Switching to Adult Food

It's hard to believe that the tiny thing my bf and I found during hurricane Gustav last year is already a year old!!
So, I'm going to start his transition to adult food now and maybe mixing it with the kitten food I still have left for a while since he's still SO tiny...(extra nutrients?) I'm looking for opinions on what is the best adult food for the price.. I want to try to keep the cost under $20. I'm currently feeding him Purina Pro Plan, and from what I've read on here it's not the best I could be feeding him for the price.. I'm in college so there's not much to spare for super expensive food and if I could get the price down some I would love that!
I read all the other previous posts about what to feed/which is best, and I've got a list of about 10 foods!! I was hoping to get the list down to about two or three before I go to the store to get his new big boy food..! Thanks so much!!!

Originally Posted by LSUguscat

It's hard to believe that the tiny thing my bf and I found during hurricane Gustav last year is already a year old!!
So, I'm going to start his transition to adult food now and maybe mixing it with the kitten food I still have left for a while since he's still SO tiny...(extra nutrients?) I'm looking for opinions on what is the best adult food for the price.. I want to try to keep the cost under $20. I'm currently feeding him Purina Pro Plan, and from what I've read on here it's not the best I could be feeding him for the price.. I'm in college so there's not much to spare for super expensive food and if I could get the price down some I would love that!

I read all the other previous posts about what to feed/which is best, and I've got a list of about 10 foods!! I was hoping to get the list down to about two or three before I go to the store to get his new big boy food..! Thanks so much!!!

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When I switched Persi from Science Diet kitten to adult, I gave him 20% adult the first week then 40%, etc. until he was eating 100% adult. He never seemed to notice!

If price is a concern, then try Max Cat or Chicken Soup for the Cat Lovers Soul may work for you. They are quality foods and not quite as pricey as Natural Balance, Wellness, Blue Buffalo foods.

I recommend you feed a mix of both canned and dry foods for best health.

I'll have to look for the Max brand and the Chicken Soup next time I'm at Petsmart or PetCo. Thanks so much for the help! I got Purina Pro Plan Selects.. Maybe it's a little better..? He seemed to love the new flavor, I mixed a little into his dinner tonight (it's Salmon and his other was just chicken), I was too excited to see his reaction to it!

Silly question maybe, but would they have the Max brand or Chicken Soup brand at Petsmart? I forgot all the names when I went.. I'll have to write them down next time! thankfully I just got a small bag to see Gus's reaction!

nutro max yes... chicken soup is small pet or feed stores

With the better foods, they'll have more calories than foods with fillers, so be careful with portion size. I found that out the hard way...

For the price, a really good option is Taste of the Wild. It's sold at independent pet food stores and feed stores. Other good options for the price: Natural Balance (Petco, independent pet stores, feed stores), Chicken Soup (independent pet stores/feed stores), Kirkland Signature (costco brand), and Healthwise (same company that makes Innova, Evo, etc., found at independent pet stores/feed stores). Maybe a step down in quality (and price) would be Nutro (Petsmart, Petco), Authority (Petsmart store brand), and Diamond Naturals (independent pet stores/feed stores). Buying a large bag and storing it in an airtight container will save money too, because the per lb. price of large bags is lower than small size bags.

If you are going to be feeding dry food, buy a pet water fountain to increase the water intake of your cats. Feed your cat as much wet food as you can afford, even if it's Friskies or 9 Lives. If you can get your cat to eat refrigerated leftovers, it will save you money. You can buy a $0.50 3 oz can of Fancy Feast, or a 6 oz can of Natural Balance (with better ingredients than Fancy Feast) for $0.89. My general theory is that any wet food is better than no wet food at all, so I'm not as picky with wet food ingredients/quality.

You can check out the Chicken Soup website to see locations in your area that sell the food.