Need Help With Home Cooking

[shadowsrescue]

I started home cooking for my cats back in April. I started by using EZ Complete as it seemed the easiest to start with. I have 6 cats ( 3 currently are eating only home cooked with the other 3 outside feral boys are just dipping their toes in the water!). Any way EZ complete is just too expensive when feeding this many cats.

I am so confused as to what to try next. I am using the proteins chicken and pork (boneless only) as that is what EZ Complete requires. I am ready to try rabbit next. In order to make the meals balanced, I know I will need supplements as well as some organ meat.

I have been able to find chicken livers at my grocery, but have not seen the hearts.

I have read through tons of the threads that contain recipes and have the Google doc Cooked Recipes - Google Drive
I am just having a difficult time deciding the best way to go about this. I am loving the home cooking and so do my cats, but it's just costing so much. The meat itself is reasonable, but today I figured the cost of the EZ complete and it put it way way over budget.

If I want to reduce the recipes is that ok too? When I start the rabbit I would prefer to work in smaller batches. I also wonder how much not using the EZ complete will alter the taste? Also will this require another adjustment period?

Ahhhhhhhhh I am just confused. I want to do it right.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[valentine319]

Here's a good thread. There's more info in the pinned thread under home cooked.

Cooked Recipes Thread

Here's the big link.
Home-Cooked Cat Food Resources

 

[valentine319]

I'm doing raw but here's info on Balance it. It's for cooked food. I'm unsure if a vet needs to approve buying it. Just throwing out another option. Balance IT

Clarification on Balance IT Supplement for Home-Cooked

 

[shadowsrescue]

Thank you. The Balance IT looked promising, but you can only freeze the food for 2 weeks. Ugh.
I think my best option is to purchase supplements and balance the food myself.

Does anyone know if I stop using EZ complete and add my own supplements if I will need to transition the cats again?

 

[mschauer]

Hearts are great to add if you have access to them but if not you can substitute an equal amount of muscle meat without significantly affecting the nutrient profile.

Much of the flavor of EZComplete comes from green lipped mussel (GLM). If you want to use your own supplements you can also add GLM. I think GLM isn't cheap though. I prepared the recipes and analyses you saw in the Google Drive link you reference. If you like those recipes I can help you with any changes you might want to make. Just send me a message.

There is no way of knowing in advance if your cats will like your home-made food made with your own supplements as well as they like it with EZComplete.

 

[shadowsrescue]

Hearts are great to add if you have access to them but if not you can substitute an equal amount of muscle meat without significantly affecting the nutrient profile.

Much of the flavor of EZComplete comes from green lipped mussel (GLM). If you want to use your own supplements you can also add GLM. I think GLM isn't cheap though. I prepared the recipes and analyses you saw in the Google Drive link you reference. If you like those recipes I can help you with any changes you might want to make. Just send me a message.

There is no way of knowing in advance if your cats will like your home-made food made with your own supplements as well as they like it with EZComplete.

I will continue to look for hearts. I am hoping my Giant Eagle grocery carries them. Where do most people find chicken hearts?

I don't think I will continue to add the GLM. I am more concerned that if I stop using it and do my own supplements the cats will have digestive upset.

Thank you so much for the offer to help. I am going to finish up the last of the EZ complete (I still have another unopened bag).

I have been cooking the boneless chicken thighs and boneless pork roasts in my crock pot. What do you think of this method compared to roasting in the oven?

For now I really want to stick with boneless meats. I don't have a meat grinder.

 

[mschauer]

Oh. No digestive upset shouldn't be a problem when switching to using your own supplements.

Slow cooking your meats is fine. The lower temperature as compared to roasting should help prevent nutrient degradation but I expect there isn't a big difference. Some people say their cats prefer the meat roasted.

Do you use the cooking liquids in your finished food? Some nutrients, especially minerals, leach out into the liquid and can be recovered by using all the liquid in the food.

My local grocery store carries chicken and beef heart. I can get lamb heart from a near-by middle eastern market. Availability probably depends on how culturally diverse your area is. I live in Houston which has large Hispanic, Middle Eastern and Asian populations.

 

[shadowsrescue]

Oh good, so glad no digestive upset.
I like using the crock pot as I can set it and leave for awhile. I add some water to the crock pot with the boneless meat and use all or most of the cooking liquid.

I live in the Columbus, Ohio area. I should be able to find hearts. Yet, one of my cats cannot eat beef so I am staying away from beef. I will look more next week.

I also am really interested in using egg shell powder. My husband eats tons of eggs. Do you know if the shells of hard boiled eggs can be used too?

I have a book arriving today

Home-Prepared Dog and Cat Diets, Second Edition
Schenck, Patricia

I have read so much that my head is spinning!

 

[valentine319]

Someone else was using balance it. I'm trying to find the thread. I thought they were adding when they served the food.

 

[mschauer]

Yes, you can use the shells from hard boiled eggs. It's mostly the calcium you want from them and it isn't affected by heat.

Making home-made can seem over-whelming at first. Once you get into it though I think you'll find it really isn't all that difficult. Deciding whose advise to trust is really the hardest part. There are sooo many people who will assure you that they and only they know the "proper way" to feed your pet.

 

[valentine319]

Here's the read I'll thinking of. There were several types. Some added during cooking and one added after cooked. So might be an option with adding before serving.
Clarification on Balance IT Supplement for Home-Cooked

As far as how to feed your pet cooked? Making your own supplement? I'm going go leave that with others.

 

[Ardina]

I recently switched from using Alnutrin to making my own supplement mix. Using a premixed supplement was helpful for easing into making homemade food, but once you get the hang of it, it's not much harder to make your own supplement mix and quite a bit cheaper. My cat didn't notice any difference when I switched and there were no digestive upsets.

You can definitely make smaller batches to start out with, especially if you're not sure your cats will eat homemade food with the new supplement mix. Just make sure to keep the ratios correct.

If you're in Ohio, shipping from Hare-Today is fairly cheap. They have a good range of proteins and organs. That's where I get meat for my cats.

 

[shadowsrescue]

Thank you all for the help. It is so appreciated.

I have a few more questions: When I use EZ complete, I add it after cooking once the meat and liquid have cooled. What about when using supplements? Do I wait until all is cool? Is it ok to add the supplements and then freeze into portion sizes or should the supplements not be frozen? I am reading it both ways.

I would prefer to add after cook, then freeze. If this works, once I bring the food out of the freezer, how long can I keep it in the fridge. Right now I am using it within 36 hours. Also can this food be reheated at all. With the EZ complete, I try to get it warmed just a bit by placing the container in another container with warm water and allowing it to set for a bit. Is microwaving to take the chill off a no no as it might further reduce nutrients?

 

[mschauer]

When I make raw I always add the supplements and then freeze. I wouldn't argue with someone who points out that nutrients degrade during storage and so it is best to add them at feeding time. Generally speaking freezing preserves nutrients but they can degrade when food is stored over a long period of time (months at a guess).

I also microwave even raw food just enough to get the chill off, to get it to about room temperature.

 

[Ardina]

I also add the supplements and then portion into 10 oz containers to freeze. I always thaw the containers in the refrigerator and make sure to use it up within 24-36 hours.

I generally avoid microwaving, but my cats also don't mind eating the chilled food. On occasion, when I've forgotten to stick the container in the fridge early enough and it's still mostly frozen, I'll chip off chunks of raw meat and add a little warm water to make a soup of sorts.