POLL: Ability to Afford Premium Food v. Ownership

My Cat Mr Chester Cheese can not handle some of the really expensive premium foods. Yet he has never had an illness in his life and when times were hard financially we had to change over to a cheaper brand and yet the cat was always ok.

Premium food doesnt always make that much of a difference, I would be more concerned if someone couldnt afford to insure their cat or pay for vet bills.

I feed dry food and my wet food is organic and 50% meat which is actually cheaper than whiskers and contains so much more goodness for my cats.

As long as they intend to feed it something thats cat food then they should be allowed. I have known ppl that fed dog food to the cats cause "its cheaper and the cat eats it"

I think this is SO open because what is ones idea of premium is anothers idea of garbage. Some think only wet organic is acceptable some would argue only raw feeders should be allowed to own any pet. I think the cats quality of life comes into play-If its not able to be owned because of food then where are they ending up-outside eating scraps/cheap cat food anyway.

Where do you stand on what is the cut off of good vs bad food? Do you feed raw/wet only/dry only? Me personally, I am feeding all wet friskies with dry on hand just in case I can't do the wet(I have quite a few cats so its not just open up one can and be done with it)

I am more concerned with ppl not fixing pets or "I can't afford to go to vet cats really sick what should I do?" situations. No owned(or unowned for all reasons...) cat should suffer medically.

As long as they can feed the cat something appropriate for cats (not dog food, not cereal, not hot dogs), then that's better than the cat being homeless or dead.

People will always debate this. I feel a cat that is loved and vetted is happy. At the end of the day a good home is what matters. My cats happily eat everything from junk friskies to high end premium brands.

Having a home that feeds, waters, loves and vets is more important than ability to spend more on quality food.

That said, hubby and I have often existed on ramen and cup o noodles so that our 'kids' eat the best we can afford.

You should feed the best food you can afford. It may not be premium, but it's better than them having to live on the streets and forage for food.

Having done a cost analysis, you can save a tremendous amount by just increasing the amount of dry food to wet food ratio, but look to ensure that it still has a high protein/fat count as that way you can feed less. I do believe in still feeding wet everyday, but just make it one meal something real cheap. 12oz would go bad too quickly, but 5.5oz should be fine (feed 1/4 can per day, rest in fridge in a little locktite container) and typically gives a big savings over 3oz cans. Be sure to have clean water out 24x7x365.

Stick with scheduled feeding, as that doesn't cost money, and the cat isn't as likely to become overweight and will eat less that way too.
Absolutely, as one should consider the alternative:

A) Cat remains outdoor feral, subject to disease, predation, cars, and you name it and half the time will be eating garbage or mice/rats with parasites.

B) Cat remains in a shelter where its typically fed whatever is cheapest and isn't adopted out, and has a 70% chance of being euthanized.

I'd rather see a kitty being loved and eating Special Kitty than in the pile of dead cats at the local kill shelter, that's for sure.

Our cats have eaten everything from whiskas to blue buffalo and have all survived just fine. A couple of our cats refuse to eat the premium brands too. Heck, we have a 20 yo cat that we got 2 years ago that lived on Dollar General Store brand food for the 1st 18 years of his life, and he's lived longer than any cat I've had eating premium food.

Fed, watered, loved and vetted, that is how a cat should live.

Could not have said it better myself !!! Very well done!!!!!!

We have an 18 year old cat that has lived on Friskies her whole life. Our youngest, Buddy, will not eat premium foods but he is still happy, healthy and playful. We do offer good food to them anyway though.

Like everyone said, a loving home with decent food in their belly sure as heck beats life on the streets, scrounging for scraps and wildlife or being stuck in a shelter.

Just like people can't always afford expensive, healthy, organic foods for their families all time but that doesn't mean they shouldn't have children. Slightly different situation there, but still. We do what we can for those we love...It may not be the best, but is sure is better than nothing.

Absolutely. My adopted cat wouldn't switch to wet from her cheap shelter-fed dry until I gave her a not-so-premium brand that has a good amount of meat by-products and wheat gluten, but even on that her coat and eyes improved remarkably.

And now she can stretch out and has a view from my windows vs. being indoors in a tiny cage.

Being loved and fed doesn't equal a "good enough" home imo. There's plenty of animals of all species being kept inappropriately and suffering as a result, that's like saying "I love my iguana but can't afford to feed him anything but lettuce and uv bulbs are awful expensive, but hey, he's not dead yet and it's better than dying outside" Or "we love our puppy, but just don't have the time to exercise or train him, but hey, better than being dead". A hoarder around here had 70 some cats, but I guess being fed crap and loved was enough right? Who cares about health or long term? If you can't afford a suitable diet for your pet how are you going to afford a health issue? You can't even scrounge together an extra $10-15 per a month for your pets food?

Yeah, but who's to say what's "suitable"? I'm sure lots of people will say that raw feeding isn't "suitable". The major pet food companies have put a lot of research into making sure their products will keep your pet alive and reasonably healthy. Cats regularly live 20 years eating only Friskies (my childhood cat ate Friskies and Cat Chow---dry only---until they were 16. And both lived to be 21). Not quite the same as an iguana dying young of metabolic bone disease because he was fed only lettuce (and it's fine not to have a UVB light if you take the reptile out into the sun often enough and/or supplement with D3, so that's not a 100% necessity). Not to mention that iguanas rarely show up stray at your door and aren't dying in shelters by the millions.

And even if feeding "crap" foods definitely shortened a cat's lifespan, why is that worse than dying young in a shelter or on the street? At least they had a few more decent years.

I don't see the point of feeding crap if you know its crap. People see Meow Mix in the store, figure hey it's cat food so they assume it's fine. I can forgive those people. It's the people who have done their research and still exclusively feed Meow Mix and such that I really don't get. Not that I'm judging them or hate them, I just don't get them. Especially after reading the ingredients and smelling the poop. I had fosters on Meow Mix once...ugh they stunk us out of the house!

Yeah I know someone who has 3 cats and a dog. They just feed the dog cat food since it's easier. That dog is so fat and unhealthy it's not even funny.

You will note in the quote of Willowy's posted above, she said appropriate food. Many also said if they feed cheap food yet provide vet care. That's what many are talking about. I don't consider feeding the dog cat food or vice versa acceptible & I doubt from reading the posts in this thread that the other posters do either. I've educated a family member about feeding junky food, they know it's junk - but the cat won't eat anything else, they've tried quite hard for well over a year.

I know of many cats of "cheap" food who get excellent vet care, live into their senior years, etc. Many cats once on cheap food won't eat anything else....I'd rather see them in a home eating "cheap" food (so long as it's a complete diet for them) than euthanized in a shelter or homeless/uncared for outdoors.

Um, you seem to assume I was responding to an earlier post. I was just replying to the OP. I didn't even read everyone's responses beforehand.

And what I stated was my opinion. You could think whatever you want or talk until your face turns blue, wont change my mind lol.

That is an excellent point. By "cheap food" I do believe it was implied that it is still a complete and species appropriate diet, just not of the highest quality for financial reasons.

Just to add though that from a financial perspective, the absolute cheapest food isn't necessarily the absolute most cost effective.

On Food Inc for example they talked about economics of food with a poor family, and the family claimed it was cheaper to eat value items at a fast food place than it was to buy, prepare, cook, and wash the dishes for their own healthier meal bought at the grocery store. But then when you considered the health effects and the cost of the medical costs that may have been associated with that poor diet (one of em had adult onset "diabeetus"), its obvious that was a poor strategy. So just have to be smart about it.

To those 3 who said no-Curious what do you feed/find as acceptable? And how many cats are you feeding and any TNR, if so what are the ferals fed.

I don't think its fair to assume that feeding lower quality food is bad all of the time. It obviously depends on the cat. Maybe some aren't healthy on cheap foods because they have things wrong with them that require a more balanced meal. But its already been proven by MANY people that cats can live a long time even on the cheap food.

Again, I use Sami as an example. She was feral for the first year of her life. Spent it roaming the woods. Had a litter of kittens, had fleas, wasn't a good weight. She was found, spayed, put up for adoption. My roommate adopted her. They didn't know of higher quality food back then. Sami ate Friskies wet food and Whiskas dry food for 17 years. She never had to go to the vet that whole time. That doesn't mean they shouldn't have taken her for check ups but she never had any litter box problems, seldom vomited, never had diarrhea and was never over or underweight.

It may not always the case, as I said...some cats may very well do better on premium foods but no one can say that it is guaranteed to make them live longer and be 100% healthy. Its 50/50 either way.

I'm kind of yes and no with this issue. There are some owners who feed the crappiest foods yet spend thousands of dollars on vet bills. Then there's the owners who feed crap and refuse to spend the minimum on vet care. I don't think it's just a food issue - vet care as in regular check ups(not necessarily vaccines as I don't believe in yearly vaccines but physical exams, bloodwork, meds if necessary), a good environment (i.e. clean, warm, equipped with toys or games that satisfy their 'urges', interaction with you) etc.

I have the most respect for cat rescues - they probably feed a lot of dry and low quality or perhaps sponsored by hills but they are caring for those cats who were forgotten. So how can I criticize their choice of food?

However, there are those owners who have their hair blown out weekly, manicured nails, mercedes, etc yet feed their cat cheap dry food. They are the ones who shouldn't have pets.

I think if someone can afford basic vet care, actual cat food, enough litter to keep the number of boxes they need clean, and want a cat they should be able to have one. Someone who can afford premium or ultra premium cat food should feed their cats that but I think people who can't afford that food should still be able to have a cat.

Just feeding an iguana lettuce and not providing a heat source is a matter of life and death for the iguana.
Not being able to afford to feed a cat Wellness, or Blue, or Evo, or TOTW, and instead feeding Purina, or Special Kitty, or who knows what else, is NOT a matter of life and death for the cat.
Big difference.
I feed mine TOTW mixed with the 4Health brand from Tractor Supply. I have 10 cats. Guess what? Finances are tight this month, and it happened to coincide with the cats running out of food. What are they eating right now? The Goodlife Recipe, that I bought at Wal-Mart. When I get paid again, they will get their regular food. But do I feel awful about feeding them crap food for a short time? Not at all. They are healthy, happy, indoors, and not getting run over by a car, euthanized at a shelter, or attacked by wild animals.
I feel that just because you cannot afford pricey cat food does not mean you should not have the luxury of loving and animal.

What constitutes a suitable diet long term? That is really a matter of opinion. Not all cats will take to a raw diet or the higher end canned foods. It is a daily struggle arund here with our cats, but we keep trying. Am I a bad owner or inept? No, don't think so. We make sure they are vetted, get a complete diet and continue with species appropriate care.

Im not sure its simply a matter of "scrounging" a few extra dollars per month for every single owner, to assume that is wrong. In this economy keeping a roof over everyones head and bellies full can be really tough some months.

Its a balancing act and people do the best they can with what they have.

If you are going to weigh in on a debate, you might want to take a few minutes and be courteous enough to the other posters to actually read what they wrote.

We are debating why people people feed poor quality food to their animals....but I'm curious, those that are feeding their cats poorly, are they also the ones taking the kids to McDonalds 2 - 3 times a week? How can you expect someone to feed the cat premium while the kid is munching on their third cheeseburger and fries? It's the same thing, cat vs child, its not as if pets are the only ones not eating premium.

I think the most important thing is to look for the best ingredients in the foods that you can afford.

As long as a cat is getting a decent cat food with taurine, which is a needed ingredient, I think they will do fine. As others have said, having a safe and loving home even if the food isn't prime is better than being in a shelter or dead. Some folks put too much emphasis on premium food or raw feeding IMO. More important to me is whether they can afford to take the cat to a vet if and when needed.

I am so glad you posted this poll. I come across this issue every single week that I work.

We all know what the current economy in the US has done to many consumers. I see a lot of people scaling down their purchases of the premium foods and opting for the less expensive. People are looking for the best bang for their buck.

As far as taking on a new cat; Willowy expressed my sentiments exactly. I have people asking me for advice on pet foods all of the time. I will help them find the best food possible for their new cat that is within their budget. I will explain wet feeding and mixed feeding, and an all kibble diet. I go through the pros and cons of each. If they feel Nutro Max is within their budget I will help them with that. If they can't afford it; we then go over the different commercial foods. Generally, and I say this loosely, the majority of them either go with an all kibble or a mixed diet for the new cat. Again, I go over the pros and cons so they can make an informed decision.

Story: I will never forget Harriet. Woman comes in with small, pathetic, filthy kitten in cardboard box. She rescued it from the middle of the street. Woman on fixed income but purchases the Wellness Plan from Banfield. The kitten which she's had for about an hour, has already been name Harriet. She gets the kitten checked at the vet and comes to me to help with food. We go over all the options. Woman can not possibly afford premium. Woman chooses mixed and picks up a bag of Purina kitten (can't recall which one) and 2 dozen cans of Sophisticat kitten.

I run into her and Harriet at the store about a year later. Woman has a cart load of Fancy Feast. She grins at me and tells me she's splurging because FF is on sale for 50 cents a can. She says that Harriet is doing very well (Harriet is hissing at me from the crate) and "he" is just coming in for his yearly. LOL, she named the cat before she had him neutered.

Would I advise this woman against getting a cat because she can't afford premium food? Not in this lifetime!

Good point Willowy when you said "suitable". A species appropriate diet is what you intend, not feeding the cat bread and water. Yes, I heard about someone feeding their dog loaves of bread.

Well said and so very true!

Or hot dogs or lunch meat or Froot Loops or Big Macs or liverwurst. Some people are clueless.