POLL: Ability to Afford Premium Food v. Ownership - Page 2

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

I don't have a lot of extra money and I feed my cats a pretty good food, Taste of the Wild for my bengals and Kirkmans for my ferals. That said, I think there are so many homeless and euthanized cats in the world that a cat that eats crap food is a lot better off than a lot of cats and I have no issue with it.

And that's pretty much it in a nutshell.

This is so broad question that I won't vote in the poll.
I would say that if the cat is indoor/outdoor kitty, he/she will manage better with cheap not so good quality foods (because they hunt outside) than an indoor only cat would.
I would never feed anything 'rainbow colored' stuff for my cats. If I happen to get foods like that (some friends and relatives may bring Whiskas or Friskies for the cats when they come to visit) I will give them to my grandpa who has an indoor/outdoor cat. I know few 'mousers' who did just fine with cheap quality foods because their main menu was the fresh kill outdoors. They were de-wormed etc regularly and they lived 15-20 years (in areas where is very little traffic, neighbors far away and very rarely predators [we only really have wolves, bears and lynxes here and they pretty much stay away from human habitation, hawks and eagles concern me more..]).

The situation changes when humans are their only food sources. I've seen where it can lead and I'll try everything I can not to go that road with my cats. I rather starve myself than feed unnecessary junk for my cats for a month (or a year, or..). Yes, they do get junk food for treats sometimes and 1/3 of Luna's diet has Royal Canin's Oral Care in it for dental hygiene, and I feel like I'm pushing it already. She only eats dry food which is giving me a headache.. Now that she's (very likely) pregnant, she is eating Applaws kitten dry food and the RC Oral Care stuff and I feel like I'm taking her to McDonald's everyday.

I'm with the voters who are both yes and no on this question, however I voted No for the poll.

If you already owned the cat and feeding low quality cheap food was the only way to keep your cat or dog then I would be all for it - anything to keep from giving them up.

However if you are in the position before even getting the pet where you are questioning the finances of basic care such as food thinking you are going to have to go with low cost and quality just to be able to get the pet in the first place then I wonder what will happen when that pet has unexpected expenses?

I always advocated provide the best that you are able to. Buying the best of the best is not necessary and I realize that while we all want to buy - and want every pet owner we know - to buy what we believe is "the best" it's not always possible. But if you are not able to at least afford the top of a mid-quality and mid priced brand then I think you really should re-think having a pet.

Food costs are minor as far as what pet expenses can be on a yearly basis. Routine wellness veterinary care, possible emergency care, and veterinary care that extends beyond routine wellness such as dental and tests that should be done every few years add up to quite a sum of money. Not to mention litter, toys, beds, scratching posts all get expensive but are necessary for a healthy cat.

This is my concern. I'd love to say "feed the best you can afford" but if someone can only afford grocery store brands, what happens when there is a costly vet visit? I'm not talking long, drawn out cancer treatment that could stretch anyone's budget, but can they even afford to spay/neuter? Can they afford to move a cat if necessary, or will they be one of the owners who say, "I'm moving and can't afford to take the cat." I hate to say it, but sometimes euthanasia is kinder than letting a cat out because you can't take care of it.

I'm not saying you have to be able to afford premium brands. But not being able to afford anything but the cheapest food is a symptom of a bigger problem.

My 2 cents:

First I agree 100% that cheap dry food and loving home is better than being homeless, half-starved, or euthanized in a shelter. Second, bad food the cat will actually eat is also better than the best on the market if the cat refuses to eat it. I also think that a lot of people just don't know anything about pet nutrition and incorrectly assume that pet food companies know what they are doing and are putting out good food and that ingredients and flavors that sound good or appetizing to the human must be good for the cat.