I hate asking this, but...

muttigreemom

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I don't think I asked this before, but if its a repeat, I'm sorry


Since money is so tight, I'm really trying to cut back on some things... so I'm trying to see if I can switch to a cheaper cat food... even for a short period of time. (It's not just the animals... the humans have cut way back too
)

Here's the problem...

1. Tryon will ONLY eat dry. She wants nothing to do with canned or raw.
2. The boys will eat canned/raw, but snack on the dry
3. I'm very picky about things like magnesium, ash and protein content because of Az's previous issues with urinary blockages. Az doesn't live here and Weeble and Sammy don't have those problems, but after we went through it with Az, I don't want to do it again... ever... I don't even want to chance it.
4. Tryon is turning into a bit of a chub... so something with a lot of fillers is probably bad.

So I know this is probably a tall order... but is there something cheap I can feed them that won't have me sobbing like a crazy woman because of the horrible ingredients? I'm currently buying Evo at $17.99/8lb bag (or 19.99? something like that)... so it needs to be cheaper than that.

.. and then as soon as things get back to normal, they'll get put back on good food. So while I hate hate HATE doing this... it is only temporary.
 

alleygirl

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You might try chicken soup. I'm not sure about the level details but I know its a decent food at a lower price than the Evo.
 

katiemae1277

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its a pretty decent food for the price, usually runs anywhere from 20-22 dollars for a 17 or 18 lb bag. as for the UTI issues, CS (chicken soup) has this methionine that Sharky says is good for those issues. Here's the website, they have a store locator http://www.chickensoupforthepetloverssoul.com/
 

stampit3d

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We use Purina One, as it was recommended to me by a guy here on the site who raises Bengal cats. He usually feeds raw diet, but for the ones that won`t eat it he feeds Purina One and feels it is a good one. His cats are BEAUTIFUL.
All 3 of our cats are doing very well on it....they are healthy and have nice shiny coats.
At Walmarts under $5 for a 3 1/2 # bag....under $9 for a 7# bag.
Linda
 

gingersmom

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Originally Posted by stampit3d

We use Purina One, as it was recommended to me by a guy here on the site who raises Bengal cats. He usually feeds raw diet, but for the ones that won`t eat it he feeds Purina One and feels it is a good one. His cats are BEAUTIFUL.
All 3 of our cats are doing very well on it....they are healthy and have nice shiny coats.
At Walmarts under $5 for a 3 1/2 # bag....under $9 for a 7# bag.
Linda
I'm assuming you are not referring to Kai Bengals, as he feeds his cats Royal Canin...

A suggestion, regardless of what brand you go with, even though it's a larger expense out of pocket, do buy the largest bag you can, as the larger the bag, the lower the unit price cost so you save money over time.
 

deljo

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If you buy the larger sizes, put it in tupperware or large zip lock containers. You want to keep it fresh and keep ants, etc. out. I use Purina One and Purina Naturals. I know what you mean about cost. I spend more each month on the cats (2) for litter and food than I spend on my food and necessities.
 

sharky

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Best ingrediants for the least $$

Nutro ( Max reg is 23-28 on sale 20-22 for 20lbs( might look at hairball NO WHEAT
) , Natural choice most view as better 25-30 reg 22-26 on sale)
CHicken soup( here this wins by a few $$ but other areas it is about 10 cheaper than nutro.... here 16lb is 18 $)
Solid gold 15 lb 20$ on ave
Healthwise by Innova 20lbs runs 23-28 around here ( ingrediants similiar to max)
 

monaxlisa

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I feed a mix of Purina One Urinary Tract Health (those ingred. are so bad compared to Evo that I wouldnt even suggest it though...but at Walmart its $17 for a...the big bag, 16-18lbs) with Chicken Soup Adult formula. I havent had any problems with UTI on this food (one of my cats had one a few years ago on a different food which is why I still mix in the Purina). Im not sure about the levels in the CS (I researched it a long time ago when I was switching from just Purina to a mix of the better quality food but my vet couldnt tell me anything about the PH levels. The CS website does have info (in their FAQ section I think) it tells you about PH info and their cat food.) Anyhow! I like the CS ingredients, my cats do pretty well on it, nice coats and healthy and all that. I had my dogs on CS dog food and they did pretty well too. Oh, for me CS is about $21 for their big bag..16lbs I think.
 

jencat

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Felidae is not a bad food either. If you have a feed store around then you should be able to get it for a good price along brands like chicken soup.
 

followedbydolls

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I was also going to say nutro/max products, petsmart puts them on sale often.

Also i don't find California naturals to be that bad in the price department but i'm in a different country than most here so it's rather hard for me to comment on costs. It's made by the same company that makes the innova
 
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muttigreemom

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Ok so here's how it went...

I had been up for over 24 hours straight (I know, I'm nuts.. it just kind of happened...) so I was so not in the mood to drive all the way to Petsmart... which is a bit of a hike for me.. and Petco is even more of a hike...

So I went to this one petstore listed on the CS site. It was a scary scary place. Not only do they sell dogs (ugh!!) but they also sell large birds. The owners had their own dog (a baby St. Bernard.. probably around the 70lb mark.. so a few months old) walking around the store. Normally I don't have a problem with that, but the dog wandered over to one of the birds and instead of telling him no, they just let the dog sniff the parrot... who scratched the heck out of the dogs face!! When the other customer in the store gave the owner a shocked look she just said "Well, thats how he learns" Whoa.. WHAT?!?! Not only that but the place REEKED. It also turns out they didn't carry CS, only Eagle Pack... so I left.

Still not feeling like driving all the way to Petsmart I happened upon a feed store that I didn't even know was there. Not only did they carry CS (but no Felidae or anything else I was willing to tolerate), but I had a great conversation with the owner about horses (I used to ride and miss it a lot). Very excited to find this place
So, we're trying out CS for the time being. Was not overly thrilled that the food was only 30% protein... but I figure I can make up for that with some canned/raw for the boys.

So that was a long story... but I just couldn't get over that first store!! I can't believe that people can actually treat animals like that!
 

panther pride

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oops didnt know you lived in the gator sate
( dont know how to spell the state, lol) Anyway try searching Evo prices online and see what you come up with.
 
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muttigreemom

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Originally Posted by Panther pride

oops didnt know you lived in the gator sate
( dont know how to spell the state, lol) Anyway try searching Evo prices online and see what you come up with.
Well that too, but I also need to buy dry instead of canned... the shipping on that alone would kill me if I bought it online... and I buy the dry from the only person in my area that sells it.

Thanks tho!
 
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muttigreemom

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Oof, I think that might be a bit much for me right now


But to be honest, I'm not over the moon with some of the ingredients. Whole milk and casein are the first to pop out at me. It's also 12% less protein than Evo and 7% less than Orijen. If I'm going to spend that kind of money on cat food, I don't think this one is a winner for me.


I do appreciate the help tho
I had actually never heard of this brand before. Good to check out. Thanks!
 
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