I've had some requests about the homemade cat food I keep mentioning here. I will be happy to pass it on. (I must, however, give credit to Halo, Purely for Pets whose recipe it is. It's actually called "Spot's Stew" and is on health-food-store shelves.)

I lost the actual amounts of each item, but it's SO easy to improvise, because you are just putting in more or less veggies and such. I prefer organic produce, but if it's too expensive for you, just soak the veggies in hydrogen pyroxide and water for at least 20 minutes and then rinse really, really well.

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken roaster (young chickens work well too, but you get less meat)
• 16 oz. of brown rice (or more or less -- depending on the amount you want)
• 7 or 8 carrots
• 6 or 7 stalks of celery
• 2 or 3 yellow squash (depending on size)
• 2 or 3 zucchini (again, depending on size)
• small head of broccoli (cut up, obviously, into relatively small "trees")
• handful of green beans
• 5 or 6 cloves of garlic

Directions:

1. Wash the chicken really well (for your sake, try to use rubber or latex gloves to avoid salmonella poisoning - and wash very well any area the chicken touches!)
2. Place it in a large stew pot and cover with water.
3. Add ALL the veggies (chopped up) and the rice to the pot.
4. Cover and cook for 1½ to 2 hours, depending on the size of the chicken and your stove. The main thing is to make sure the chicken is done. The veggies might be soft before the chicken is done, but don't worry.
5. Once the chicken is thoroughly cooked and the meat comes off the bone easily, remove the chicken from the pot, and debone the chicken. Cut off as much meat as possible and keep on separate plate.
   CAUTION: At this point, you will have to work very hard to keep your little furry friends from jumping up and stealing meat.
6. Get your blender or food processor ready and begin to puree ladels full of veggies/rice/broth with the chicken.
7. It's up to you to divide up how much chicken you want to put in each blender-full. Make sure you have enough for several batches.

Hint:
I like to keep a few pieces of chicken per batch to just break up in the puree. This way, they get yummy pieces of chicken besides the puree. And because I only use a blender, I'm constantly pouring the pureed stew into a tupperware container and so on and so on.

Note:
I know it sounds like a lot, and it is. I have two cats and wind up doing this every 10 days. But, I really don't mind. You can make part of the stew for you or your family, or make a salad, while you're cutting up the veggies. It's sooo worth it to me, because I just never want to see them suffer again -- not if I can help it.

Again, let me credit Halo Pets. They have a website and "Spot's Stew" is coming out, but I don't know what they're charging for it.

GOOD LUCK TO ALL OF YOU, and please let me know if you make it and if you (I mean, your cats) like it.

by Colleen A. Patrick
With special thanks to Halo, Purely for Pets