HELP! Nutrition for Kitten with Owner on a Budget!

Ok,I`m so dang confused here.As of now I have been feeding my kitten,Alley,dry catfood that my parents donated as well as some canned Friskees wet food.Both of which she seems to like.

What is an acceptable kitten/cat food for when the owner is on a budget?The stuff at the vet`s is out of my range,sorry. Since I have only the one kitten I`ll most likely be able to buy higher quality food after I get her veterinary visit behind me.

Is it best to feed dry,wet or a combonation of both? Being abandoned my lil Alley is not a finikee eater(not yet,anyways).She does`nt seem to be into people food and I try not to offer it to her.

I`ve also read that milk is not a good thing for cats,nor is canned tunafish.Should catfood be left available all the time?I`ve read that cats are "grazers" and will nibble throughout the day.My little lady has access to food all the time but is keyed to my schedule and seems to eat more in the AM and when I come home in the PM.

What about cat treats and or "goodies"? Which ones and how often?
Does anyone grow cat friendly plants or herbs specifically for their cats to enjoy and nibble on?This sounds like a cool way to bring a bit of the outdoors inside for them.

Thanks in advance!
HosMan

HosMan - Clean out your PM's please - we're trying to send you a message.

Oops! Sorry,I thought I had cleaned it out. It`s empty now.

Lets start with where do you shop and what is your budget?

My budget was tight before but now with State of CA enforced 2x furloughs per month it is almost criminal.I`m open to shopping anywhere that offers competitive prices on quality pet products. Petco and Petsmart are in the next town but I have never set foot in either. Wal-Mart(gag)only as a last resort. Our local warhouse pet suppy seems well-stocked and runs ads with sales but I`m not sure how they stack up.

Okay sorry to pry but

do you have 10-20 , 20-30, 30-40$ to spend

Generally the middle figure.Sometimes the first figure and sometimes the last figure.And I am not being coy here.I recently had the joy of finding out I am responsible for certain additional medical costs--ones that I not anticipated.When it rains it pours,eh?

Petsmart has likely the highest quality at lowest cost
Authority has dry and canned very reasonable Petsmarts brand

nutro max ( yes some was recalled ) close in price and IMHO better ingredients than authority

those for a small bag would be about 10 and then half a can of wet about another 10-15 $ a month ( hint buying the next size up bag could last you 2 months and save a few $$ )
Walmart

Maxxium is very decent for the price in dry

purina naturals very decent for the price

wet
newmans own is $$ but avail at many walmarts

meow mix pouches

Right on! Thanks for your help,Sharky. I`ll take your list with me today.
Thanks again.

HosMan

You could try the locator on the Taste of the Wild website. I think it is a very high quality food--I just paid $10.00 for a 5 lb. bag. It is a dry kibble all life stages, I think.

Anne

Originally Posted by Kody's Mom

You could try the locator on the Taste of the Wild website. I think it is a very high quality food--I just paid $10.00 for a 5 lb. bag. It is a dry kibble all life stages, I think.

Anne

Click to expand...

this food is not found in the stores the op stated

Is that Feed shop still in Lodi?
I got some good foods there before that Petco and Petsmart do not carry.

If you were interested in trying the Taste of the Wild or even Chicken SOup for the Cat Lover's Soul, both of which were highly recommended (and very affordable) by my Kody's breeder, I see that there are two locations on the locator near Lodi--Robinson's Feed in Lodi & Lee's Feed in Lockeford.

The farm and animal supplies seem to carry very high quality pet foods, and mostly at very good prices. If they are convenient, I think you may be much happier with them than PetsMart or PetCo. JMHO

Anne

Thank you 1000x,Anne! Robinson`s Feed is like 5 mins from my house. I`ll explore that tip and comp shop the Feed stores.Both me and Alley thank you!
Muahhhhh!

If the feed store has Taste they will likely have Wellness , Innova / Evo and California natural ... I prefer taste in dry but have had issues with it and male cats. the others all have GREAT canned food and you can often get 13oz cans making 5-6 oz about a $1 which is slightly more than the = good foods at the big stores but IMHO a bit higher quality ask about case discounts ....