Cats are obligate carnivores—they need a diet heavy in animal protein to be healthy. High-quality cat food meets your cat’s nutritional needs, but many owners find their cats are happier and healthier with a little extra.
Bone broth is a great way to add some moisture, nutrients, minerals, and animal protein to your cat’s food. Bone broth is made by cooking bones in water until they begin to break down and release nutrients into the water. This creates a rich, nutritious liquid that cats love. Plus, bone broth has tons of great nutritional benefits for your cat.
Top 6 Potential Health Benefits of Bone Broth
1. Hydration
Did you know that many cats who eat dry food don’t get enough water? Cats often underestimate how much water they need. Whether it’s used as a topper or on its own, bone broth will help your cat stay hydrated.
2. Joint Health
Bones are rich in collagen—a connective tissue found throughout the body, including in your cat’s joints. Bone broth can help increase your pet’s collagen consumption promoting joint health in older cats.
3. Immune System Health
Bone broth helps to promote a healthy gut, which is very important for a cat’s immunity and overall health.
4. Skin and Coat Health
Bone broth is a great way to entice a cat to drink. Being a source of moisture, bone broth can help to keep a cat’s skin and coat hydrated, preventing dryness and flaking. Collagen is well known for improving skin.
5. Protein
Protein is a cat’s most important nutritional need, and bone broth is mainly protein. This makes it a great source of nutrition for your cats.
6. Flavor Enhancer
If your cat is a picky eater, bone broth is a delicious, healthy way to improve the flavor and texture of cat food, so they can get plenty of healthy nutrients from their other food.
Homemade vs Store Bought Bone Broth
Homemade vs Store Bought Bone BrothYou can buy bone broth at the store or make your own. Bone broth takes a few hours to make, but most of that time just involves the broth simmering. Many butchers sell bones for broth making, or you can save bones from your own cooking until you have enough.
If you decide to buy bone broth, make sure to check the ingredients list. Many store-bought broths that are made for human consumption have added seasonings that make it tasty for us but unhealthy or even dangerous for your cat. Don’t feed your cat broth with added seasonings like garlic and onion, which are toxic to cats.
Our Bone Broth Recipe
How to Feed Bone Broth to Your Cat
Feeding your cat bone broth is easy. As long as you strain it well and remove any bones or fragments, you can serve it warm, cold, or even frozen into cubes, depending on your cat’s preferences. Cats love to lap bone broth straight from the bowl, and it’s a great way to coax your cat to drink a little extra liquid. It can also be used as a topper. You can pour the broth on top of dry food to add a little extra moisture to your cat’s food. This is a great way to soften food and add flavor to it, making it extra tasty. Softer food is also great for senior cats and kittens.
Last Thoughts
If you want to give your cat a special treat or add a little extra protein and moisture to its diet, bone broth is a great choice. It’s one of the healthiest toppers to add to dry food, and most cats just love it! Just make sure that if you’re buying store-bought broth, it doesn’t contain any harmful added ingredients like extra salt or dangerous seasonings.
Featured Image Credit: Brian Yarvin, Shutterstock
