Cat Birthday Cake: Recipes and Decorating Ideas

A delicious cake is an essential part of any birthday celebration. So why not do a little baking for your favorite feline on their special day? There’s no better way to show your love and appreciation for your cat than by making them their very own cat birthday cake with all their favorite ingredients. 

A birthday cake for cats will be quite a bit different from what we’re used to. Human birthday cakes are high in fat, sugar, and calories, and may contain ingredients like artificial sweeteners that are harmful for cats. Plus, cats in general are not big fans of sweets. They much prefer a cat cake made with ingredients such as seafood (especially tuna), meat, or even a quality can of wet cat food. 

Cat Birthday Cake Safe Ingredients

When picking out the “purr-fect” cat birthday cake recipe, be sure to choose one made from foods that your cat is a fan of and that all the ingredients are cat-safe. 

Some feline favorites that can be used are meats (poultry, beef, turkey), seafood, cheese, and oatmeal. Cats can also have many fruits and veggies including watermelon, bananas, pumpkin, berries, and carrots. If you’ll be using flour for your cat cake, you may want to use rice flour as many cats have allergies or sensitivities to wheat.  

Cat Birthday Cake Recipes: 4 to Try at Home

Here are four simple and inexpensive cat cake ideas for your kitty’s special day. All the ingredients are safe for cats (and dogs if there will be any attending the party). A lot of the ingredients may be in your cupboard already, so you might not even need to go to the store to make these cat birthday cake recipes. The only challenge will be keeping your pets out of the kitchen while you’re baking! 

Tuna Melt Cat Cake

Many cat foods include seafood, with tuna being a common ingredient. That’s because cats often cannot get enough of this fishy delicacy. Easy to whip together and a surefire slam dunk for the birthday kitty, this cat cake combines pantry staples like canned tuna, one egg, grated cheese, and rice flour.  

Ingredients:

• 4 oz can of tuna
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp rice flour 
• 2 tablespoons of grated cheese 

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350˚F
2. Empty drained tuna into a medium bowl and break it apart with a fork.
3. Mix the egg in a separate bowl, then combine with tuna.
4. Add in the flour and cheese, then mix thoroughly.
5. Pour batter into an oven-safe container such as a ramekin or cupcake tin. 
6. Bake for 15 minutes.
7. Let cool and serve! 

Chicken and Potato Cat Cake

This cat cake is basically a chicken pot pie for a kitty. It’s the perfect recipe for a feline who was born in the fall (hello, Thanksgiving comfort food vibes!), and it’s super easy to make. You can buy pre-cooked chicken strips, get chicken in a can, or even use wet cat food that’s made with chicken as a main ingredient. It’s also the perfect cat cake to serve if you’re throwing your cat a party, as you can double the recipe and fill a muffin tin to create individual cakes for your guests!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup finely diced cooked chicken
• 1/2 cup sweet potato puree
• 2 tbsp rice flour 
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup diced carrots
• 1/2 cup mashed potatoes for frosting

Instructions:

1. Mix the egg in a medium bowl.
2. Add in the diced chicken, sweet potato puree, carrots, and flour. Mix well. 
3. Pour batter into a cupcake tin or any oven-safe container.
4. Bake for 15 minutes.
5. Frost the cake with mashed potatoes. You can also sprinkle a few cat treats or pieces of kibble on top! 

No-Bake Cat Birthday Cake

Don’t have time to preheat the oven and wait for a cat birthday cake to cook? This birthday cake for cats is super easy and takes no time at all to put together. Simply use whatever kind of wet cat food you have around the house, combine it with a can of sweet potatoes and top it with yogurt. You can even top it with dry cat food or crush up cat treats to add some “sprinkles.”

Ingredients:

• 3.5 oz can wet cat food
• 1/2 cup pureed sweet potatoes (or pumpkin)
• 2 tbsp nonfat plain yogurt

Instructions:

1. Open the cat food and carefully empty it onto a plate, being sure to keep the form of the container.
2. Spread the pureed sweet potatoes over the entire cake.
3. Top with yogurt. You can use a piping bag with a small tip to write your cat’s name or “Happy Birthday.”
4. Add a candle or top with a few cat treats and serve! 

Crumb Cake for Cats

This cake is easy to make and will trick your cat into thinking you spent hours in the kitchen, as it comes out looking like a fancy cake you’d buy in a pastry shop. Use your cat’s favorite wet food as the base, or better yet, buy a new flavor your pet hasn’t even tried yet to make it fun and special. Then top it with yogurt frosting and treat crumbs.

Ingredients:

• 3.5 oz can wet cat food
• 1/2 cup dry cat food or treats 
• 2 tbsp nonfat plain yogurt

1. Grind the dry cat food or treats in a blender, coffee grinder, or nut chopper.
2. Open the wet cat food and carefully empty onto a plate so it keeps the shape.
3. Using a sharp knife, slice a thin layer off the top (this will be used for the 2nd tier) and transfer to a different plate.
4. Form the 2nd tier into a circle. You can use a lid from a small jar or vitamin cap as a mold. 
5. Sprinkle the ground dry cat food on top as the “crumble”. 
6. Drizzle the yogurt on top and it’s ready to serve!

Cat Birthday Cake Decorating Ideas

Once you know how to make a cat birthday cake, you can get creative with the decorating. For the “frosting,” you can use pureed sweet or mashed potatoes (without any spices) or nonfat, plain regular or Greek yogurt (make sure to select sugar-free to make it safe for your cat). 

Using a piping bag is the best way to decorate or write on the cat cake. If you don’t have one, a Ziplock bag can work by cutting a small hole in one of the corners. Fill the bag with yogurt or whatever you’re using for frosting and slowly squeeze it onto the top of the cake, writing your cat’s name, “Happy Birthday,” or even “Happy ‘Purr-thday’” if you really want to lean into the theme! 

Cat treats make for fun and decorative toppings, or you can even top your cake with a cooked shrimp! As if you want to finish it off with sprinkles, you can use ground-up dry cat food or catnip. 

Cat Birthday Cake Safety Tips

While celebrating your feline friend can be really fun, there are a few safety measures to keep in mind to ensure that the day doesn’t end in disaster.

Check ingredients. This is a biggie. Make sure that your cat birthday cake recipe not only has pet-safe ingredients, but also that the actual ingredients you use don’t have added fillers, spices, or sweeteners that may be harmful for your kitty. The last thing to want is for them to get sick on their special day. 

Consider calories. It’s also important to keep the calories in mind. Use toppings like yogurt sparingly, and if your cat cake is a bigger serving than your cat is used to having, only let them eat part of it at once. While it may be tempting to give your cat the entire cake, cut off a small piece and start with that. It’s better to spread the cake out over a few days than to stuff your cat with a ton of new food.

Keep general pet safety in mind. If you serve a cat cake that you baked, make sure to let it cool completely before giving it to your pet. Don’t decorate a cat cake with objects that are not edible, like figurines that they could choke on. If you light a candle for show, don’t let it get too close to your cat when it’s lit, and make sure to remove it before your cat eats their cake.

Most Importantly: Have Fun Celebrating Your Cat

Get creative when serving these cakes for cats. Place your cat’s birthday cake on a special birthday plate, decorate the house, pop a party hat on your cat and get festive. And don’t forget about your camera. Your cat eating a cat cake will surely lead to some adorable photo opportunities!