Chicken Cat Jerky Treats - Update

My prayers go out to all those in need or have lost in the recent Storm.

So on to the Home Made Chicken Jerky Treats Update. 

The local grocery had Chicken Thighs on sale for ninety nine cents a pound. A nice discount so we got some packages.

Here is the simple recipe: 

• Strip skin and fat from 4lbs. chicken.
• Place in Pyrex or other type pan.
• Add a bit of water to cover the bottom of the pan.
• Bake at 325 for 45 minutes or till done.
•  Drain liquid and skim fat. Dispose of the fat. Save liquid.
• Cool chicken and strip off the bone. 
• Grind with course plate. 
• Add 1 cup liquid back in.
• Grind with medium plate.
• Chicken should have a cookie dough consistency. If not very smooth you may need to send it through again. 
• Load Jerky Gun and put on trays.
• Dry at 180F for approximately 5-6 hours
• Store in an airtight container.
• Sprinkle with Forte Flora or Cat-Mint (Optional)

This recipe made 5 trays of jerky.

Yes this is 4 pounds of chicken with bone and skin removed

This batch was nice and crispy.  To top off this batch I sprinkled some Forte Flora over them. Yummy. All the cats like them.

They should stay fresh for a  bit of time. I think it best to keep a few days out with the rest in the refrigerator or freezer. When there is more info on how they keep long term I will post it. They do not seem to last long enough to find out. A good thing

I no longer feel guilty about feeding my cats kibble or other treats with cereal. They get Pure Chicken Jerky Cat Treats! If you are interested here is the link to Amazon.

Nesco American Harvest Food Dehydrator

The kit is really complete and easy to use. Now that I have one I think it is a great addition to the kitchen. You can dry all kinds of things and even do flowers and the like for crafts. A very neat thing to have. And It comes with some jerky mix.

Now I have not been an aficionado of jerky besides the odd Slim-Jim eaten when younger. As the first trial I did do a pound of lean ground beef. It looks like in the store. I think it is MUCH better. Less fat. I bite off an inch or less and just kind of suck out the flavor and then chew it up. It last a long time. Much better than candy. It does have a bit of additive in it. Something to watch if you are on a restriction of one kind or another. 

So that is it for my plugging jerky and dehydration. For today.

Be kind to yourself and your cats.
Love you all.
Pete (AKA Pops)

Homemade Chicken Treats! Success!

HOMEMADE Chicken Cat Treats:

Well I have experimented a bit with making treats just like with the cat food. Trial and error gets the kinks out. 

They did not like the treats I made from Shrimp.Who knows they got the slight sniff and then the paw shake. 
DO NOT WANT!

The Dried Treats from Chicken Breast Strips were a bit hard. The Boys ate them and liked them but I felt they were a bit hard. You needed pliers to break them apart. When I saw Buddy choke a bit on one they went right in the round file. 
DO NOT WANT!

I made a batch of Cooked Chicken Cat Food and decided to try making treats like I made my Jerky. Jerky Cat Treats!

I cooked off 4 pounds of chicken thighs. Stripped the bone and skin off about a pound and a half for treats. I did not do a triple grind for the Cat Jerky as it had no bone. It was pretty dry and needed a cup of water. Popped it in the Jerky Press and Zip Zap Zam nice Jerky Treats in about 3 hours at 180 degrees. 

They come out a bit crispy but not hard. Still a bit soft. 

This is about a pound and a half. Amazing how things shrink with the water dried out.

A nice pile that should last the week. At about 1.49 a pound a little over two dollars. Less than Store Bought. More then Kibble but no gluten, corn meal, cereal, nada, no, zilch!

I did not add any salt or other preservatives as I do not want my cats to have that in their food. It may alter how long it will last without refrigeration but this is not really an issue. They will be fine for a day or so and that is exactly what I wanted. 

They are dry to the touch. Not greasy. This was why I really wanted an alternative to plain chicken. I do cook that as a treat but it is sticky and cannot be put down where they happen to be as a reward. 

Rumpy, Buddy, Timmy, Toby and Fitz all like it. Buttons seems he still wants to check it out. The vacuum cat wants to sniff test. It figures.

I will post updates when I see how it holds up. I will keep some in the refrigerator and some out as an experiment and let you know what come about.

CAT FOOD UPDATE:

Since I was cooking chicken I made some meals. I have found smaller batches are easier to make. A half hour forty five minutes with clean up is fine. This was about 2 1/2 pounds.

With all of the meals I find they need water added when I serve them up. I leave it down for about an hour and have to mix in more water as they lap the liquid juice up and leave the bottom. So I add a bit and back down and they finish up the bowl. Kind of awkward. I noticed that with the raw the moisture separates also so it is not just the cooked chicken meals.

I decided to add Guar Gum which is a soluble fiber used for thickening and smoothing in cooking. I also does add nutrition for the large bowel so a thought for any GI Problems. WOW it is powerful. I did a bit more than a rounded teaspoon. It made a cup of thickened liquid as I added it to the Taurine, Vitamins, and Supplements I add to the meals. 

It blended well into the chicken but the results will not be known until the current batch is eaten. I want to see how it holds up after being frozen. 

Will keep you all posted.
Head Bonks, Purrs, and a hearty Good Day to all!
Pete (AKA Pops)