Cheap catfood dilemma

savvy

Kumari wrote: »

Hmmm - the dry food/kidney problem link is one that I hadn't thought about. I always put out a fresh bowl of water for my cat but I swear I have never, ever seen him drink out of it in the 2.5 years I've had him - worrying (though I have spotted him drinking out of dirty puddles - why?!) :mad:

Ahhhhhhh may be able to help there! I was the same with my two cats (Bodie has gone to feline heaven now :A) and couldn't work out why they always wanted to drink out of the bath! I read somewhere recently that cats won't drink water near their food, god knows why! So anyway, I've moved the water bowl to the other side of the kitchen and lo and behold Sasta drinks it now!! He still drinks out of buckets in the garden and if he's upstairs, the bath tap, but I've caught him many times drinking from his bowl now :T

I've heard of the dry food link to kidney failure etc too, so obviously the tuna helps in that respect I've always wondered why cats eat cooked meat, when in the natural habitat they wouldn't have that available.......nor the biscuits tbh

savvy

pebblesmax wrote: »

That is what my four cats eat most of the time. when I go away, I cut out the tuna for them because the pet sitter (usually my dad) can't spend as much time making sure the greedy one doesn't eat the others' share. If they hear the electric can opener, they all line up in the kitchen. It's really sweet to see.

Awww would love to see a pic

rita-rabbit

lowis wrote: »

you might consider slowly switching your cat on to a quality dry food...it is definitely more economical in the long run...if you do, be aware that 60gms of food doesn't look much so don;t overfeed, it is the recommended daily allowance and definitely fills them up.

You ALSO will need to spend less on:
litter (time cleaning & money spent)
dental work (")
vets fees (")

no brainer!

dixie06

My puddy cat has what ever is on offer at the pet shop, dry food wise. He's not partiularly fussy but doen't really like Sainsbos own dry kitten food (damn its only 48p a box!!). He won't touch wet food which i'm quite pleased about as it fairly expensive in comparision but loves tuna and can hear the can opening from down the bottom of the garden!!!!

Milford_Cubicle

Dry cat food is a 'complete' food, so therefore perfectly acceptable to feed on its own. My kitten drinks plenty of water, I always fill the bowl(s) (we have a puppy too who goes through loads of water and they do share!) with pre-boiled water which they're happy to drink straight away. Tap water has a chlorine smell to it which puts cats and dogs off, hence why they prefer puddles, birdbaths etc. They will, though, drink tap water which has been stood for several hours/days. Don't panic too much about changing water daily, I just tend to top it up then give the bowl a good clean out maybe once a week.

Myself, my parents and my family who all have/have had cats all use supermarket brand and/or Go Cat dried food and have never had an issue with malnutrition or kidney issues. I do feed my kitten supplementary 'treats' each day. My puppy also has dried food each day, she's on Wagg at the moment.

jay11_2

I feed both my dog and cat on James Wellbeloved, and they love it. We used to feed the cat on Iams, but changed it after a series of urinary tract infections, apparently Iams has been linked to these. She has been fine since changing to JWB. She has always drunk loads of water, though only from the dogs bowl or puddles, for some reason.

zubzubuk

Hi,

I'm really annoyed with Tesco. Their usual own brand premium cat food (34p for 400g) is no longer available and yet the new 6 pack own brand which has appeared in its place works out at 39p a tin - that's quite a price hike!

My son got some ASDA Tiger cat food which both my cats loved instantly but ASDA isn't nearby so its not cost effective travelling there - shame. I would recommend others give it a try though especially as when bought in a 12 pack it comes in at under 33p a tin.

My cost saving tip, though not intended as such, comes from the lady at the PDSA advising me over my concerns for my cats general condition. She recommended substituting some of her meals with sardines 9or any other oily fish). It's a right pain opening the tins (no pull ring as cheap) but Tesco do sardines at 17p per tin at the moment. I just wash off the tomatoe sauce and squish them between my fingers - the cats both love it and it compares favourably x2 with the two meal 400g tins.

I'm certainly going to give them more each week especially as they are going off of the dried complete food (Tesco own brand)I leave out to supplement their tinned food.

Anyone else got any budget wise cat diet tips?

Z

shoppaholic_returns

Interestingly if your cats are impossibly fussy like mine and will usually only eat the small Gourmet Solitaire tins,which are 60p+ each and TINY,(i couldnt afford to keep suppyling this for 3 cats), I have found a petfood chain called Kennelgate who are offering boxes of 25 of these tins, usually only sold separately at rip off supermarkets for 20p each £5 for 25, this is very very high quality chicken chunks of breast in a sauce.Its a bargain, Not out of date either till aug 09. Hope this may help for a little treat for them!!

MrsE_2

Kumari wrote: »

One of the main costs I currently incur is for cat food - he gets 'premium' catfood pouches (2 a day) and measured portion of dry biscuits also. This comes to approximately £7 a week (and considering my foodshop is now around £15pw for just me, seems a bit high!)

I have always felt guilty feeding M anything less than premium cat food - when I got him from a rescue centre I started him on Whiskas (as this is what he had been fed during his time there) and he would simply leave the plate untouched on certain varieties! :mad:

Switch from premium pouches (a lot of water for a high % of water) to a real premium food.
A dried diet like Hills Science Diet or Royal Canin Feline is the best, go online at Pets at home & have a look.
I used to stock up on Royal Canin when it was on offer.

If you must buy from the supermarket then I think the Iams dried diet is the best they sell, the whiskers & the others the supermaket sell are not a good complete diet.

A dried diet is cheaper & good for your cat & their teeth & very MSE.

MrsE_2

Buttonmoons wrote: »

I was warned against feeding a cat exclusively on dry food as if they don't drink enough water it can give them kidney failure? Not 100% on that though! I think my cat would kick up a fuss if I stopped giving her wet food, she already hollers about it all day, as I only give her 1 1/2 pouches a day, she won't eat cooked meats either like chicken or beef, but she DOES try and steal raw chicken. Is it ok to give them raw chicken? I know they eat wild mice and things but I wouldn't want to give her anything thats going to result in me cleaning up vomit/diarrhea.

I think this is from cheap dried diets.
Good ones are designed for optimum health, more so than wet food.