Homemade treats for your furry family members

Our dogs and cats and even the small caged animal members of our families have been affected by this pandemic too. It may have left them eating off-brand pet food or going without their bedtime treats. So, here are some that you can make right at home!

Treats for our canine family members

Peanut Butter and Pumpkin Dog Treats

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/133123/peanut-butter-and-pumpkin-dog-treats/

Ingredients

• 2 ½ cups whole wheat flour
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup canned pumpkin
• 2 tablespoons peanut butter
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Whisk together the flour, eggs, pumpkin, peanut butter, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl. Add water as needed to help make the dough workable, but the dough should be dry and stiff. Roll the dough into a 1/2-inch-thick roll. Cut into 1/2-inch pieces.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until hard, about 40 minutes.

Treats for our feline family members

Homemade Salmon Cat Treats

Homemade Salmon Cat Treats

Ingredients:

• 6-7 ounces of canned salmon, with the juice
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 1/4 cup non-fat dry milk
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon cooking oil
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 cup flour (whole wheat or all-purpose)

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350 F.
2. Combine all ingredients except the flour and mix well.
3. Slowly add the flour, stirring well. It is very heavy dough, so you may need to put on gloves and mix it by hand.
4. Place dough on a floured surface and knead it a few times. Flatten dough and turn it over to coat with flour. Roll out a little less than 1/4-inch thick.
5. With a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut into small kitty-bite-size pieces. Cutting the dough criss-cross works well and gives you small squares. You can also roll each of those squares into a ball and press them with your finger to make flat round treats. (Children love to do this.)
6. Place on ungreased cookie sheets and bake for 15 minutes. Watch carefully as they can burn quickly.

If you don’t want to bake them all at once, the dough may be wrapped well and frozen. Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. Makes approximately 500 treats.

Treats for our smaller caged friends

Homemade rodent treats

https://small-pets.lovetoknow.com/pet-rodents/treat-sticks-mice-rats

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup cornmeal
• 2/3 cup dried fruit mix
• 1 tablespoon hulled sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup banana juice
• 1 teaspoon corn oil

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 250°F.
2. Combine all the ingredients in a medium-sized bowl, adding the liquids last, and mix together with your hands.
3. Shape the dough into individual sticks about the size of your pinky finger.
4. Lay the sticks on a greased cookie sheet about 1/2-inch apart.
5. Bake for about 40 minutes and turn off the oven, but leave the tray inside until the oven is cool. Removing the excess moisture this way will make the sticks very crisp and good for chewing.
6. Store the treats in an airtight container, or freeze and pull out a few sticks as needed.

Homemade bird treats

http://www.wildlifelandtrust.org/wildlife/diy-activities/homemade-treats-for-birds.html

Pine cone bird feeders

You’ll need:

• Foil or wax paper
• String
• Large pine cones
• Peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)
• Birdseed

Instructions

1. Use a large piece of foil or wax paper for your work area. Tie a piece of string around the pine cone, leaving 6-8 inches to attach the feeder to a tree branch. Spread peanut butter all over the pine cone and into the crevices. Roll in mixed bird seeds. Hang from a tree branch for birds.

Homemade Suet

You will need

• 1 Cup Vegetable Shortening
• 1 Cup Chunky Peanut Butter
• 2 Cups Cornmeal
• 2 Cups Quick Cook Oats
• 1/3 Cup Sugar
• 1 Cup White Flour
• Melt shortening and peanut

Instructions

1. Melt shortening and peanut butter together and blend. Stir in the rest of the ingredients. Pour the mixture into a square container about 1-1/2 inches thick. Allow it to cool, then cut it into squares and store in the freezer.