Does Anyone Feed E Z Complete Only?

[Tobermory]

I’ve been following Dr. Pierson’s recipe—with the exception of substituting homemade eggshell calcium for bone or bone meal—for more than a year and a half. The cats love their homemade food, and they seem to be doing well. I also alternate some of their meals with meals using EZ Complete, which they also love. I rotate chicken, turkey, and pork.

Is there any reason not to go totally EZC? It would make my life so much easier, but I want to be sure I’m not missing anything!

 

[lisahe]

I don't see why you couldn't feed only EZ. I don't think I could get away with that with our cats -- they really like variety -- so will probably always want multiple food modalities! But if your cats aren't as picky in that sense, I think EZ would probably be the best supplement to choose. (Even though our cats would probably tell me to say Alnutrin, which they seem to prefer!)

 

[Tobermory]

Thanks, lisahe ! I did try a sample of Alnutrin with eggshell calcium which they liked, and I may order some to use occasionally. What I like about EZ is that I can use any amount of meat instead of always dealing with three-pound batches so that the individual supplements work out correctly with Dr. P’s recipe. And I wouldn’t have to deal with liver.

Well, I’ll see how I feel when I get toward the end of my supplements. I’ve also considered weighing the supplements for a three-pound batch, pre-mixing a larger quantity (except for the egg and fish oil, of course), and then using the appropriate ratio for the amount of meat and liver I have. I still may try that.

 

[lisahe]

Yes, I know what you mean about full-on make-it-yourself food! I made one batch of Dr. Pierson's recipe and it went over well but I really like the convenience -- and, really, the security -- of premixed supplements.

I buy the little packets of Alnutrin to use for one pound of meat and that works out well. The liver is the only downside! If you buy roasting chickens regularly, that's an easy solution but with such a hot summer, I bought 20 ounces of liver (only $1.79!) last time and portioned most of it out. (At that price, I was only too happy to cull out a couple livers that looked weird even though I'm sure nothing was wrong with them! I still have 15-20 lovely little chunks of liver in the freezer.)

Anyway, I'll be interested to hear what you -- and your cats! -- decide. We've had some food changes recently and I've been lucky that most of it to has gone well but certain previous attempts, like phasing out one of the cats' five meals of the day, have been disastrous! They are such creatures of habit that they sometimes even get confused if Bad Cat Mom forgets to defrost something and they end up with their meals switched around.

 

[Tobermory]

and, really, the security

And security is the other reason I’m thinking about going with only EZ and possibly Alnutrin occasionally. I believe I’m carefully following the recipe, except for the bone, but there’s always been that bit of unease in the back of my mind.

I buy a couple of containers of liver at a time and freeze it in recipe-sized amounts so it’s always on hand. I’ve never found it for less than $2.49/lb. but a three-pound recipe needs only about 55-60 cents worth so it’s not a big deal. Alnutrin’s liver requirement looks similar in amount.

I do give them the occasional meal of canned Rawz turkey or chicken, but they’re not nearly as enthusiastic about it as they were before I started to make their food! I’ll continue to do that for the sake of variety in their diet, but it’s pretty funny to see their expressions when I put it in front of them.

 

[lisahe]

I believe I’m carefully following the recipe, except for the bone, but there’s always been that bit of unease in the back of my mind.

Exactly! I also wondered about my ingredients... I used bone meal when I made that one batch and that was pretty standard, but of course I wondered about the supplements. (And fish oil can be so tricky!)

The big thing about liver is that I really don't like handling it. Though I'm getting used to it.

Our cats have gotten the same way about their canned foods! They're much pickier than ever about them since they've been getting two raw and two home-cooked meals a day. They change their mind about Rawz constantly and about the only ones they consistently like are Fancy Feast Classics! But fine, at least they're low-carb!