Hi. So I have a question. We currently have 6 cats and have been feeding wellness core indoor cats. My boy cats got UIT's after we started that food. We hnfortunatly cannot afford to feed wet food at the moment. The cats were on wellness canned prior to this dry food. My question is can anyone recommend a good less expensive dry cat food ease?
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Need help choosing new food
- Thread starter catmom4
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I know you did not ask about wet food but just something to think about ..
I think most people would say that wet food ( especially for male cats or cats that have had a UTI ) is better .. Could you possibly feed one meal of wet ? Friskies canned is pretty economical ..
As for dry food , check out Petsmart .. They have a couple of brands called Authority & Simply Nourish that are reasonably priced .. Tractor Supply , if you have one in your area , has a brand called 4 Health . Walmart has Pure Balance .. I think all of these have a grain free version .. I hope this helps .
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Sure that would be fine .. My cats each eat 1 can of FF and 1/4 cup of kibble daily . I add extra water to the FF . You do whatever works for your cats .. Not everyone is able to feed wet food and that is fine too ..
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My cat has a bowl of dry ... always full and 2 packets of whiskers a day....she eats very little of the dry though....from what I have just read are you saying dry food is not good?
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I wouldn't recommend moistening dry food because it encourages bacterial growth. I tried this years ago and the result was gas and diarrhea.I just did the math. I am not able to buy that much wet a weekcan you moisten dry food?
How many of your cats are males? Perhaps you can feed only the boys one wet meal a day. This would mean no more free feeding though.
If you really can't afford to feed wet food (even the cheapest wet is better than dry - especially for uti cats), then you can try to compensate by upping their fluid intake. If you poach some chicken (turkey etc) absolutely plain, the liquid left has always proved irresistible to my cats. Keep the meat for yourself (or treat the cats, of course ). Tuna water is also a big hit with most cats - take some canned tuna in spring water (not brine), put it in a bowl with some extra water and let it steep for a few hours. Drain the tuna (to keep for the humans!) and serve that water to your cats.
This article has great tips for boosting fluid intake too http://www.thecatsite.com/a/tips-to-increase-your-cat-s-water-intake
). Tuna water is also a big hit with most cats - take some canned tuna in spring water (not brine), put it in a bowl with some extra water and let it steep for a few hours. Drain the tuna (to keep for the humans!) and serve that water to your cats.This article has great tips for boosting fluid intake too http://www.thecatsite.com/a/tips-to-increase-your-cat-s-water-intake
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If you really can't afford to feed wet food (even the cheapest wet is better than dry - especially for uti cats), then you can try to compensate by upping their fluid intake. If you poach some chicken (turkey etc) absolutely plain, the liquid left has always proved irresistible to my cats. Keep the meat for yourself (or treat the cats, of course
This article has great tips for boosting fluid intake too http://www.thecatsite.com/a/tips-to-increase-your-cat-s-water-intake
Thank you very much I will try that. What do people think of Merrick dry cat food. I got one that is fish free hoping that would be slightly better. It's purrfect bistro grain free chicken recipe.
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Buy the large dog food size can of friskies pate and feed occasionally! It is reasonable. NO dry is good for uti cats, sorry!I just did the math. I am not able to buy that much wet a week
You can buy a large 13 oz can of Friskies for about a dollar, divide it up in little baggies or something, and freeze so it will keep longer. Then just take out individual servings and thaw once a day, or a few times a week, whatever you can afford. That would be a very inexpensive way to include some wet food in your cats' diet. Buying the little 3 oz cans is much more expensive.
Unfortunately I don't think grain free dry food is a good idea for UTI prone cats. I've been reading on here about people whose cats (specifically male cats) only had UTIs or crystals when eating grain free dry. If you must feed dry, grains are less likely to cause bladder problems than vegetables. Potatoes and other vegetables tend to raise the urine PH more than grain does, leading to problems.
Unfortunately I don't think grain free dry food is a good idea for UTI prone cats. I've been reading on here about people whose cats (specifically male cats) only had UTIs or crystals when eating grain free dry. If you must feed dry, grains are less likely to cause bladder problems than vegetables. Potatoes and other vegetables tend to raise the urine PH more than grain does, leading to problems.
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check out Special Kitty wet cat food at Walmart. you can get 22 oz cans for a dollar. just get the cans with the least amount of fish.I just did the math. I am not able to buy that much wet a weekcan you moisten dry food?
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Special-Kitty-Turkey-and-Giblets-Canned-Cat-Food-22-oz/38345488
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Special-Kitty-Super-Supper-Dinner-Cat-Food-22-Oz-Cats/10311107
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Thank you. What would be a good dry food with grains to feed them?
Yeah , I understand . Feeding wet food can get expensive especially if you have more than one or two cats .. My two cats will ONLY eat Fancy Feast but they like theirs with a lot of added water so I only use two cans per day . I add one can of water to one can of FF and split between them twice a day .. Plus they get a 1/4 cup of kibble .I just did the math. I am not able to buy that much wet a weekcan you moisten dry food?
My cats have to eat some kibble since they like their FF really watered down . I have tried several high quality grain free brands and they always lose interest . They prefer the cheaper brands . Their absolute favorite is Purina One Smartblend Healthy Metabolism . Target.com is the cheapest place I found , with subscription it is free shipping ..
With the dry food, try to pick one where some sort of meat is the first ingredient. Cats utilise animal protein far more easily than vegetable/grain protein. I've never come across information that grain free dry is more likely to trigger a uti - I've always heard the opposite :confuse3:
This article may help http://www.thecatsite.com/a/choosing-the-right-dry-cat-food
This site is a great resource for uti cats. Don't be put off by her views on dry food - all you can do is the best you can with your budget.
http://www.catinfo.org
If you can deal with it, it might be worth considering making your own cat food - either cooked or raw. It can work out cheaper than canned, but you do have to be sure to follow a good recipe to be certain the food is balanced.
This article may help http://www.thecatsite.com/a/choosing-the-right-dry-cat-food
This site is a great resource for uti cats. Don't be put off by her views on dry food - all you can do is the best you can with your budget.
http://www.catinfo.org
If you can deal with it, it might be worth considering making your own cat food - either cooked or raw. It can work out cheaper than canned, but you do have to be sure to follow a good recipe to be certain the food is balanced.
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Thank you very one for all the advice. I just found out that one of my other cats has crystals. Looks like I am going to have to switch to some form of wet food for my cats. Is the walmart brand special kitty and ok wet food?
I'm not in the US but I just Googled it. If you're referring to the special kitty classic paté then it looks pretty good for a budget food. It's grain free and primarily meat which is great. If possible I'd avoid the tuna flavour, simply because tuna can be problematic with crystals cats (having said that, my crystals cat is a tuna addict, and has had no problems since his first blockage 10 years ago. I had far less knowledge about cat nutrition back then, but luckily he seems none the worse for it).
Hope that helps. Good luck with it all. Cat food/nutrition really is a minefield - especially when you're on a budget. You may well get away with a mix of wet and dry in the long run if your cats will accept watered down wet, like 2 2cats4me 's cats do. Ok, it may not be ideal, but ultimately, if it works for your cats then it's fine imo.
Hope that helps. Good luck with it all. Cat food/nutrition really is a minefield - especially when you're on a budget. You may well get away with a mix of wet and dry in the long run if your cats will accept watered down wet, like 2 2cats4me 's cats do. Ok, it may not be ideal, but ultimately, if it works for your cats then it's fine imo.
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