Homemade cat food
Bone Broth Lick-Mat Topper
Unsalted homemade chicken bone broth spread on a lick mat — a hydrating, enriching activity that turns a drink into slow, soothing licking.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time
- 10 min (plus broth)
- Makes
- 4–6 lick-mat servings
🧺 Ingredients
- Plain unsalted chicken bone broth, cooled and skimmed of fat (no onion, garlic or salt)
- A cat lick mat
- Optional: a spoonful of the cat’s usual wet food to thicken
👩🍳 Method
- Make or use plain bone broth simmered from chicken bones in water alone — absolutely no onion, garlic, salt or stock cubes, which are toxic or unsafe for cats.
- Skim off the fat and let the broth cool to room temperature; it will set to a soft jelly in the fridge.
- Spread a thin layer of the jellied broth across the lick mat, optionally mixed with a little wet food.
- Offer it on an easy-to-clean floor and let your cat lick at leisure.
- Wash the mat thoroughly after each use and refrigerate leftover broth, using within three days or freezing in cubes.
Nutrition: A lick mat spread with warm, savoury bone broth adds moisture for cats who drink too little, while the repetitive licking is naturally calming — a useful way to settle an anxious cat or slow down a fast eater.
📝 Notes
Only ever use plain, unsalted broth made without onion or garlic, which are poisonous to cats. Bone broth is a hydrating extra and enrichment tool, not a meal, and should not replace fresh drinking water or a complete diet.
⚕️ Before you cook for your cat
- Homemade food must be balanced. Cats need taurine, and deficiency causes heart and eye disease.
- Treat recipes are supplements to a complete diet, not a replacement for it.
- Check any new ingredient against the toxic-foods list, and ask your vet before switching diets.