Best Budget Cat Food?

johnnyleeds

I just thought I'd let readers of the forum know that for the past year or so I've had great success feeding my 2 adult cats on Morrisons 'Savers' range of canned cat food.

Costing a mere £2 for 6 tins this works out at a great price of only £0.33 per tin which is a fraction of the price of the top brands - Whiskas / Felix etc.

Now I'm not a penny pinching miser when it comes to my pets although I am on a limited budget. However if it came to it and I had to feed my cats on Whiskas at 3x the price I would be happy to do so.

However I've found that the leading brands of cat food simply dont agree with my cats. Every time I've had to buy my cats the odd tin of Whiskas or Felix etc from the local corner shop when my Morrisons 'Savers' food has run out I notice that my cats simply dont like it, plus it gives them awful diorrea which is very messy and stinky to clean up, plus I feel awful in that I've given my cats something thats upset their poor little tummies.

A couple of years ago I had started feeding my 2 cats on tins of Butchers brand cat food which I'd heard recommended on several cat lovers forums as it was apparently the best in terms of meat content and the reports of less stinky litter trays was encouraging.

Now one week when I was shopping in Morrisons they had run out of stock of the regular 6 can packs of Butchers cat food but I noticed that a new 'value' range had been introduced, the aforementioned 'Savers' range. So at only £2 for 6 tins I thought I'd give it a go.

As soon as I got home I compared the ingredients list of the new Morrisons 'Savers' cat food with the ingredients list of the Butchers food that I still had in my cupboard and I was surprised to find they were virtually identical. Upon opening the first tin of the Morrisons 'Savers' cat food I noticed also that the consistency of the food was remarkably similar to the Butchers food. Plus my cats both tucked in to the Morrisons 'Savers' food as if it was the same as the Butchers food they had become accustomed to and that they both enjoyed.

I share a 400 gram tin of Morrisons 'Savers' cat food between my 2 cats in 2 servings per day with a handful of Go-Cat biscuits sprinkled on top and I'm delighted to say that my 2 kitties absolutely love it and they are in perfect health at a perfect weight.

The Morrisons 'Savers' range of tinned cat food comes in a 6 tin variety pack which consists of 2 tins of Chicken, 2 tins of Beef and 2 tins of Fish variety so together with the Go-Cat biscuits they have a nice selection of food which is all gobbled up and the bowls are licked clean!

I've found in the past when I'd tried feeding them Whiskas / Felix etc that I would be discarding half of the food as it went uneaten, not forgetting the litterbox carnage that resulted from their upset tummies.

So for my 2 cats I seem to have found a great budget solution that they enjoy greatly which is also easy on my shopping budget. The odd occasion there is no Morrisons 'Savers' cat food I will buy Butchers tinned cat food as I find its identical albeit about £0.80 more expensive for a 6 tin pack.

My 2 cats are coming up to 4 years old each as they are sisters from the same litter. They are at their ideal weight for adult cats and I'm following guidelines for feeding them in that they eat twice per day and they will eat as much as they can without having food left for hours going stale.

I find that feeding them both the canned food and the biscuits gives them variety and keeps their teeth in good order from crunching biscuits while at the same time getting plenty of moisture from the 'wet' / canned food. I do supplement their meals with the occasional tin of tuna or sardines as well as bacon rinds / fat as well as giving them bits of whatever meat I might be having for my own dinner.

Although it sounds like I'm feeding them on the cheap I can tell they arent underweight in any way, they have wonderful condition and lovely shiny coats and they are both active and happy animals.

So if anyone is struggling for ideas of what to feed their cats on a budget I believe this is a good solution as I'm spending under £4 per week to feed 2 adult cats. I'm sure some people with bigger budgets / cat breeders etc will want to say I'm doing it all wrong but I can tell you now that my 2 cats are perfectly happy with the tasty dinners I give them and they certainly arent complaining. So if you are having to feed cats on a budget too then give the Morrisons 'Savers' cat food a try and see what your kitties think about it.

Johnny

P.S: I'm not trying to say I'm any expert on the subject of cat nutrition by any means here, if anyone else has any useful advice on feeding cats on a budget or if anyone has tried other supermarkets budget cat food and found them to be any good I'd love to hear about it.

I can say however that in my experience of trying both Sainsbury's and Tesco's own 'Value' range of cat food that it didnt compare well to the Morrisons 'Savers' cat food. Both of the other supermarkets 'value' cat foods didnt agree with my cats. Additionally my own cats do not like Morrisons 'Savers' range of cat biscuits or any of the other supermarkets biscuits.

The only biscuits they really enjoy are either Go-Cat or the more premium brand ones - Iams / James Wellbeloved etc. A few times I tried them with Whiskas biscuits and they wouldnt eat them so I gave them to my neighbours dog! The Go-Cat biscuits seem to be my own cats favorite dry cat food and they dont leave a single one uneaten.

They even do a special Go-Cat biscuit tailored especially for indoor cats which is perfect for me as I live on the 10th floor of an apartment block and while my cats get to roam the balcony they're perfectly happy living mostly indoors as I have plenty of things to keep them occupied - scratching post, bubble machine, laser pointer etc.

Also another thing I've found that my cats love is a few drops of Valerian / Hops extract rubbed onto their favorite toys. Its a natural cat attractant, a bit like cat nip, although I've discovered that with my 2 cats being female the normal catnip doesnt have any effect on them. I discovered by accident that this Valerian / Hops extract that is used as a herbal sleep aid for people sends my 2 cats into blissful joy once they get a whiff of it. Its completely safe and natural and a tiny bottle costing under £5 lasts years.

I drop a couple of drops onto their favorite cuddly toy snake and them rub this around their scratching post / bed etc and for 1/2 an hour they will both go into fits of ecstacy while rolling / snuffling / purring over the peculiar scent. I think it might be the same as what they put in those 'Feliway' plug in things as it definetely makes them very relaxed and pleased once they get a smell of it. Definetely worth every penny and if you're having trouble with either a new cat or you have a stressed out cat for whatever reason I can pretty much guarantee this stuff will have your cat chilled out.

GwylimT

They aren't similar at all, morrisons save food is 4% meat products, butchers is 48%, but also doesn't contain grain which cats should not be eating as they cannot digest it, while the morrisons food is full of grain.

johnnyleeds

I think you've got the Butchers being 48% meat wrong!

Here is the data I've got which is based on the fish variety:

Morrisons Savers:

Nutrition
Ingredients
Meat and Animal Derivatives, Fish and Fish Derivatives (Ocean Fish 4%), Minerals
Nutritional Data
Typical Values Analytical constituents
Crude protein 7.5%
Crude fibres 0.2%
Total fats 5.0%
Inorganic matter 2.0%
Moisture 82.0%
Additives
Cassia gum 1.7g/kg
Nutritional Additives
Taurine 453mg/kg
Vitamin A 1000 I.U./kg
Vitamin D3 200 I.U./kg
Zinc sulphate monohydrate 69mg/kg
Calcium iodate anhydrous 0.16mg/kg
Sodium selenite anhydrous 0.33mg/kg

Butchers

Nutritional Data
Typical Values Additives (per kg) for all:
Nutritional Additives:
Vit A (E672) 1000iu
Vit D3 (E671) 200iu
Taurine 453mg
Zn (E6) 25mg
Se (E8) 0.15mg
I (E2) 0.1mg
Emulsifiers:
Cassia Gum (E499) 1.8g
Analytical Constituents for all (%):
Protein 8.5
Crude Fibre 0.5
Fat Content 5
Crude Ash 2
Moisture 82

I've said I'm no expert on cat nutrition, but from experience I'm recommending this budget variety as my 2 cats are very happy and healthy eating it which is good enough evidence for me that it works.

johnnyleeds

What does it mean when it says minimum 49% (Beef minimum 4%)...? And how do I decipher the ingredients list to find out if there is non-animal protein? I thought it was mostly dog foods which did this?

I've been told in the past that quite often budget pet food can be superior to the brand leaders who can be the worst culprits when it comes to manipulating content of pet foods while at the same time deceingin customers

GwylimT

Butchers for cats

composition:

meat and animal deivatives (48%, of which beef 9% fresh 26% ) minerals. Natural ingredients 99%

additives (per kg)

Taurine 453mg


analytical constituents %:
porien 8.5
crude fibre 0.5
fat content 5
crude ash 2
moisture 82

There you are, still though both foods leave a cat which is a carnivore with too little protein, they also do not meet a cats needs for taurine. I most certainly wouldn't feed my cat either, it's a bit like feeding a child mcdonalds everyday.

teddysmum

johnnyleeds wrote: »

What does it mean when it says minimum 49% (Beef minimum 4%)...?

If it says something like minimum animal derivatives 49% (beef minimum 4%), then almost half is something from an animal, which could be chicken beaks, bone, or guts and 4% (of this or of the whole content) is actually beef.

gettingready

Johnnyleeds - sorry but since when whiskas and felix are "leading brands?

Both are cat's version of what McDonalds are for humans ie rubbish food.

Also, have you tried cleaning your own teeth with cereal? Well the same way - dry cat biscuits do not clean cat teeth...

And no wonder they like Go Cat - so many additives, again like feeding McDonalds every day.

I am absolutely not saying everyone should kill themselves to buy good quality food for their pets as I know it is expensive but please get some truths sorted first before jumping up and down.

All the best

GwylimT

A quality diet for an animal which meets their nutritional needs isn't expensive, Mac costs 63p per day per cat, 70% fresh meat, no sugars and no grain. If you can't afford that you can't afford a cat.

rising_from_the_ashes

I'm sorry but you are comparing a decent budget food - the Butchers which has a high meat % in the ingredients and is grain free - with something that is really like cheap takeaway food

It might be alright for the odd meal - but would you really want to eat burgers & chips every night ..... do you think you'd really be that healthy if you did?


The Butchers is 8p / can more expensive ..... seriously - that is peanuts - they aren't even in the same league .....

happysaz133

Harringtons and Burns are decent dry foods for their prices (less than £7 on offer usually). Personally I feed Applaws but it is a bit pricier (£12 a bag usually).

Butchers wet food is better than the likes of Felix and Whiskas, and is actually usually cheaper because its not one of the well known brands. I often find a pack of 24 tins in Pets at Home for £9.99.

Rev

If you have a b&m or home bargains near by they often have pouches of hi life and feline fayre for about 19p. they're 60% plus meat and grain free. they also often have the tuna tins. I feed one a day and leave dry down all the time.

I feed those along with zooplus portia 21 grain free. A 10kg bag lasts around 4-6 months(my youngest has skin issues and is sometimes on steroids. When he is he eats twice as much). In total it costs me around £5-£10 a month To feed two cats a high meat content grain free diet. If you have those shops local its worth a look. They have butchers tins for 40p too. But mine won't eat that. Fussy sods.


One of mine isn't a fan of wet food so doesn't eat it often and when she does eat it she will only eat applaws. She's almost 15 so I figure if she wants applaws. She can have applaws. If it wasn't for having to buy that I'd would cost me around £5 a month to feed both.

The reason I despise big pet food companies like wiskas and go cat etc is because they charge a premium for crap. I couldn't afford to feed my cats badly, paying for the name wiskas is far too expensive. Buying good quality food in bulk is imho the best way. It literally costs me pennies a day to feed two cats.