Chapter 48: Homemade Cat Food

The nutrients in sweet rice wine are more easily absorbed by the human body, making it an excellent choice for the elderly, pregnant women, and those with weak constitutions. Sweet rice wine can stimulate appetite, aid digestion, warm the body, replenish deficiencies, invigorate the spirit, quench thirst, cool the body, promote blood circulation, and moisturize the skin. The nutritional components of sweet rice wine are similar to those of yellow wine, but its alcohol content is lower. However, it provides much more energy than beer and wine.

The benefits of sweet rice wine: Sweet rice wine is rich in various vitamins, glucose, and amino acids. Drinking it can stimulate the appetite and invigorate the spirit, and it has the functions of promoting qi and blood, nourishing yin, and tonifying the kidneys. It is especially beneficial for postpartum women and women during their menstrual periods. It is a nutritious delicacy suitable for both the young and the old.

1. For those who are cold-sensitive, have blood stasis, insufficient milk production, rheumatoid arthritis, back pain, and numbness in the hands and feet, it is best to drink it warm.

2. For those with nervous weakness, mental confusion, depression, and forgetfulness, cooking it with eggs and drinking the soup is more effective.

3. Sweet rice wine can help blood circulation, promote metabolism, and has the effects of replenishing blood, nourishing the skin, relaxing muscles, strengthening the body, and extending life.

4. For postpartum women with blood stasis, back pain, numbness and tremors in the hands and feet, rheumatoid arthritis, indigestion, loss of appetite, irritability, rapid heartbeat, physical weakness, loss of vital energy, nocturnal emission, irregular menstruation, insufficient milk production, and anemia, sweet rice wine has significant benefits and therapeutic effects.

The taste is sweeter and the alcohol content is higher compared to Korean sweet rice wine, which suits Hyori's taste. In the past, Hyori and Shin Ji were the two major female drinking gods in the entertainment circle, and Liu Zaishi was most afraid of drinking with them. However, after falling in love with Lee Shin-haeng, her personality became more restrained. Love is sometimes so magical; who would have thought that the queen who is so dominant outside is such a gentle woman at home. It just means that at that time, she hadn't found a man who loved her and whom she loved, and was willing to spend her whole life with him.

"Mom, is the sweet rice wine ready?" Lee Shin-haeng was talking to his mother-in-law on the phone.

It had been four days since he last visited his mother-in-law's house.

"It's ready. Your dad eats it every day and really likes it," his mother-in-law replied with a smile.

"That's good. By the way, tell Second Sister to add an egg when she eats it tonight, and you should do the same. You can also add some wolfberries and red dates."

"Okay, oh, our Shin-haeng is really considerate." His mother-in-law praised him happily. "Alright, I'll stop chatting. I need to go cook for your dad."

"Hehe, okay, see you, Mom!"

Lee Shin-haeng put away his phone, picked up the car keys, and drove out.

He drove to a large supermarket nearby. Lee Shin-haeng pushed a shopping cart into the supermarket. He usually has a specific purpose when he goes to the supermarket and doesn't wander around aimlessly, heading straight to the produce section.

Fruits in Korea are not to be underestimated; they are really expensive.

He picked a ripe large mango, two boxes of strawberries, a few pears, and a papaya. After buying the fruits, he moved on to vegetables and meats, selecting cucumbers, bell peppers, carrots, Chinese cabbage, tomatoes, potatoes, and eggs (vegetables are relatively scarce in Korea). Then he went to the meat counter and chose a large piece of beef brisket. Some of it was for making cat food, and he also planned to make a dish of beef brisket stewed with potatoes for dinner.

[Many people misunderstand that Koreans can't afford meat, but that's not true; they just can't afford 'Korean beef'.]

After checking out, he packed everything into a cardboard box and pushed it towards his car. [Using cardboard boxes is better than plastic bags; they are free and environmentally friendly.]

"Phew~" Sitting in the driver's seat, Lee Shin-haeng took a deep breath. "Alright! Everything is bought, let's go home." He started the car and drove home.

He threw himself onto the sofa, "Ah~ I'm so tired." He lay there motionless for over ten minutes before mustering the energy to get up and organize the things he bought.

He put the eggs in the refrigerator's fresh-keeping compartment and placed the vegetables and fruits in baskets outside. Glancing at the clock, it was just past eleven. He thought about it and decided to eat something before doing anything else, so he cooked a bowl of noodles and ate it.

He took out a basin, washed it, and disinfected it with hot water. Making sweet rice wine cannot involve any oil, or it will spoil.

He poured out four pounds of glutinous rice, washed it, and soaked it in water. Then he started making the cat food.

He washed the beef brisket and cut out the amount needed for the cat food, then cut it into small pieces. He also cut the carrots and the white part of the Chinese cabbage into small pieces and put them in a blender with an appropriate amount of water, blending them into a paste. He mixed the vegetable paste with the meat and divided it into five portions, adding an egg to each portion and stirring. He shaped each portion into a ball, which was one meal for a cat, and steamed it for thirty minutes. After cooling, it could be fed to the cats, and the rest could be refrigerated for later use, reheating before feeding.

Reasons for making homemade cat food:

1. It has a higher water content, so the cats drink more water while eating. This is better for their urinary health compared to just eating dry cat food.

2. The cats at home, Go and Wang, have poor digestive systems and often vomit when eating dry cat food. This doesn't happen with homemade cat food.

3. It's not recommended to cut the meat too small or steam it too thoroughly; it's better to let the cats exercise their teeth, otherwise, their gums may shrink.

Another flavor option:

1. A cheap, meaty fish with few bones (remove the bones);

2. Raw chicken liver (chicken liver is cheaper than other meats);

3. Coarse cornmeal;

4. The white part of Chinese cabbage.

Method: First, chop the above ingredients finely, using a meat grinder if possible. Mix with water to form a paste and add a little salt. Steam for 12 minutes, let it cool, and shape into small buns. Store in the freezer and cut into pieces when feeding, heating before serving. You can also make small balls and dry them in the sun to create cat biscuits, which help protect the cats' teeth.

Regarding feeding cats, Lee Shin-haeng has summarized some tips:

1. Feeding cats canned food regularly can lead to dental tartar, requiring a trip to the vet for a cleaning.

2. Modern cats don't catch and eat mice, so they don't have the process of chewing bones to exercise their teeth. Dry cat food is used as a substitute. Therefore, it's essential to ensure that cats eat a certain amount of dry cat food daily.

3. Cheap cat food requires cats to eat more, but they absorb less, and they produce more waste. High-quality cat food, on the other hand, requires cats to eat less, but they absorb more nutrients.

4. It's important to feed cats a moderate amount of vegetables to supplement the fresh plant vitamins and fiber they lack in dry cat food.

5. Regularly feed cats cat food that helps remove hairballs, so the hairballs can be excreted with the feces. Otherwise, cats will have to struggle to vomit them out.

Here's a method for making dinner:

1. A few slices of carrot, several leaves of round cabbage, Chinese cabbage, or spinach, and a small piece of chicken breast.

2. Boil the vegetables in boiling water, then immediately drain and chop them.

3. Cook the chicken breast in boiling water or in a microwave, then chop it.

4. Mix the ingredients like making dumpling filling, combine with cat food, and serve.

Advantages: The feces are neither too dry nor too loose. Eating only cat food can make the feces very dry, while eating meat or canned food can make young cats prone to diarrhea.

Disadvantages: It still requires daily preparation, taking about 15 minutes.

Regarding cat food, Lee Shin-haeng often makes it, but it is indeed quite troublesome. After it cools down, he puts it in the cat bowls. Wang, Go, and the others eat it happily, and the happiest of all is Little Fat, who finishes first and then tries to steal Mimi's food, only to be slapped away by Mimi.

"Hehe!! Serves you right." Lee Shin-haeng said with a sense of schadenfreude.

After finishing these tasks, Lee Shin-haeng immediately started preparing the beef brisket stewed with potatoes for dinner, as the time was almost right.

He blanched the beef brisket cut into small pieces, drained the water, and set it aside.

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