Weight management food / picking a new canned food / where to buy online / any tips?

I have a couple questions
Overview of cats

Pixel
- 3 to 4 years old calico
- overweight 18 lbs (ok, obese)
- gets out of breath (our recent wake up call)
- was a shelter cat in a prior life
- loves dry food but will eat wet if presented without dry
- had gum problems in past but not currently
- alpha eater
- rarely witnessed drinking water
- vet wants her to eat a weight management food
- will play occasionally with furry mice toys / toddler toys

Proxy
- 3 to 4 year old gray tabbyish
- history of problems keeping weight on.
- prefers wet food but snacks on dry food
- good water drinker
- mellow and claims my toddler as hers
- vet wants her to stay on regular food and not have any weight management
- would rather wander the house than eat when we try to feed them separate with Pixel in the bathroom and Proxy in the kitchen

Feeding routine (used to leave too much dry food out all day long and then feed a wet food can per cat before bed)
Vet said to feed separately, pick up food, and feed twice a day.
Here's what the current situation is (one week old routine)
- feeding Verus dry food in am at breakfast time with Proxy shut in bathroom and Pixel in the kitchen
- pickup food bowls after 30-45 minutes
- nighttime 1 can per cat of Fancy Feast Flaked Ocean Fish Feast or Fancy Feast Flaked Fish and Shrimp with Proxy shut in bathroom and Pixel in the kitchen. Pick up when Proxy tells us she's done. But we have been letting her finish off what Pixel leaves behind.

1.) I need help picking out new canned cat food. My cats currently eat ______, but I'm starting to get concerned about feeding them only fish causing a build up in mercury. Plus one is being discontinued. I'm wanting to keep it to 80 cents a can or less. I am wanting to just order their food online. I remember to avoid meat by-products and corn being a major ingredient but have forgotten the others. So suggestions on best place to order from / a different canned food (with more variety than just fish)?

2.) Our vet just recommended Pixel eat a weight management food but didn't suggest one. He wants Proxy to stay on regular cat food. Dry food suggestions?

3. Portions - the vet said 3/4 to a cup each total a day. To me it seems it would depend on the food - more nutrient dense or not... What amounts should I feed them of dry? It'd be great to keep to one can per cat for the wet since husband isn't so wiling to divy up a can or fridge leftovers. I'm pregnant and due soon so household tasks are becoming his - plus wet food smell makes me want to vomit.

Bonus - we are moving to England in August so if the food is available there that's fabulous.
thank you and sorry for the novel.

Firstly, what vets recommend and what actually ends up working are two different things (I am by no means saying go against your vet, discuss any changes with them but be aware that it often takes some fine tuning)

First, diet foods have never worked for my cats, I feed them a low grain dry food and wet food, I adopted a cat who was fed a weight management food (admittedly supplemented with table scraps) and he was over 30lbs and lost only 3lbs of that on a strict prescription weight management food only and lots of exercise diet.

Personally, I think 3/4 cup and one can is too much food, but it will depend on the food, a lot of weight management foods are kinda junky, they work by filling up the cat on carbs it can't use so it feels full so they do recommend higher amounts of less nutrient dense foods.

Ask your vet how many calories they recommend they each have and work it out from there. The fish varieties of Fancy Feast have between 85-100 calories per can and your dry food, 496cals per cup, so you are feeding at least 450 cals per day.

According to typical guidelines, a 10lb cat should have 200-300 cals per day depending on their activity level, I feed my at 20cals per lb per day because they are not very active and 25cals per lb per day for the younger ones who play more. At 300 calories a day, my older guys start to put on weight.

As far as the foods, it depends a lot on their tastes, I will not feed fish foods only, but most foods come in bigger cans than fancy feast and would involve at least divying up a can. Most of mine really like Merrick or Fromm canned foods. One will only eat Fancy Feast so that is what he gets

I am not in the US so my availability of foods is different, especially for dry foods, so I will let one of the others recommend foods in your price range

Originally Posted by icklemiss21

Firstly, what vets recommend and what actually ends up working are two different things (I am by no means saying go against your vet, discuss any changes with them but be aware that it often takes some fine tuning)

First, diet foods have never worked for my cats, I feed them a low grain dry food and wet food, I adopted a cat who was fed a weight management food (admittedly supplemented with table scraps) and he was over 30lbs and lost only 3lbs of that on a strict prescription weight management food only and lots of exercise diet.

Personally, I think 3/4 cup and one can is too much food, but it will depend on the food, a lot of weight management foods are kinda junky, they work by filling up the cat on carbs it can't use so it feels full so they do recommend higher amounts of less nutrient dense foods.

Ask your vet how many calories they recommend they each have and work it out from there. The fish varieties of Fancy Feast have between 85-100 calories per can and your dry food, 496cals per cup, so you are feeding at least 450 cals per day.

According to typical guidelines, a 10lb cat should have 200-300 cals per day depending on their activity level, I feed my at 20cals per lb per day because they are not very active and 25cals per lb per day for the younger ones who play more. At 300 calories a day, my older guys start to put on weight.

As far as the foods, it depends a lot on their tastes, I will not feed fish foods only, but most foods come in bigger cans than fancy feast and would involve at least divying up a can. Most of mine really like Merrick or Fromm canned foods. One will only eat Fancy Feast so that is what he gets

I am not in the US so my availability of foods is different, especially for dry foods, so I will let one of the others recommend foods in your price range

Click to expand...

Now neither of the foods above are within the OP s budget...

My question and forgive me if I missed it but where can you shop?

80 cents for what size can>?

Can you eliminate the dry food and have a bigger wet budget>?

She is feeding Fancy Feast which is smaller cans, even up here, I pay $1.69-$1.75 per 5.5oz can (roughly 90c per 3oz) Merricks cans, Fromm is a few cents more expensive because the canned is hard to find - I did mention that they were bigger cans that need to be divyed up

Originally Posted by icklemiss21

She is feeding Fancy Feast which is smaller cans, even up here, I pay $1.69-$1.75 per 5.5oz can (roughly 90c per 3oz) Merricks cans, Fromm is a few cents more expensive because the canned is hard to find - I did mention that they were bigger cans that need to be divyed up

Click to expand...

I need to come shop by you ... I am old as I remember when FF came in 12 oz cans ....

Friskies here runs .40 ish cents a 5.5 oz can... if you buy 13oz cans it runs about 30 cents for 5.5 oz

Wellness runs about 2.50 for 13 oz so 1.25 for 6 oz and .75 cent s for 3oz if you buy the bigger can

Merrick here is 1.59 -2.09 for 3 oz to 5.5 oz cans ... some stores the tiny cans are actually more ...

Fromm is nearly unheard of here and nearly 3$ a can

Nutro , Blue , Pro plan are roughly 90 cents to 1.19 for 5.5 oz

I buy them in bulk but the OP says they want to order online so they probably will too

I pay a lot for Fromm but it is all Bumper can handle / eat other than FF - I can find it cheaper online in the US but by the time I pay to ship it here... so I give my cash to my local pet store rather than a shipping company since he will order it in especially for me, he said it has started to sell well though so hopefully I can get a price break as he orders more