5 pets, out of work - need to save SOMEWHERE

gettingready

Sorry, had to post it as it made me laugh - got a reply to my email from the manufacturer of the food, Taste of the wild....:

There are 28.4 grams per ounce and the product density is 3.3 ounces. 1
cup of kibbles should weigh 3.3 ounces. To convert ounces to grams we
will multiply 28.4 grams X 3.3 which equals 93.72 grams. 1 cup equals
93.72 grams.

To convert the cat weight from pounds to kg; 1 pound equals 455 grams.
You will need to multiply the cat's weight in pounds by 455 grams then
divide by 1,000 which will give you the cat's weight in kg - for
example: 3 lbs X 455 grams divide by 1,000 = 1.36 kg. The feeding guide
shows 3 - 5 lbs which is the same as 1.36 - 2.27 kgs.

For Adult Cats:
Weight kg grams/day
1.36 - 2.27 31 - 47
2.27 - 4.55 47 - 62
4.55 - 6.82 62 - 94

The amounts above are approximate amounts. You will need to adjust to
the cat's needs.

I am not very good at converting. My figures should be really close

Well, they did reply....

gettingready

Paddypaws - I have ordered the Taste of the Wild for the kitties and will for the time being mix it with the masses of Go Cat that I already got at home (panic buy from few weeks ago).

I have also ordered some Bozita and Animoda Carny to see how this works with my lot.....
My daughter's boyfriend has treated my cats to 2 litter boxes from Zooplus so added those to my order.... will let everyone know how we get on with those when they arrive.... I guess the prospect of having to sweep the floor several times per day does not appeal to him so .. bless him

Catsan - not sure if this is any better than the wood based I was us8ing in terms of money - I seem to still go through a lot of it, have to check how many bags I have left but it seems 1 bag per week anyway. Asda has it on offer at the moment so ordered another 4... sigh....

Toilet train the cats perhaps? They are still young... hmmm anyone done this?



I have to say I am in a panic mode as far as my pets are concerned and I tend to hoard everything to make sure they never go without - to be honest I have not eaten myself today (forgot) - just a pack of maltesers that I had in the cupboard... But this is brilliant as got some weight to lose anyway

Thanks to everyone posting on this thread....

KittyLady

Have you tried Worlds Best litter, while it seems pricier we use it and a small bag lasts us nearly two weeks. It's flushable too, so we keep the litter tray by the loo and everyone just quickly scoops and flushes when they are using the loo themselves. We have six indoor cats so it copes pretty well.

gettingready

KittyLady - thanks for that, may try this one....

Everyone says that they use less but most cats go out too so do their business outside most of the time in which case there is no need for so much cat litter.

Mine do not go out at all so I do go (i mean they do go) through a lot of cat litter, can not have a smelly flat so do need to completely change it almost every day...

If your 6 are indoor only that is a good comparison....

When you say small bag, what size do you mean?

Thanks for posting

sarah*a

Hiya! Have just read this thread and wanted to say :T for trying to cut costs to keep your fur babies - OH and I have been foster parents for abandoned dogs and its nice to see people who care so much

I know we are lucky as our two eat practically whatever we give them - which is really lucky as we have had a lot of donated food from the animal charity we used to foster for. (We stopped fostering as my fur-boy is very poorly and doesn't like new dogs but will go back to it when we can so they still help us out when we have a tough month) I have no idea how we would cope if we had to stick to a specific food - but, like you, I'm sure we would find a way.

But .... as you are looking to save money, and have already posted that you have enough food to last til March (awesome PAH glitch!), you should stop worrying about it You could be back in work by then and be able to buy what you are happiest with again.

I'll keep fingers crossed Fred gets less fussy which would solve one problem

KittyLady

gettingready wrote: »

KittyLady - thanks for that, may try this one....

Everyone says that they use less but most cats go out too so do their business outside most of the time in which case there is no need for so much cat litter.

Mine do not go out at all so I do go (i mean they do go) through a lot of cat litter, can not have a smelly flat so do need to completely change it almost every day...

If your 6 are indoor only that is a good comparison....

When you say small bag, what size do you mean?

Thanks for posting

I've pretty much tried every type with mine. We have three of each and sometimes you even find them queuing at the litter. We did have three trays but since changing to flushable we just have one large on in the bathroom.
The bag we buy is 3kg, average bag size so can be carried with shopping. It's about £10 which sounds a lot, but it clumps amazingly so it is as simple as just scooping and flushing when you're doing your own business and it keeps it under control better. We tend to use about 3/4 in a huge corner tray and then just top it up with a little extra when it looks low.

gettingready

Sarah - thanks, that is a good point

KIttylady, so you need about 2 bags per month so around £20 per month? Roughly?

I think life would be much easier if the boys' poo was normal - as it is it is almost impossible to scoop up as it sticks to single litter granules when they bury it and ends up all over the litter tray - over single granules so impossible to pick up. Not sure if how I explain makes any sense and I do not think putting a photo here would be a good idea LOL In any case, yeas I change the whole liter more often that I would if they had normal poo....

They put on weight nicely, eat like horses, play etc etc - all normal.. beautiful shiney coats - just that runny poo

MistysKisses

not read the whole thread so may already have been said,
tesco's wood based cat litter is 10litres for £3.99 (i have 2 adult cats and a kitten all indoor only 2 trays,and one bag lasts us about a month)
and for spay/neutering contact cats protection league and get some vouchers for reduced fee spay/neuter.
my friend in used to(dont know if she still does) gets free "barf" (raw food) from her local butchers/abattoir so see if you can arrange that?
my dogs and cats are all on complete dried food and only get tinned for as a treat now and again as they dont really NEED it with the dry being complete.
i will read more of the thread now and post if i have a suggestion anywhere else xx

paddypaws101

Did you look at Smilla on Zooplus? Works out at around 75p a can so is quite a bit cheaper than Bozita. Also remember Butchers Classic from Sainsburys etc.
Now, as regards sloppy poops......My 5 month kitten Milo still uses a tray indoors despite having a whole garden. Hmm. He eats mainly raw and on that his poops are solid, pong free little bundles. However, when he sneaks dry food from the oldies...even Orijen....he produces stinky sloppy cow pats. You can guess which food i prefer him to eat!
Yup, if I were you I would be looking around for a cheap Litter Kwitter trainer.

harkin_c

OK, I know this is completley against the grain and something may people will disagree with but I'm not sure you should be trying to deal with 5 pets without a job - animals are a massive commitment and if you do not currently have the resources to care for them it may be better to allow some of them to be rehomed. It seemd from your posts that you had only had the cats a matter of weeks before you made redundant - I'm sure you could have found homes fro them easily.

I know redundandcy is difficult having been through it myself and I know how close animals are to us all but 5 large pets with no income seems strange to me. You are relying on support from the government to feed the animals and that is not what it is for - there are plenty of underfed children in the UK who could use that money.

sorry for being so negative but all of the posts on this site are congratulating you on trying to support 5 animals wihtout any means of income and I think it is a a very biased opinion