Save money yet keep my babies healthy :)

So my vet wanted me to get my cats on a all wet diet so Neko could lose weight. She was 13lbs and is now at 11lbs so it has been working great! The wet i feed is Nutro Natural Choice, Nutro Max, Natural Balance, and a little Soulistic. I buy a case of 1 flavor and then grab multiple cans of the other brands/diff flavors and then alternate throughout 2.5 weeks which costs me around $45-$50 (2 cats).

My paid internship ends today (graduated this past aug) and I will be unemployed until i can find a new job! How can I cut back without buying the cheap stuff? Should I just buy 2 cases of 2 flavors and alternate or should I go back to 50%dry food which was cheaper in the past...

What dry food has healthy/holistic ingredients, no peas (allergy), and will help maintain Neko's weight... I think her goal weight was 10-11lbs.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated Thanks!

The easiest way to control weight is to simply control the amount you feed.   If the cat is getting fat with 1/3 cup of dry a day, then reduce to 1/4 cup or less until you're feeding the right amount of calories. 

Wet food is inherently low calorie since its around 80% water and can't be left out so you're always feeding only a small amount of calories at a time.   If the ingredients/guaranteed analysis of a dry were similar and you fed the same amount, but around 70% less by volume since its dehydrated, you'd get the same result.  Just like a tiny amount of dry rice becomes a huge plate once hydrated, you have to remember that dry food is really concentrated.  

I would avoid the "calorie control" or "diet" type foods and just go with a good rich high protein and fat food though, so the calories fed are "good" calories and all nutrient needs are met even with less food.

There's Blue Spa Select with is $35 for a 15lb bag IIRC.  A bag then holds around 25K Calories.   So thats 716 Calories per dollar whereas a dollar of wet food can usually only buy you one 5.5oz can which contain about 200 Calories.  

Thank you! If Neko was only eating 5.75oz of wet and I wanted to feed her 50% dry... how much of the Blue Spa Select would you feed?

I think before her diet she was eating only 1/4c Dry (Solid Gold) and 3oz of wet. And she was at 13lbs.

So maybe I Continue to buy the 1 case of 5.5 cans. Split one can between the two cats for breakfast. Then 1/4c of dry or less for Neko's dinner?

Petey i'm not too worried about... he's super hyper and weighs 10lbs.

I'd just figure out a target daily calorie intake (I believe most start around 200 calories a day) and then check the back of the bag and can for feeding amounts.

The Blue is 480 Calories a cup, so 1/4 cup is 120 calories.   If you fed half a can of wet, that'd probably be 100 Calories, so you're already be 10% above target, which over time would slowly add up to extra lbs on kitty bellies.  *shrugs*

My problem is that its so much easier for me if Wesley and Buttercup just share their food rather than separate them for feeding... but buttercup has a smaller frame and yet eats faster, so she gets more than I want her to and Wesley less.   Doh!  I'd like Buttercup to lose a bit and Wesley to gain a bit I think. 

Petey's just been on Neko's diet...and i was hoping he wouldn't lose too much weight... maybe Neko lost weight easier bc Petey would sneak in and eat some of her food and he remained the same 

They're not seperated at feeding time but i do have to watch them eat.

So maybe i'll try 1/8c dry for Neko and the half can wet /  1/4c dry for Petey and the other half can wet.

HI For a cat to lose weight - you should feed about 15 calories per pound. There are also weight management diet's out there and some very good ones. But look for the calories per cup on these too. EVO is higher in calories - comparatively to other reduced fat/weight management diets. Check out Wellness Healthy Weight - Wilderness Chicken Weight Management. Wilderness has 349 calories per cup and has very excellent ingredient's. I feed my cat's Wilderness in rotation - the wet food. But use the dry if I have to go out-of-town for a couple of day's - they can't get fat on that one..... WELL maybe my "fat boy" Wendall - what a piggies :lol3: Good luck with your search