POLL: Ability to Afford Premium Food v. Ownership

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.

Originally Posted by odiakkoh

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.

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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.

Originally Posted by Kat-Toy

Hello group,

Should a person purchase a kitten/cat if they know they cannot afford premium cat food to feed it?

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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!

Originally Posted by Willowy

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.

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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.

Originally Posted by anita1216

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

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Well said and so very true!

Originally Posted by NutroMike

Yes, I heard about someone feeding their dog loaves of bread.

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

I can't always afford premium food. I'm not sure if I am just not looking hard enough, or because Nova Scotia is just expensive in general, but the cost of premium foods here is ridiculous. I see people boasting about how they find great sales on good foods but I don't see that here. I only found a small number of stores that sell great food but it is way over priced. I am talking 2-3 bucks for the 5oz cans. Thats a lot when you have three cats. What I do instead though, is buy 4-5 cans of something like Wellness, then go to the grocery store and get some of the cheap stuff and I mix up their diet a bit.
Not sure if that makes much difference but they enjoy the few days a week of great food and happily eat the crappy food the rest of the week.

So all in all, even though I can't afford a consistent premium diet for my kitties, they are still healthy, loved a ton and go to the vet when needed. That's what really counts.

There are so many homeless cats here, the last questions I ask potential adopters of my rescue kittens is what brand of food they will feed, I am just happy to find a home for them.

I would rather a cat have a home and be fed meow mix (Though I would never feed my own cats that) than to end up being euthanized at the SPCA.

Originally Posted by Yosemite

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.

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I completely agree Thought I had posted a response to you already but I must be mistaken. Vetting the animal is a huge concern to me.

Of course there are other factors that make someone competent to own a cat, and the ability to provide quality food is a factor. I would never get a cat and feed the equivalent of McDs daily just because IMO it's better than living on the streets. If you can't help a situation, best to leave it alone IMO.

Originally Posted by 2coolCats

Of course there are other factors that make someone competent to own a cat, and the ability to provide quality food is a factor. I would never get a cat and feed the equivalent of McDs daily just because IMO it's better than living on the streets. If you can't help a situation, best to leave it alone IMO.

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Do you really think that, for a cat, starving on the streets, eating out of dumpsters, in the cold and the heat being under threat by predators, is better than living in a safe, warm/cool, dry house with people who love the cat, if they feed the cat Meow Mix? I'd like to think that the Meow Mix is at least a small improvement over dumpster pickings.

Originally Posted by Willowy

Do you really think that, for a cat, starving on the streets, eating out of dumpsters, in the cold and the heat being under threat by predators, is better than living in a safe, warm/cool, dry house with people who love the cat, if they feed the cat Meow Mix? I'd like to think that the Meow Mix is at least a small improvement over dumpster pickings.

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better for who? For the family sure, but is meow mix better nutrition wise than what a cat would come in contact with if it had to hunt for its food? I guess in some cases it is, and in others, it probably is not.

I absolutely believe that inexpensive cat food and a loving home is far better than a shelter or feral life.

The cat I grew up with would eat nothing but Tender Vittles. Junky? You betcha, but she lived a looooong life, and never had a health problem. She was loved and pampered, and since 30 years ago there wasn't much choice in cat foods, I think she did alright.

Originally Posted by Willowy

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.

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I totally agree.

This is broad question. When I was growing up all are animals lived long lives. Did we feed them the best cat or dog food, probably not. We feed them what was in the stores and at a cost my parents felt was what they could afford. We also had many other animals like horses, geese, ducks, birds and many other animals. What we did do was give them a good home and took them to the vets when needed. My parents still have 3 birds and a cat now. But they have a good home and are feed well.

We got are cat 6 years ago. For about 5 of those years I did feed her dry standard cat food. I don't remember the brand but I considered it pretty good at the time. The only reason I switch to a more "healthy" diet is because my husband and I changed our diet to more organic based diet. I saw the difference in my self, that I decided to do that same for our cat. I'm still in a process of doing this and finding a food that can be easily bought. So far our cat has no health or weight problems.

All of my cats have eaten nothing but purina and they have all lived several years with no health conditions. When I had to re-home my two boys 6 years ago they went to my brother and he tried the premium brands and made them both sick. Back to purina they went and they are now 14 and 12 and healthy as horses.

I say feed to the best of your ability.