Cheap but good cat food?

925dancer

gettingready wrote: »

I was/am on JSA for the past 6 months and my 6 cats were on Animonda/Classic as wet and Orijen/Taste of the Wild as dry... starting a new job on Tuesday ... what a relief and wasn's managing too well

We're on Bozita at the moment but running out and Purely dry! I will be back to the Orijen ASAP! Feeding the furries on a budget when you want to give them the best for optimum health is so hard on JSA! They definitely eat better than I do at the moment.

Congrats on the job, I'm three months unemployed and counting..........

OnAndUp

gettingready wrote: »

Generally - if supermarkets sells it.. it is crap.

Cheap but decent - try Classic from Pets at Home:



http://www.petsathome.com/shop/classic-mix-cat-food-400gm-12-pack-42563

Just had a look at that the ingredients only seem to be 4% meat or fish per variety surely that's no better than Whiskas & Felix?

http://www.pet-supermarket.co.uk/products-Classic-Adult-Cat-Food-Cans-24-X-400G_NC3582.htm

Click on "ingredients tab".

GlynD

gettingready wrote: »

Every moggy may be different in what they LIKE but all cats are the same as what they NEED and SHOULD have....

No they're not. The requirements for all cats, whilst simple choices, are different. You only get to know what each cat likes (from the healthy options already mooted) through experience.

gettingready

925dancer - got some hold up with references, should be starting on 31st.. sigh... 6 months BUT before leaving last job I stockep up on pet food so much LOL

Fingers crossed you will get something soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooon *Hugs*

OP - do not look at prices per tin/sachet/pouch - look at how much of each food you need to feed per cat per day.

The food that LOOKS more expensive is normally much more economicas as you need to feed much less of it.

For example, Orijen is thought to be a very expensive dog food , my dog is 40kg and it only costs me about £30 per month as very little of Orijen is recommended for her wight.

Those prices are very misleading most of the time, you need to do your own calculations.

Between my 6 cats (one is a 6kg beast of a cal, lion really - see my thread from 4 to 5 and to 6 on here) I feed 2 tins per day (one Classic and one Animonda Carny) between them all, one in the morning and one in the evening. The rest of the time they have dry a mix od Orijen/taste of the Wild and Go-Cat as I have a looooooooooot of Go Cat at home - waiting for this to finish and then they will be on Orijen only as dry, same as my dog.

They also get raw now and then - chicken wings, mince any other bits of raw meat.

gettingready

GlynD wrote: »

No they're not. The requirements for all cats, whilst simple choices, are different. You only get to know what each cat likes (from the healthy options already mooted) through experience.

Why do I feel like I am in a nursery here?

You are still talking about what each cat LIKES - I am talking about what EVERY cat NEEDS...

gettingready

OnAndUp wrote: »

Just had a look at that the ingredients only seem to be 4% meat or fish per variety surely that's no better than Whiskas & Felix?

http://www.pet-supermarket.co.uk/products-Classic-Adult-Cat-Food-Cans-24-X-400G_NC3582.htm

Click on "ingredients tab".

Perhaps someone else can post a link to a lovely person who has done the comparison of various cat food, classic comes up very well on that.

I will try to find the link but I am sure someone will kindly beat me to it and posts it before I manage to dig it out

925dancer

I like chocolate and cake, probably eat too much of both but do I NEED them? No.

Vast difference between what I like and I need.

If you never give a cat Whiskas they never know they like it. I bought Whiskas a few months ago as it was on special and I was skint. Biggest mistake I ever made, they didn't really like it and made their backsides toxic! Dreadful stuff.

Tins are often better than sachets too as they're grain free. I'm pretty sure Classic tins are grain free? So the meat content may not be better but the overall quality is.

rising_from_the_ashes

Mine have dry left down to graze on - they both get Royal Canin:

• Indoor 27 for the boy - he's like a bag of bones (very fussy, couple of mouthfuls at a time sort of eater) but healthy (should add here that the vet says he's fine, I'd like him to be a bit heavier but would rather he was skinny & healthy than overweight)

• Light 40 for the girl - she's the feline equivalent of my lab (& will eat practically anything) and a bit of a podge

Strangely enough they don't touch "each others" food so the one they're on must suit them.

They also have a bowl of different dry food for a bit of variety - Purely, Whiskas, GoCat etc although they do just seem to nibble at these and much prefer the RC.

Although RC isn't the cheapest by a long shot, I have tried many, many dry foods & found that either one will eat it or the other (never both) or 1/2 a bag gets eaten & then they won't touch it so it goes to waste - have now settled on RC because at least it all gets eaten so it actually works out more cost effective for me.

Personally, I wouldn't feed Iams or Eukanuba but that's down to my issues with the testing.

I'd get a box or two of different types from Pets @ Home (if near) / supermarket and see which they like.


Re the wet food, mine get a pouch between them / day - it's a great way of enticing them inside in the evening and a good chance to check them over thoroughly.

I would prefer them to eat more wet but they both seem to prefer nibbling on dry and getting wet as a treat.

IMHO I doubt there's much difference between the quality of the run of the mill pouch & tinned meat (unless you go for the very expensive ones) - mine love Sheba / Purely etc but only get these as a treat now & then.

While they're small (and before they get too fussy!), try some different brands of tinned food (these work out a lot cheaper than the pouches).

The Classic one GettingReady suggested is quite good (tried in the past).


Good luck

GlynD

gettingready wrote: »

Why do I feel like I am in a nursery here?

You are still talking about what each cat LIKES - I am talking about what EVERY cat NEEDS...

No I am talking about giving a cat choices from the healthy options which are available. I'm also avoiding making any personal comments or trying to deride another person's opinion.

925dancer

They prefer the dry because they're addicted to the carbs................