Thanksgiving Leftovers Recipe Ideas: Treats for Your Cat
While Thanksgiving is all about friends and family (of the two-legged and four-legged variety) and food, it's important to remember that not everyone should be included in the feast! Even though it can be tempting to slip Whiskers some turkey skin or a bit of green bean casserole - many Thanksgiving foods can actually make your pets sick.
Purrfect Pumpkin Smoothie
While your guests sip cocktails, dogs and cats can wet their whistles with this creamy pumpkin drink that’s packed with fiber and digestion-friendly probiotics. Bonus: freezes well for longer-lasting licking!
Ingredients
- ½ c. canned pumpkin puree
- ½ c. plain non-fat yogurt
Directions
- Place pumpkin and yogurt in a blender and blend on high until smooth.
- Evenly pour mixture into 8 small paper cups. Either refrigerate or freeze overnight or serve right away.
Yields: 8 servings
Calories per smoothie: 13
Why we love it:
Pumpkin is packed with fiber and vitamin A and can help soothe upset stomachs.
Recipe thanks to Gopetplan.
Thanksgiving Turkey Nibblers
Turning leftover meats into treats for your pets is a great way to avoid waste and treat your cat to an especially tasty and healthy snack.
You can create these treats using a dehydrator if you happen to have one. Simply adjust the drying time to suit your unit. However, you can still make really terrific jerky treats using a conventional oven. The key to success lies in keeping a close eye on the meat during the process.
Ingredients
- 12 thinly sliced strips of dark turkey meat
Directions:
- Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees.
- Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray.
- Remove any fat and skin from the turkey meat, as it is not easy for your cat to digest and may cause tummy upset.
- With a very sharp knife, cut turkey into ½ to 1-inch slices.
- Place turkey strips on a baking sheet in a 300-degree oven, for about three hours. This is something you will want to keep an eye on so the meat doesn't char or burn. We are making jerky, so you basically just want the meat to dry, and this will result in some natural shrinkage.
- After about 2 ½ to 3 hours, turn your oven off, leaving the turkey inside.
- The turkey will continue to dry as the oven cools. I like to let the strips remain in the oven anywhere from six to eight hours until they are completely dry and cool.
After cooling, you should place the strips in an air-tight container. You can keep them fresh even longer by placing the container in your freezer and just pulling out treats as you need them.
Roasted Turkey Medallions
Turkey provides potassium and essential amino acids and is a protein-packed snack.
Slice a few slivers when the turkey comes out of the oven to create these mouth-watering morsels. Baking them is so quick and easy, they’ll be done by the time the turkey hits the table.
Ingredients
- 6 oz. white meat turkey, cooked
- ½ c. chopped carrots
- ½ c. ground quinoa or oatmeal
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400°.
- Place turkey and carrots in a food processor and blend until smooth.
- Add ground quinoa or oatmeal and blend until mixed.
- Roll into 1-inch balls (or smaller, if your pet is petite) and place on a non-stick cooking sheet.
- Bake 15 minutes.
Yields: 30 servings
Calories per medallion: 17
Recipe thanks to Gopetplan.
Do you have any Thanksgiving leftover recipes that you prepare for your pets? Let us know!
I forgot to tell you that I throw all the bones out. Oh, and sometimes I add spinach they love it.
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