EZ Complete with chunks

[Willow's Mom]

Hi,
I'm currently using EZComplete and recently switched from prepared raw. My goal is to know enough about feline nutrition and my local farmers and butchers to not need it any more, but I'm not there yet.

I mostly feed chunks right now. Sometimes I see gravy left at the bottom of her bowl or on the sides of the bag when I mix the supplement in the bag I thawed the meat in.

I've been using peanut butter to try to get that into her. Baby food might work better, but I'd just as soon pick up a dedicated blender from the thrift store or bite the bullet and put a grinder on my credit card if I'm going to need one eventually. Is it unrealistic to feed a cat chunks? Would it make more sense to teach her to take taurine in pill form when I get tired of spending all that money on mostly dehydrated liver and eggshell powder?

I am also confused about how much bone and organ she will need. I had thought that 80-10-10 was ideal for dogs, but that cats could become constipated from that much bone and that they needed more micronutrients, and therefore more organs, than dogs do. This recipe is my current wish:

Feline Nutrition - Feline Nutrition's Easy Homemade Cat Food Recipe | Hare Today

feline-nutrition.org

Willow gets whole mice and rats for treats/supplements but I will need to stretch that out with human-grade meat from the supermarket and/or prepared cat food for financial reasons. I don't have local sources of other whole prey yet, but we do have readily available organic, grass-fed beef, which she loves, and lots of farmers raise chickens organically.

TIA

 

[Azazel]

I do include some chunks in my meat mix (it is partially ground, partly chunked) and I know that there are others who do only chunked homemade raw with added supplements. There usually is a little bit of the supplement mix left at the bottom of the bowl when my cats eat, but it's so minimal that I don't stress over making them eat it. I have heard that the pre-mixes such as EZ complete tend to leave more of a 'gravy' type thing in the bowl. There must be something in the pre-mixes that causes them to form this gravy because I don't experience that when I create my own supplement mix. What about mixing the leftover pre-mix with a tiny bit of raw egg yolk? That should be healthier than peanut butter.

The dehydrated liver and eggshell powder are essential sources of Vitamin A and calcium. If you were to remove them and only add taurine to the meat your cat will be malnourished. Taurine is only one of the minerals that the pre-mix is essential for - it's not the only reason to use a pre-mix.

If you are using a pre-mix that includes eggshell powder then you are probably using one that is made for people who aren't feeding bones at all, since the eggshell powder is intended to replace the bone in the diet as a source of calcium. Take a look at the instructions on the package - if it doesn't tell you to feed any bone then you're probably just supposed to feed muscle meat.

You basically have to choose between using a pre-mix and using a recipe. If you follow a recipe you are making the supplement mix yourself and adding it to a certain amount of meat, organs, and bones. If you use a pre-mix, you just buy the meat (and possibly bones depending on if the mix includes calcium or not) and add the pre-mix to it.

The 80-10-10 ratio is not just for dogs, most cat recipes are based on this too. Some people don't like to use bone because their cats get constipated, have IBD, or kidney disease, and also because it's hard to claculate the exact amount of calcium in bones. So they substitute bone with eggshell powder or a different calcium source instead.

 

[Willow's Mom]

Thank you. I am most comfortable right now using the premix or else whole prey. She gets one or the other for each meal, not unsupplemented muscle meat. I'd rather cut back on expenses elsewhere than risk the health of an adolescent in my care

I hadn't thought about using egg yolk. Thank you. It's something she should develop a taste for anyway.

I'll stop worrying so much, then.

 

[Azazel]

Thank you. I am most comfortable right now using the premix or else whole prey. She gets one or the other for each meal, not unsupplemented muscle meat. I'd rather cut back on expenses elsewhere than risk the health of an adolescent in my care

I hadn't thought about using egg yolk. Thank you. It's something she should develop a taste for anyway.

I'll stop worrying so much, then.

I think doing the muscle meat plus EZcomplete as a primary meal supplemented with a whole feeder mouse/rat here and there is a great routine.

Egg yolks are also full of lots of fun nutrients. I would give just a very small amount of it if you're going to use it on a daily basis. Usually one raw egg yolk a week is a good treat - maybe you could portion that out or something.

 

[furmonster mom]

Heart meat has a ton of taurine in it. It's considered muscle meat, not organ.
I feed mainly pork and beef heart, though occasionally I'll get some chicken hearts to mix it up a bit. Chicken hearts are also great for beginning the chunky style, as they are not quite as tough as gizzards (which are great for building up jaw muscles).