Alnutrin Vs Tcfeline Vs Ezcomplete

[EmmiTemmi]

I've been toying with the idea of feeding my two 8mo boys raw lately. Right now they're on a mostly FF canned diet, with a bit of kibble for cost savings sake. But I've heard some strong arguments for raw. (Also, canned food causes so much recycling, and my 6 unit apartment building only has 1 green bin that gets picked up every other week...)

I don't have a ton of time (or a food processor), so I've mainly been looking at the three mixes in the thread title, which can just be added to fresh ground meat. I've tried to work through the costs, and I think they seem reasonable for my two boys.

But now I need outside opinions to help me decide. Have any of you tried these products? Which of them have or haven't worked for you? And does anyone have any solid numbers for how much a 6oz portion of each finished product would cost? Alnutrin had some numbers on their website suggesting under $1 for 6oz, but I'd like to know for all of them.

 

[Kieka]

I am sorry you haven't gotten a response. I don't raw feed so I can't help you out in that regard but I will give this a bump up so that it hopefully gets some more responses.

 

[EmmiTemmi]

Thanks Kieka

I've also added Better in the Raw and My Natural Cat to my considerations, but after comparing the monthly prices using excel, I'm probably going to go with Alnutrin with Calcium, unless someone here has a very bad opinion of that. Or a very strong argument for one of the other supplements.

I think my boys are pretty excited about trying raw too, since they LOVE little tidbits of raw chicken and beef I give them when prepping my own dinner.

 

[Ardina]

I've tried the Alnutrin without calcium. Saipha and Mishka loved it, and it was a great way to start out on raw, but it was unfortunately out of my budget in the long term. Definitely follow the instructions and dissolve the powder in water first. Don't just mix into the meat like I did the first time and then really struggle to get it mixed evenly.

 

[maureen brad]

I have used all 3 . Alnutrin with calcium is to be used with boneless meats, you have to add organ (liver) my cats lik eit fine. TC feline they all hated . EZ complete is their favorite and i like it because I don't need to add organs. I usually buy from Hare-today and they have great , varied meats and organs.I also grind and then store 30 days at a time in my spare freezer. I hope you do go raw, it is worth it and I would never consider going back to canned or kibble.

 

[bhcmdvl]

I've used the Alnutrin for almost two years now and my cats are healthy and happy. I use some of Hare Today's products since I live close to them but I also grind and chop some boneless chicken to cut down on the cost.

 

[2azwildcats]

I've used all three. I started feeding raw with TC Feline and my cat did really well but he quit eating one day. My mom feeds her cat TC Feline and I think this saved the cat's life as she was overweight. Her cat is now a svelte 19 year old. I then decided to try cooked food (as my other cat refused to eat raw) and started using the EZComplete. I had some problems with the mix as it has enzeymes and it would breakdown the food and my cat would not eat it. So I switched to Alnutrin and I used cooked food (although this is not what it was meant for). I found this to be the most economical as you don't need much mix and all you have to add is chicken livers which are quite inexpensive. My cat really likes it and my other cat will eat it sometimes.

 

[EmmiTemmi]

Thanks everyone for all the advice so far, I really appreciate it! I ended up ordering a trial size of the TCFeline+Liver and sent out for the free Alnutrin samples. Those two seemed to be the more common mixes I've seen mentioned. The TCFeline arrived yesterday and I made up a batch. I had a little over 3oz left after portioning everything else into little tubs so I split it and gave it to the boys to try. (Completely forgot to slowly introduce it over time!) But they LOVED it. I've never seen them eat their canned food as quickly as they ate this stuff, and there was absolutely nothing left on their plates. They never lick their plates completely clean with the canned food! I was really happy they liked it so much, and so far I haven't seen any bad effects from not mixing it with their current canned food to slowly introduce it. Still gave them canned for dinner (which didn't get entirely eaten), but this morning I gave them each 2oz of the raw again, and again they cleaned their plates. Once I finish up this batch, I'll probably mix up the Alnutrin (assuming the samples arrive by then), and see how they like that.

Again, thanks to everyone for your input and experiences!

 

[helenks]

Hello! I know this post was from a few months ago, but I was wondering how it went with the Alnutrin? I've been feeding my two cats raw for the past 2 months. I had been mixing my own supplements until I found this site and discovered the premixes. I want to give the premix a try but I'm not sure which one to buy because there have been good reviews for all of them. I'm curious as to which one (TC or Alnutrin) your kitties took to better? Or which one you decided to stick with.

Thanks in advance!

 

[EmmiTemmi]

helenks I'm embarrassed to say I haven't actually sent out for the Alnutrin samples yet. I have the envelope sitting on my shelf of To-Do things, but I misplaced my stamps, so haven't mailed it out yet...

But the boys are loving the TCFeline +Chicken Liver. Just made the third and final batch from their trial size packet yesterday. The boys definitely love it with beef more than they like it with poultry, but they eat it either way. Hopefully I'll get my act together soon and mail out for the Alnutrin. I'll let you know what the boys think of it when I do!

For the past two months, which raw recipe have you been using to mix supplements and feed your cats? Eventually I'd like to be mixing my own supplements, but for now that's not the best option for me.

 

[Tobermory]

I got a sample of EZ Complete (and some great customer service from Food Fur Life, the company, via email) when I decided to start raw feeding a few months ago. I mixed it with boneless chicken thighs that I chopped up in a food processor. My three inhaled it like it was candy, even my picky eater. I would have gone that route, but I decided to jump in with both feet and bought a grinder and the supplements. I use Dr. Lisa Pierson’s recipe at catinfo.org. I will say that the cats don’t like it quite as much as the chicken with EZ Complete pre-mix, but it’s a lot less expensive to make it all from scratch. Oh, and they seem to prefer their food with the bone meal supplement rather than ground bone. I make it both ways for variety.

 

[helenks]

Lol no worries! Like Tobermory I have also been using the recipe from catinfo.org. I fed them NV and H&G before I came across raw and they love it so much more. They fly across the house when I call them for meal time! I buy boneless chicken thighs and chop them up for my grinder and use the ratio of supplements according to catinfo.org. It definitely is less expensive to do everything yourself, but it requires some time and effort on your part. I do keep some canned food as back up though. I was just curious about the pre-mix supplements because sometimes you just want to relax on the weekend instead of spending a day to make cat food!

 

[Gizmobius]

I've been using Alnutrin with eggshell calcium for about a month now and my boy has really enjoyed it. It's the only premix I've used so I don't have anything else to compare it to. Adding in the liver is probably the most annoying part but it's really not that big of a hassle, at least to me. Gizmo had been on Primal freeze dried raw before I bought a grinder and made the switch to fresh raw. He practically inhales his meals now so the Alnutrin is a hit with him!

 

[EmmiTemmi]

Update:

I got too lazy to send out for the free Alnutrin samples and just bought the prepackaged one (Alnutrin with Calcium). The boys have gone through about 4 packets so far, and I think they enjoy it more than TCFeline, but only by a small margin. But according to my excel sheet, it's also cheaper, which makes it the one I'll be sticking with in the future, until I work up the courage to start mixing my own supplements, which I'm hoping to start within the year.

On a side note, ever since I started feeding half raw, half canned, my one cat who used to always cough/hack low to the ground with his neck stretched out on an almost daily basis has nearly stopped that behavior completely. He still has a sensitive tummy, but he seems so much healthier overall. With the recent threads discussing allergies/asthma, it makes me wonder if maybe he had a small allergy to something in the canned food I had been giving him. Either way, I'm glad he's feeling better.

 

[EmmiTemmi]

Update:

I got too lazy to send out for the free Alnutrin samples and just bought the prepackaged one (Alnutrin with Calcium). The boys have gone through about 4 packets so far, and I think they enjoy it more than TCFeline, but only by a small margin. But according to my excel sheet, it's also cheaper, which makes it the one I'll be sticking with in the future, until I work up the courage to start mixing my own supplements, which I'm hoping to start within the year.

On a side note, ever since I started feeding half raw, half canned, my one cat who used to always cough/hack low to the ground with his neck stretched out on an almost daily basis has nearly stopped that behavior completely. He still has a sensitive tummy, but he seems so much healthier overall. With the recent threads discussing allergies/asthma, it makes me wonder if maybe he had a small allergy to something in the canned food I had been giving him. Either way, I'm glad he's feeling better.

 

[lisahe]

I'm glad to hear your cat has stopped the asthma-like behavior, EmmiTemmi ! Given what I've read about asthma, I wouldn't be surprised if it had been caused by something in the foods he no long eats. Fingers crossed for your cats to continue liking the Alnutrin and for the coughing not to recur.

 

[socal_nana]

I know I'm coming in late to the thread here, but I started my 2 cats on raw about 8 months ago. I have tried catinfo.org's recipe (which they don't like unless it's mixed heavily with FancyFeast), TC feline (which they hated), and now I just received the Alnutrin with calcium but haven't made it yet- I gave them enough time in between trials, but now they both have gotten to where they hardly eat, so I resorted back to straight FF I don't really have a question, or an answer- just looking for hope that my 10 and 14 yr old babes will finally like raw with the Alnutrin...

 

[Tobermory]

I know I'm coming in late to the thread here, but I started my 2 cats on raw about 8 months ago. I have tried catinfo.org's recipe (which they don't like unless it's mixed heavily with FancyFeast), TC feline (which they hated), and now I just received the Alnutrin with calcium but haven't made it yet- I gave them enough time in between trials, but now they both have gotten to where they hardly eat, so I resorted back to straight FF I don't really have a question, or an answer- just looking for hope that my 10 and 14 yr old babes will finally like raw with the Alnutrin...

I hope Alnutrin works for your kits! I was lucky that mine went from canned to homemade raw immediately with no hesitation. Did you try the transitioning tips on the catinfo.org site? Have you tried various kinds of toppers?

 

[socal_nana]

I have!! I tried the Fortiflora, bacon grease(!), chicken broth, you name it! The old girl transitioned just fine, then the last 2 batches they just will not eat- I threw it all away thinking it was bad- even though it was the same exact recipe(they have been on Catinfo.org recipe just fine for months... I don't want them to eat canned food- I hope the Alnutrin works also! Thank you

 

[CHIKITTIES]

I have!! I tried the Fortiflora, bacon grease(!), chicken broth, you name it! The old girl transitioned just fine, then the last 2 batches they just will not eat- I threw it all away thinking it was bad- even though it was the same exact recipe(they have been on Catinfo.org recipe just fine for months... I don't want them to eat canned food- I hope the Alnutrin works also! Thank you

Hi socal_nana

What kind of protein do you use? I was wondering if you are only making Chicken it could be just plain boredom? I normally make Chicken, Rabbit, Turkey and Pork based on Dr.P recipe. Sometimes mine prefer certain protein over the others.

Hope your kitties enjoy Alnutrin