Part of the fun of Christmas is letting our diet’s go by the wayside and gorging on all of those edible Christmas goodies – mince pies, chocolate and Christmas pudding, washed down with a glass of Prosecco or two. But as much as we like to enjoy all of these delicious treats they can be poisonous to our feline friends.

This year make sure he or she doesn’t miss out by treating them to some of these healthy, natural biscuits and cakes –all baked by you! All take less than 40 minutes to prepare and bake and your cat will love you even more for them!

Tuna Catnip Kitty Croutons

We love this recipe for dry tuna and catnip snacks which can be kept in the fridge for up to one week. Crunchy and storable… what’s not to like? From Joythebaker.com

Ingredients

• 1 (5 ounce) can tuna in water, drained
• 1 cup oat flour (just pulverise ‘normal’ oat flakes in a coffee grinder)
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 heaped tablespoon dried catnip

Method

1. Set the oven to 170 degrees.
2. Mix together the drained tuna, oat flour, egg, olive oil and catnip in a liquidiser until thick and smooth (but not sticky).
3. Roll the dough into little balls measuring around half a teaspoon.
4. Place the balls on an oven tray lined with greaseproof paper.
5. Put an X shape across the top of each ball.
6. Bake for 12 minutes until slightly browned.
7. Once cooled place in a lidded kilner-type jar and keep in the fridge for up to one week.

Salmon and Sweet Potato Nibbles

Your furball will love these protein-packed treats made from salmon and sweet potatoes. They may even appreciate the fact that you’ve gone to the bother of buying a salmon-shaped mould! We spotted this particular recipe on 12tomatoes.com.

Ingredients

• 1 (14 oz.) can of salmon
• 1 1/2 cups sweet potato, baked and mashed
• 1 1/2 cups porridge oats
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley

Method

1. Mix together the salmon and sweet potato in a large bowl, use a fork to break up the larger salmon pieces.
2. Using a food processor, finely grind the oats and parsley and then add to the salmon and sweet potato mix.
3. Fold together until well mixed and then spoon the mixture into your fish mould (or whatever type of mould you’re using – you could even just roll the mixture into balls).
4. Freeze for up to three hours until you’re sure the mixture has set. And you’re done!

Chicken and Rice Hearts

We got the idea for these what-sound-like-yummy (we haven’t sampled them ourselves yet) chicken and rice nibbles from PetsPyjamas.

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound boneless and skinless chicken thighs
• 1 cup spinach leaves
• 1 cup quick-cooking oats
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon catnip
• 1/4 cup flour

Method

1. Cut the chicken into small chunks so it can be blended.
2. Boil the chicken till cooked and leave to cool to room temperature.
3. Place the chicken, egg, spinach leaves, oats and catnip into the blender and mix.
4. Put the mixture into a bowl and then knead in the flour until it forms a soft dough.
5. Flatten the dough until 1cm thick using a rolling pin. Use a small cutter to form shapes.
6. Place the raw treats on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper and bake at 170 degrees celcius for 20 minutes.
7. Allow to cool before feeding to the furry one.

Crispy Liver Bites

We defy any cat to be able to resist these yummy liver cracker-type snacks. Our dog certainly can’t resist the canine version. Thanks to Petplace.

A cautionary note – although these are great for cat’s health and she or he will love them, just feed your feline a couple a day since too much liver can lead to vitamin A toxicity.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup cooked chicken livers
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup cooked carrot, mashed
• 1 tablespoon soft butter or margarine

Method

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees

1. Blend cooked livers in a blender with 1/4 cup of water.
2. Mix together flour and butter in a bowl.
3. Add the blended liver mix and carrots then knead into dough.
4. Cut into one-inch size pieces, around ¼ inches thick.
5. Place on a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
6. Bake in the over for 10 minutes until nice and crispy.
7. Allow to cool before feeding to the furry one.

Time to get cooking these easy treats to make sure your Kitty Kat has the purrfect Christmas this year too.