Is the food I'm giving him ok?

We haven't got much money to buy the very best, but as far as cheap food goes, am I buying the worst stuff? I've tried to google results but I haven't found anything negative but thought I'd ask here as well.

I keep Simon's bowl full of Whiskas dry foot (with meat centers apparently), and mix in a small can of Fancy Feast once a day (usually around 10 am).

He's used to this food now and seems to get an upset stomach if I change it, but he's not a picky eater so if there's something around the same price that would be better for him, I'd appreciate it.


As far as flavors go on fancy feast, I get about 12 cans at once, each a different flavor from each other, if that makes much of a difference.

Just trying to do the best I can for my mittle keeteh.

Well, Whiskas is not really a good food for kitty - it has lots of corn which cats can't really digest so it just ends up coming out in the litter box) and not any real meat (which kitty really needs as a carnivore). It also has some artificial preservatives (BHA, BHT) that have been shown to be toxic to animals. I understand the budget issue very well, and I know that others here have suggested Purina Naturals (green bag) as a decent and fairly low price food that can be found almost anywhere (Wal-Mart, etc.). As far as switching kitty's food, try mixing in just a tablespoon or two of the new food into his bowl and slowly keep adding more of the new food while decreasing the old food. I'd say transitioning over a 2 week period would probably help him not get an upset tummy.

Also, if you are leaving the fancy feast out for more than 20 or 30 minutes, it could spoil and cause kitty to get sick. You might consider serving it on a separate plate and taking it up after that time frame. It's GREAT that you are giving your cat wet food though! And if he is eating Fancy Feast that is just fine, although you might find some cheaper alternatives for wet food which will allow you to spend a little more for dry.

I'm sure others will have some recommendations for you too!

welcome to the board!

Candace

Personally I would get either Max Cat dry or Chicken Soup for the Cat Lovers Soul - both are higher quality then you are feeding and pretty reasonable in pricing.

In the long run a few extra dollars for quality food beats cheaper food and more medical problems.

Ah thank you very much! He always eats his wet food the minute I give it to him, so I don't have to worry about it spoiling. I don't refill his bowl with dry food before I mix it up so there's not a huge amount to eat together..once he finishes that I fill it up with dry for the rest of the day if he gets hungry.

I'll check out those dry foods when we go shopping C: thanks.

I wonder if he would eat leftovers? I have only ever seen Fancy Feast in the small 3 oz cans. You can buy larger 6 oz cans of higher quality wet food and split it up to 2 feedings (stick the leftovers in the fridge with a can cover) and it's cheaper than Fancy Feast. Here, the 3 oz sizes of Fancy Feast are anywhere from $0.45 to $0.89, but you can get a 6 oz can of Natural Balance for $0.99, a 6 oz can of Chicken Soup for $0.89-$0.92, etc.

Fancy Feast isn't the best wet food, but any wet food is better than not feeding any wet food at all. I wouldn't worry too much about Fancy Feast, but know that there are healthier wet foods out there and that you can save money by buying the larger size cans.

I am more concerned about the dry food you are feeding. It's terrible. There are quite a few relatively inexpensive dry foods that have better ingredients. You won't find them at the grocery store though. Here are some suggestions:

- Kirkland Signature (Costco store brand)
- Diamond Naturals
- Authority (PetSmart store brand)
- Natural Balance (sold at Petco)
- Nutro Naturals (sold at PetSmart & Petco)
- Nutro Max (sold at PetSmart & Petco)
- Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul
- Healthwise
- Taste of the Wild

Again, the foods are even less expensive when you buy the largest size bag offered. It's more money at the time, but it is cheaper per lb.

When switching the dry food, make it a gradual switch from the old food to the new.

Welcome!

the above gave lots of options /./// Are u in the US or Canada or EU or elsewhere?

I'm in the US. My mom won't go for buying anything that costs more than what we're currently feeding him.

I prefer the small cans because then it's got the right portion already, so I'll keep giving him fancy feast until I've got my own money to spend on him.

It'd be nicer if we had food you could find in a grocery store as well since allt he pet stores are an hour away from my house :\\

Many foods you can buy online, and often for cheaper than in stores.

With the more expensive foods, you feed less so while it seems more costly it actually isn't over time.

Are you close to a Walmart? Take a look at this one http://walmart.triaddigital.com/enha...ktid14650.aspx

Scroll down and there is a place to request a free sample. No animal by-products, no artificial colors or preservatives......very decent food for the price.

Hope that works out.

For what it's worth, most national brands of food are better than what the cat would eat outdoors. That doesn't mean they're the best, but let's not make the perfect the enemy of the good.

Purina Cat Chow is OK. One thing to watch for is color. The cat food companies put colors in their foods for us, not for the cats. My brothers cats have never eaten anything but Cat Chow, and they have lived good, long, healthy lives.

Dry food, by the way, is not the best food for cats. Wet food is closer to what they eat in the wild. But wet food is not always convenient for us.

Do the best you can for your cat, and just know that having him/her inside is the first, best step you can make for a cat. That one step alone can increase their life expectancy by something like 500%.

You know generally speaking i am a very what works best for your pet type whether that be premium foods or ones found at your grocery, you know the old saying no perfect food and all

BUT i will say avoiding chemical preservatives is a priority no matter what your budget, to me their is NO excuse for companies to be using this option anymore.

So i think a good starting point would be checking what is available to you locally that doesn't contain chemical preservatives and then comparing ingredients and prices points.

As for your wet foods, i look at it as some wet is better than none, i do use fancy feast/friskies with 2 of my cats they simply will not touch a better quality wet but i ensure my dry diets are naturally preserved.

What about Purina Naturals dry food? You can get it at Walmart and grocery stores (most) and its not to badly priced and a "decent" food.