Cat cookies?! 🐱🍪 Yes—and you can make them at home!

If you're looking for a fun DIY cat food recipe, these adorable homemade cat cookies are an easy place to start.

Made with chicken or tuna, egg and a little flour, these tiny treats require only a few simple ingredients. And here's the cutest part: you don't even need a cat-shaped cookie cutter.

We'll make each cookie look like a little cat face simply by pinching two tiny ears into the dough before baking.

Let's make some cat cookies!

Important: These homemade cat cookies are intended as occasional treats. They are not a complete and balanced homemade diet and shouldn't replace your cat's regular food.

Why Make Homemade Cat Cookies?

There is something fun about making a treat especially for your cat.

With homemade treats, you control exactly what goes into the recipe, and you can keep the ingredient list short and simple.

These DIY cat cookies are also:

• Made with just a few ingredients
• Easy to customize with chicken or tuna
• Small enough to use as occasional treats
• Adorable for birthdays or special occasions
• Fun to make with a simple cat-face shape
• A cute homemade gift idea for a fellow cat lover

And, of course, there's the ultimate test:

Will your cat actually eat your baking? 😹

We'll find out.

🐟 Ingredients for Your DIY Cat Cookies

You'll need:

• 1 cup cooked chicken or tuna, plain and unseasoned
• 1 egg
• Approximately ¼ cup oat flour or whole-wheat flour
• Optional: a small amount of catnip

That's it!

Choosing Your Chicken or Tuna

If you're using chicken, cook it thoroughly and use it completely plain.

No salt.
No seasoning.
No garlic.
No onion.
No sauces.

Then shred or finely chop it.

If you're using tuna, choose plain tuna and drain it before adding it to the recipe.

Keeping the recipe simple is best.

👩🍳 How to Make Cat Cookies

Step 1: Prepare Your Chicken or Tuna

Start with approximately 1 cup of cooked chicken or tuna.

If you're using chicken, shred or chop it into very small pieces.

You want the meat fine enough that it can combine with the egg and flour and form a dough.

If the pieces are too large, the cookies may be harder to shape.

Step 2: Make the Cat Cookie Dough

Preheat your oven to:

350°F / 175°C

Place your prepared chicken or tuna into a mixing bowl.

Add:

1 egg 

Mix until combined.

Then begin adding the flour gradually.

Don't automatically dump the entire ¼ cup into the bowl. Add a little at a time and mix until you have a soft dough that holds together.

The dough should be:

Soft enough to shape → but not so sticky that it stays on your fingers.

If it's still very wet, add a little more flour.

If you're using catnip, you can mix a small amount into the dough now.

🐱 Step 3: Turn the Dough Into CAT COOKIES!

Now for the best part.

We're turning ordinary little treats into cat cookies.

Take a small piece of dough and roll it gently between your hands to create a little ball.

 

 

 

 

Then:

1. Roll a small ball.

2. Gently flatten it into a disc.

3. Pinch one point at the top.

4. Pinch a second point beside it.

And suddenly...

You have two little cat ears! 🐱

No special cookie cutter required.

Place your finished cat-shaped cookie onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Repeat with the remaining dough.

Cats Ace Tip 🐾

Keep the cookies small.

They're treats—not little meals.

Smaller cookies also make it easier to control how much your cat is getting.

🔥 Step 4: Bake the Cat Cookies

Place your baking sheet into the preheated oven.

Bake for approximately:

10–12 minutes

The treats should become firm and may turn lightly golden.

Because ovens and cookie thicknesses vary, watch your first batch carefully rather than relying only on the timer.

Once they're finished, remove the tray from the oven.

And now comes the difficult part...

Your cat has to wait. 😹

Allow the cookies to cool completely before offering one.

😻 Step 5: The CAT COOKIE Taste Test

They're baked.

They're cooled.

They're shaped like cats.

There's only one opinion left that matters.

Your cat's.

Start by offering one small piece.

Your cat may immediately eat it.

They may sniff it for 30 seconds first.

They may carry it somewhere else.

Or they may look directly at you as if you've completely misunderstood the assignment.

That's part of the fun.

If your cat hasn't eaten these ingredients before, start with a very small amount.

And if your kitty approves?

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Five-star cat review.

Chicken or Tuna Cat Cookies: Which Should You Make?

You can make this DIY cat food recipe with either.

🐔 Chicken Cat Cookies

Chicken creates a mild, meaty treat and is a good option if your cat already eats and tolerates chicken.

Use plain, thoroughly cooked chicken without skin, bones or seasoning.

🐟 Tuna Cat Cookies

If your cat comes running every time you open something that remotely resembles a tuna can, this version might be the winner.

Use plain tuna and drain it before adding it to the recipe.

You could even make a small batch of each and conduct a highly scientific Cats Ace experiment:

Chicken vs. Tuna.

Let your cat decide the winner. 😹

🌿 Can I Put Catnip in Cat Cookies?

Yes, but it's completely optional.

You can mix a small amount of catnip into the dough before shaping your treats.

However, you don't need catnip to make the recipe work.

Chicken and tuna already have plenty of aroma to get a cat's attention.

And remember that not every cat responds strongly to catnip.

So if you don't have any?

Skip it.

Your cat cookies will still be cat cookies.

🍪 Can I Use a Cat-Shaped Cookie Cutter?

Absolutely.

Our favorite thing about this recipe is that you can make the cat shape simply by pinching the dough.

But if you already own tiny cat-shaped cookie cutters, you can experiment with those too.

Just keep the treats appropriately small and watch the thickness so they bake evenly.

I'll include some useful baking tools in our Amazon list below.

📦 How to Store Homemade Cat Cookies

These aren't shelf-stable commercial biscuits.

They're homemade treats containing meat or fish and egg, so treat them as perishable food.

Once completely cooled, place the cat cookies in a sealed container and keep them refrigerated.

Making small batches is ideal.

You can also freeze extras in small portions and thaw only what you need.

If you notice an unusual smell, appearance or texture, discard the treats.

❓ Are Homemade Cat Cookies a Complete Cat Food?

No—and this is important.

Although you're reading a DIY cat food recipe, these cat cookies are intended as treats only.

They're not formulated to provide every nutrient your cat requires.

Cats have specific nutritional requirements involving protein, amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins and minerals. A homemade recipe containing meat, egg and flour does not automatically meet those requirements.

Your cat's regular complete and balanced food should remain the foundation of their diet.

A useful general guideline is:

About 90%+ regular complete diet

No more than about 10% treats

The World Small Animal Veterinary Association recommends keeping treats below 10% of a pet's daily caloric intake. WSAVA Treat Guidelines

If you want to prepare your cat's actual everyday diet at home rather than occasional treats, that's different. Work with your veterinarian or a qualified veterinary nutritionist to formulate a nutritionally complete recipe.

🚫 What Should You Never Put in Homemade Cat Treats?

Simple is better.

Don't start adding human cookie ingredients to make these treats look or taste more like our cookies.

Avoid ingredients such as:

Chocolate, onion, garlic, chives, xylitol, alcohol and caffeine.

And despite the word cookies, your cat doesn't need sugar, frosting or candy decorations.

That's also why I've removed the carob chips suggested in the original Cats Ace recipe.

These aren't human cookies made cat-safe.

They're meaty cat treats that happen to look like adorable little cookies.

Big difference. 🐱

🛒 Make Your Own Cat Cookies: Helpful Supplies

Want to make the recipe easier?

I'm putting together a Cats Ace Amazon list with useful supplies for making homemade cat treats.

DIY Cat Cookies & Homemade Cat Treat Supplies

I recommend adding:

• Small cat-shaped cookie cutters
• Silicone baking mat
• Parchment paper
• Small baking sheet
• Mixing bowls
• Measuring spoons
• Measuring cups
• Silicone spatula
• Mini food processor/chopper
• Small kitchen scale
• Airtight treat container
• Freezer-safe containers

Once you create the Amazon Idea List, send me the link and we'll insert it here as a clear CTA:

🛒 Shop Our DIY Cat Cookie Supplies

As an Amazon Associate, Cats Ace earns from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.

That disclosure should also appear before or very close to your first Amazon affiliate link, rather than being buried at the bottom of the article.

🐾 More DIY Ideas for Your Cat

If your cat enjoyed eating something homemade, how about making them something to play with next?

Try our:

DIY Catnip Mouse & Kicker Toy

Turn simple fabric, stuffing and catnip into two homemade toys your cat can chase, grab, wrestle and bunny kick.

Make the DIY Catnip Mouse & Kicker Toy

It makes a great next project after your cat-cookie baking session.

📸 Show Us Your Cat Cookies!

Did you make them?

We want to see your tiny cat-cookie creations—and, even better, your cat's reaction to them.

Share your creations and tag @CatsAceBlog on Instagram.

Extra points if your cat supervises the entire baking process from an unnecessarily close distance. 😹

💙 From the Cats Ace Kitchen

Sometimes loving your cat looks like buying their favorite food.

Sometimes it's building them a cardboard playground.

And sometimes...

it's baking tiny cookies with cat ears. 🐱🍪

This DIY cat food recipe is an easy way to make something special for your cat without turning your kitchen into a complicated pet-food laboratory.

Chicken or tuna.

Egg.

A little flour.

Two tiny pinched ears.

And then the most important part:

The cat test.

Would your cat choose CHICKEN 🐔 or TUNA 🐟? Tell us in the comments!

📋 Cat Treat Safety & Disclaimer

Cats Ace is not a veterinary practice. This article is provided for general informational and entertainment purposes and is not a substitute for veterinary or veterinary-nutrition advice.

These homemade cat cookies are intended as occasional treats only. They are not complete and balanced cat food and should not replace your cat's normal diet.

Always introduce new foods gradually. Speak with your veterinarian before introducing homemade treats if your cat has allergies, digestive issues, a medical condition, takes medication or follows a prescription/therapeutic diet.

Use only ingredients that are appropriate for your individual cat, and never use onion, garlic, chocolate, xylitol or other ingredients known to be unsafe for cats.