“Cat Food” Stove

Have you ever made any of your own backpacking gear? Cat food stoves are a type of homemade backpacking cooking stove.  They’re called “cat food” (A.K.A. Super Cat) stoves because they are typically made from an empty Fancy Feast can.  However, you can make a stove out of any small lightweight can.

A couple of days ago I was about to toss out an old wasabi can when I realized that it would probably make a great stove.

To make the stove you need to:

clean and dry the can

punch holes into the can approximately 1/4 in apart

make a second set of holes under the first one.

With a cat food can, a hole punch will work to make the hole.  The wasabi can turned out to be too strong for this to work. So I made the holes with a hammer and nail and then enlarged them by inserting the end of some needle nose pliers and twisting back and forth until they were the desired size.

At a 2in diameter and a .8oz weight, this stove is slightly heavier and more narrow than a cat food can.

Advantages of using a cat food stove

• inexpensive: can potentially be made with items you already own
• lightweight
• can burn a verity of alcohols as fuel: methanol, ethanol, isopropyl, or even  tealight candles
• easy to find fuel for while on a thur-hike
• no parts to clog or break
• no stand is needed since the pot goes directly onto the stove
• easy to see how much fuel you have left
• fuel can be multifunctional: depending on the type of fuel used as a disinfectant

Disadvantages

• tippy: needs to be used on a very flat surface to avoid tipping
• can be blown out by the wind
• fire hazard: open flames are much closer to the ground than other stoves
• no off switch: if the stove does tip over the fuel inside of it will spill out
• alcohol has less energy per weight than some other stove fuels
• slower cook times than other systems
• doesn’t work as well in cold weather

To use the stove, add the alcohol of your choice. Ignite the fuel and wait a few seconds before placing the pot on top.