Ethical Indoor Cat Food & Litter

Freddie_Snowbits

Fire_Fox wrote: »

Noah is an indoor cat, and I live in a flat so next door doesn't have a yard ....

The do what our Monty eats, Dried Cat Food Only (Salmon/Trout Go Cat Flavour) and plain water. No Milk!

That way, the carton can be recycled, and the food does not go off or gets wasted, as with the gravy, we varieties.

As for the mice and birds, just leave him on the window sill

choille

When I have had to use a litter tray (when we've moved house & I have had to keep cats indoors for a while) I've used earth or sand & then just dug it into the garden.
Cats can eat a lot of what you eat - ie chicken, tuna, mince, fish etc. Saves on the packaging & also it's healthy & fresh.

timmmers

Indoor cats like a little pad of grass too...helps with digestion and they would eat it outdoors naturally, a small tray is enough and it can be bought in seeds.

t

dirtmother

Ethical brands of dry cat food that my cats like (they have dry food always available and wet food morning and evening - ethical wet food they'll eat is more of a challenge!):
Burns
Both the vegan (Ami) and vegetarian brands available from Veggiepets (they are particularly keen on the vegan one - I wonder if this might be helpful in your situation wanting a higher fibre food, though you might not want to rely on it as a sole food though it does contain taurine etc) They will send samples
Organipets (UK made) Available in bulk from Ethical Superstore
Pero organic

A big slowly used bag of dry food does become less and less appealing to the cats, something to watch out for if you have just one in particular.

Ethical litter is a challenge and I have found that paper and wood based types are not popular with the cats. (Paper made a fine litter for rats but wood based is a big health no-no for them for respiratory reasons) Non-clumping seems more economical and the cheap sort seems if anything more acceptable to the cats.

Fire_Fox

dirtmother wrote: »

Ethical brands of dry cat food that my cats like (they have dry food always available and wet food morning and evening - ethical wet food they'll eat is more of a challenge!):
Burns
Both the vegan (Ami) and vegetarian brands available from Veggiepets (they are particularly keen on the vegan one - I wonder if this might be helpful in your situation wanting a higher fibre food, though you might not want to rely on it as a sole food though it does contain taurine etc) They will send samples
Organipets (UK made) Available in bulk from Ethical Superstore
Pero organic

A big slowly used bag of dry food does become less and less appealing to the cats, something to watch out for if you have just one in particular.

Ethical litter is a challenge and I have found that paper and wood based types are not popular with the cats. (Paper made a fine litter for rats but wood based is a big health no-no for them for respiratory reasons) Non-clumping seems more economical and the cheap sort seems if anything more acceptable to the cats.

Thanks for your reply. I am currently feeding Orijen dry which is made with free-range meat and wild-caught fish, and I am intending to try Applaws which is also made with free-range meat. The Burns website is very impressive but Noah didn't like the food that much.

Just taken delivery of a large sample of raw food from Food4Cats. Noah absolutely adores the raw chicken wings I have given him, and this is the next step. The rabbit variant is wild, so if he likes that we will be sorted! :T Apparently Sainsbury sells organic chicken wings or I could go the Halal butcher route.

I would not be happy feeding an obligate carnivore a vegetarian or vegan diet although I accept cats can survive on it. Interestingly I have noticed a big change in Noah's digestive health and itchiness since we have swapped onto high meat/ grain free food.

So far I have stuck with the wood-based, flushable OkoPlus which Noah arrived on, tho am still keen to try the straw or hemp litters. Noah paid no attention to the cat grass I grew!

choille

Why not just go to your butcher & ask for scraps for the cat?

Fire_Fox

choille wrote: »

Why not just go to your butcher & ask for scraps for the cat?

Some cat owners do supplement with freebies from their butcher but on it's own meat isn't a balanced diet, you need fat (for EFAs and vitamins), bonemeal (for minerals) and offal (for taurine). I don't know a decent butcher here in the city centre, but my dad does and he also has no shame!

Kimitatsu

Fire_Fox wrote: »

Thanks for your reply. I am currently feeding Orijen dry which is made with free-range meat and wild-caught fish, and I am intending to try Applaws which is also made with free-range meat. The Burns website is very impressive but Noah didn't like the food that much.

Just taken delivery of a large sample of raw food from Food4Cats. Noah absolutely adores the raw chicken wings I have given him, and this is the next step. The rabbit variant is wild, so if he likes that we will be sorted! :T Apparently Sainsbury sells organic chicken wings or I could go the Halal butcher route.

I would not be happy feeding an obligate carnivore a vegetarian or vegan diet although I accept cats can survive on it. Interestingly I have noticed a big change in Noah's digestive health and itchiness since we have swapped onto high meat/ grain free food.

So far I have stuck with the wood-based, flushable OkoPlus which Noah arrived on, tho am still keen to try the straw or hemp litters. Noah paid no attention to the cat grass I grew!

Hi

I have cats - six of them but I live on a farm and although in the winter you would think they are indoor cats the amount they hog the fire, in the summer they most definitely are not.

Like you I dont like many pet food companies and some of the prices they charge are extortionate. So having chatted to many breeders these are my money saving tips (and hopefully some ethical ones too) for keeping your cat.

Dont bother with yesterdays news cat litter - I was given a baf and freecycled it because it was awful stuff. We use chick crumb from the feed suppliers as it can be flushed down the toilet or composted unlike wood based litter. You buy it in large bags and its like fine cat litter so the cats dont mind it (and it doesnt upset the spaniels tummy either!)

Food - we use scraps from the butcher, we do feed dry food but look for bargains at B&M and the local market shops who go to places like approved food. A good ethical supplier is James Wellbeloved (or it used to be) they only use free range suppliers and only use lamb fat rather than a whole host of junk. If your cat was not an indoor cat I would suggest feeding day old chicks you can buy from the feed suppliers as the cats like to "kill" them before eating them but in the house they may smell a bit! You can buy pet mince from most places but if you can get some from the farm shops thats the best stuff! Our butcher keeps all of the bits he has to cut off the 28 day hung beef for my animals (honestly some days they eat better than me!!) and any scraps from butchering the carcasses and then minces it all up and charges me a nominal sum. It helps them because they dont have to pay to dispose of it.

Vaccinations - we vaccinate to begin with and then either vaccinate homeopathically (there are more catteries accepting these) or have them titre tested before vaccination. This checks the level of antibodies before they are vaccinated which can lead to vaccinosis especially in older animals. Your vet will probably think you are mad - mine certainly did until my old boy proved the point brilliantly well!

Hope this helps a bit!

choille

I've kept cats all my life & they live to a grand old age 20, 19,18 & 17.

If you don't use a butcher then you'd be cheeky going to one to ask for scraps for your cat - they'd think it was for you, same with a fish monger.
If you buy everything from a supermarket then that's not ethical.
Of course cats need a balanced diet - everything does, but you needn't buy expensive sachets & bags of so called ethical cat food or litter tray stuff.

Volcano

Kimitatsu wrote: »

either vaccinate homeopathically (there are more catteries accepting these)

Homeopathy is an outdated belief that offers no protection whatsoever. IF catteries are starting to accept such ridiculous beliefs in lieu of correct vaccinations, then you should ask this when you are choosing a cattery so you know to avoid it.