Homemade Cooked

[lisahe]

I make homecooked with EZ Complete and feed one meal of it a day. I've also made one batch of Dr. Pierson's recipe from catinfo.org, using bone meal and a food processor. The cats loved the food but I prefer making EZ Complete. Here are some comments based on other posts in this thread.

Do you guys just cook the meat like normal and sprinkle on the vitamins or do you grind it all and mix the vitamins in there and then cook it?

I cook whole pieces of meat, let it cool, then cut/dice/slice it, add the supplement, and freeze in meal-sized containers.

It took me months of research to determine the best method and recipes to use. It was much much easier to start with a premix and determine if you are up for the challenge.

Same here! It's much easier to start with a premix. And I've stayed with it for over a year. Both because it's easy (I just don't have the time and energy to source everything right now!) and because EZ Complete really agrees with our cats, both of whom have minor digestive issues. Our vet's especially happy with the cat who seems to have occasional mild nausea, which makes her a little picky: the vet thinks the ingredients, particularly the pancreas, are good for her. Beyond that, the cats love the supplement.

...or shred it after cooking, like pulled pork! Now I'm hungry.

Yes, our cats love shredded meat! And pulled pork is one of their favorites! Though they prefer hand-pulled shreds, when I have less time I dice or slice. There is definitely no need for a grinder for homemade food made with a supplement and boneless meat. Our cats prefer pieces to pate consistency anyway.

One thing about commercial raw food and bacteria: some foods are made with meat that's processed with high-pressure processing, to kill bacteria. I use several foods that are processed with HPP. Anyway, that's just a thought!

 

[Ardina]

I second the suggestion to just cut the meat into chunks with shears. Kittens are very fast at learning how to chew chunks, and you won't have any issues later if you try switching to raw chunks later for dental health. Feed them a variety of textures at this age, and they'll be less picky as adults!

Saipha, who I transitioned to raw when she was a year old, can chew boneless meat chunks but is still confused by chunks with bone (like chicken wings or necks). Mishka, who started out on raw at the age of 2 months by stealing Saipha's food, is extremely proficient at chewing up chunks. She eats whole chicken wings, bones and all, crunching and cracking her way through with great enjoyment.

 

[Sallysoo]

Ardina, yes it is a great enjoyment to see and hear the kitty bitting onto the chunks of meat. I am using boneless muscle meat fm local market mix with EzComplete too. It is quite cost effective with such quality. I also add a whole chicken heart into each meal. My kitty really loves them. I specially likes the cracking sound he made but not on bones. Is the proboitic pill that I gave him. I was so surprised when I first offered him the pill and thinking he will sure smell it and walked away as Im prepared to pound into powder adding to his food. To my amaze, he took the pill and crunch it in his mouth and ate it, then gobbled up his meal.

 

[moneekw]

I'm imagining the kitties grabbing the chunks of meat and running off with them! Do they tend to do that? I just want to avoid any issues of possible contamination in the house.

 

[EmmiTemmi]

I'm imagining the kitties grabbing the chunks of meat and running off with them! Do they tend to do that? I just want to avoid any issues of possible contamination in the house.

Mine do this sometimes. Probably my fault though, since the first time I fed them a chunk of meat, I threw it in the bathtub so I could clean up easily. I think they liked how protected the tub felt, and now whenever I hand them a chunk of anything, meat, giblet, or wingtip, they run to the tub.

Ever since I started putting smallish chunks of meat in their raw ground food, they don't do it as often anymore, but I would be aware that it's a possibility your cats could run off somewhere they feel is less open.

 

[amysuen]

Mine eat around any chunks but if I puree it too much Laelia pukes it all back up again.

The older 2 were only fed kibble until last year though, so I can't complain too much. I think the "kittens" would eat chunks and raw if it were just them, but since they all eat each other's food I have to stick to what Laelia can tolerate.

 

[orange&white]

I'm imagining the kitties grabbing the chunks of meat and running off with them! Do they tend to do that? I just want to avoid any issues of possible contamination in the house.

It's possible.

Gizzard Hunting Kitten

My cat likes to play with large pieces of food like a chicken wing tip or gizzard, but she eats over her saucer with chunks that are up to 1" square.

She also eats her meals in my ceramic tiled bathroom...with the door closed for a few minutes.

 

[Sallysoo]

It is possible for Kitty to grab the chunks of meat, esp raw form, to its so called safe area to enjoy. Therefore, find a space that you think it is safe and private for your kitty.
Yes, homemade food with supplememt / premix, be it raw or cooked, is one of the best choice that you can give to your kitty. Raw is preferred so long you are aware of the precaution measure and do more readup more on this area. Start very slow while transist your kitties to avoid any GI shock. Monitor the quality of their poo when when doing food switch. Kittens will be faster to accept the new food. Be v patience with them. I took almost a month to switch my kitty from canned food to 100% homemade raw. Worth all the effort indeed.