergy or intolerance to grains or gluten, then why not give these cat treats a try? They’re made with only two ingredients: eggs and tuna. But still have a bit of crunch to them once they’ve cooled.
| Prep Time: | 10 minutes |
| Baking Time: | 25 minutes |
| Total Time: | 35 minutes |
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Blender
- Spatula
- Piping bag
- 1 egg
- 1 can of no salt added tuna (5 oz)
- Preheat oven to 330℉ and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Break the egg and separate the egg white from the egg yolk. Throw away the egg yolk and add the egg white to a mixing bowl.
- Beat the egg white with a whisk until the egg forms a stiff peak when the whisk is removed.
- Drain the tuna and empty the can into a blender. Add two tablespoons of the egg white into the blender, then blend until a smooth paste is formed.
- Remove the tuna paste from the blender using a spatula, then gently fold it into the rest of the egg white.
- Spoon the tuna and egg mixture into a piping bag with a small nozzle attached.
- Pipe the mixture onto small rounds on the baking sheet, making sure that they aren’t too big for your cat to eat.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the treats are dry. Allow them to cool before giving them to your cat.
6. Tuna and Cheddar Biscuits
Some cats love cheese almost as much as they love tuna. If that’s true for your cat, then you should definitely consider making these tuna and cheddar treats that are sure to have your feline begging for more.
| Prep Time: | 45 minutes |
| Baking Time: | 10-15 minutes |
| Total Time: | 1 hour |
- Spice grinder
- Food processor
- Plastic wrap
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- 1/4 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
- ¼-½ cup cold water
- 1 can of no salt added tuna (5 oz)
- 1 egg
- 4 tbsp old fashioned oats
- Turn the old-fashioned oats into flour by grinding them in a spice grinder until you have about 1â…“ cups. (You can use a food processor for this as well.)
- Drain the tuna and add it to the food processor along with the shredded cheese. Mince until a fine texture is reached.
- Add in the egg and oat flour, then use the pulse function on low to combine them.
- As the food processor is running, drizzle cold water into the mixture until a dough is formed.
- Divide the dough into four equal-sized balls, then wrap each of the balls in plastic wrap and refrigerate them for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350℉ and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place a baking sheet over a flat surface and roll out each ball of dough into the shape of a snake.
- Cut the snake into small pieces, then roll each piece into a ball. Use a spoon or fork to flatten the balls.
- Place the balls onto the baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes.
- Remove them from the oven and let them cool before giving them to your cat.
7. Pumpkin Tuna Cat Treats
Pumpkin is another food that has tons of vitamins and minerals in it that are good for your cat, including vitamins A, B, and C in addition to calcium and potassium. Combined with tuna, which provides protein, these treats make for a healthy and delicious treat.
| Prep Time: | 30 minutes |
| Baking Time: | 10-15 minutes |
| Total Time: | 45 minutes |
- Spice grinder
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Mixing bowl
- Wax paper
- Rolling pin
- â…“ cup canned pumpkin puree
- 1 can of no salt added tuna (5 oz.)
- 2 Â tbsp old-fashioned oats
- 1 tsp dried catnip (optional)
- Preheat oven to 350℉ and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Grind the old-fashioned oats using a spice grinder until you’ve made an oat flour.
- Combine all of the ingredients, plus the oat flour into a mixing bowl and mix until a dough is formed.  Drain the tuna but keep the tuna water to help the dough to form. If a dough doesn’t form, add water a little at a time until it does.
- Place the dough between two pieces of wax paper and roll it out until it forms a flat sheet.
- Cut out small pieces of dough into whatever shape you prefer and place them onto the baking sheet.
- Bake the treats for about 15 minutes or until they have started to turn brown on the edges and are firm.
- Allow them to cool before giving them to your cat.
8. Dehydrated Tuna Cat Treats
If you have a food dehydrator, you can make homemade cat treats using only tuna. These are great because they keep your cat from eating too much tuna at one time. And this way, a single can of tuna can go a long way.
| Prep Time: | 0 minutes |
| Baking Time: | 2 to 10 hours |
| Total Time: | 2 to 10 hours |
- Food dehydrator
- 1 can of no salt added tuna (5 oz or 12 oz)
- For this recipe, you can use either a 5-ounce or 12-ounce can of tuna, depending on how many treats you want to make.
- Drain the water from the can of tuna and flip it over onto the food dehydrator tray.
- Use a fork to spread out the tuna as evenly as possible, breaking up large chunks into smaller pieces of tuna.
- Set the dehydrator to 160℉ and let the tuna dehydrate for anywhere from 2 to 10 hours, depending on how big the pieces of tuna are.
- Watch your kitty enjoy his new tuna treats!
9. Frozen Tuna Cubes
This recipe from frozen tuna cubes uses only tuna and water. It’s a cooling, hydrating, and tasty treat for hot summer months, especially if your cat spends a lot of time outdoors. Plus, there’s no baking required.
| Prep Time: | 5 minutes |
| Baking Time: | 3 to 4 hours |
| Total Time: | 3 to 4 hours |
- Mixing bowl
- Ice cube tray
- 1 can of no salt added tuna (5 oz or 12 oz)
- Water
- Pour the entire can of tuna, water and all, into a mixing bowl.
- Add about ¼ to ⅓ cup of water to the bowl (depending on what size can of tuna you used) to dilute the tuna a little bit.
- Spoon the tuna into the ice cube tray as evenly as possible, then fill the rest of the tray with the leftover tuna water or regular water.
- Place the ice cubes into the freezer.
- After they are frozen, give one to your kitty.
Additional Notes
You’ve probably noticed that in most of these recipes, we’ve called for tuna with no salt added. Avoid using normal tuna for these recipes, as tuna naturally contains salt, to begin with. Be aware that too much salt can actually be unhealthy for anyone, but cats especially because they are a lot smaller than humans. That’s why we’ve suggested using low sodium tuna with no extra salt added, in order to make the treats as healthy as possible for your cat.
Another thing to keep in mind is that any uneaten treats should be stored in an airtight container and refrigerated. Except for the Frozen Tuna Cubes, each one of these treats will keep for about 7 days in the refrigerator, after which they should be discarded. You can also freeze most of them in the event that you made too many, as they will keep for longer than if they were refrigerated.
While most cats love treats, consider showing your love and appreciation in a different way by treating your feline companion to our Hepper NomNom Cat Bowl! Keeping our cats healthy and happy is key and this bowl was designed to do just that.
Conclusion
Making cat treats at home is a great way to ensure that your cat is ingesting safe and healthy ingredients, without any added preservatives or artificial flavors. Tuna provides protein, which is the most important nutrient in a cat’s diet, while other ingredients provide bonus nutrients that can help keep your cat healthy. We’ve tried to provide recipes that were relatively simple and affordable to make, so we hope that you found at least one tuna cat treat recipe that you can make for your feline friend.
Featured Image Credit: Svetlana Rey, Shutterstock
