It’s certainly rewarding to make food for your cat instead of buying it at the store, but is it safe? Is it really worth the extra hassle?

Here we compare the differences between homemade cat food and store-bought food, so you are better informed if you are considering making the switch…

Is it really cheaper to make your own cat food?

Depending on what ingredients you use to make the food, it can certainly be cheaper to make it at home yourself. You can buy inexpensive ingredients and keep your costs low, but you may be tempted to buy high quality, pricey items to put in the cat food. How expensive this is would really be up to you, but many people do save money by going the homemade route. That’s because traditional dog and cat food often use a lot of preservatives and manmade chemical that can be kind of expensive to produce. They may also cost more simply for the branding and advertising that goes into them, so it’s entirely possible to save some money by doing it yourself.

The Healthiness

It’s pretty easy to make healthy food at home for your pet. If you buy wholesome ingredients, then you can make some very healthy pet food that you get to control the contents of. You can account for any allergies that your pet may have, and you can determine what goes into the food and what does not. This means you can make the food as healthy and as nutritious as you like.

Compare that to traditional dry pet food, which can contain all sorts of chemicals and toxins that can have negative long-term effects on your pet. You may not even understand what all the ingredients are in the pet food you by off store shelves and how they will affect your pet. Many of the ingredients carry long names and have unexpected side effects, and they can be especially harmful to pets that have health problems already.

The Hassle

It can be a lot of work to make up food on your own for your pet. If you always have to make the food up fresh or have it made up in advance, then you may not feel like putting in so much effort sometimes, such as when you are tired. You might do a shoddy job of making the food, and your pet may suffer as a result. It can be tiresome to make the food for your pets every time, and there may be days that you regret having made the choice.

Buying traditional food, on the other hand, is simple. There isn’t any work involved besides going to the site and picking it up. It stays fresher for longer too, in most cases, so you can keep it in storage for a long time without having to worry if it will go bad. The hassle of replacing the food you made yourself may be discouraging at times.

On the other hand, it can be convenient to just make food from what you have at home rather than to have to go to the store to buy what you need. So, in some instances, it can be less hassle to make the food yourself, especially if the weather is inclement and you don’t feel like going to the store to buy pet food.

Customized Diet

It’s easier to make the food just the way you want it for your pet if you are creating the food at home from scratch. You can accommodate your pet’s dietary needs and make sure the food is palatable and to its liking. If you have a picky cat, then homemade cat food may be your best option, because many pets dislike store bought food.

It’s tougher to make up a diet just the way you want it using food off of store shelves, but it is possible. There are more choices than ever with pre-made pet food these days. You can even order online and choose from an even wider selection. If you can’t find what you are looking for in your local store, then you can simply order what you need from one of the many online retailers. You don’t have to give up on giving your pet the exact diet you want it to have just because you are buying food that is already prepared and made up.

Even so, it will be simpler to customize a diet for your cat with food you make yourself. That way, you can avoid all the questionable ingredients like preservatives, additives, and flavorings that can take a healthy pet food and turn it into a nightmare for sensitive pets.

There are advantages and disadvantages to both feeding options you will have to decide what works best for you. Talk to your vet if you are not sure which method will be best for your pet, and make sure you choose the option that is right for your dog or cat.

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